Vlad was manning the helm as he followed the log pose. It's been a while since the crew surfaced. About a few days. It was enough to reawaken the bloodlust in all of the crew members. The fact that Hoarfen and Tanya seemed to argue more than usual seemed like proof.

In fact, Vlad heard them fighting as he steered the ship.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"I'LL FREEZE YOU!"

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY, SHITTY MUTT!"

"HERE IT COMES, EXPIRED PUSSY!"

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING EXPIRED?!"

An explosion and some snapping wood was heard.

"DAMMIT, YOU TWO," Vlad heard Paul roar. "HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU IDIOTS NOT TO DESTROY MY FUCKING SHIP?!"

"TELL IT TO THIS JACKASS," Hoarfen and Tanya roared at the same time. "WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE CALLING A JACKASS, ASSHOLE," they roared before another explosion was heard.

Vlad just ignored the whole thing, concentrating on the course. Then, it happened. "Welcome back, Owlman."

The Chimera bowed after landing behind Vlad. "It's an honor to be back, Captain."

"How was your mission?"

"Successful. I have located an island for sacrifice. You are perfectly on course. A Treasure Island and a New World Base has also been located. They are beyond the sacrificial island, but not too far."

"How long until we reach the island?"

"A day, at least."

An explosion was heard, followed by two bestial roars, and the angered roar of a furious man. "Let's hope the ship can handle the trip," Vlad said with uncaring eyes.


"T-That'll be thirty berries," said the store clerk nervously... as he sold a little girl some booze.

"T-Thank you," the girl said without looking up even once as she paid. She then took the bottle and bowed before she left. She was about to walk out the door of the store.

"R-Rose!"

Rose jumped before she looked back at the store clerk. "Um... yes?"

The man looked nervous, trying to find the right words to say. "Uh... um..." The man then just sighed in defeat. "Be safe on your way home," he said in a depressed tone, looking down.

Rose looked at the man for a bit... until she gave the man a sad and heartbreaking smile. "Thank you." With that, she left.


The man was now alone in his store, until his wife walked out of the back of the store. She saw her husband slam a fist onto the counter. "Dammit! To not be able to help that innocent girl. I feel like shit." He then jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He looked to see it was his wife, smiling kindly at him, with tears in her eyes. "I know how you feel, honey. That girl deserves better, but we can't do anything. I can't count the amount of times I've wish I could just hug that girl, and tell her that everything is going to be better."

The man just looked at his wife before hugging her. "If only he was never murdered. Damn the bastard that killed him. If Johann wasn't killed, Elizabeth would never have become that drunken monster, and remained the kind woman she was before."

"I miss the old Elizabeth. But, I'm sure Rose misses her even more."


Rose was walking towards her house, keeping the brown bag close to her chest, ignoring the pitiful gazes she was getting.

"That poor girl."

"Mama, what's wrong with that girl?"

"You don't need to know, sweetie."

"Can't we just report this?"

"To who? The Navy wouldn't care about some little girl, unless they placed a bounty on her. Remember Nico Robin?"

"How the hell could anyone believe she destroyed six battle ships at eight years old?"

"Isn't Rose eight?"

"Does it matter?"

"All I care about is how she's suffering."

"Well, not much good that'll do if there's nothing we can do to help."

Rose heard all the gossip and whispers, and it just made her feel worse. Without realizing it, she took off running. It didn't take her long to reach her house. She walked in and lightly closed the door.

She walked into the living room to see her mother sleeping in a chair, a bottle in her hand. Not wanting to wake her up, she quietly took out the bottle and placed it on the table next to her mother.

She took one last look at her mother. When she was asleep, Rose couldn't help but remember her kind, radiant mother. Tears were forming from the memories of the times her mother laughed and played with her. What Rose wouldn't give to be hugged and kissed by her mother again. To hear her say that she loved her again.

