Descent

by JustAProblem

Scars are a sign of pride and strength. A sign of survival. Naturally, this only applies to the physical scars and not the mental scars. No, mental scars are almost universally agreed to be negative and for good reason. Physical scars merely change how your body looks. Mental scars change how a person thinks. Rosan just wants to enjoy life. He didn't ask for all this. OC! Not-Si!

30. Chapter 30: Robin and Rosan

Descent

Chapter 30: Robin and Rosan

Portgas D. Rosan meant everything to Robin.

The scholars... Saul... Olvia... She loved them all but none affected her to the degree that one little boy did.

He managed to breath a second wind into her life that she never thought she was going to get. That she didn't think she could get because of her circumstances.

But none of her circumstances mattered to Rosan except for the fact that she was alone. He was her best friend, her protector, her light. Shielding her from the darkness of the world with a shining personality that made her feel alive.

When the entire world turned their backs on her, condemning her to a life of pain, hatred and hardship, one little 4 year old extended a hand that she had desperately needed her entire life. One little four year old showed her that there were good things in life...

Breaking down all her barriers like they were made of paper, Rosan quickly established himself as the most important person in her life and vice versa. It was a title that they both cherished and their bond only got stronger over the 4 years they spent traveling.

Both were obviously content to spend the rest of their lives together, as long as they got to be around each other. Robin and Rosan were in complete harmony with each other and it didn't matter if the entire world scorned them, if they had each other.

But Rosan died.

Rosan died because of Robin and that broke her because it confirmed her worst fears. She was incapable of forming bonds with people because at the end of the day, someone who was after her, would get their hands on them and they managed to get their hands on her best friend.

She wasn't stupid. Rosan's disappearance and a sudden surge of Marines on the island they were currently staying on, searching for her, rang clear alarming bells in her mind.

It was likely that Rosan had been discovered while they were observing her… He paid the price for being her ally and she managed to get away again.

To know that the one person she wanted to protect above all, had met his end because of her, had ripped that second wind out of her.

But she couldn't give up. She couldn't because of her little ray of sunshine's request.

"If anything happens to me… you have to try and be strong for the both of us okay Robin?" A tiny little redhead, eyes so large and innocent begged her.

That was what Rosan had asked of her and that's what she had stubbornly done. Wiping her eyes of tears, Robin placed an invisible mask over her face, complete with a fake smile and glacial blue eyes, as she continued to live for his sake because she refused to let him down in any capacity.

The only time she allowed her mask to crack, was when thinking about Rosan but she didn't cry anymore. It seems she finally ran out of tears…

"...You look tired… Robin."

...So why? What was this sensation? Hadn't her eyes dried up? Why were there tears streaming down her face currently? Wasn't she... Wasn't she out of tears?

But didn't the circumstance warrant tears? After all, she was currently looking at the very light she had written off as dead.

"I… I don't want to be the reason you give up, so please keep fighting until we see each other again because I won't die."

The words of a tiny Rosan, reverberated through her mind nonstop. Wide purple eyes looked up at her in the middle of their bath, gazing at her with nothing but concern and love and above all else, terror. Terror that she would have no purpose if he was not there and not wanting that to happen at all.

Nico Robin hesitantly placed a hand on the redhead looking her directly in her eyes (they were filled with so much guilt!), eyes going wide as she made contact, and she let out a choked sob as she realized he hadn't been lying.

She thought she ran out of tears for Rosan. She thought she moved on at least a little. She thought she came to terms with his death...

She didn't.

Throwing away all pretenses, the woman slammed herself into Rosan's body and let loose all the tears she had been storing for years, desperately clutching the redhead with every fiber in her being and taking in everything with a swell of relief.

Rosan flinched at the action before he hesitantly wrapped his hands around her, guilt seeming to come off him in waves as she fully wrapped her arms around him and Robin melted in the embrace.

"R-Rosan I can't believe it! I-I… I thought you were dead for s-so long a-and I just… I wanted to g-give up but I… but I couldn't because I didn't want to let you down and now you're actually here!" Robin sobbed loudly, holding him like he'd disappear at any moment.

"...I'm here Robin, really. I… I'll always be here," Rosan whispered softly.

She shuddered at his deep and quiet voice and just nodded, trying to tighten her grip even further.

This was so overwhelming for her. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd find her, supposedly dead, best friend again in the middle of the ocean.

She… She hoped that this wasn't some twisted dream like all the other ones.

Rosan watched in real time, as the glaciers in Robin's eyes melted away, replaced by something so much more desperate. Desperate because of him.

As he looked into those desperate eyes, roaming every inch of his body to make sure he was real, Rosan, for the first time in years, felt an overwhelming amount of guilt for what he had thought and done.

It didn't matter if the Virus made him zero in on Nico Robin. It didn't matter if they used his infamous anger against him, turning him against his best friend. What mattered is that Rosan fell for it and that was utterly unforgivable.

His own glacial gaze, wavered at the sight of Robin crashing into him and he frowned deeply at taking so long to find her.

"I can't do anything right," he thought to himself darkly. Time and time again, he managed to prove that he was a failure and it always affected the ones he loved most.

"Robin, I'm so sorry for—," Rosan tried to say but the woman immediately shushed him, much to his surprise.

"Not right now. Just... just let me soak this all in. Please. We have so much to talk about but right now I just don't want to think at all," Robin begged, burying herself deeper into his, now taller, frame. He was so warm a-and he was taller than her now and his face had matured so much from that utterly adorable child!

Rosan just stared at her for a long moment.

If that's what she wanted, he'd acquise. No matter what she requested, he'd follow it because she deserved it after what he did. Even if she claimed to hate him and wanted nothing to do with him, he'd respect her decision.

"...Okay," he said nearly inaudibly, hugging her close and tight, enveloping her in his warmth so that she understood that for at least the moment, she was safe.

Robin let out a shaky whimper at that sensation, shutting her eyes even despite the fact that the tears wouldn't stop flowing. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a terribly long time and it felt as good as the first time.

He could explain himself after she woke up because he was actually here to do that. For once, she could think about all the complicated things later because someone else was here to do it for her. Only when she was with Rosan, did she not feel like the Devil Child, did she not feel like a wanted criminal, did she not feel like a tool to be discarded the moment they lost their use.

No, with Rosan she felt like she were home and that was a feeling she had longed for, for years.

So Robin remained in his comforting grasp and allowed herself to fall asleep because Rosan was right. She was tired. She wasn't able to sleep comfortably without Rosan but he was right here, so she'd catch up on rest that she dearly needed and there was nothing he could say or do about it that would stop that.

"Sleep tight, Robin. We're not going anywhere," Mod assured through a happy sob, desperately trying to hold back tears that refused to stop pouring.

Robin fell asleep and for the first time in a long time, no nightmares plagued her.

---

The Straw Hats were well aware that Rosan and Luffy, despite being in the crew for the longest, were by far the most mysterious member in their group. They could even say that they were growing used to the redhead's secretive streak in particular because they were learning that's just how he had to be.

But this was pushing it!

What the fuck was going on?! What was... What even was happening? Rosan knew Miss All Sunday?

The woman was so cool and collected before but the moment she saw Rosan, she threw it all away in a display that honestly looked heartbreaking to their eyes.

What was most confusing, was the palpable emotion that their scout seemed to exhibit! Seeing the sheer negative emotion Rosan exhibited, was a far cry from the insanity or apathy he showed before and it made them flinch looking at the overwhelming guilt on his face.

What happened between these two? How did they know each other?...Why did Miss All Sunday think Rosan was dead?

Rosan wasn't surprised to see the sheer shock and confusion on his crewmates faces, barring Luffy.

After all, the right hand of the organization hunting them down was currently sleeping on him after crying her heart out on his chest. It would be more surprising if they didn't look confused.

They were watching the exchange with wild gazes, mouths parted in disbelief as they rapidly looked between Robin and Rosan.

"W-W-Wha...?" Usopp stuttered. What was going on? Rosan knew the second in command of Baroque Works? But how…? Was he also apart of the organization?! Was he a mole this entire time and he had snuck into their ranks before even meeting them?! H-He was so scary...

He idly adjusted Robin so that he could carry her bridal position to keep her comfortable and regarded his captain with a cool gaze.

"Luffy... I'll be going for a bit," he told the rubber boy, expression shifting back into a neutral expression.

"Kay!" He beamed, pleased to see the two reunited.

"Wait just a minute!"

Rosan paused and regarded Vivi with a tilted head. The princess was glaring furiously at the sleeping Robin and his eyes narrowed slightly. She was unaware that they began glowing in clear warning.

"We should tie her up and interrogate her when she wakes up," Vivi declared.

This was the right hand of Crocodile! If anyone was privy to his plans, it would be her. Right now was a perfect opportunity to get answers instead of going in blind.

"No," Rosan said simply, much to the shock of the princess.

The Straw Hats were not surprised at his response, wondering why Vivi would actually go out of her way to say something so stupid to him after just witnessing that exchange.

"Why not?! She's our enemy and she's vulnerable! You weren't here for me to tell you, but this is Miss All Sunday, the right hand of Mr. 0!" The princess of Alabasta demanded, stepping aggressively towards Rosan.

"She will never be my enemy and I don't care who she's the right hand of because right now she's with me," he replied softly, voice filled with a dangerous tint. "Don't suggest doing anything to my loved ones. You'll regret it."

Vivi flinched at his matter of fact statement but held her ground, glaring at the redhead now.

"She's contributed to years of pain in Alabasta… My country is dying because of her and Baroque Works and she just killed Igaram! You think I'm going to sit back and do nothing when we could stand to gain so much?!" Vivi snarled, taking another step forward.

"We?"

His glowing eyes, that she just noticed were glowing, froze her to the floor.

"Listen and listen well, princess. I. Am. Not. A. Hero," Rosan said lowly, deep voice reaching near baritone levels as he attempted to pierce a hole into her with his gaze alone.

Vivi began to shudder minutely at the combination of his blunt words rattling her bones and the cold demeanor he was currently taking. The princess of Alabasta instinctively took a step back from those predatory eyes gazing into her soul.

"It's not my job to save a country that means nothing to me and it's never going to be my job. It's a hero's job to care about everyone too weak to protect themselves. But I don't care about everyone and I don't want to care about everyone," Rosan stressed, eyes glowing brighter and brighter in warning.

The straw hats began getting nervous at the noticeable suns that were his eyes. They rarely saw him activate Modification so they didn't know that his eyes glowing red was a sign that he was using it but they could take a wild guess...

"I've known this woman since I was four years old and I've barely known the real you for an hour. After watching that exchange… Why would I ever let you do what you want to her? Are you stupid?" Rosan asked, pinning her in place with his gaze alone.

Did this dumb princess understand exactly who she was trying to antagonize? Did she not remember what he did to her former "allies"?

Well, he'd remind her if she kept acting like he should listen to her.

His logic was sound. She really was just a stranger to these two… There was no reason why they should ever listen to her request...

"But… I can't accept that!" Vivi growled.

...But she couldn't afford to be logical right now. Miss All Sunday was right here in front of them and besides Crocodile, no one knew more about Baroque Works then her. There were answers right here and she needed them to get any advantage possible if she wanted to save Alabasta and avenge Igaram.

Gathering her wits, the princess took another step forward with a purpose, resolve set in stone.

That was the wrong thing to do.

Quicker than she could react, a terrifyingly sharp tail darted out and snaked its way from behind Rosan. Vivi was lifted off the ground and the reptilian appendage began digging into her skin hard enough that one move would draw blood. She gasped and clawed at the hard spikes unsuccessfully, gasping on air that she was quickly losing.

The princess was forcefully brought closer to Rosan, who's eyes had turned into a menacing pair of slits.

Robin slept peacefully in his grasp, unaware of what was currently taking place. Despite how aggressive Rosan suddenly became, none of that translated to how he was holding Robin or treating her. In fact, it was all the more terrifying how polarizing his near lethal grip on her, contrasted his gentle hold on the woman.

It was then that Vivi realized that she had backed a wild animal into a corner and he was lashing out accordingly.

The redhead tutted, shaking his head at the child. "You aren't very bright, are you? Weak people who think they are strong die the fastest, idiot. This is not bravery on your behalf, it's suicide," Rosan warned, staring a hole into her.

He tilted his head and stared at her, smoking pouring out of his mouth warningly and brushing against her skin.

Vivi coughed harshly as some of it seeped into her nose and she couldn't hold back the tears from forming into her eyes at the terrible situation.

Rosan did not make it any better. In fact, it seemed like he was actively trying to make it worse.

"You said she killed Igaram? My condolences but if you keep pushing your boundaries, you're going to join him very soon."

The tears that sprung in her eyes, began falling at his heartless words. The girl would have let out an angry sob, but she found that she couldn't due to the fact that she was losing air.

The straw hats couldn't help but balk at how callous Rosan was currently being. They understood that Vivi wasn't being the smartest but striking that nerve so soon? Seriously?! She just lost someone she was close to!

"That's enough, Rosan! You're going too far!" Sanji was about to take a step forward, ready to instinctively protect the woman but a sword stopped him and he glared at Zoro in confusion.

"I'm doing you a favor, love cook," Zoro warned, making sure he didn't interfere with the redhead who was very clearly on edge. "If you keep getting in Rosan's way, especially with something like this, he's definitely going to attack you."

"So what, shitty Marimo?!" He spat out, preparing himself to go through the swordsman too. There was no way he was going to stand here and let this continue while he could stop it.

The green haired man's eyes narrowed challengingly. Was this stupid love cook really intending to protect someone they barely knew over their scout? Especially after she provoked him? What was going on in that skull of his?

If Rosan trusted this girl, Zoro didn't see any reason not to trust her. Their redheaded scout made it clear he didn't just put his trust in anyone so if he refused to let Vivi do anything to this Miss All Sunday, and Luffy didn't mind her, then there was no reason for them to go against him.

Nami put a hand on Rosan's shoulder and shot him a pleading gaze, making the redhead take his slit eyes off the struggling princess. "Rosan, could you please drop her? She just lost someone important to her so she's not thinking straight and… you're not making it any better..."

"I-I understand that you're on edge right now, but we don't have to acknowledge the words of such a weak child. There is nothing she can do to us s-so please bring Robin to a comfortable bed," Mod sniffed, desperately trying and failing to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"..."

They exchanged eye contact for a moment, before Rosan unceremoniously dropped the princess and banished his tail. The slits that were his eyes, disappeared and were replaced by his tiny pupils once more, bright glow vanishing to complete his customary dead look.

Vivi coughed harshly as she crumpled to the floor. The princess greedily sucked in buckets of air and she tentatively touched the bright red mark across her neck, hissing as it throbbed.

"Hmph," was all he said, taking his eyes off the princess who refused to look at him now.

"Can you tell us about the relationship you two have?" Nami prodded warily. It was clear that Miss All Sunday and Rosan had history and for him to go out of his way to nearly choking the life out of Vivi, meant that he cared about her. The best way to approach this was cautiously, so as to not invoke that overprotective feeling out of the redhead again.

Rosan figured he could at least explain why he was going out of his way to protect her. "Robin and I have known each other since I was four and she was eight. We traveled with each other for four years before we got separated when I was eight going onto nine," he informed them quietly.

Nami's eyes widened at the subtle hint that only she knew and nodded sympathetically, understanding why he lashed out now.

Back when they were traveling to Arlong Park, Rosan told her that he had been enslaved to someone using that exact phrasing so she was able to quickly connect the dots of the hint he was throwing her way.

The two had been separated. Forcefully. That explained why Rosan felt the need to kill everyone on that island.

"Sanji, Vivi, you two should drop it." Nami said in a way that sounded like a suggestion but really wasn't.

"Alright, Nami-san!" Sanji said, immediately dropping all his hostility and dashing over to make sure Vivi was alright.

"B-But!" Vivi pushed herself up, coughing all the while and holding her throat fearfully.

Her eyes whitened as she stared at Rosan and the princess instinctively took a shuddering step back at his empty gaze.

"Be glad that you're even still breathing, child. I was this close to ending your life," Rosan informed her coldly.

Nami sighed at the ruthlessness behind his words. "Rosan, could it kill you to be a bit more considerate? Try and understand her circumstances a little. She's just a kid trying hard to save her country!"

The navigator understood why he was being like this but that don't care attitude was really doing anyone any favors right now.

The redhead's face didn't even shift. "It's unbefitting of a princess to be that socially unaware. If she had an ounce of sense, she would never have even opened her mouth," he retorted calmly.

"Now, if that's all, I'd like to put Robin on a comfortable bed."

Before anyone could say a word, Rosan vanished with the sleeping Robin and they sighed in exasperation.

"It'll be okay!" Luffy beamed, unbothered by the events that just happened. "Those two are really good friends and they haven't seen each other in years!"