Those memories were too much. Rose quietly walked to her room, and closed her door as softly as she could. She then walked to her bed and fell to her knees. She then began to sob on her bed, wishing for her life to go back to the way it was... or at least for it to change for the better.

Then, it happened.


The towns people were just going on with their daily life. Working, selling, and even arguing. As the people were somewhat enjoying their peaceful life, a roar was heard. It was loud enough to echo throughout the entire island.

"What the hell was that," asked a citizen.

"It came from the forest."

"Isn't that in the direction of the beach?"

A gun being loaded was heard, and one citizen looked to see one of the local hunters loading his shotgun.

"Do you think you need that," the citizen asked.

"Didn't you hear that roar? Whatever made that had to be huge. Anyone who has a gun, a bow, or anything else good for hunting, I'd suggest you grab it!" When the hunter said that, the other hunters, and even a few butchers, went to arm themselves with weapons. Even the baker and his wife came out with rolling pins.

Pretty much everyone had some kind of weapon. Even a little boy was holding an iron pipe, though a woman who had to be his mother ended up dragging him away.

The people waited for something to happen, all of them obviously nervous and even scared.

Then, everyone saw something move in the corner of their eyes. Then, they heard crunching... and gurgling.

Everyone looked to see the hunter getting eaten alive by a wolf. The wolf tore off and ate the man's face before it howled.

One hunter was about to shoot the wolf, but ended up getting tackled. He looked to see a growling dog. He then realized that it had a human body. "A Zoan?!" Before he could do anything, the "Zoan" tore his throat out with his fangs.

Then, countless other creatures ran out of the forest, and started butchering the towns people.

One woman tried to grab one of the dropped guns, but her hand was grabbed by another. She was forcefully pulled up by something with boundless strength. She looked to see the body of a man, but she saw no face. It was completely shadowed, with only red orbs being visible. Then, the man hissed, showing off his pearl white fangs that seemed to glow in his face with an unearthly shine. Before the woman could react, the man plunged his fangs into her neck. She didn't even have time to struggle.

She was nothing more than a lifeless husk in just a matter of seconds.

Many of the people tired to run, but they were being mowed down by an unseen force. Then, one person heard the roar of what sounded like a cheetah. He looked up in time to see a woman pounce onto him, and then saw her swipe at him. That was the last thing the man every saw.

Other hunters tried to take aim at the mysterious woman, but many of them ended up getting shot in the head by arrows. When the hunters looked to see who was firing, they were immediately turned to stone. Some civilians saw this, and screamed when they saw a serpent's tail reduce the statues to rubble. These same civilians were about to run, but found out it was a useless effort when they saw they were surrounded by hissing snake "Zoans".

They thought they saw an opening, and ran towards it. When they got close to the opening, the largest snake "Zoan" appeared before them. It was so large, that all they saw was the tail. When they looked up, they saw a woman's body. When they looked up at the face, the first thing they noticed was that this particular Zoan had live snakes for hair. Then, they looked into the Zoan's eyes.

Those green, slit eyes were the last thing they ever saw.


A large and muscular hunter wearing a red shirt, black tights and brown boots ran towards a group of his friends with his trusty blunderbuss. They were obviously fighting whatever was attacking his village. He thought they were doing well... until he saw them all fall to bloody pieces.

The one who did it was just a lanky looking man. Physically, his friends should have snapped him like a twig. Yet, the hunter could tell there was something seriously wrong with that man. Especially those eyes and that smile of his. It looked beyond insane. It was like there was no humanity in him whatsoever.

Then, the hunter saw something that made his blood run cold. The man picked up a very short man by his pony tail. The small man happened to be the hunter's closest friend. The little guy was swinging his pudgy legs madly in absolute terror, tears streaming down his face. He even tried to desperately punch the man when he brought a knife out, even though the small man's arms weren't anywhere near the skinny man's face.

Then, the lanky man placed the blade onto the short man's neck, making him released a bloodcurdling scream.

"HELP ME, GAST-AGURH!"

The man's words were garbled... after the murderer slit his throat. Then, he wildly stabbed at at his neck until the body fell from the head. The hunter actually saw the killer shiver... and release a sigh of pleasure. "Ecstasy at it's purest. There is nothing like killing a little lamb when it's most terrified."

"DAMN YOU!"

"Oh?"

The hunter took aim and fired.

Then, he felt a sharp pain in his hand. He looked to see a knife had been plunged into it... and saw the villain who slaughtered his friends. "W-When did you-" The hunter couldn't finish his question, as he was silenced by the pain of the knife in his hand being twisted.

He then felt the bastard kick him in the back of his knee, making him fall. The man then twisted the knife again, making the hunter drop his gun. When he did, the man plunged the knife into the ground, and staked his other hand with another knife. The hunter tried to yank his hands out, but it was almost as if the knives took root into the ground.

Then, the hunter felt his arms being touched. He looked to see the man rubbing his biceps. "Mm, nice. Very nice."

The man then walked around the hunter. "An exceptional body. Most impressive."

The man then squatted before the hunter. "Your body will do just fine. Rejoice, boy. Your body will be the base... for the very first Homunculus." The hunter then saw a white light, and saw the world move.

The world spun around... until he saw his body right in front of him... without a head. "Huh?"

"Take the body back to the ship. Make sure nothing happens to it. Freeze it to prevent the body from decomposing."

"Yes, doctor."

When the hunter heard those words, he saw his body disappear. Then, he felt like he was falling, and hit the ground roughly. As he felt the dirt on his cheek, he felt a shoe on his other cheek. "I no longer have any need for you, my boy."

The next thing the hunter heard was a crunch. Then... he felt, saw, and heard... nothing.


"Inside! Get inside!"

Villagers were trying to seek refuge inside the bank vault, the safest and strongest area in their village. It took four strong men just to open the safe, and the same amount to close it.

There was barely even twenty civilians. There were a few crying children, but it was mostly women and elders. The only men there were the strong men and two hunters.

"Mama, I'm scared."

"It's alright, sweetie. Everything will be just fine," the mother said with a shaky voice and tears in her eyes.

Then, banging was heard on the safe door, making the kids cry in fear. It was made worse when the sound of several animals roaring was heard. Then, the door started to dent, terrifying everyone.

Without a second thought, the four men ran on and pushed against the door to strengthen it. They could feel the force of the creatures attacking the safe. They could tell there was way too many to fight. If those things got in, everyone in the room would be slaughtered.

Then, the banging stopped, followed by what sounded like defeated roars. After a few seconds of quiet, everyone thought they were safe. But one of the strong men realized something. He placed his ear on the safe.

"Footsteps. Someone's coming!" The other strong men looked at their comrade. "Push against the door! Now!" They all did as they were told.

A few seconds passed.

"Nothing's happening."

A few more seconds passed.

"Wait, I hear something."

"Sounds like groaning wood." Then, a crushing sound was heard, as if the wood was being smashed.

"What the hell was that?!"

"Get ready!" All the strong men held up the safe door with all their strength.

It was of no avail.

In the next second, the door was broken down, and smashed the four men into paste before anyone realized it. Everyone screamed at the sight, especially the civilians that were sprayed by the blood of the men.

They then looked up to see a massive man with muscles even larger than that of the strong men, holding a massive hammer that should be impossible for any man to wield.

Then, the people felt absolute terror when they saw creatures twice the size of the man behind him. The people saw a Bull Zoan, an Ox Zoan, and a Yak Zoan; all looking enraged.

"Release the rage within you," the man said.

When he did, the three "Zoans" roared and charged. The sound of bones crushing, blood splattering, and screams was heard. The "Zoans" showed no mercy. They crushed the children beneath their hooves, tore the elders in half with their bare hands, and crushed the women into the walls with charges.

Among the Chimeras, the ones under Paul's command were arguably the most powerful and the most aggressive. They were one of the Chimeras that needed the sacrifice the most, in order to release the rage within them. It was either that, or start a scene on the ship.