Nami nodded along with Luffy with a slight frown on her face. "Vivi, you shouldn't have been so aggressive after seeing the way those two acted… That was really dumb of you and Rosan reacted defensively as a result."

Listening and watching the redhead, Nami couldn't say she was surprised it went as south as it did. She didn't even think Rosan could feel guilty but it seemed to penetrate right through his lack of emotions...

She wondered how important Miss All Sunday was to him.

The young princess flinched and looked down in guilt. "She just killed Igaram… Am I supposed to forget that and pretend like she's suddenly an ally?" She whispered, heartbroken by the events that just happened.

The navigator pulled the girl into a soothing hug. "I know it's not fair to you but like Rosan said, he barely knows you or Igaram. You saw what he did to those agents... I think you should have waited for another day before trying to question them. Sometimes, you have to be a little courteous despite not wanting to. As a princess that's important, right?"

The blue haired girl flinched. "Yes... yes it is," she said quietly.

"Rosan's always been like this," Luffy sighed in disappointment, shaking his head at his stupid brother. "If it's not someone he likes, he treats their lives like nothing. I try to tell him not to do that but he just doesn't listen!"

Vivi nodded reluctantly, thinking back to the heartless redhead and shuddering at the cruelty he effortlessly displayed. When he had wrapped his tail around her neck, she distinctively remembered just what he had done to the Baroque Work agents and it made her green once more.

He was a living demon… but had she seen him somewhere before?

"Uh, guys?" Usopp said, looking utterly confused by all the events happening. "Can someone fill me in on what's going on? Is that an Ostrich? Is Rosan apart of that organization out to kill us? Is that a turtle with a hat sailing away from us?"

"A TURTLE?! WHERE?" Luffy screamed, zeroing in on the most interesting (to him) question.

Everyone sweatdropped at the idiot.

---

Robin groggily awoke to the pleasant smell of flowers and the color black.

Gathering her bearings let her realize that her head was currently resting on a muscular chest and a strong arm was wrapped around her, tucking her in comfortably to the figure. Upon further inspection, she realized that she had quite the grip on the figure.

It was very comfortable and warm and she wanted to fall right back asleep...

Alas, years of paranoia dictate she find out where she was.

Not really having the energy to move but also slightly confused, The Devil Child shifted her head a little to the left and was greeted to the sight of blood red hair splayed messily on a bronze man's head. The red spikes moved in time with her own slight movements and it made her aware that they were very close to each other.

This allowed her to see him open his heterochromatic eyes the moment she moved her head to gaze at him.

She hadn't slept this well in a while so it was taking her a bit to gather her bearings but she was fairly sure that this was... Rosan? This was the same person she saw before she slept so it was a relief to see that she wasn't dreaming.

"Did you sleep well, Robin?" Rosan asked softly, not trying to startle the slightly confused woman.

When he brought her here, he tried to release her from his grip so she could sleep without him but she let out a desperate whimper that immediately banished any thoughts of leaving her alone.

Robin registered the question and nodded slowly. "Yes I did… Rosan?" She replied hesitantly.

"It's me. Portgas D. Rosan, wielder of the Mod Mod no mi and the same one who met you when you were 8 after I attacked a pirate crew," he confirmed, letting his eyes glow momentarily to further prove it. "Are you hungry? I can make us some food, then we can talk about everything."

Robin's throat locked up so she simply nodded. Right now, she was doing her best to just hold back tears as the entire situation threatened to overwhelm her again.

She reluctantly released her ironclad grip and found herself already missing his comfort, when he stood up. The redhead ran a reassuring hand through her bedhead, idly modifying it into perfect condition, and didn't stop until she relaxed slightly.

He grabbed the back of his spiky hair and expertly tied it into a bun, leaving the front spikes free. The redhead made to move out of the room with assured steps.

"You don't need to move, I'll bring the food to you. You should go take a shower in the bathroom over there, we'll be entering the mindscape soon," he said, shooting her a back glance before walking out the room.

"...Okay." Robin watched him vanish before slowly glancing around the room she was residing in.

Where were they? Her memories were coming back and last she checked, they were on a ship.

They couldn't be in his mindscape either because he just said they'd be going there after eating...

The room was spacious, having black walls and expensive looking furniture. The bed itself was a mix of black and purple and she felt herself sinking into the luxurious and comfortable mattress.

It was an incredibly nice room… but she could think about that later. The Devil Child removed herself from the mattress and made her way over to the bathroom that resided in the room.

She inspected the bathroom momentarily, stabbing down her paranoia in the process, and grew relaxed at realizing that it was startlingly similar to the White Rose's own, giving further proof that this was really Rosan.

Removing her ruffled clothing, Robin set them aside and activated the shower feature of the advanced bath. As it got steamy (it was quicker then when they were younger), she grabbed any essentials and stepped in, sighing in slight bliss as the tension drained out of her body.

The woman went on auto pilot as she bathed, allowing her body to handle the process.

Right now, she needed to gather her thoughts. Robin gave herself enough time, it was now time to think about what was currently going on.

Rosan was alive. But not only that, Rosan was absolutely nothing like the boy she remembered.

He looked like an older version of him, but the things that made him Rosan were seemingly gone and it made her worried.

She knew that everyone changed with age, but Rosan's entire personality wouldn't simply vanish without a trace... It was a complete 180 from what she remembered.

Most notably, one of his eyes was the same shade of red as Mod's own and they lacked the bright glow that he seemed to always have outside of activating Modification.

Over the years together, Robin discovered that the brightness of the glow varied differently depending on what emotion Rosan was feeling. They shined brightest when he was happy, grew dimmer when he was upset and the glow practically vanished when he was truly furious, to the point his expression stilled.

She imagined it was worse then even that, considering there wasn't even the slightest glow there.

Robin hoped he was doing okay. If his circumstances were anything like hers, it would make sense for his entire demeanor to have changed.

She wondered what he was thinking right now while he…

While he…

Wait a minute...

Rosan was cooking?!

Instincts that she thought were long gone flared and the woman immediately shut the shower off. She hastily wrapped a towel around her frame, before dashing out of the room.

Why on Earth did he think it was a good idea to begin cooking immediately after meeting up with her again? Was he trying to get the both of them killed?! She needed to stop this immediately or wherever they were currently at, wouldn't exist anymore!

Somehow, she managed to immediately find the redhead, a warning on her lips to not touch any appliance that was even remotely kitchen related.

Those words died, as an actually delicious smell wafted through the air and brushed against her nose.

Rosan instantly glanced back at her, idly flipping a pancake with his left hand, while pouring a cup of Coffee with the right.

"You got out of bed? What's wrong? Was there something wrong with the shower?" he asked, placing the pancake onto a plate and right next to sunny side up eggs dabbled with pepper before fully facing her.

The redhead didn't even blink at her modesty being protected by only a towel.

"I was… I was going to warn you to not touch anything in the kitchen?" Robin muttered in confusion. Everything looked amazing and that was not something she would ever apply to Rosan's cooking.

Both Rosan and Mod-chan had not been allowed in a 6 feet radius of the kitchen while she was cooking. Rosan was a walking disaster and if he even so much as touched a tool, terrible things happened.

As for Mod... she genuinely just had no talent at all for cooking. It was tragic because Robin once watched her follow a step by step book on how to make pasta and the Devil Fruit ended up melting the pot through while burning the noodles!

After that, Robin reluctantly barred her from helping as well. It was very difficult because the woman chose to abuse her own puppy dog eyes and Robin was so close to going back on her word before Rosan himself stamped his feet in protest at being the only one barred when they were equally bad.

"I learned how to cook when I was 10, after nearly burning down the White Rose," Rosan informed her and she nodded.

That sounded exactly like him.

"I wanted you to get more rest but we can eat here," Rosan mused, perfectly balancing all the plates on his body and placing them down neatly.

"I would have made you sandwiches but I think a proper breakfast is better here. I made you sunny side up eggs steamed with pepper and some coffee to drink… despite how much I disprove you drinking it."

She blinked in shock at how perfectly he remembered what she preferred. "You remember?"

Rosan nodded. "Of course, I remember everything about you unless they've changed... You need some clothes. You can wear some of mine while I wash yours if you want."

"So responsible... is this Mod-chan?" Robin thought in surprise, nodded at his words and watching as he waved his hand to bring forth an outfit.

It was a predominantly black cloak lined with purple that covered her entire frame when she placed it on. Robin couldn't help but approve how comfortable it was.

"I'm not Mod-chan by the way... I saw that look in your eyes. I can be responsible you know," he said quietly.

The Devil Child rolled her eyes at that. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Rosan snorted in return. "Just eat your food."

The duo sat down at once to enjoy the food and Robin looked at the array with appraising eyes.

It looked delicious. The assortment of food was something she expected to see in a restaurant. There was something wrong here...

Robin tentatively took a bite into her food and said, "It's actually good…"

"Have some faith in me. I'm no gourmet chef but I've learned how to at least make it good," he retorted easily, calmly eating his own portion.

She couldn't hide her smile at his reply and the two continued to eat in peace, giving Robin more time to think about this whole situation.

"I have a question if you don't mind?" Rosan suddenly asked.

Robin, who had yet to take her eyes off of him, waved for him to continue.

"When did you enter the Grand Line?" The redhead asked. He took a bite into his own plate of food but his eyes never left her person.

"Around my 18th birthday," she replied after a moment. "I decided to wait until I was 18 because staying in the Blue Seas with my bounty would have been dangerous for me because of Reaper... I stayed low until then... were you looking for me?"

Rosan pursed his lips. "I was very sure you were in the Grand Line even earlier then that because I heard nothing about you... I wanted to look for you since I was 10 but I couldn't enter the Grand Line until I turned 18 and then things got complicated..."

Robin frowned at that. "I made myself scarce and difficult to find. It's not your fault for not knowing," she muttered softly.

How unlucky... Perhaps she should have stayed in the Blue Seas for a little longer but the threat of Reaper was too—

Hold on...

She had a lot of questions but one of them needed to be cleared up immediately.

"Rosan, are you Reaper?" Robin asked.

"Yes, I'm Reaper," he replied, nonplussed by her question. "How'd you know?"

So this entire time... Robin was avoiding Rosan. That was so... She could cry in frustration at that. If only she believed Rosan when he said he wouldn't die. She already had thoughts of how Reaper reminded her of Rosan but she didn't want to go back to the fantasy of thinking he was alive and risking getting killed by the Angel of Death wasn't worth it.

Of course he was the most infamous person in the Blue Seas… Robin couldn't even pretend to be surprised because it was just so… Rosan to do. There was news that Reaper was quite short too and if it was really the redhead, that meant he'd have been 9 when he first became relevant.

It lined up well. She was too lost in grief and denial to even entertain the idea.

"Your black and white outfit. It reminded me of the cloak you wore when we first met... I feel so stupid for not noticing."

Rosan frowned deeply at that. "None of what happened is your fault, Robin... I won't let you even think that," he said softly.

She couldn't help but narrow her eyes in worry. Rosan was rather emotionless but he was radiating a lot of self loathing right about now...

Robin banished that thought for now and instead asked, "What did you do to get a 500 million bounty?"

"Oh, I killed a Celestial Dragon."

Robin nodded at his reply. "Killing one would surely land you a bounty that high. It's much higher than my first one."

"It made me stop my bounty hunting duties but he deserved it for acting like that."

They resumed eating in silence, before Robin dropped her fork.

"You killed a Celestial Dragon?! A World Noble?" She asked in disbelief, unable to process it.

Rosan had always been insane, but this was too insane for even him! Did he realize what he had done? Did he do it out of ignorance? No, Mod would absolutely have told him about the rulers of the world so it was intentional...

Then again, Rosan never did care about class if you disrespected him. He especially hated the World Government so to meet the epitome of that corruption... it'd be more surprising if he didn't attack them.

"He attacked me first. When I realized who he was, I tried to question him but his answer was unsatisfactory and he ordered his men to have me detained so I could be enslaved. I won't allow myself to be enslaved again," Rosan explained with a neutral expression.

Robin listened to his explanation before latching onto one specific word.

"Again…?" She asked hesitantly, concern flooding her body so quickly, she recoiled.

Was that why his personality had shifted so drastically? Gone was the hyperactive boy, replaced by the stoic man. Was he... When they seperated did they enslave Rosan? How could anyone do something so inhumane...? Rosan was only 8 when they were ripped apart from each other and this was the reason why?

Rosan sighed and tugged idly at his bun. "Before I tell you everything, Mod-chan has been aching to meet you and she's quickly losing her patience. We should enter the mindscape."

Robin dearly missed the woman as well. After coming to terms with Rosan's death, she had placed one ear on the ground in search of her Devil Fruit, to make sure it didn't get into the hands of the Marines and to maybe (she doubted it but Mod could potentially just take someone over) find a worthy enough wielder.

Guess that was for naught.

Rosan placed the empty dishes in the sink and with a wave of his hand, they were cleaned up. Then, they made their way back to the room they had been sleeping in and sat on the bed.

Robin wasted no time in laying down with him and grabbed the man, who couldn't help but raise a brow in slight confusion.

"You still trust me?" He asked quietly. It had been so long yet she was still trusted him enough to not be bothered sleeping in the same area and to not be visibly angry with him.

"I'll decide after you explain yourself… but I want to see Mod-chan again," Robin replied. She was a torrent of emotions but one thing was clear...

Rosan had been alive this whole time and she just figured out after 16 years of thinking he was dead.

His explanation better be a good one. She understood that they both thought different things but there could have been something he could do that only she would know.

"No explanation will make up for what I did to you," He said quietly, glancing away from her as that familiar guilt welled up inside of him.

When was the last time he felt guilt? He couldn't recall but it flared every time he looked at the Robin who couldn't keep her eyes off of him, afraid that he might disappear at any moment. It reminded him of all his failures and though he always thought about them, there was hardly an emotion to follow along with it.

Robin frowned sadly at his reply. The only emotion she could feel coming off of him was guilt and nothing else. It seeped every inch of him everytime he looked at her and considering he nearly never took his eyes off her (she was the exact same), it was safe to say he was very guilty.

Age didn't do anything to change him of that self critical nature. Robin still remembered how often she needed to reassure Rosan that he wasn't a failure for leaving Ace but the stubborn redhead always took things too hard.

Rosan set high standards for himself, some that a child shouldn't have to set and he treated his failures accordingly...

"You just implied that you were enslaved Rosan and you think I won't be able to forgive you?" Robin asked in disbelief. "Let me be the judge of that. You're still far too self critical of yourself."

If she had any lingering doubts, that had certainly banished it. This was definitely her guilt ridden Rosan.

Rosan sighed and nodded before saying, "Right," and then he laid down next to her.

He reached out and Robin sighed at his warm touch.

She had missed this. Rosan radiated a lot of body heat and it made him a very comfortable cuddle buddy. Mod and Robin both used to abuse his perks religiously.

"Modification, Link: Robin – Rosan," Rosan muttered, hugging her closely and the two blacked out.

---

His mindscape looked a lot different then the tropical forest it had been and it was much colder too.

Robin shuddered at the freezing breeze and let out a sigh of relief at the large purple jacket that materialized over her entire frame, replacing the black coat.

She wasn't used to the cold.

"I'm guessing the temperature is hot where you're stationed?" Rosan questioned, referring to her revealing cowgirl outfit that she was wearing earlier.

"It's a desert," she replied bluntly.

"How fitting."

"What happened to your mindscape?"

"It changes based on my current state of mind."

"How fitting."

She followed after the taller redhead and inspected the frozen forest in the process.

The entire area was stunning but despite how beautiful it was, the forest was a tragic sight. It was artificial, the forest looked as if it were fabricated with ice, unmoving, lifeless.

It was a far cry from the natural beauty that was Rosan's tropical forest. Where everything looked alive. Where it felt as if it were full of its own life separate from the overwhelming vitality of Rosan himself.

Changes based on his state of mind… Just what happened to the lovable and naive child? Was Rosan just as bad off as she was...?

Her inner musings were cut short at the familiar pink house and the moment it showed up in their vision, the door burst open and a purple and black blur blurred over to them with a single-minded purpose.

Robin let out a surprised yelp at being tackled and lifted clean off the floor by the shorter person.

Mod sobbed freely, as she crushed Robin into her frame with the most motherly of hugs she could muster and the Devil Child couldn't keep her own tears in check at how tender the feeling was.

"R-Robinnnn! I missed you so, so much!" Mod cried, nuzzling the noticeably taller woman with gusto. "You've grown so much and you're so beautiful now and it's been so long! I've missed you so much and I refuse to let you out of my sight for even a second now!" The woman blubbered, entering full sap mode.

Robin hugged the woman back without hesitation, much more used to this sight because Mod-chan was the exact same beauty with an even sappier personality now. Time had done nothing to change her appearance and she still radiated that motherly aura that Robin relied on so much.