Though they were the angriest of the Chimeras, they were not idiots. They knew that if they caused any trouble on the ship, any one of the pirates they served under would easily slaughter them. The one they feared the most was obviously Vlad. Their animal instincts told them he was the Apex Predator.

The only other being they feared besides their captain was their master, Paul. They knew if they started anything around him, or worse, destroyed the ship in any way, he would literally tear them limb from limb with just his bares hands. They've all seen Paul's all but impossible strength. They knew that even if they all attacked him at once, they would be absolutely no match for him.

As Paul walked around the carnage, stepping on the blood puddles and mangled body parts, he checked to see if there was any survivors. He was pleased to see there was not one. "Very good, boys. You finish the job you've started. That is an essential part of being a blacksmith. You must never leave a project unfinished."

The Chimeras all bowed before their master. "Thank you, Master Paul," the three said in unison.

Paul smirked as he walked over to the cabinets. He thought he might as well take some treasure to start the New World Treasure Island Vlad wants to make.

When he opened the first cabinet, his eyes widened in shock. "It... can't be."

Paul reached in, and grabbed a very large, speckled stone. "On such a little island. And the very first island we landed on in the New World." Paul smirked. "How fortuitous."

Paul then looked at his hammer. "Looks like I'll be able to remake my hammer faster than I could have possibly imagined."


Hoarfen was dissatisfied. He was glad that he got to eat the first villager, but the others are being butchered by his comrades, and he hates intruding on other peoples fun. He wanted to hunt alone. On that end, he started to head towards the outskirts of town.

He smiled when he found a house. He took a whiff of the air, and grew a mad grin. "A woman."

Without hesitating, he sped towards the house and sliced through the door.

"What the hell," a woman yelled. "Who the fuck is in my-" A beautiful woman stormed out of the living room with a bottle in her hand. When she saw Hoarfen, she froze in terror. Though he wasn't in either his hybrid or wolf form, he was still terrifying... since he was covered in blood.

"Ooh, you look delicious."

Before the woman realized it, she was slammed onto the wall. She felt like she was glued to it, and saw that Hoarfen was holding her down with just one hand. She began to shake in fear when Hoarfen began to sniff her. "You reek of alcohol. . . . Nice. I actually don't mind alcoholic meat." The woman began to tear up when Hoarfen actually licked her from her bust to her neck. "Makes my meal that much more flavorful."

The woman thought for sure Hoarfen was there to rape her, until she looked into his eyes. She didn't see the eyes of a man looking to satisfy his lustful urges. She didn't even see the eyes of a man at all.

She saw the eyes of a beast looking at it's food.

"Now then..." The woman felt absolute dread when she saw Hoarfen grow fangs. "LET'S EAT!"

"WAIT!"

Hoarfen actually stopped. "Huh?"

"I HAVE A DAUGHTER!"

"Oh?"

"IF YOU LET ME LIVE... I'LL LET YOU EAT HER!"

Hoarfen's eyes widened. He was genuinely shocked. Then, he chuckled. "Not a bad deal." The woman actually looked hopeful. "I actually enjoy eating kids. They're so soft and chewy. It's almost like eating gum. It's actually kinda fun, chewing on them. They also have a pretty sweet flavor. Yeah, kids really are tasty."

"T-Then... do we have a d-deal?"

"Hm. . . . . . No."

"WHAT?!"

"Oh, don't worry. Your kid's dessert." Hoarfen's eyes then began to glow. "But you're way too good of a main course to pass up. Thanks for the food!"

The woman then screamed as Hoarfen began to eat her, starting with her lips and mouth. Then, he started to eat her breasts, working his way to her heart. He was greatly enjoying his meal, until he heard a door slam. He knew it came from the back of the house.

"Heh, the little one is trying to run away. Well, no matter. I'll find her. But, one must never waste food. Especially when the food is this delicious." Hoarfen then went back to eating the remains of the woman.


"I HAVE A DAUGHTER!IF YOU LET ME LIVE, I'LL LET YOU EAT HER!"

The words of her mother echoed in Rose's mind. She ran as fast as she could, heartbroken that her mother would so willingly sacrifice her just to save herself. She just ran, eyes shut, and tears flowing. She just ran as fast as she could.

Then, she ran into something. It felt strong, but it wasn't a tree. It felt too warm... and she could feel clothes. When she opened her eyes, she saw the legs of a man.

The worst thought came to her mind. She slowly looked up to see a tall man. All she saw was his body so far, and she could already tell he was extremely powerful.

Then, she looked up at the man's face.

It was completely shadowed, with only red orbs being visible. She felt like she was staring at Death itself. No, at the Devil himself.

She felt absolute terror when the being before her reached out. She shut her eyes tight, waiting for death. Then, she felt... something pleasant. A loving hand on her head.

She opened her eyes to see the most handsome man she had ever seen. The man looked at her for a bit before giving a kind smile. He then stood up and walked away. As he walked, he spoke: "Follow me."

Without any hesitation, Rose followed the man.


After a short walk, the two had reached the beach on the other side of the island. On the shores was a boat, ready with a few supplies in it.

"Use this boat to escape." The girl looked up at the man, and saw him look at the log pose. "Just keep moving forward. Do not change your course for any reason. The island you would land on will have virtually no conflicts. Try to survive and rebuild your life there."

Rose was confused. She walked over towards the boat, and was about to climb in. "Why?"

"Hm?"

She turned to the man. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because I chose to do so."

"WHY!? WHY JUST ME?! ALL THOSE PEOPLE! THOSE INNOCENTS! I CAN TELL BY JUST LOOKING THAT YOU'RE STRONG! SO WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ANY OF THEM?!"

"Because I chose not to."

"Eh?"

"I choose who I save and who I kill. Do you know why I can do that?" Rose didn't answer. She was too shocked by the what the man had said so far.

The man then raised a fist. "It's because I am strong. It's because I have power. It's because I AM power." Rose's eyes widened at the reasoning.

"This I say to you: This world is governed by power. Those who have true power can do whatever they please. And only those with power can take down others with power. When the weak want power, they come together until they are strong enough to challenge one with near ultimate power. Power is what decides everything in this world. Those who have power has the world in the palm of their hand. That, my child, is why I decide who to save and who to kill. And that is why I decide to save you."

Rose was quiet for a bit. "That's... just selfish."

"Indeed. Power is not a selfless thing. Power is addictive. The more a being takes hold of it, the more they crave it. Power corrupts all. No one is immune to it's hold, not even those with the purest of intentions. In the end, the allure of power will always win."

Rose was quiet again. "Then I ask you, o powerful one," Rose began as she looked into the man's eyes. "Why would one as powerful as you... save one as powerless as me?"

"Powerless? You believe yourself to be so?" Rose was surprised by the question. "Everyone has a bit of power within them. It's what they chose to do with it that defines them. Some are born with immense power, enough to shape the very world itself. Others are born with virtually no power, and chose to remain weak in this brutal world. Yet, there are those, born with no power, that grow to amass immeasurable power. Power that rivals those born with great power, or even surpass them."

"And... you believe I'm like that?"

"Maybe I do. Maybe I do not. That is for you to decide. Will you live with the power you have been given? Will you try to cultivate more power for yourself? Will you find people who will share their power with you, and you share your power with them? I cannot tell you. I cannot decide your fate. Power can control many things in this world. The will of humanity is not one of them. The will of humans..." The man then looked up into the sky. "Is for someone much greater to influence. And I am not that being."

Rose stared at the man, wondering what he meant, and what he was looking at.

The man then looked back at Rose. "Go. Live your life. Make your own decisions. Survive in this ugly... yet beautiful world." Rose looked at the man for a bit, then started to push the boat into the water.