"Mod-chan…" Robin choked out, wrapping her slender arms around the woman and letting her own tears fall in happiness as they embraced tightly. "I've missed you so much too! I'm so glad you're still our same beautiful mother! It's really been so long but somethings never change and that's a relief for me..."

She really did miss the woman and felt so much relief that Mod had missed her in equal fervor.

The woman beamed at her with a rosy blush on her face, refusing to release Robin for even a second and merely embraced her even tighter.

"You're so tall now! And look at how gorgeous you are! I-It's really been too long and oh I'm about to start crying again," Mod sniffed, hiding her teary face in the crook of Robin's neck.

Robin smiled gently at the woman who took up the role of her mother. "You've become so much more human, Mod-chan. It makes you look even prettier, you know?"

Mod blushed bright red and began to splutter at that. "I'm just now seeing you again, please stop teasing me!" She whined.

The Devil Child let out tiny laughter at that. "I just wanted to see if it was still easy to make you flustered. All these years and you still can't handle compliments?"

The Devil Fruit grumbled at that, pouting adorably and not answering before brightening up again as she continued to hug Robin like her life depended on it.

"There's so much we have to catch up on and so much to do! Oh! Before she does something stupid it's best if we just introduce her now… RAM, GET OUT HERE!" Mod yelled in a tone that reminded Robin of a no nonsense mother that was dealing with a problem child.

A beautiful silver haired woman peaked out of the door, much to Robin's surprise and stepped out rather shyly, folding her arms behind her back and staring a hole into the ground as she kicked a foot back and forth.

Rosan raised a brow at the strange sight. Right now, Ram should be tackling him to the floor and doing all sorts of annoying things but she wasn't. Actually, what on Earth was she doing? This was the very last thing he ever expected his ring to do. No one even once got his weapon to act this... shy?

Was that what it was? Why was Ram shy around Robin?

As Rosan pondered this anomaly, Mod stepped up to do introductions.

"Robin, I'm not sure if you noticed but Rosan has on a silver and amethyst ring in the real world. That ring is actually a weapon made from the Philosopher's Stone and this girl, Ram is the result right here," Mod introduced, pointing at the demure silver haired woman who squeaked as she made eye contact with Robin.

Rosan's brow shot up even higher at that.

Squeaking? Did Ram just squeak off of eye contact?

Robin did notice the silver ring. She actually noticed just about every small detail about Rosan. She hadn't really taken her eyes off of him much at all and wasn't keen on moving very far from him either, so she drank in all the little details like his ruby red earrings, his silver ring, and the pendant under his expensive, long sleeved clothing.

"The Philosopher's Stone? It's not real though…" Robin mused, turning back to face Rosan. "You managed to create one?"

"You know about it?" Rosan asked.

Robin nodded. "I've read about it once a long time ago. I don't quite know the specifics but I do know that it's the height of alchemy and grants immortality."

Now that she thought about it, Modification was practically alchemy amped to 100. The Devil Fruit was ludicrous.

"I'm not surprised you do but that's still impressive…" The redhead mused. "I did create one though... I used, Modification, various stones and my own blood to do so and focused it into my ring to make Ram. I ended up making two by mistake and consumed the second one."

"You ate the Philosopher's Stone?! Does that mean you're immortal?" Robin asked in interest, brain wracking at hearing he had eaten the fairy tale stone.

It could not be put into words how incredible that accomplishment was. If news about this got out, the target on Rosan's back would grow to unprecedented levels that would precede the initial threat having the Mod Mod no mi gave him.

"I'm not immortal but I have gained an extremely enhanced regeneration. Also... I believe I'm aging a little slower and I'm very healthy. I might live naturally for a long time," he commented.

"Amazing..." she muttered. He did look younger then his actual age of 24. Robin wouldn't have said he was older then 20 currently but she just attributed that to his good genetics.

Maybe it was both...

"U-Um," Ram suddenly said, abruptly closing the distance between her and Robin.

Robin started a bit at the close proximity between her and the silver haired beauty but smiled politely at the woman gazing at her with a pensive expression.

"It's nice to meet you, Ram. I'm Nico Robin, Rosan's childhood friend," she greeted, holding out her hand for the woman to grab.

The ring's strange, but beautiful, eyes lit up and she seemed to gain more confidence at the politeness exuded by her.

"I-I'm Ram!" She returned, grabbing one of her hand with two of her own and shaking it eagerly.

Robin (and Rosan) shot her a somewhat strange look when the woman didn't let up and Ram seemed to decide on something right then and there.

"I-I'm happy to finally meet you! Are you my new mother?" The ring asked, tilting her head to the side curiously with wide glittering eyes.

"H-Huh, w-what?!" Mod choked on air at the unexpected question and began to cough repeatedly with wide eyes.

Rosan rubber her back with a raised brow, also caught off guard by Ram's sudden question. Was that why she was acting so strange? She wanted a mother? Right... she never got to meet Meiko so maybe that was a secret desire she had this entire time.

Robin's blue eyes went wide in confusion at the question the woman asked and she started a bit. "Pardon…Did you just ask if I'm your new… mother?"

Sure she was at the age where it wouldn't be odd for her to have a child... but she was definitely not at the age where it was normal to have a child who was an adult!

"Mhm! You're one of the first people Auntie Mod and Father loved and you're super smart and you know father super well and you're super pretty too!" Ram beamed, closing the distance even further and engulfing the taller woman.

Robin flinched at the contact but reminded herself that this was Rosan's mindscape and no one was here to hurt her.

"You have no idea how much you mean to him and you helped him with so much things. You two clearly love each other so now you're my new mother!" She gushed, leaving no room for argument at all.

"Ram…" Mod gawked at how forward the ring was, clutching her chest as she finally recovered from her near death experience, shooting Rosan a grateful look in the process. "You can't just decide that for someone else!"

The silver haired woman gained a puzzled expression at that, extracting herself from Robin's grasp to regard her Auntie.

"Huh? I thought you'd agree with me, Auntie?" Ram scratched her head in confusion. "Don't you love Mother?"

The Devil Fruit spluttered. "Of course I love her but that doesn't mean you can just give her any title you want! Also, don't just go calling her Mother!"

"...But why not? I call you Auntie and you don't have a problem with it!" She frowned, crossing her arms petulantly.

"I told you more then a dozen times to stop calling me that but you didn't! I just got tired of fighting a losing battle!" Mod retorted, glaring at the ring in disbelief.

Ram's frown of confusion deepened. "I don't get it! If she becomes my mother, people will have no choice but to stop putting their grubby hands on Father so you won't have to die in worry! It's a win-win for us all!"

Mod opened her mouth to continue arguing before closing it, a contemplative expression making its way on her face.

"That's not a bad idea…" she muttered, cupping her chin and furrowing her brows as she seriously thought about it.

"I knew you'd see things my way," Ram grinned toothily.

Watching the two idiots contemplate made Rosan sigh. "Please ignore them," he requested, sliding next to Robin again so as to distract her from the hopeless ones in his body.

"I'm guessing you're her father?" Robin asked in confusion. This was all very strange to her. It was amusing, but strange and the fact that the most normal person in the room besides her currently was Rosan, made it all the more strange.

"That would be correct, since my blood was essential in creating her, she's taken to calling me her father," the redhead explained.

"She acts and has the same complexion as you… but who does she look like?" Robin asked. Since she was created, it was likely she inherited features from both Rosan and someone else. Did he base her features on someone? She looked nothing like Rosan or Mod.

Whoever it was, was a very pretty person because Ram looked like royalty when her features were schooled.

Somehow, the room got colder at that question. Mod and Ram immediately stopped discussing at that question and their eyes went a little downcast.

"She... I didn't decide on her appearance. She looks like someone very dear to me named Meiko…," Rosan said softly.

"It's about time I finally tell you everything, Robin."

Robin straightened at those words and the lighthearted atmosphere vanished, replaced by something much more serious.

"Follow me. While we walk, you can ask me questions if you want. I'll answer everything truthfully."

The group of four began walking and it didn't take long for Robin to quickly come up with one.

"What happened when we got separated? I was searching for you everywhere but I saw no hint besides a burning clearing with… with a dead body inside of it," Robin trailed off, voice filled with a bit of pain just remembering it.

Of course she didn't give up on him. Robin just assumed that after so long, he was probably dead. He was so stupid for unfairly blaming her, especially after he was the one who told her to move on in case anything happened to him.

"I want to start off by saying, don't blame Mod-chan for anything. Everything is solely my fault and she tried to help me see reason but I was too upset," Rosan began softly.

"R-Rosan!" Mod shouted angrily, stepping in front of him so that he could see her glare. "Don't you dare go and say things that make it seem like you're irredeemable! You were helpless to stop that from happening and didn't know what to prepare for! I'm as much to blame as you are!"

"..." Rosan said nothing, continuing to walk through the frozen leaves. His footsteps were completely silent, almost seeming to glide across the floor as he stared ahead.

Mod frowned at that, shaking her head in guilt but continued to move as well.

Don't blame Mod-chan...? Just what happened exactly that he felt that he was solely to blame, she shouldn't forgive him and he was irredeemable?

"You mentioned being enslaved again… What happened?" Robin asked in dread.

She knew how self critical Rosan was, so she'd judge with her own opinion and not his.

"...It was a trap," Rosan began.

"A trap...?" Robin repeated. She figured as much, since Rosan seemed to be their only target but why?

The redhead nodded. "When I went to the agreed meetup spot, there were people waiting in hiding for me specifically. I was ambushed and they used a gas that made me sluggish. I tried to fight them off but I made the decision to use Modification too late and they knocked me unconscious when I made a misstep…"

They ganged up on little 8 year old Rosan after doing something so underhanded...? If she were there, this would have never been allowed to happen. How dare they?

Rosan's face never shifted as he laid out the details for her. "After I woke up, I was strapped to a table and there was a... doctor across from me named Doc."

Robin shivered at the look of pure, utter hate on Mod's face but she was far too invested to speak up on it at the moment.

"He was the one who sent out the ambushers to capture me. That man wanted me for my power but I refused to submit to his will… He didn't appreciate that and shocked me until Mod-chan told me to tell him my name. Then... Doc tortured me for 6 months, every single day."

Her heart dropped at the revelation and horror swelled up in her body at the thought of her little Rosan being tortured for that long. Imagining the cruelty made her recoil and she could already feel the deep sadness settling in at something she could have prevented.

To be tortured for so long at only 8 and 9... what type of monster would do something like that?

Finally, Rosan's neutral expression cracked and he let out a weary sigh. "The reason I told you not to blame Mod-chan is because… The knowledge that you weren't coming to save me... it broke me and turned me into a monster. I was full of rage and hatred... I lashed out and picked you as my target because in my eyes, you abandoned me," he said truthfully, refusing to omit any detail at all.

Robin couldn't hide the hurt on her face at that statement and Rosan forced himself to look at her because he was the one who caused it.

"You… you hated me?" She asked quietly. That little detail hurt more than anything she'd ever been dealt. To know that the one person who you cherished above all, hated you was a blow she didn't know how to deal with and she abruptly stopped, refusing to make eye contact with Rosan.

"It took me years to come to terms with your death, Rosan," she answered quietly. "I tried everything I could to find you, all while trying to find my own source of travel, escaping the Marines who suddenly converged on my location and ignoring the fact that I saw a dead body that was your size..." Robin whispered.

Rosan couldn't help but wither a bit at the reality of the situation. The odds were fully stacked against her but she still tried.

"16 years, Rosan," Robin answered. "I thought you were dead for 16 years and you... you hated me? How do you think that makes me feel?" Robin didn't even realize tears were falling from her eyes as she gazed into the guilty eyes of Rosan, her supposed best friend.

The woman roughly grabbed the red strand of hair that was her memento and presented it to him. "All this time, I never even once stopped thinking of you, Rosan. You know what this red strand means right? This was my memento to you. This was my way of trying to live for the both of us because I thought you were dead."

She was crying. Robin, one of the calmest people on the planet, was crying because of him.

Rosan gazed at the red strand of her hair like it were actively stabbing him. Guilt was crushing him in waves but he did nothing to defend himself because she was right.

She let out a watery laugh of disbelief. "I loved you more then anything on the planet and you hated me... I feel so stupid," she finished, wiping her eyes.

Maybe this should have been a dream. At least she was used to that pain.

Ram was stunned silent, gazing at Rosan and pleading for him to at least explain himself, paling when she realized he had no intention to.

Mod watched in disbelief and horror, as Rosan absolutely refused to defend himself despite everything he knew.

Why? He knew why he lashed out on her? He knew that the situation was abnormal. He knew so why? Why was he letting Robin push herself away?!

She'd be damned if they lost her after just getting her back. Especially when little 9 year old Rosan was at no fault!

The teary eyed Devil Fruit grabbed Robin by her shoulders and stared directly into her blue eyes, red orbs morphing into a pleading expression. "Robin, please listen to me. Rosan would never hate you if it were up to him alone."

Robin felt herself slightly calming at the woman's voice. "What do you mean?" She asked quietly, not trusting her own voice.

Was it not Rosan's choice to hate her? What did that mean...? Despite her earlier anger, there was still a hope in her chest that this was true.

"The circumstances weren't normal at all!" Mod explained desperately. "Not only was Rosan being tortured every single day, h-he didn't have me to alleviate the mental torture either. I was being restrained by Sea Stone and... and then the Virus got their hands on him. Please believe me when I say, he would not even consider hating you."

Robin couldn't explain the swell of relief that flooded her body at that and she fully wiped the tears off her face, chancing a glance at the silent Rosan.

Ever since he was a child, Rosan's mental stability had been wavering. It was only natural considering he witnessed his mother's death.

Robin and Mod were his two pillars and to hear that he had neither made her understand far more why he reacted the way it did and that made her feel so relieved.

But still...

"Virus?" She asked softly.

"The virus is the alter ego of Mod-chan. They are a destructive force who have been the cause of all of her previous wielders death. They are the reason I zeroed in on you due to their penchant of tampering with a person's mind and emotions. They sneak in their own thoughts to my own and make them prevalent as time passes... it knew how much I loved you so it used you to break me," Rosan explained quietly.

The Devil Child's eyes went wide and she glanced over at Mod-chan who could only look down with a guilty expression on her face.

She felt her anger taper off fully at that. "Why didn't you start off with that, Rosan? I just... I just lashed out on you without knowing the full details because you didn't tell me," she frowned at the redhead.

"..." Rosan glanced at the floor. "To me, it doesn't matter if the Virus forcefully included you into my destructive thought processes. What mattered is that I fell for it. I should have never even entertained the fact that you abandoned me but I couldn't think logically for one second."

Mod frowned heavily at that. "But Rosan you didn't know! Can't you understand that no normal person could hope to withstand the situation you were put in? You were being tortured not only on the surface, but on the inside too and it's all my fault for not telling you about the Virus. How could you have hoped to perceive a threat you didn't even know exist!"

Robin paused at that. Mod... she never told Rosan about the virus? His personality was being manipulated this entire time without his knowledge?

That wasn't... that wasn't good at all. Rosan wouldn't take that lying down either, especially considering the person he should trust most in the world, held important information from him.

"I'm not normal, Mod-chan," Rosan replied stubbornly. "I shouldn't have relied on you all so much. If I worked on my mental stability or at least took a deeper look, I could have better prepared."

"Hindsight is 20/20, Rosan!" Mod protested. "It's impossible to expect a child to be perfect. There's so many things you were already doing and I... I messed up the one thing you shouldn't have had to ever worry about..." she tapered off.

Robin watched the Devil Fruit shrink into herself with a concerned glance.

"She's right, Rosan... Now that I know everything... you can't possibly think you deserve to be fully blamed," she intervened, making Mod perk up in hope.

He... he really did hold himself up to too high of a standard. Robin should have known he was being self critical again when she got upset. Even despite being tortured both physically and mentally for 6 months, he still blamed himself for turning on her. In his eyes it was unacceptable for anything to get in the way of their bond.

Even now after all these years, he still refused to forgive himself. It felt gratifying to know that he loved her as much as she loved him and that got rid of all her resentment.

Rosan went silent immediately, refusing to meet her gaze as he trudged forward.

Robin sighed. She was beginning to feel bad for reducing him to this. It especially didn't feel good now that she was aware how little hand he had to play in his supposed hate for her.

She should assure him that she wasn't angry with him anymor—

"We're here."

The Devil Child paused in her deliberation at that and she glanced up, eyes taking on a curious glint as she beheld the sight before her.

It was large, entire structure made from ice that looked even colder and more unnatural then the forest they were currently resided in. It was just as beautiful and tragic as everything else but chains wrapped ominously around the object.

"A castle…?" Robin pondered. What was it doing here? Why did they still live in the house if there was a castle right here? Why were those chains wrapped so tightly around it…?

Rosan nodded in confirmation. "This castle right here… it houses all my emotions along with the virus itself. That's why I act like this. I currently don't have any active emotion and they only flare occasionally but for the most part, they lie dormant."

His emotions were… gone? That's why he wasn't the same lovable boy that he used to be? And this virus played part in not only that… But it was aware enough to use Robin to exploit Rosan.

"What happened?" She asked softly, worry dominating her at the sorrowful expression on Mod's frame and the tired sigh Rosan let out.

"During my time captured… I met someone named Meiko," Rosan said quietly. "She was able to see through me in a way that no one else could and we had a synergy that seemed like we had known each other for years… We fell in love but I messed up one day and she died in my arms."

Mod sniffed at that and immediately turned to a downcast Ram for comfort.

Even without emotions, Rosan would never be able to hide the pain and Robin immediately wrapped him in a hug, rubbing a soothing hand through his hair.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," she whispered. "I… to have someone you love die in your arms… If you died in mine, I don't... You're stronger then you think Rosan for pushing on."

To say Rosan was stunned, would be an understatement. The redhead looked at Robin with an almost confused gaze and tilted his head to the left.

"You still… you still love me?" He asked quietly, not believing his ears.

But why? Why would she claim to love him? He wasn't getting it.

"I don't understand... I wronged you. In thinking that you betrayed me, I ended up being the one who betrayed you. No matter the circumstances, that was unforgivable for me to pin the blame on 13 year old you," he told her in confusion.

"Of course I still love you," Robin said without hesitation. So he really was being incredibly self critical... it was a good thing Mod was here because Robin was very sure Rosan would have taken full blame for what he did.

"You didn't intentionally decide to blame me, Rosan. There's a virus messing with you and doing who knows what and it caused you to turn on me. The fact that even though you have no emotions, I can still feel how guilty you are is enough for me."

"..." Rosan exhaled slightly and she sighed.

"How long did you "hate" me for?" She asked softly.

"...Around a year until Meiko made me realize how stupid I was," he replied truthfully.

This Meiko sounded precious already. Robin was sad she'd never get to meet her.

"So the virus only made you hate me for a year and you spent the next 15 drowning in guilt... Don't you think thats punishment enough?" Robin asked wisely. "You shouldn't be the one to decide what your punishment is. Seeing as I'm the one who was wronged, I should decide and I think you've suffered more then enough."

She squeezed him reassuringly and stared into his empty gaze. A gaze so completely unlike the Rosan she knew but still being a gaze that belonged to him. Robin wanted nothing more then to restore his emotions and she couldn't do that by letting him think he deserved more punishment from her.

"Don't you remember that time we talked when you had a nightmare? I made a promise to never turn my back on you, even if the whole world was against you. I already lost you once and I'm not going to lose you again even if you try and push me away," she decided strongly, burying herself in his frame.

She was passive, it was something Rosan teased her about nonstop. As a form of revenge, she decided to only be active when it came to him and eventually, it just became the norm. She wouldn't stand here and let Rosan destroy himself for no reason at all.

Mod and Ram looked at Robin with wonder in their eyes, eyes sparkling as someone actually talked down Rosan.

Rosan couldn't blame them because he couldn't believe what she was saying.

How were Ace and Robin able to forgive him so easily? These two were the some of the last people on the planet who should forgive him, yet they had accepted him back into their lives despite everything... even claiming to love him.

Even Meiko, who he had taken everything from, had ended up falling in love with him. Even after he pushed and pushed, she pushed back.

Why? What did his loved ones see in him that he couldn't. How could they all so confidently claim to love him despite his numerous mistakes...?

Was he… was he really a person worth forgiving? Ace, Meiko, Robin… he had done unforgivable things to them but yet, they still loved him anyways.

Maybe he was worth it. Maybe he needed to work on seeing what they all saw.

Mod let out a gasp, as one layer, out of three, of the chains wrapped tightly around the castle, loosened up and disappeared. She chanced a glance over at Rosan and tears fell freely at seeing the faint glow in his eyes.

Had… Had a majority of his lingering guilt vanished? Did he finally get it through his thick skull that he was far more amazing then he gave himself credit for? Was the castle operating on the same level of stubbornness that Rosan was?

The redhead wrapped both arms around Robin and pulled her close to him, squeezing her with all his might. "I missed you so damn much, Robin," he said warmly, taking in everything about her and marvelling at how much things changed and stayed the same. "I can't believe I let myself think for even a second that you didn't care about me anymore. I'm so stupid."

Robin laughed a watery laugh as she heard his tone and returned the embrace with equal fervor. "For such a genius, you can also be really stupid but that's why you have Mod-chan and I and now Ram too. We'll make up for what you lack."

"Thank you for putting up with me," he said truthfully.

Ram and Mod couldn't resist and soon they were all hugging each other, much to Robin's surprise. Despite her shock, she didn't break it and decided she deserved the warmth that they all emanated.

It was a good thing she heeded Rosan's request and kept on living. Now she was back with the person who made her day brighter just by existing.

Eventually they broke the hug and Rosan glanced back at the castle. One chain was gone now and he could already feel the effects. It was faint, but Rosan could actually feel some of his emotions seeping through the castle now.

He grunted at the black and purple figure leaping on him and steadied Mod, eyes going soft as she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried.

"Your eyes are glowing a little and you have some emotion in your tone!" Mod sobbed happily, feeling like she were on Cloud Nine. "I knew it! I just knew it was possible to save you again!"

Proof was right in front of her! Rosan had admitted to missing Robin with such a warm tone that it couldn't be faked! Her little boy was still there and dammit she'd do everything to get him fully back no matter what.

The Devil Child couldn't keep the bright smile off her face at how hopeful Mod looked and knew that this had been eating away at her for years. She was Rosan's guardian after all and knowing that she failed to protect something of his, must have completely destroyed her.

Rosan wasn't so sure if he should do this but he already made up his mind to tell her everything and there was an easy way to do so... even if it might be terrible to witness.

"Robin, do you want to see my memories? I want to show you everything important," Rosan said, grabbing her attention.

She thought about it, before nodding. It had been a long time since they had seen each other and Robin wanted to see parts of his life that she had missed.

"Fair warning, some parts are very… gruesome but this is a great way to show you how much I've changed and... what happened to me. I know how much you care about me so this might really hurt to witness."

"I... I need to see this. I have to know what happened to you and... I have a strong stomach," she assured.

Rosan flashed her a reserved smile on that handsome face and squeezed her reassuringly.

Robin returned the smile on her beautiful face and sunk into him.

Ram's eyes gleamed at watching their interactions. Her head rapidly shifted from her Father's face to Robin's own and her grin widened more and more, sharp fangs glinting.

Yes, this woman was the perfect mother! Ram would make her accept every facet of that title at all costs and that meant making magic happen!

Mod watched that psychotic gleam with an amused smile, shaking her head at the antics of her niece.

Let Ram do what she wanted to do, it's not like the woman had a problem with it. In fact… Mod would actually prefer this outcome because Rosan was incredibly loyal so he wouldn't entertain…

Yes, this would do just fine.

---

Mod-chan used to mention that she had seen all of Rosan's memories and Robin guessed this is how she had managed to do it.

The room where Rosan's memories were stored, reminded her of an advanced theater and she was sure that the stylish redhead had a hand in how nice everything looked.

There was a large screen that probably would be displaying his memories and many plush looking seats.

"I'll be showing you all the important memories, starting from when we first got separated. Just… be warned," Rosan told her, fixing her with a slightly concerned gaze.

"When you want me to stop, we'll stop and we won't be watching them all in one sitting. Every time we sleep, we can come here. to continue"

Robin was flattered that he was concerned for her but she had already made up her mind to watch the memories.

"I'll be fine, Rosan."

They all sat next to each other, with Robin sitting in between Ram and Rosan, while Mod sat atop the redhead.

Rosan was slightly surprised that Ram wasn't directly on top of him but shrugged it off.

Good for her making a new friend. For someone with such an outgoing personality, Ram was surprisingly antisocial... content to just spend a majority of her time with Mod despite being able to transform into a human.

Perhaps he should force her to come out in human form more.

Ram smiled brightly at Robin, who returned a smaller one and the silver haired woman got as close as she could and grabbed the Devil Child's hand.

Robin just assumed that the woman was similar to the old Rosan in many ways and as a result, she was just as touchy as the redhead who adored contact. She didn't rebuff her efforts and even squeezed back because it was kind of adorable.

The ring grinned even wider and hummed delightfully.

Mod herself, was already squeezing her eyes shut and burying herself in Rosan's frame, turning her entire back to the screen. She hated viewing his memories of when he was trapped on Daybreak. It reminded her of how useless she had been while he suffered.

Rosan squeezed her reassuringly and wrapped an arm around her, adjusting her abit so she could be comfortably seated despite her big dress.

"Alright… Modification: Stream," Mod intoned, holding out her hands and focusing on the screen before them.

Robin watched with bated breath as the large flat screen flashed with life, beginning the memory from immediately after Rosan was awoken on Daybreak.

---

"Rosan's still not back?" Nami mused, checking her log pose and making sure they were on the right path.

It had been nearly a full day now since he had vanished with Miss All Sunday and they still hadn't shown up...

"Nah, we didn't see him yet," Zoro grunted, unbothered by the situation. The redhead was probably located in his castle with the agent and the swordsman himself had been frequenting that area often these past few days.

Even if Robin ended up betraying him, he saw no way to escape from that place and Rosan didn't look easy to kill at all.

He completely healed from literal lightning after all. He'd be fine.

Sanji took out a puff of his cigarette with a glare on his face. "That shitty redhead better not be taking advantage of that mysterious beauty."

Nami rolled her eyes. "You know Rosan's not like that. Didn't you see how she looked at him and how she fell asleep so easily in his arms? Didn't you see how protective he was of her? Those two are fine."

"I hate him so much," Sanji muttered, distinctively remembering exactly how that beautiful woman had so easily collapsed in his arms.

This didn't even make sense! Everywhere they went, someone threw themselves on the redhead who accepted it all with that same, too cool for this, expression! He didn't appreciate the true beauty of woman; showing no interest, making them pursue him and then leaving them hanging!

This was ridiculous!

Nami watched the idiot with an amused gaze. Just what did he think of Rosan? Knowing him, it was probably something perverted.

Scratch that, it was definitely something perverted.

The redhead wasn't a pervert (she steadfastly removed whatever happened between him and Nojiko from her mind), that's why Nami hadn't protested the decision to sleep next to him when entering his mindscape. She knew he wouldn't do anything questionable to her.

Huh, she probably shouldn't tell Sanji that they slept in the same bed. That would probably break him beyond repair.

Hm… she would keep that in the books in case she ever wanted to get revenge on him or Rosan.

---

Robin didn't think she'd ever hate anyone as much as she hated the man known as Doc.

So great was her hate, that she wished to revive him just to have the pleasure of inflicting all the pain onto him, that he had unleashed onto Rosan.

No amount of preparation would have been able to help her deal with the atrocities done to her little Rosan.

It all started with one simple question.

"What is your name?"

After that, Robin could only watch in horror, as 8 year old Rosan was repeatedly electrocuted by the mad scientist until Mod forced the child to give it up.

The poor child tried to be brave. Despite how afraid he was, he tried so hard for them and he suffered from it.

The steam and the burn marks and the terror and the tears. But what was most horrifying, was the screaming.

"AUGHHHHHHHH!" Little Rosan screeched and screeched at the pain he was being forced to endure. With no one to tell him it was going to be alright. Tears were turned into steam as they rolled down his charring skin and he thrashed repeatedly in place, voice going hoarse as it reached volumes.

"H-Help me! R-Robin-nee! Mod-chan! P-Please, it hurts!" The child thought mid torture and Robin turned nauseous, feeling herself go a little faint.

This was inhumane… how could… how could anyone torture a child so ruthlessly? Was there not a shred of humanity in the doctor?

Rosan watched Robin out of the corner of his eye and idly grabbed her hand, resulting in her squeezing it tightly. She had not taken her eyes off the screen yet and the horrified tears in her eyes nearly made him stop the memory but he didn't.

It was impossible for Robin to place even a little blame on Rosan after witnessing what he had gone through. How could anyone in their right mind blame him after witnessing this... this disgusting act!

All because one man wanted the ultimate weapon...

In the first month, Rosan had absolute faith in her that warmed her heart despite how much pain she was going through watching this. The little boy really did look up to her so much and Mod was right, there was no way he'd naturally turn on her.

"Just wait for Robin. Robin will save me. She'll come!" He though optimistically, despite all he was forced to endure.

Over and over again, the evil scientist employed more and more types of torture in order to make the child submit and Robin continued to watch.

Mod, despite not looking at the screen, was shuddering with tears spilling out of her as she tried to hide herself deeper into Rosan's frame. Even just his voice was enough to make her crack and the redhead.

Ram had a dark glare on her face, furiously wiping some of the tears falling and opting to snarl quietly instead.

Robin herself fared no better. She refused to take her eyes off the screen after all and it was only making her feel worse as a result.

Doc held nothing back. He didn't care that Rosan shrinked away. He didn't care that the redhead curled into himself and begged. Nothing mattered to him.

"Stop! Stop!" Rosan would beg, writhing at the actions of the doctor and trying to crawl away unsuccessfully.

The doctor, would tut, as if Rosan was in the wrong. "You tell me to stop but still rebel? Aren't you just so funny, Rosan. Give me what I want and I'll give you what you want."

"..." the redhead shut his mouth and braced himself for what was to come next.

"Of course..." Doc sighed before plunging the Devil Fruit user into a tank filled with water.

Robin shuddered as she watched his eyes roll to the back of his head, the effects of being submerged taking effect immediately. Despite that, the only thing going through his mind was them.

"Robin... Mod-chan... please, I can't take this for much longer. P-Please help me!" The boy sobbed.

She was going to throw up. This was even worse then she expected.

He had so much faith in her… she let out a choked sob at hearing him repeatedly chant that she would save him and realized that was the only thing keeping him going.

It was no wonder the virus managed to successfully manipulate him. With knowledge of what was going on, she was able to see its influence clear as day. It snuck in its own thoughts without hesitation, pushing Rosan further and further to the edge with a destructive intelligence that was dangerous to witness.

"Robin would never betray him. She didn't. She didn't. She did. She didn't."

"Everything hurt so bad, it was getting worse but he could(n't) do it. He would(n't) handle it."

A small poisonous voice, one undetectable to nearly all of them, whispering negatives into his ear ontop of being tortured to near insanity. Whoever the virus was... it knew what it was doing and it did it without remorse, taking advantage of Rosan's vulnerable state without hesitation.

"He was fighting an impossible battle," Robin realized, growing more and more nauseous. This just wasn't fair! Rosan was nine! He was nine! Why, why did he have to go through this?! Just the fact that he managed to hold out this long even with the virus' influence spoke of his mental aptitude. Who knows how long he would have gone if his mind wasn't being tampered with?

But it was being tampered with and it was only a matter of time before he succumbed.

Robin just never expected the reason to be... to be this.

Two months (making it three months total since he was there) passed and the guards tossed a newspaper to the prisoner on the order of Doc, detailing... detailing Robin's movements.

"Oh no," Robin thought quietly, horrored realization seeping into her. Was this why he turned on her? How smart was the virus... how dangerous were they? For them to zero in on Robin so thoroughly... what were they up against?

"S-She's not coming," little Rosan whispered, heartbroken as the truth was revealed to him.

Watching the realization that she wasn't coming hit his face, tore her heart into a thousand pieces as the revelation of his breakdown was finally revealed to her.

Robin watched him shut down in real time, tears streaming down his face as a rapid shift of emotions happened at once. Overwhelming sadness suddenly shifted into an uncontrollable rage.

The insidious thoughts overwhelmed him completely and she watched the redhead begin shaking uncontrollably, not in sadness, but in sheer unadulterated rage.

"Nobody in this world was trustworthy. Everyone wanted to use him and when they grew tired of him, they would discard him like he was yesterday's garbage. As if he were useless. Him?! USELESS? HE WAS USELESS?!"

His negative thoughts ran rampant as he lashed out on everything. The optimism that he tried so hard to maintain, vanished completely and was replaced by a harsh hatred—

And then everything suddenly vanished and his emotions stilled altogether, the unnaturally bright glow in his eyes dimming considerably. It was unsettling watching how the sheer anger melted off his face, replaced by a neutral expression that reminded her so much of the current redhead sitting to the left of her.

The purple in his left eye melted away, replaced by the intimidating blood red that reminded her of Mod-chan and Rosan willingly transformed into the monster they wanted him to be.

Now it all made sense.

Doc wasn't the one that successfully broke him… Robin broke Rosan.

Robin couldn't handle anymore due to that detail and she abruptly awoke, making her way to the bathroom and emptying the breakfast they had this morning into the toilet.

A hand made its way onto her back and rubbed soothingly, making her raise a shuddering gaze towards the concerned Rosan. His heterochromatic eyes (the ones that were heterochromatic because of her) were focused on her but he said nothing,

The redhead applied Modification, making the burn from her throat go away and she finally found the power to speak.