"Child." Rose stopped for a moment, without looking back. "This is not our last meeting. Our paths will cross again someday." Rose didn't respond. She just pushed the boat into the water, and jumped in, letting the current carry her boat to the next island.

"And when that day comes, I pray that either you or one of your future friends will have the power necessary to kill me, Young Rose."

Rose's eyes widened. Not once had she mentioned her name, and what she heard disturbed her. She wanted to yell at the man that she would never want to kill him. Yet, when she looked, she saw no trace of him. Though, she did see something. Right at the spot she last saw the man stand.

There, she saw... red sand.


Tanya had slashed one of the last surviving villagers in half with her claws, looking at the corpse with cold eyes and a pleased smirk. "Hm? You seem satisfied for some reason. Did something good happen, Vlad?"

She had sensed her captain land behind her, even though he didn't make a sound.

"In a way, I suppose something did."

"That's good to hear," Hoarfen said with his mouth full as he walked up eating a liver.

"Ugh, you really are revolting. You could at least swallow your food before opening that disgusting mouth of yours, mutt," Tanya lectured.

"You mean like this?" Hoarfen then opened his mouth. Since he had already swallowed his "food" during Tanya's lecture, he just let his tongue hang out as he positioned himself in a way to make Tanya look down his throat.

"Yeah, since I can now easily RIP YOUR FUCKING TONGUE OUT," she roared as she actually tried to do so.

Yet, Hoarfen was able to catch her attack. "Like hell you can, you fucking banana slug."

"SLUG?! Oh, that's it."

The two then started to exchange blows after Hoarfen swallowed the rest of the liver whole. Their attacks sliced through the buildings with the air pressure from their deadly strikes. Their attacks caused many of the body parts around them to fly around and the blood on the ground to splatter onto other structures. Vlad even had to catch a head that was sent flying towards him.

Actually, he even had to catch a severed arm, and went so far as to use the same arm to literally home-run another head sent flying to him. He even shaded his eyes to see how far the head went.

After a few minutes, Vlad snapped his fingers. This one act was enough to stop the two hybrid Zoans' fight. The two looked at their captain as they reverted back to their human forms. "It's time to go. The others have already reached the ship." With that, Vlad walked back to the ship, with Hoarfen and Tanya following him.

The two were glaring at one another the whole time, so they didn't notice how Vlad was stepping in more blood puddles than they were.

"Oh, hey Vlad, did you see a little girl around town? Probably has brown eyes and burgundy hair," Hoarfen asked.

"Lives in the outskirts of town with her mother who tried to sell her out to you in order not to get eaten herself?"

"Oh, man. The only way you'd know that is if-"

"I drank her blood."

"Then she's dead."

"Yup."

"Fuck. I wanted to have her for dessert."

"Sorry."

Of course, Vlad was lying. He knows Hoarfen. If he knew Rose was still alive, he'd actually travel throughout the entire New World to find and eat her, and Vlad couldn't have that. No way is he going to lose his most powerful crew member, as well as have his plans ruined.

Though, he really did drink some of Rose's blood.

It happened when he placed his hand on her head. With his own blood, he drank Rose's with a blood needle as small as a mosquito's. Rose didn't feel a thing. Vlad didn't take much, but he took enough to know her name and her past. Her past was a reason he spared her at all. A minor reason, but a reason all the same. The main reason he spared her was because of the vision he had of her when he first saw her.

The memory of what he saw was enough to make him smile, despite Hoarfen and Tanya's bickering behind him.


In a matter of minutes, the Crimson Palace was sailing away from the sacrificial island.

"So, where to next, Vladdy," Jack asked as he steered the ship. No answer came, which was odd for Vlad. "Vladdy?"

The resident doctor used his Observation to locate Vlad. He found his captain at the stern of the ship. Jack went over too see what Vlad was doing.

He wasn't the only one. The other core members went to see what he was doing there as well.

"Yo, Vlad, what are you doing," Hoarfen asked.