"R-Rosan, I'm so sorry you had to go through any of that," Robin choked out, unable to contain herself any longer.

"If I… If I just believed you were still alive, I would have kept searching for you no matter how long it took! You believed in me and I couldn't do anything to protect you. I'm the one broke you, Rosan!"

Months of mental and physical torture. Months of begging and screaming and the pain he must have been in... The pure agony he must have suffered, all in hopes that she would show up and alleviate him of it.

She should have. She should have shown up and razed the entire place to the ground after seeing the condition Rosan was in. Turned the doctor's insides into pure paste because of what he had done.

But she didn't because she gave up on him. Why did she give up?!

Rosan flicked her on the head gently, much to her surprise, and shook his head with a small sigh.

"You refuse to blame me, so I don't know why you think I'd accept you blaming yourself. It's not your fault. The ocean is massive. Even if you didn't think I was dead, it would be incredibly difficult to find me and you were dealing with your own problems. I should have realized that but I didn't and it broke me..."

"...But that's not your fault, Robin. Expecting you to find me was too much."

He pulled the woman into a hug to calm her down and was pleased that he managed to successfully do so. "Don't apologize to me when I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. You did nothing wrong because I placed unreal expectations on you."

She buried herself deeper into him with a shaky breath. "You were a child and they did that to you… how could they? Using our bond against you… I want to see the rest of your memories."

Robin had to see how they died. This was something that would eat at her until her dark urge was satisfied.

Rosan simply nodded, not letting her go. The redhead pulled her up with him and made his way over to the sink, where they helped clean the remains of the bile.

"Are you hungry? We've been there for a while," he asked softly.

Robin shook her head. "We can eat later. I'd like to get back to your memories quickly."

The scout hummed, eyes gazing at her piercingly before he nodded. "The moment you get hungry, we will go eat."

"I understand," the Devil Child replied, already moving with the redhead towards the bed again.

The two quickly entered the mindscape again and were greeted by the concerned gazes of Mod and Ram.

"A-Are you alright, Robin?" The Devil Fruit asked, voice still a little raw at crying from the memories.

"Do you want to stop, Mother?" Ram followed up, holding the woman in concern.

"I'm... I'm fine," Robin assured softly. "I want to continue watching. This is only the beginning and there's more for me to see."

They both nodded, concern not leaving their faces and she was touched that she managed to evoke such feelings in people.

Rosan rubbed her shoulder reassuringly and she shot him a tiny smile.

With that, they made their way back to the theater room and the Stream continued after everyone took their same position (they were all a bit closer now which was saying something considering how close they already were).

Soon after his mental breakdown, the redhead immediately began to implement a masterclass performance in deception, one that she would never normally apply to little Rosan before.

The Devil Child watched Rosan pretend to be broken by Doc and fall into his good graces, smiling at the stupidity of the man for falling for it so easily.

He must have been getting more and more desperate. The blonde hardly questioned the supposedly submissive Rosan who was plotting the best way to deliver his revenge.

He guided Rosan to those dreaded gladiator battles to truly see if the redhead was aligned with him and what happened next would be ingrained into Robin's head for a while.

His opponent was the same person he always fought before... the one who took a disgusting pleasure in hurting him that made Robin scowl. Rosan never participated in the fight, rebellious nature refusing to submit for even a second to the doctor, even at his own expense.

This time though, the redhead did plan on fighting and what a fight it was.

Rosan, wielding a hammer twice his size, dashed towards his opponent with a speed that shouldn't have been possible with that hammer and smashed his opponents knee caps into paste. He then repeated the process with the other leg and forced him into a sobbing mess.

The man tried to beg for his life but Rosan was utterly merciless and in a display that Robin would never forget, he smashed the man's head with the hammer.

"Death is mercy for someone like you," the child intoned emotionlessly.

Robin watched with an equally emotionless expression, no mercy in her heart going out for the disgusting man.

A child Rosan's age shouldn't have been covered in so much blood and the stony expression on his face was eerily similar to the one he had on currently. It was even more unsettling to see on a child's face then adults.

The duo were always oddities when it came to violence, which probably stemmed from having to watch a loved one die but Rosan never actually killed someone directly.

It was possible that he would have always been this brutal, but Doc turned that possibility into a certainty.

How she hated that man. The only person that could match the levels of hate she felt for him, was the man's perverted wife.

The amount of lust the disgusting woman had packed in her body for the small child was nauseating and Mod had been unable to hold back her snarl.

"Doesn't she understand how old you are?" Robin asked in disbelief. What was wrong with all of the people on this island? Did they have a single moral bone in their body?

She knew Rosan was going to grow up into a good looking person but never did she expect someone to so blatantly lust for him when he was so young!

"She didn't care at all," Rosan said softly. "To her, my exotic appearance was too enticing for her to ever let go, even despite the difference in age. That woman was intending to make me hers until I was of age."

Mod snarled hatefully. "Wretched woman. I knew this world was full of perverts but to run into one so depraved so soon... I wish I got my hands on her."

The perverted woman was blatantly attempting to groom the child without a care in the world. Rosan himself was aware of this and had used it to his advantage, successfully seducing the woman and having her be putty in his hands.

Watching the adorable boy actively use his good looks to his advantage, was foreign to her. Besides puppy dog eyes, the redhead generally didn't have an interest in doing things like that...

It was underhanded and a blatant show of manipulation and Robin would have never applied that to Rosan but this place was making him do things that he would never normally do… such as lying.

"Mod-chan, you're hurting me," Rosan said blandly, watching the woman clenching his arms with absolute crushing force due to seeing the pervert kiss him.

"You'll live," she snarled, glaring with such anger at the screen, Ram scooted a bit to the right.

"It was best if I obeyed. The further in her good graces I got, the faster I could regain my powers and see you again," the redhead bargained, managing to appease the woman slightly, though she still gazed heatedly at the screen.

"You shouldn't have had to make such a decision," she grumbled, crossing her arms petulantly.

Robin, while not as angry, was still upset that someone like this existed. She knew they had to be wary of Rosan's looks when he grew up but she had no idea that would be at the tender age of 9.

She knew that this was all manipulation on the boy's part but still... it still rubbed her the wrong way.

Almost everyday, the redhead lied in his prison and they drank it all up. It was startling to see how good of a liar he was because Rosan never lied to Robin or Mod. It went against his character. He hated lying because it made things complicated and he didn't have time to deal with that.

But here he was doing just that. He let a woman think he had feelings for her, convinced a man that he had submitted to his will and had them all think his Devil Fruit was something completely different, which gave him the opportunity he needed to escape.

Robin had to admit, Rosan's mind was terrifying when his thought process was so much darker. He had everyone here dancing in the palm of his tiny hands and they were none the wiser to being unwilling puppets for his mounting performance that would soon reach its apex.

Well, everyone was none the wiser except for Meiko. The girl was the one oddity on this island and the only light in Rosan's, otherwise dark, life at the moment.

Robin adored the little girl. She had the cutest personality and wanted nothing but the best for the, too angry, Rosan. Despite how much he tried to rebuff her companionship, the blonde was dead set on making his life even a little better.

Meiko was very odd though because she seemed to be able to perfectly read Rosan no matter what he said and vice versa. It was actually startling, to be so exposed to someone you barely knew which was probably why Rosan, who had just lost his trust in everyone, wanted to stay away (is what he told himself) from her.

He couldn't hide anything from her and she couldn't hide anything from him. It was surreal.

"I never could explain why it was like that," Rosan commented. "Perhaps we were made for each other. Maybe we were born under the same star. I don't know but it never went away."

Robin pursed her lips, curiosity at the unknown mounting. "I'll try and look into that... it's interesting to think about."

The resemblances between Meiko and Ram were uncanny, even down to the same hairstyle. The ring clearly inherited all her facial features from her mother because the only thing that could differentiate them, would be that Ram had Rosan's skin color and her own unique shade of hair and eyes.

Even a 13 year gap in age didn't get rid of the similarities.

"She's a sweet little thing," Robin commented softly, watching her apologize of all things when it was Rosan who blew up on her for trying to relate the two. It was enough to actually shock the redhead out of his fury and he had ashamedly gotten off of her and told the little girl to leave.

"Meiko was the only one on that island who saw me as human," Rosan said softly, staring fondly at the blonde. "Not even I saw myself as one but she persisted and persisted."

"She helped me break through Rosan's barrier so much," Mod smiled gently.

Robin watched as Rosan's time at Daybreak reached its final act with a look of anticipation on her face.

He brutalized everyone of his opponents in the Ash and Dust tournament up until he made it to the final to fight...

"A fishman?" Robin muttered in shock, watching the positively tiny redhead square up against the eclipsing fishman.

"Ah, Kenzo," Rosan replied. "I fought his daughter recently, she's currently resided on an island I visit often."

The battle, while far difficult from previous ones, was still in Rosan's favor from the start. He quickly employed his overwhelming style and began bombarding Kenzo with a ruthless onslaught. He even managed to quickly remove one of the Fishman's legs!

"So strong," Robin thought to herself, gazing at the little child in awe.

That awe quickly turned into horror at watching the fishman embed detachable spikes into Rosan's stomach, before delivering a punch that sent him to the other side of the battleground.

But he got up like he took a glancing hit, gingerly ripping out each spike after forcefully adjusting his nose into place.

What followed next, was an act of pure sadism on Rosan's part that he always contained, as he dragged Kenzo into the climax of his performance. It was entrancing. She never expected Rosan to be able to fight so gracefully but he could and he made it look like a dance.

In and out, left to right, everything Kenzo did, Rosan had an answer to as he surgically disabled parts of the fishman's body. As Kenzo got slower, Rosan got faster and through it all, the redhead smiled larger and larger until he was full on grinning, bloodied teeth gleaming.

It was clear as day to see who Ram got her personality from. The boy was nearly intoxicated with how much power he had over someone.

Then, Rosan finished the battle off by sending Kenzo to his grave, all while promising that his mother and daughter would be safe for years to come.

And that was that, the redhead won the Ash and Dust tournament and after heavy praise, was escorted back to his cage to prepare for the next steps in their life.

How unfortunate that they didn't know Rosan had his own plans. Plans that involved only himself and nobody else.

Well... Nobody else but Meiko. Her influence on him was clearly shining because the two made up right before Rosan planned on officially escaping and with regret in his eyes, he put her to sleep.

Despite his vengeful mood for everyone there, he had still decided (with Mod's input) to spare the blonde who had been his only respite on Daybreak.

Then, to Robin's amazement, he created two clones and had them take anything of value from the island, including Meiko. Even after discovering that she was the child (wasn't that a shock, though Robin had her suspicions) of Rosan's greatest tormentors.

"You have clones?" Robin muttered. It wasn't that surprising, considering it was Rosan who pitched the idea of making clones to her in the first place by utilizing her ability but she never contemplated the idea of him being able to do it the same.

There were clearly differences, after all Robin was completely cloning herself, there was no difference between her and her clone. Rosan... was practically creating androids that he gave a similar appearance to himself. They weren't naturally biological like her own or actually clones. It was fitting for his computer man motif.

"I actually got the idea from you," he admitted, much to her surprise. "They are Angel and Demon. We can meet them soon, I'm sure they've wanted to meet one of the people who played such a strong influence on me."

She nodded in curiosity. He spoke about them like they were their own people and knowing Rosan, they probably were.

After little Rosan had broken free, he had marched towards Doc's home with a purpose.

It was there that Robin witnessed Rosan and Mod's first argument… about her…

Despite fully understanding why he was like this, it still hurt deep down to know that Rosan was so angry with her, that he'd even lash out at Mod-chan. The things he were saying... it was all magnified by his hurt heart that was still not healed so Robin managed to rationalize it well.

Didn't stop it from filling her with a bit of pain. She was glad Rosan was not like this anymore and realized his overreactions.

"Mod-chan tried to defend you but I was being too stubborn and I ended up scaring her and making her cry," the redhead told her softly.

Rosan stared darkly at the screen. He didn't know its motive, but the virus had taken advantage of his mental state and caused him to become like this. There was no room to talk in his opinion.

When he got his hands on it…

Mod grabbed his hands reassuringly. "I still shouldn't have pushed you so hard even despite knowing what was going through your head. I knew it was unnatural but I still never connected the dots to the virus…"

She held her head at that. She was so confident in her abilities, that she never stopped to consider that the virus was never sealed in the first place.

"I know you forgave me but I'm still sorry, Robin. I… couldn't deal with the fact that you broke a promise that was impossible to keep at the time and I childishly lashed out," Rosan whispered, hoping she knew that he meant it.

Robin sighed fondly and flicked his forehead, much to his surprise. "I won't lie, seeing the actual memory hurt even more but it also showed me clearly that you were just a kid whose anger flared irrationally to things you couldn't control. I said it once and I'll say it a million times, I understand that it wasn't your fault Rosan so stop apologizing so much or I'll get mad at you for that instead," she ordered firmly.

"You tell him, Mother!" Ram cheered, clapping happily.

Was she really just going to call her Mother now? Well, Rosan used to call her Robin-nee all the time so it must have been genetics.

Rosan stared at her before letting out a quiet snort. "Fine, I'll stop apologizing for this then. I'll probably have some new reasons in the future anyways. I've been told I'm still as chaotic as ever."

"Some things won't change, even with age," Robin teased, turning towards the screen again with a sadistic glint. "Let's continue, I want to see you get your revenge on that man and his wife."

All three inhabitants had quite the unsavory gleam in their eyes at that and Robin couldn't hide her chuckles.

Even Mod-chan was unhinged in her own ways, a natural consequence of being Rosan's caretaker for 20 years.

---

"Rosan's still not here?" Zoro yawned. "I wanted to train some more before landing on this next island but I guess that can wait."

They were fast approaching the next island and Rosan was still nowhere to be seen. He tended to vanish from them often but he was never gone for such a long period of time...

"He must be really catching up with her…" Nami mused to herself. It had been about 16 years for them so they deserved a bit of alone time, away from judging and curious stares.

"Yeah! He's probably showing her his memories," Luffy chimed, sitting on the Merry's figurehead. His brother had mentioned it some time ago.

"HE CAN SHARE MEMORIES?!" Vivi gawked. Who was he?! He was able to do so many things!

"HE CAN DO THAT?!" Sanji repeated, dread mounting. W-What if he showed that mature beauty the memory of when the chef had been saved as a child. His image would be ruined!

"Rosan's memories… I wonder what they're like," Usopp muttered. The enigmatic redhead always mentioned things that sounded like lies but apparently he never once lied to the crew!

Usopp thought about it some more and shuddered.

Nevermind, he didn't want to see them.

Luffy laughed merrily and said, "You don't wanna see them! They're really bad!"

"You've seen them?" Zoro chimed in.

"Yeah! He showed them to me a long time ago," Luffy nodded. "He's been through a lot… Oh but if I tell you he's gonna hide all my meat!"

They sweatdropped at the panicking rubber boy and Nami jumped in for the save, knowing he'd unintentionally reveal it regardless.

"Let's not pry into his life without his consent. He's been through a lot," Nami said, shutting down the conversation.

They nodded in unison and Luffy let out a sigh of relief.

Nami snorted. Rosan and Luffy were both lucky that they had her here to be the logical one.

---

Watching Rosan return 6 months of torture to the two who had spearheaded it, filled Robin with a dark satisfaction that assured she'd be sleeping well tonight.

Little Rosan marched into the couples home with a dark look in his eyes, soundproofing the house in the process and tying up the couple without waking them.

Then, he forced the wife, Sachie, to reveal her name before slitting her throat. Robin honestly thought she got off too easy but at the very least, Rosan made her think he was going to make Meiko own up for their sins.

Finally, he turned his attention to the man who caused it all and asked him one poetic question.

"What is your name?"Little Rosan grinned sadistically.

What followed next was a degree of torture people with a faint stomach would not be able to watch. Doc proved that he could not handle a taste of his own medicine and he screamed for mercy the entire time. Rosan's glee at that spiked and he only got more violent.

"What? Can't handle a bit of pain?" He mocked, pressing a button that was connected to the collar he forcefully strapped around Doc's neck.

"AIYEEE!"The doctor screeched pathetically, trashing as terrible shocks ran through his bloodied and mutilated body.

"Kahahahaha!" Rosan laughed maliciously. "You seemed so happy using this on me but you don't like it? You're so much older then me so why are you so much more pathetic," he crooned, unrelenting in his assault.

"Good," Robin muttered darkly, smiling at the agony that the doctor was in. The redhead was utterly unforgiving in his torture and didn't stop for even a second, ensuring that Masaru was not given even a second of respite.

Best of all, his sensitivity was heightened so everything was amplified and Rosan modified his nerves so that falling asleep was not an option.

It seemed Rosan appealed to everyone here because when he backed off, they were all satisfied with the job done.