"Oh, just finishing the sacrifice." When Vlad said that, he raised both hands high in the air.

When he did that, the crew saw all the blood on the island fly up into the sky. Along with the blood, debris flew up as well, along with the body parts of all the murdered civilians. The pirates noticed how everything sucked into the blood sphere became blood itself, and caused the sphere to grow. It grew bigger with each passing second, until it was as large as the island itself.

"Red Death: Crimson Erasure."

When Vlad said that, he brought his hands down. The giant sphere of blood shot to the island, and actually exploded. A red mushroom cloud occurred before quickly disappearing. When it was gone, there was nothing there. No sign of the island whatsoever. The only thing that was there was blood red water.

"Damn. I knew you were strong Vlad, but this is a whole other level," Hoarfen said.

"I've never seen anyone powerful enough to destroy an island like that," Tanya said.

"The Emperors have the power to decimate an island, but to erase it off the face of the Earth? Only the late Whitebeard and the Navy's Buster Call is known for such feats. You truly are an awesome being, Vladdy," Jack said, his eyes glued to the crimson water.

"It's been a while since I've seen you do that, Vlad," Paul said.

"Didn't you say that was one of the techniques that takes quite a bit of stamina to perform," Medusa asked.

"It is. I call it the Red Death series. They're some of my most powerful, deadly, and dangerous attacks. They all take a tremendous amount of blood, time, and energy. They're my trump cards."

"And they're damn awesome," Hoarfen said. "With power like that, I'm surprised you weren't the first Pirate King."

"Don't be. Like I said, I need an incredible amount of both time and blood to use just one of those techniques. I'm also usually left wide open, so anyone who isn't terrified of my haki would be able to attack me."

"Someone like Roger or Whitebeard, you mean," Paul said.

"Exactly. Anyway, that's enough about me and my powers. We have a base to locate. As well as a new treasure island."

"About that, captain." Vlad looked to see Owlman behind his crew, bowing like a ninja before his lord. "As I have stated before, I have located two islands perfect for such things, and they're not too far apart."

"Oh, that's correct. Because of all the fun and excitement, I actually forgot. Then you will steer the ship in the direction of the islands. You now have full control over the course of the Crimson Palace."

"I will not fail you, captain."

"I know you won't. Now then, set sail!"

"Yes, captain," cried every member of the Bloody Pirates.


As the ship sailed to it's next destination, Vlad was standing against the rails of the ship, staring out at sea, remembering Rose.

When he saw what had ran into him, he really was about to kill her. He had planned on leaving no survivors, lest one reports his whereabouts to the Navy before he was ready to challenge them. Yet, when he was about to kill her quickly and painlessly, one of his visions occurred.

He saw Rose's future.

She would grow into a beautiful woman, and a brilliant doctor at that. Through a great trial, she would have found friends she would be able to rely on. Friends that would sacrifice all for her. They were all quite young, compared to her. Mere adolescents to her mature young adulthood. Yet, they were all powerful.

One of them caught his attention the most. Their captain. A beautiful young girl with long, raven, black hair; clear, ocean blue eyes; a giant, happy smile; and fair skin. In many ways, she resembled the "Pirate Empress" that Vlad read about in the newspaper during Whitebeard's death.

He realized why when he remembered the child's name:

"Monkey. D. Boa. Thea. I wonder... could you be the one I've been searching for... all this time? I suppose we will have to wait and see, won't we, my little Rose?"


On an unknown island, Rose's eye popped open as she felt something. She somehow knew someone was talking about her. She then looked down to see the red apple in her hand. She plucked it off of a tree from what looked like farmland.

She stared at the red fruit, unable to compare the color to anything other than the man's eyes. Not once had he left her mind. Just thinking about him brought tears to her eyes.

With her stomach growling, and her eyes shut tight with tears flowing down, Rose took a big bite out of her apple.

It was... delicious.

A/N: I'm pretty sure this is my shortest chapter in this fic. It also feels a bit rushed. Meh.