"Don't sleep just yet, Masaru," the redhead advised, knowing he wouldn't be falling asleep. "I've got one more gift for you so just watch. This is who you chose to mess with. This is the monster you created. I'm not going to be the princess or the knight in shining armor," Rosan promised him, fangs gleaming in the night,

"I'm the dragon that's going to terrorize them both except I'm going to win," he finished ominously, pushing the gurgling doctor into an area where he could see what was going to happen next.

Robin's eyes widened at that.

Did he actually...?

He did. Robin watched with a proud gaze, as Rosan's 5 year dream was achieved.

"I'm so proud of you, Rosan! You actually managed to transform into a dragon," she praised, shooting the redhead a pleased smile and affectionately running a hand through his hair.

Rosan smiled slightly at that, quirking up his lip as he accepted her praise. "I wish you were there to see it firsthand... I'll have to show you soon how it looks fully."

"RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The dragon roared its fury to the heaven, coalescing a massive amount of energy in its maw that the screaming people covered in horror could only gaze in horror at.

"ANNIHILATION!" The monster screamed in victory as he gazed with no remorse in those draconic slits, howling his victory once more.

"You destroyed an entire island," Robin said, not quite believing her eyes as the whole island went up into flames, leaving nothing behind. The hellish flames that crashed and burned every single person on it… this is what happened when you messed with Rosan and pushed him over the edge.

He was never normal and the redhead had a malicious streak that went a mile wide.

Soon, all that was left of the island were charred remains. Not even the buildings were enough to stand up to that unattural fire and Rosan snorted before flying to his ship.

"Do I scare you?" Rosan asked softly, watching the memory end.

The Devil Child shook her head. "Of course not. You'll never scare me, Rosan. I came to that conclusion the day you saved me from being captured because you only have my best interests at heart. I have no reason to fear the only person who loves me."

Robin paused as she recalled that specific memory of Rosan saving her and a look of realization came across her features.

Memories of a time that she thought was a trick to the eyes but now that she thought about it...

Rosan tilted his head and asked, "What happened?"

"I think… I think I saw a glimpse of the virus," Robin said, much to the surprise of everyone there. "Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm sure I saw it. Mod-chan, do you have a technique that turns the sclera black?"

The lady going white, was all she needed to know.

"I-I... No, I don't but b-black is their..." she bit her lip nervously and glanced back at her seat that was Rosan with a nervous expression on her face.

The redhead looked utterly unimpressed with her, gazing directly into her eyes and making her wilt.

"I-I know that's bad but, Rosan—" she tried to no avail.

"Even without the castle, you weren't able to detect their influence, Mod-chan?" Rosan tutted, getting a guilty bow out of the woman. "Are you sure you know what you're dealing with? How did you not feel the virus... Are you sure you didn't feel it?" He asked calmly, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Her eyes went wide and she flinched. "I-I promise, the virus managed to completely evade me! I really wasn't aware that they were free," she whispered, hurt.

Robin couldn't keep the shock off her face at seeing Rosan press Mod of all things.

The redhead continued to stare a hole into her. "I just don't get what you're trying to understand. Do you want to know why the Virus hates me? Why they so cruelly turned me against Robin even while I was being tortured? Why they are trapped in the castle holding all my emotions?"

With every question, Mod wilted further. Despite sitting on Rosan's lap, the woman tried to put distance between the two and nervously bit her lip.

"I-I… I'll deal with it, Rosan! You don't need to… please don't interfere," she pleaded, directing wide red eyes towards the skeptical redhead. "I know I deserve your suspicion but p-please, I at least want to understand their motives..."

Robin couldn't believe that Rosan was actually throwing suspicion onto his Devil Fruit and that was, surprisingly, the most surefire way to show her that he had grown up and changed.

"Rosan… Mod-chan? What's going on?" Robin asked warily, watching Ram shrink away from the two, trepidation clear on her face.

There was a tense silence as Mod avoided the redhead's gaze and he turned towards the Devil Child.

"Mod-chan and I have different ways of wanting to deal with the virus," Rosan explained.

"He wants to destroy them immediately… without giving them a chance to explain themselves but I don't want that," Mod told her quietly. "The virus is a piece of me… I'm sure I can talk to them and we can come to some type of an agreement."

"And if you can't?" Rosan interrupted, tilting his head to the side.

"...I don't know," Mod said, refusing to make eye contact with her charge.

"You don't know? You haven't even planned for that outcome? Mod-chan... do you even realize what the virus did to me?" Rosan actually frowned at her. "What type of silly optimism are you holding onto, where you don't even know what's going to happen after we reach the most likely outcome?"

The virus committed one of the worst crimes against him. It took Robin and it zeroed his anger in on her, making him hate his best friend of all people. But Mod didn't know what she was going to do when it revealed that it had no intention of playing nice with Rosan? Was she actually serious?

Mod said nothing. It was clear that she wasn't able to justify why she was acting like this and the Devil Fruit fidgeted, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly.

Ram looked like she dearly wanted to help out her Auntie but she didn't want to argue against her Father and risk his potential wrath. Besides, he raised a fair point. What was Auntie's end goal here?

"Rosan, Mod-chan has never let you down intentionally," Robin stepped in mercifully.

It was jarring to see the Devil Fruit look so pressured and for the redhead to be the reason.

Rosan took his eyes of Mod, who let out a quiet, distressed, sigh and turned towards Robin once more.

"You have to be a bit more considerate. The virus is apart of her and she's probably going through a lot of internal dilemma right now, between wanting to keep you safe and resolving the virus issue. At least trust her up until she exhausts her options if that happens," Robin said firmly, grabbing his hand and locking him in place with those blue eyes.

"…" Rosan said nothing, just gazing at her with a tilted head before he let loose a quiet sigh.

"Okay, you're right. At the very least, I do believe that Mod-chan wants to keep me safe," he finally said.

Turning towards the shocked woman, he wiped the small tears on her face and pulled her into a hug.

"Mod-chan... You don't make bad decisions much so I'll let you deal with the virus first."

"But, if you can't reach a compromise, I will have to step in. You can understand that much at least, right?" Rosan asked quietly.

Mod blinked in surprise before nodding without hesitation. "I understand... if it comes down to that, I won't interfere," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting the tension leak from her body.

She shot the Devil Child a grateful look, smiling brightly at the woman.

Robin returned the smile, only to gasp as Ram crashed into her and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you! You're one of the only people willing to get between Father and Auntie smartly," Ram muttered, sighing in relief as the tension bled out of her body.

The Devil Child smiled at the childish woman and pat her gently. "I know these two well so I'm confident in being able to speak reason into them."

"Of course, of course!" Ram nodded enthusiastically, staring adoringly at the older woman.

"Ram is really taken with you," Rosan commented idly. "That never happens, with anyone. I've never actually seen her act like this."

Had his memories affected Ram's perception of Robin that much? This was their first time meeting and she was calling the woman Mother and was very clearly taken with her.

He wondered why...

"I think it's adorable. She reminds me of little you," Robin smiled, running a hand through Ram's hair and getting a purr out of her.

Yes, Robin was the perfect mother.

---

After waking up to go make some food, Robin and Rosan had continued from where they left off with his memories.

It started off with Rosan informing Meiko of what happened to her island and the sheer heartbreak on her face at hearing what Rosan did, made even Robin's heart pang in sympathy.

Even little Rosan wasn't exempt, eyes furrowed in guilt as he watched her excuse herself from the kitchen.

"Just seeing the way I used to act with her..." Rosan sighed to himself. "She didn't deserve that. I wish she met the other version of me first."

Robin frowned at him. "I can assure you Meiko took no offense. She understands exactly what you went through. It's why she was so patient with you, right?"

The redhead nodded without hesitation. "Her patience was otherworldly. She always talked about how normal she was compared to me but she couldn't have been farther from the truth. Meiko was special," he said resolutely.

He was right... Meiko was special. Not many people could have so much empathy in their heart.

"...I can agree with that, she really is something special," Robin mused, watching the sheer terror on her face at the realization that the only person she had any connection to, was planning on leaving her alone on some island.

The blonde was mature beyond her years. Even after Rosan admitted to killing her parents, the little girl still felt drawn to him, to the point where she violently protested at the idea of being left alone.

She even managed to admit that she liked him as she berated him! It was unintentional but she still did it!

"I didn't think a person like her could exist," Rosan admitted with a shake of his head. "That's why I blew up on her… I thought she had ulterior motives but no, she's just that confusing."

It was rather funny that Rosan thought someone like this couldn't exist, when Robin thought the exact same thing about him when they first met. Those two really were cut from the same cloth!

"Isn't she just like you then?" Robin laughed, watching little Rosan let out a hearty laugh himself at the adorable blonde.

She couldn't blame Rosan for eventually falling in love with the girl because honestly, Robin probably would have fallen victim to her charms too. Not only did they have an incredible synergy, the girl was clearly smitten with him as well. Meiko even purposely waited for Rosan to leave the room so that they could start the day together!

And he thought nothing of it! He was so adorably oblivious!

"Just like me? I always thought we were different but… we were pretty similar in hindsight," Rosan agreed softly as the memory continued.

Robin couldn't help the small laugh at seeing how vain and egoistic Rosan still was.

Always wanting to look good, the child contemplated using a disguise to hide his appearance and wanted a set of wings to match with his aesthetic.

The boy ruthlessly threw out insects due to how they looked and bird wings because they weren't special enough.

So what did he finally decide on?

Angel wings. The redhead picked Angel Wings because they would look the best on his figure.

...Was he serious?

"You made Reaper just to have a disguise you could throw away?" Robin asked incredulously.

The most famed bounty hunter to sail the seas… the figure who was so mysterious, people weren't even aware they were human… the person who made Robin decide to go the Grand Line early just to avoid getting captured by them…

That was just a means to an end for him? A way for him to secure money while keeping his anonymity?

"I didn't ever really expect Reaper to become so popular," Rosan hummed. "I just wanted an easy source of money with bounty hunting and needed a disguise to do it but it quickly spiraled out of control."

Robin would have believed that was his motive… if she didn't watch him immediately free and subjugate an entire island as Reaper, getting a consistent source of money out of them in the process.

Things were never simple with Rosan.

"I'm still allies with them to this day... We've even become good friends and they know my real identity," he informed her. "Fregate is quite the incredible island in the North Blue and they have supplied me with many important things."

"You must have a lot of money, if you've been getting 15% every two weeks for 15 years," she pointed out. Somehow, Robin wasn't even surprised about his antics and was just glad he had gotten some benefit out of it.

"I will probably never have to worry about money again," Rosan said truthfully. "Fregate is very wealthy, so as a result, I'm very wealthy. I can show you, I keep it all in my Pocket Dimension."

She nodded after some pondering and they did just that.

Learning that the castle they were currently sleeping in, was inside a Pocket Dimension of all things had made Robin reassess just how genius her best friend's mind was.

Using the link between his bag and ship to discover an entirely new place in between? Manipulating space? It was a level of genius that only he could find with that Devil Fruit. She doubted anyone would have thought of that.

"Sometimes, I think the Mod Mod no mi was made for you," Robin sighed.

"Of course, Mod-chan is mine and only mine," Rosan nodded, getting a noise of protest out of the woman.

"Stop being so possessive!" She complained hitting his chest softly and glaring at him.

"No," he replied calmly, ignoring the soft slaps and idly pinching her soft cheeks.

"Stawp!" Mod growled, much to their amusement.

The duo made their way to the redhead's treasury, all while Robin took in the intricate beauty of the castle (Meiko seemed to have a heavy hand in this too) and she couldn't stop her mouth from opening slightly as she gazed at the sheer amount of treasure that was in the room.

"If you see anything you like, take it," Rosan told her. "This is just as much as your stuff as it is mine."

She blinked at that, turning wide eyes towards the redhead. "Really? You're just giving me free access to anything in here?"

He nodded without hesitation. "That's how it should have been in the first place. I'm just doing what is normal."

Robin listened to his words and smiled. "Aren't you just the cutest?" She teased.

"...Hey," Rosan warned, as they went back to join Mod and Ram after grabbing something to drink.

"Hurry up! This is when Father's about to fall in love with Mother!" Ram scowled. She beckoned them over eagerly and slammed a hand on the empty seats repeatedly.

She loved this part dearly and watched it who knows how many times.

True to the ring's words, Robin watched as Rosan presented a pair of ruby red earrings, that she was certain was the same pair in his ears, to the blonde that he wanted to apologize to.

They got into an argument and Rosan's anger flared, making him lash out unintentionally at the blonde and to see him filled with so much remorse... it was adorable to see how fast Meiko wormed his way into her heart.

So he got her the earrings and she kissed him right on the cheek! The redhead quite liked it but he didn't put too much stock into it...

Then he saw her in the dress

"Look at your face! It's so red," Robin gushed. She couldn't even blame him! Meiko looked stunning right now! Her insecurities were honestly unwarranted because she was perfect the way she was.

Watching the redhead slowly come to that same realization, was far too funny and he refused to admit that he had a crush on Meiko. He tried hard to deny it but the proof was right there in his heart and the longer he stared at her, the more red his face became.

Alas, Rosan's self perception of himself and what he deserved, were just too low and Robin vowed to try and fix his issues while she had him.

He thought he didn't have the right to like Meiko, due to what he had done to her but the blonde would never hold that against him.

Robin was thankful that Meiko managed to successfully break through to him. She knew all the right words and even Rosan couldn't escape from the truth.

The blonde was everything someone as self critical as Rosan, needed. Somehow she had even managed to break through Rosan's anger and have him realize it wasn't Robin's fault!

It was Meiko who made him realize that Robin didn't deserve any blame and she helped snap Rosan out of his irrational ways. She always knew the perfect words to say to him and he always diligently listened to her because she was his pillar.

He even vowed to find and apologize to Robin for messing up so thoroughly because of her.

Meiko was amazing and Robin loved her dearly. She was the emotional glue that held everyone together and Robin felt herself growing more and more fond of the girl with every memory they went through.

Robin even smiled brightly at seeing Rosan give the blonde a very familiar ring, declaring that they settle down after attaining his goal of becoming the strongest.

Seeing the insecure girl's worries completely vanish at that simple declaration of wanting to get married warmed her heart. With just those words, Rosan helped Meiko come to peace with herself and she began to live her life without the weight the parents put on her shoulders.

Yes, Robin quite liked Meiko.

Which is why it tore her heart into a million pieces to see everything go wrong.

Ram and Mod both let out apologies beforehand and left the room as the memory started, claiming that they couldn't bear to watch it again and Robin couldn't help but squeeze Rosan's hand reassuringly, at the stony expression on his face.

"You won't leave?" Robin asked in concern.

"...No, I'll be here for you," he said softly. This was a reminder for him. Watching it again didn't mean anything because he had near perfect memory and thought about this moment everyday.

She smiled sadly at the thoughtful words and squeezed a bit harder, getting close to the redhead and just offering her presence.

It all started when Meiko was kidnapped while Rosan was away from her. He frequently did his duties as Reaper and this was one of those times.

Unfortunately, some people with a vendetta against the Angel, wanted to get revenge and had somehow made connections. This must have been an endeavor they were planning for a while now because they knew that Meiko had some sort of relationship with the Shinigami.

They then kidnapped Meiko soon after...

Robin couldn't help the well of sympathy at seeing Rosan explode at Angel and Demon. They made a grievous mistake and the redhead lashed out on them, filling them with true terror that was reminiscent of the earlier days spent around him.

The rage that Rosan radiated could have been felt across the entire island and the Shinigami wasted no time looking for his lover.

The slaughter that followed right after was as horrifying as it was justified. Rosan was making a statement right now.

But in his rage, he lost track of Meiko and some young man had taken advantage of that, putting them in a hostage situation that forced Rosan to reveal his name and appearance, before managing to get out of it.

He choked the man unconscious and was about to finish the job... when the man's little sister, the same one that Meiko asked to spare, made her presence know.

She had taken the discarded gun and attempted to shoot Rosan…

But she missed. She missed and Meiko was mortally wounded instead.

"No," Robin whispered in horror, tears welling up in her eyes at the sheer despair being radiated by the entire crew of the White Rose.

None were even close to Rosan's. The boy looked like he was the one dying and held Meiko with such desperation, it was heartbreaking to see. He held onto her with such fervor... he gazed at her with such love in his teary eyes...

That love was reciprocated equally with Meiko. She... She gave all of them their own parting words because she was just that incredible before finishing with Rosan.

The girl was truly at peace with herself, because even with the tears, the girl was able to smile at them all.

Just like Saul...

"Rosan, I love you," Meiko said, voice full of a tender love.

"I love you too, Meiko," Rosan whispered, tears spilling on his lover's body.

Then, Meiko died and Robin watched the glow in Rosan's eyes vanish at the same time.

Almost like frames of a movie were taken out, Robin watched as the redhead's expression immediately shifted from overwhelming sadness, to nothing at all.

He stopped his cries, his tears dried, and his expression died, as he ordered the clones to clean Meiko's body…

Then... then he focused his attention on the terrified Izumi and he mentally tortured the girl to her breaking point.

To forcefully take her over and have her be the one to torture and kill her own brother… Robin had always known that Rosan's link technique could be much darker if he put his mind to it.

Even she found it difficult to watch the show of cruelty but Rosan never looked away for even a second until the girl was branded with a pitch black rose.

They both watched him equip the deceased Meiko's accessories onto his own person... All with that vacant expression.

"Let's stop for now. We can continue another time," Rosan decided.

Robin let out a shaky sob as the screen went black and she collapsed into Rosan's open arms, tears spilling onto him at the raw wound in her heart.

"S-She died in your arms? I'm so sorry, Rosan," she shuddered.

That… everything made so much sense now. It was a wonder that Rosan was still alive right now! The only thing pushing him forward, had been the request that Meiko had for him…

To keep moving forward, for the both of them.

"Meiko was amazing and what you two had for each other was real and beautiful! I just… I learned so much about her through you... The love you felt, the joy... I feel like all of that was my own! I loved her so much and I can't imagine what you had to go through..."

The redhead let loose a quiet, tired, sigh.

"It was difficult," Rosan whispered, hugging her tightly. "I wish I hadn't let my anger get the best of me. I always let my anger get the best of me and Meiko was always at the receiving end of it… that time it was too much and I lost her…"

"It's good that I lost my emotions there because eventually, my anger would have gotten the best of me again. Anger is always my first response even though I know it's not the best," he finished, closing his eyes.

"But you know that now!" Robin interrupted his self loathing with a determined stare, tears still flowing. "We'll get your emotions back and we'll fix that issue. We can't fix it while you're like this, Rosan so we have to get it back."

Rosan stared at her in wonder before burying his face in her hair and saying, "Yeah… yeah, let's do that. It'll be hard but maybe just maybe it's more possible then I thought."

Mod and Ram watched the interaction with smiles on their face. They couldn't bear to watch the memory of Meiko's death… it hurt too much but they had been there to catch the tail end of the two's conversation.

"You're fully on board now?" Ram asked with an impish smile.

"...Yes. Yes I am," Mod decided.

---

"Whenever we fall asleep, we can continue my memories. There's still much I want to show you," Rosan decided, detaching himself from Robin and stretching his body.

Robin nodded in agreement, stretching herself, before realizing something.

So naturally, had she slotted herself back into Rosan's life and vice versa, that they had forgotten some key details.

"Rosan… I'm apart of Baroque Works and there's not a chance Crocodile will let me leave without repercussion," Robin told him warily.

She was too valuable to his goals and he would send as many people as necessary to get her back. She just got Rosan back... she didn't want to lose him already.

Maybe she would go back and act as a mole for the redhead? It could be another infiltration mission like the ones they did all the time as children.

The redhead resisted the urge to scowl as his possessive streak came rearing full force.

"I won't let you go back to someone who only wants to use you while I can stop it," Rosan said bluntly, making her flush slightly in appreciation at his steadfast resolve.

"Infiltration missions are cancelled until further notice. I'm not letting you out of my sight. If you stay with me, I'll protect you." The redhead's words were to the point and she was sure he meant it when he said she wasn't leaving his sight.

"As possessive as ever. Some things really don't ever change," Robin sighed fondly, conceding without putting up a fight. She was worried about him but he was already an enemy of Baroque Works.

If she went back to them, Rosan would go retrieve her himself just like all those times when they were kids. The man was spoiled then and he was clearly spoiled now, making sure everything that belonged to him stayed that way.

Wait a second…

"I just realized that you're apart of a pirate crew… and you're not the captain," Robin pointed out. As far as she knew, Straw Hat Luffy was the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and Rosan was just a member of the crew...

That was surreal! Rosan expressed almost no interest in being a pirate at all and showed outright disdain when it came to taking orders from people he didn't respect.

Besides, despite not wanting to lead anyone, the redhead would much rather do that then take orders, as shown with his time on the White Rose, leading the clones and Meiko.

"It's a surprise isn't it? Luffy is a rather unique captain though and I doubt I'd have an easier time following someone else. He allows me many liberties that I appreciate," Rosan said softly.

Monkey D. Luffy… to think he managed to get such a wild card like Rosan under his banner. He must be far more dangerous then Baroque Works thought of him... even Robin underestimated him at a glance but Rosan would never follow someone so weak.

"Will he not have a problem with me on the ship? I didn't really leave a good first impression," Robin added warily.

Come to think of it, she doubted the rest of the crew would be accepting of her.

She had blown up that Igaram's ship after all. He wasn't dead but they didn't know that yet.

"Of course. Luffy is my little brother and he knows you from my memories. He's probably ecstatic that we reunited and has probably already slotted you into the crew… As for the others, if they have a problem I'll deal with it," Rosan hummed.

She sweatdropped at that. Something told her this Luffy was a bit… eccentric.

Well, he had to be if he was able to successfully tame Rosan.

"Wait… little brother?" Robin repeated.

"Yeah… I found Ace and Luffy over the years and we… we became really close despite early problems. You'll see it in my memories," he explained.

"Ace…" Robin mused. She was so glad that they had managed to meet and make amends. It was something Rosan used to tear himself up about nonstop when they were kids. She spent many a night reassuring him.

She actually recognized Ace around 3 years ago while looking at bounty posters. The Devil Child couldn't hold back the gasp at seeing Portgas D. in his name and she kept tabs on him in hopes that he'd somehow end up close to her location.

Robin had resolved to tell him about Rosan if they had ever met but she was happy that they had managed to connect regardless.

The young man had been quite the superstar pirate and absolutely blazed through the Grand Line. He didn't stay in an area long enough for her to even consider heading to his location and she was already apart of Baroque Works at that point too.

Now he was apart of the Whitebeard Pirates and sported a hefty bounty of 650,000,000! He quickly asserted himself as a force in the pirate world and she guessed Rosan had a hand in that.

She still wanted to meet him. Robin was looking forward to seeing those memories.

"Right, now let's go check on my crew after we shower… They're really stupid and though I don't normally feel like interfering, I find myself doing it often."

"That's just because you actually like them!" Mod beamed.

Robin giggled at the sigh Rosan let out before freezing.

"Oh… I never did tell them that they were headed to Little Garden," she muttered. Luckily, she actually did plan on heading back to Alabasta so she already had an Eternal Pose.

"Little Garden? What's wrong with it?" Rosan asked with a tilted head.

"It's a prehistoric island that's home to dinosaurs and two giant pirates," Robin informed him. "While those things alone probably won't phase your crew, the log pose takes about a year to connect to a new island."

"Oh that's not very good," Mod said in dread, realizing the implications.

"Hm, so unless we can find an Eternal Pose… we may be in a bit of trouble," Rosan deduced.

"That's a nice way to put it but don't worry, I have one already," Robin smiled.

The redhead hummed and pulled her into a side hug. "Already proving to be more useful then my crew right now. I missed you."

The brunette couldn't contain her laughter at that. "I missed you too."

---

"Ah, I see what you meant by prehistoric island but why is it called Little Garden?" Rosan murmured, glancing at the massive dinosaurs lazing about with a contemplative expression.

"Probably because it's inhabitants are incredibly large, so it's little to them," Robin informed.

She did not like that look in his eyes.

They hadn't even been here for 10 minutes and it seemed like the redhead was up to something crazy.

"Ram… do you think Maro would enjoy a pet dinosaur or two?" Rosan asked suddenly.

Yep, she knew it.

"Definitely! But these are too big and too boring," Ram muttered, staring at the giant creatures with an impressed gaze. "We read a book on dinosaurs, you should get her a T-Rex or a Pterodactyl or a Velociraptor!"

"I can't believe we're discussing this... Please don't get her any of those carnivores. Get her like… a Triceratops. They're herbivores, much gentler then those previous options and should be cooler to her than a Brontosaurus," Mod said, staring unimpressed at the giddy ring.

She couldn't believe she was even entertaining this...

"Who is Maro?" Robin couldn't help but ask.

"My student. She was also Grim when Reaper was still active," Rosan informed her.

"So she was Grim. You must have a lot of trust in her, considering I haven't seen her at all in any of your current memories…" Robin mused.

Grim wasn't nearly as well known as Reaper, considering hardly anyone saw them but there were whispers of someone following Reaper around who had inverted colors of their outfit.

To think that her best friend actually took on a student... it was rather unlike him.

"Rosan trusts her with his life because he found her at nothing. Maro was a homeless girl without even a name when he found her as Reaper."

"She stole a bag of apples from me. She was a dirty and skinny little thing, surviving off of pure spite and it caught my attention."

"When she had nothing, Rosan decided to give her something and though she struggled with it, eventually became a reliable source. She's practically his daughter."

"She's also my best friend and a massive pervert," Ram chimed. "That damn goblin is always staring at my ass. I don't know how Auntie Angel can put up with her."

"P-Please don't be so crude," Mod muttered in embarrassment.

"Bah, she stares at your ass too!" The ring said shamelessly.

"PLEASE STOP BEING SO CRUDE!" The Devil Fruit yelled in mortification.

D-Did Maro really stare at her butt?! B-But she wore a dress!

Robin took in the information with a surprised expression (and amusement at the conversation happening between Ram and Mod). The fact that Rosan had probably found her after losing his emotions spoke volumes on how valuable Maro was to him.

"Yeah, I even gave her a Mythical Zoan as a show of trust. Stole it from someone named Joker in the Grand Line… I don't suppose you know who that is?"

"...You stole a Mythical Zoan from Joker?" Robin asked in disbelief, eyes widening slightly. "I don't know his identity but he's the most prevalent underground broker in the Grand Line," she stressed.

Information gathering was her specialty and she had been in the Grand Line for 10 years now. Joker was a mysterious person but she knew that they were very famous and dangerous in the underground world.

"Yeah… he knows Reaper stole it too. Pretty sure he's holding a vendetta against me and waiting for the day we meet," Rosan commented idly, looking utterly unbothered by the prospect of being on such a dangerous person's radar.

Robin forgot how crazy they all were…

She missed it.

Rosan eventually nodded his head and vowed to find two Triceratops before leaving the island.

"Now that we've figured that out…" He turned towards Robin and took off his open purple cardigan before draping it over the surprised woman and leaving him in a sleeveless black shirt, that showcased his tattoo and muscular arms.

"You're dressed way too open for an island like this," Rosan muttered, buttoning it up and successfully covering Robin's exposed body. "You may catch a sickness like that."

While the all cowgirl outfit, that he washed, was great for the desert, it was far too risque for this potentially dangerous place.

"I get sick once and you never let it go," Robin grumbled, remembering the chaos of the day she somehow got sick.

It was endearing how much of an idiot the little genius had been and to avoid a repeat of that, she kept the comfortable cardigan on. Little Garden was still rather hot but the Cardigan's material was fantastic and didn't isolate the heat much at all.

"I didn't know you had a tattoo. It looks good," Robin commented. He had expressed interest in one as a child but based on his memories, that interest seemed to have long vanished. The intricate tattoo that was his name with a thorny rose running through it looked beautiful.

"Thank you... Angel did it for me when I was 16. It looks incredible for someone who learned how to make them in one week," Rosan nodded. "Now that we've solved one issue… where exactly is Luffy? I teleported us to his straw hat but he must have been in a rush and I missed him…"

He didn't see any footsteps that would belong to his little brother, so maybe he had gotten a hitchhike from one of the dinosaurs. That would explain the massive footprints on the floor unless Luffy managed to inflate himself to large degrees.

Actually...

"Come, I can feel him this way." Rosan pointed in a direction and the duo was off.

Monkey D. Luffy… Robin was interested in learning more about the rubber boy who earned Rosan's loyalty.

Then again, only someone more insane then Rosan, would be able to get the redhead to follow them. He was an agent of chaos after all.

---

"I should warn you, Baroque Works is also on this island," Robin warned. "Not only are Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine here, Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek should be as well."

"How useful are this 3 and Goldenweek?" Rosan muttered. "The previous agents thought it was smart to get in the way between me and Luffy's spat and now the booger bomb one is going to pay the price."

Robin blinked at that ominous message. "Mr. 3 isn't really all that strong but he's crafty and has the Doru Doru no mi. Anything that happens on this island, will be because of his planning. Miss Goldenweek is not a fighter but she has some form hypnotism that alters personality based on the color of her paint," she explained.

The redhead hummed at that. Wax, huh? While not as powerful as Mr 5's fruit, it could be more resourceful. He'd have to see but if the man disappointed him… he'd probably just let him die. His Devil Fruit wasn't as must have and Rosan didn't need some other person's brains besides Robin.

The redhead summoned a bug and had it fly off, before continuing on his way and the duo eventually made their way to the sound of constant, unnaturally loud, laughter that seemed to shake the ground they walked on.

Pushing through the massive amount of shrubbery, Robin and Rosan were greeted to the sight of a giant, Luffy, and Vivi chatting away.

Luffy immediately turned around and his grin widened, as he rocketed over towards the two.

"Rosan! Robin! You're back!" he cheered, crashing into the redhead who easily accepted the hug. "Woah! Your eyes are glowing a little!"

"Luffy," Rosan smiled softly. "Yeah… catching up with Robin did wonders for me."

"That's great! Thanks Robin," Luffy beamed, pulling the woman into the hug, much to her surprise. "She's traveling with us, right?! Hey, are you a musician?! Sing a song!" The rubber boy demanded.

It was like looking at little Rosan again and Robin had spent four years dealing with and getting used to the walking, overbearing, unrelenting headache.

"I'm right here," Rosan deadpanned.

"I said what I said," Robin retorted, smiling slightly at the beaming rubber boy.

"I'm in your care and no, I'm not a musician. I'm an archaeologist. Rosan is the one who can sing, not me. I'm much better at dancing."

"I'm a scout," Rosan said flatly, glancing at the other two people with Luffy.

The giant was regarding them with cheerful curiosity while Vivi immediately stiffened at the sight of the two. She immediately zeroed in on Robin, making the Devil Child glance over with a neutral expression.

"Friends of yours?" The giant boomed. His voice was so loud, they could feel their bones shaking as a side effect.

"Yeah! They're apart of my crew!" Luffy beamed, not having the slightest problem with Robin at all.

The, now introduced, Dorry waved them over cheerfully. "Welcome friends! My name is Dorry! Come, we're eating dinosaur meat!"

"Thank you for having us," Rosan nodded, taking a seat and accepting the meat. Glancing at Robin, he grabbed her portion and expertly cut it into smaller slices.

She smiled at the thoughtful gesture and grabbed the much more tolerable sized pieces. "Thank you Rosan."

"Of course, Robin."

Vivi began staring a hole into the duo and Rosan took it upon himself to return the favor.

Unfortunately for her, his eyes were far more unsettling then her own.

The bluenette began fidgeting at his intimidating gaze, idly grabbing her neck, and glanced away first.

"What happened between you two?" Robin asked curiously through their connection. She dearly missed being linked up and they had done so almost immediately after exiting the Pocket Dimension.

"She wanted us to capture and interrogate you. I immediately denied her request but she persisted and got too close to us so I choked her out."

Robin felt warm inside at how he was willing to protect her from his entire crew if he needed to. That explained why they had been in the castle. He doubted anyone would have tried anything but he didn't want her to be too uncomfortable.

"You're too adorable sometimes, Rosan," Robin said fondly.

"I'm not adorable, I'm handsome," he countered.

It was a miracle that Dorry and Luffy didn't sense the unbelievable tension, lost in their own conversations, as Rosan, Robin and Vivi stared at each other.

Rosan and Robin were content to remain completely silent, communicating through their link about when the visibly anxious Vivi would crack.

Watching the two smile to each other occasionally did nothing for her nerves. Why were they doing that? What reason did they have to just randomly smile to the other in unison?

The exploding volcano seemed to do the trick because Vivi jumped high into the air with a loud shriek before blushing hot at the amused stares from the two adults.

Dorry explained to the group that he had been fighting his fellow former captain, Brogy for over 100 years and that the volcano signified that it was time for the two to duel so that they could see which one was permitted to head back to their home island, Elbaf.

Luffy naturally wanted to see this and eagerly watched the battle with starry eyes.

With Dorry gone and Luffy distracted, Vivi saw that this was as good as chance as any to try and get some answers because these two weren't taking her serious at all.

Remembering what Nami said, the princess smoothed over her anger and took a more professional air.

"Miss All Sunday and Rosan-san…" Vivi coughed to get their attention. They had taken their eyes off the princess to observe the even battle between the two giants with some interest.

"Could you beat them?" Robin asked suddenly, gazing at the redhead curiously.

"Of course," Rosan replied disinterestedly. "It doesn't matter how hard they hit if they can't hit me and I can hit even harder. Besides, I've been fighting foes bigger than me for as long as I can remember. The size difference would be their undoing because I'd be in my element."

"Rosan and Miss All Sunday…" Vivi tried again, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Have you been keeping up with your training?" Rosan asked in return. "I have to admit, I haven't trained nearly as hard these past 10 years but I think it's about time I pick it up again."

"You and me both," Robin sighed. "I have gotten much more adept at battling with my clone, thanks to our teamwork back in the days and I'd be happy to show you while I get back into the swing of things. Being in the Grand Line for so long did wonders for me."

"MISS ALL SUNDAY AND ROSAN!" Vivi roared, fed up with them ignoring her.

"I no longer go by Miss All Sunday," Robin said, shooting her a coy smile. "Rosan stole me away from them so I'm just Robin now."

"W-What?! So you just… left because of him?" Vivi asked, not believing her ears. "And I'm supposed to accept that?!"

Robin raised a brow at her angry expression but she half expected to be treated with such hostility. "I don't care if you accept it or not," she replied coolly. "I was never loyal to Crocodile in the first place and always planned on betraying him. Doing it for Rosan was the best scenario I could ask for."

"I won't allow anyone to use you like a tool," Rosan muttered, eyes glowing menacingly. He idly pulled the woman closer to him and hugged her with one arm.

Robin smiled at him and easily returned it, pleased that someone looked at her like the human she was. Luffy was the same, staring at her like she were an old friend.

Vivi... not so much but Robin didn't really care. She had no feelings for the princess of Alabasta at the moment so to her, Vivi was just the same as every other person who looked at her like that.

"Y-You'd just betray them…? After everything you've done? You killed Igaram right in front of me!" Vivi snarled, not accepting that for even a second. Her attempt at being civil was swiftly thrown out of the window at the infuriating duo.

The Devil Child looked unfazed by her anger.

"I am only loyal to one person and he's right here," Robin said bluntly, leaning onto Rosan to stress her point. "Also, Igaram isn't dead. I made sure he'd survive that attack but I had to play up appearances you know? After all, I did lead you to Crocodile's identity. You're very welcome for that, by the way."

Vivi's eyes widened in epic proportions at that revelation and she actually took a step back at the woman's words. She felt her heart stop cold and failed to stop her mouth from opening.

Igaram… he was alive...? Miss All Sunday hadn't killed him? She was always planning on betraying Baroque Works? Was that why she let Vivi follow her in the first place? But why? It's not like she knew this Rosan was alive. There's no way she could have known...

"Honestly, now that I have Rosan back, I don't care what anyone thinks of me. As long as he approves, I won't be bothered so if you want to hate me, that's fine with me," Robin declared simply.

When only one person in the entire world acknowledged you as a person, then eventually that one person's acknowledgment would be all you needed. That was the case between Robin and Rosan.

Rosan was the only one who saw her as human, so Rosan was the only one who she'd be human around.

If Vivi hated her so be it. Millions of people hated her already.

"I'll always approve," Rosan smiled softly, idly watching the battle between the giants end in a draw. They were far too evenly matched it seemed. It was no wonder they were fighting for 100 years with no results.

"That's all I need," Robin smiled back.

Vivi watched the two interact with pure confusion on her face, anger evaporating in favor of befuddlement.

She just… she didn't understand either of them! Miss All Sunday had gone from a chilly and mysterious agent, to… to this! Her entire personality did a complete 180! The woman didn't care about anything, didn't regard anyone with emotion and followed any instructions given to her without a hint of hesitation.

Now, the woman was content to stay close to Rosan, never pushing him away when he initiated contact (the last person to touch her wasn't functioning at a level where he could talk about it!) and she was smiling genuine smiles! Her glacial gaze turned warm when around him and it was just so hard to wrap her head around!

As if to further throw her off, Miss All- Robin was saying that Igaram was alive and that she always planned on betraying Baroque Works?!

All of this because of one person?

She thought Rosan was just a demonic robot. He was clinical, ruthless and showed no emotion despite how brutal his actions were. His actions at Whiskey Peak were still fresh on her mind and she had more then one nightmare of watching the redhead slaughter those people without a hint of remorse.

Spending time around the Straw Hats, showed her just how different they all were compared to the redhead. Even Zoro, who seemed like the most hardened one after him, was much less… terrifying then the monster who seemed as bad as Crocodile.

Yet here he was being anything but. Despite killing those agents without blinking once, he could still smile and look like a normal human being and that was just too polarizing to her because wasn't acting human before.

It just wasn't fair that a monster like him, could act so human. He had things he cared for... things he'd kill for and one of them happened to be one of the people that played a strong hand in ruining her life.

It just wasn't fair...

"I think we broke her," Rosan hummed.

"She's hopelessly naive and young so I wouldn't expect her to understand either of us," Robin replied, idly adjusting the cardigan. "This is so comfortable, where did you buy it from?"

"Most of my cardigans are from Fregate but this one's from Celadon. I'm assuming most of your wardrobe is still on Alabasta, right? We can go there to buy you some new clothes after this journey."

Ah, only a few days of reuniting and Rosan was already back to spoiling her.

Robin missed this. She deserved to be spoiled a bit.

"Wait, what's Celadon?" She asked.

"An island that Maro is the queen of. The twins are there too... Did I ever mention that Maro and Angel are married?"

"You have been incredibly productive over the years, haven't you?"

Rosan snorted quietly and Robin shook her head in amusement.

The redhead had connections in big places it seemed. The North Blue was practically being controlled by him at this point, having two powerhouse islands as allies, especially ones who apparently were allied with the World Government, gave him a plethora of benefits...

Honestly, only he could do something like this.

---

"Nami and Usopp are with the other giant?" Rosan repeated. "Huh, good for them. I figured they'd be too cowardly to leave the ship."

He paused for a second, tilting his head to the side as he really thought about it. "Who am I kidding, they are definitely too cowardly. They probably were found first."

Luffy laughed cheerfully at that.

Rosan stood up and stretched a bit, before saying, "I'm gonna go find some dinosaurs. Since I know where most of you are, I'll explore this island a bit."

"Why are you off to find a dinosaur?" Vivi couldn't help but ask, watching Robin get up at the same time as him.

"A present to my student. She's always wanted a dinosaur. Thinks they're cute. Upset they're extinct," Rosan drawled, marching off after a short nod to Robin.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Dorry-san," the Devil Child smiled politely, following Rosan deeper into the forest.

"Gegyagyagyagya! It was my pleasure!" Dorry boomed heartily, holding a cup of ale that he had gotten from Brogy, who had gotten it from the crew.

Vivi didn't trust the idea of letting them go off alone but they had already crossed quite the distance and Luffy was content to hang around Dorry. If she went alone, she wasn't sure what would happen to her… whether by inhabitants of the jungle or those two.

Best if she just stay here then...

"I trust you aren't only looking for the Triceratops?" Robin asked once they were alone.

"It's my number 1 priority but you're right. Baroque Works has begun moving and their target is Dorry," Rosan replied, pushing through shrubbery and allowing Robin to walk through it.

She smiled thankfully at the small gesture before humming, "So not only are they after the ones on their hit list, they want the giant's bounties too. Mr. 3 is always trying to move up the rankings so this doesn't surprise me."

Almost on cue, the two heard a small explosion from the area they had just left.

"That must have been Mr. 5's doing," Rosan mused, not glancing back and continuing forward. "Does anyone know how you look besides Crocodile?"

"Yes, it's how the princess knew to follow me. As his secret proxy, I give out all the orders to the agents."

"You need a disguise then. I went off alone because I suspect they want to isolate and capture us. Luffy and I have already shown our strength and they know they cannot defeat us," Rosan warned, turning towards her and humming in contemplation.

He gazed almost blankly at the red strand and Robin let out a quiet sigh.

"You don't need to feel guilty, Rosan. I quite like how the red compliments my hair so I was planning on keeping it," she said softly.

"...Right. You do look good with it," he nodded, almost looking like he were trying to convince himself that it was normal that a strand of her hair was red.

Well, small steps. At least he thought it looked good.

Grabbing a black strand of her hair, he uttered, "Modify: Appearance," and began the process of turning her head of hair purple, leaving the red strand there. After finishing, he took out a pair of shades and handed it over to her.

Robin was impressed with his thinking and accepted the accessories. "Let's communicate like this from now on then."

"I was thinking the same thing."

The duo walked in silence while communicating through their link and they noticed the volcano erupt again, signaling another duel between the giants.

Unfortunately, this one probably wasn't going to end in a draw.

"You won't interfere?" Robin asked curiously.

"No. I have my own way of doing things that goes against what my crew want to do. Their priority will be defending the giants pride."

"And you?"

"To find a pair of Triceratops of course. Whatever I happen to find along the way, is just a bonus."

"You never cease to display how terrifying you can be," Mod mused, amusement clear on her features.

Robin had to agree with her because they actually managed to find two baby Triceratops first in their mission to sabotage Baroque Works.

The dark green creatures stared at them warily while chewing on the vegetation around, not moving at the threats but being cautious all the same.

They immediately stopped chewing and froze at the slight pressure washing over them.

Rosan took a confident step forward and began patting one of the ancient baby creatures between its three horns, applying his pressure the whole time, until it submitted to his will and began growling in satisfaction.

In a matter of moments, it was putty in his hand and Robin swore she heard it purring of all things.

"Modify: Size," Rosan hummed, eyes pulsing as he modified the herbivore and made it smaller. It rumbled in confusion at the change in size and Rosan picked up the puppy sized dinosaur.

Since it was a baby, it would grow bigger but he would rather not give Maro to gigantic triceratops because the idiot would still try and keep them in her castle. So to prevent that, he made sure their full size wouldn't be the actual size of a triceratops.

"What do you think? Will she like it?" Rosan asked curiously, patting the little baby soothingly to get it to calm down.

"It's… really adorable," Mod admitted reluctantly, resisting the urge to coo at the tiny thing and failing miserably.

"I agree," Robin said, holding out her hands and smiling as Rosan placed the miniature dino in it. Remembering exactly how he had pet it, the Devil Child repeated the same process and it relaxed in her grasp as well.

Rosan turned to the other one and repeated the same process until he was finished. After some quick inspection he figured out that the one Robin held was male and his was female.

Perfect. He wouldn't have to find another and Maro could raise a little army of Triceratops if she so pleased. He was not going to get her any other species so this would do.

"Goblin will love it," Ram laughed. It was no T-Rex but it was probably the second best option on the island.

"Good, maybe it'll make her happy enough to accept the upcoming agents going her way," Rosan said, getting a sweatdrop out of all of them. "Alright, we can focus on said agents now. My bug has found a wax base and is currently camped there so for now, we'll go deal with Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine."

"You know where they are?" She asked, grabbing onto him with one hand. She made sure to safely tuck the little dinosaur into her frame and secured it.

"With Luffy and Vivi," he muttered. "Modification: Save Point."

The two promptly vanished from view.

---

Rosan and Robin showed up just in time to see Usopp get crushed under Miss Valentine after attempting a valiant effort in a 2 on 1.

"Ow," Rosan said blandly, looking at the struggling Vivi. She was currently being held up by her neck, courtesy of Mr. 5 and Karoo was struggling next to her.

"Rosan!" Luffy beamed, crushed under the house of Dory. "Great, get me out of here!"

Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine went pale at the sight of the redhead, instinctively backing up, only to freeze at the piercing gaze of the one who had effortlessly dealt with them. He glanced at them for just a moment, making it clear that they wouldn't be escaping, before taking his eyes off of them.

The male agent's head was still throbbing from the excruciating pain of getting his skull crushed and having it slammed into the pavement over and over again.

"Luffy, look. I got a present for Maro," Rosan said, prompting Robin to show him the tiny little dinosaur. He showed the one that he was currently holding and the little thing blinked sleepily at being presented but accepted it without fuss.

The rubber boy's eyes turned into stars. "AWESOME! I WANT A PET DINOSAUR TOO! GIMME ONE!" Luffy screamed excitedly.

"No. You'd have to take a lot of time to tend to it... Including feeding it," Rosan denied, using words that would absolutely dissuade Luffy.

"Feed it?! No way," the rubber boy immediately lost interest.

He was not sharing his meat with the dinosaur.

Rosan had no plans of telling him it was a herbivore. Luffy probably wouldn't share anything regardless... he'd end up taking care of the dinosaur and he had no intentions of doing that.

"A little help," Vivi groaned, watching the exchange with disbelief because of the fact that she was still being choked.

The agents were in the same boat as her. Part of them were relieved that he had not deigned to regard them yet, another part was outraged at being treated so lightly and a tiny part was wondering how they managed to get a dinosaur that small, along with trying to figure out the identity of the mysterious woman holding it.

Rosan made his way over to Luffy and regarded the mountain curiously. Eventually, he nodded to himself.

Rearing his foot back, the onlookers jaws dropped in horror, as he planted a sneaker and shattered the entire area blocking Luffy.

The rubber boy stretched and grinned thankfully towards Rosan, before glaring at the visibly terrified agents.

"Luffy, there's two others on this island and they have Nami and Zoro," Rosan said suddenly, handing the female dino off to the helpful clone of Robin. "Take Usopp and Vivi and go find them? I'll deal with these two," he suggested.

Luffy reeled back in shock "They have Zoro and Nami?!" Without hesitation, he picked up the unconscious Usopp, while effortlessly yanking Vivi out of Mr. 5's grip (the man spluttered at that) and he took off in the direction Rosan pointed at, Karoo hot on his heels.

"I'll leave them to you, Rosan!" Luffy hollered, vanishing in the shrubbery and leaving behind just the four.

It was only when Luffy disappeared, did Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine realize that the rubber boy's mere presence, was holding back a true demon.

The air turned cold around them and they did a sharp intake, gazing at the neutral redhead with trepidation.

"I'm impressed by your ignorance," Rosan began idly. "Despite losing so easily, you still showed up to harass my crew…"

"Good, this makes things much easier."

Mr. 5 didn't have any time to react as a fist planted itself in his gut and he bent over a complete 90 degrees at the pain.

Rosan was merciless. The redhead forcefully straightened the keeled over man by driving his knee upwards, connecting directly with the man's nose and causing a spurt of blood to spill.

The agent teetered back but Rosan lashed out quickly with his left hand. Soon, the man's face was once again being crushed by the redhead's grip.

"M-Mr. 5!" Miss Valentine screamed in horror. She couldn't be left alone with this monster again. S-She needed to save him!

Trying to assist him proved impossible though, due to the multitude of arms forcing her onto the floor, courtesy of the shade wearing woman that was following the redhead.

There were now two of her and one was holding onto the sleeping dinosaurs, while the other was presumably the one holding her down.

"Don't interfere just yet. Don't you want to wait for your turn?" the woman smiled coyly, looking infuriatingly familiar but Miss Valentine couldn't find out from where.

She didn't know anyone with purple hair but there was something familiar about this person's voice. Not to mention this Devil Fruit ability...

The kilo woman wasn't able to dwell on it for long, due to the terrifying redhead hoisting up her partner like he was yesterday's trash.

"What do you plan on doing?" Robin asked curiously.

"Making him my subordinate," Rosan replied ominously.

"Mr. 5, I have to say… You've been nothing but a disappointment since meeting you. You and your partner actually but your Devil Fruit is much more impressive then hers and the way you use it… attempting to throw a booger on me of all things?"

The redhead tutted. "I was going to propose that you join my side but after what I've seen. I think I can use your Devil Fruit better then you can. Even if you joined me, someone with your talents would only be a liability, so I'm going to mold you into the perfect weapon for my dear student."

Robin raised a brow curiously at that simple declaration. Mold into the perfect weapon? It sounded like Rosan had a technique for this and that was a terrifyingly immoral prospect.

Mr. 5 tried to struggle in his grip but Rosan was unyielding and the redhead slammed him into the floor, stunning him and making the man go still.

"Modification:…" Rosan thought to himself and Robin.

Miss Valentine struggled helplessly and could only watch in terror, as the redhead's hand began glowing ominously.

"...Overhaul."

The agent was helpless to resist and Rosan began the process of altering the bomb man's mind.

"Overhaul?" Robin asked Mod-chan, noticing that Rosan was focused on the task.

"Do you remember Hijack, The technique Rosan used on Izumi?" Mod asked and Robin shuddered at the memory.

How could she forget that technique? Everything in Rosan's memories were still fresh on her mind and that one was one of the big ones that stuck out.

To no longer have any control over your body… doing whatever it was someone else wanted.

It was horrifying. Robin was glad she knew Rosan because she had no doubt that he'd have found a way to force her on his side.

He did like capable people after all.

"Believe it or not… Hijack is the more ethical of the two techniques. Overhaul is the counterpart to Hijack but instead of taking over a person's body…"

"...It takes over a person's mind," Robin finished, actually taking a step back in surprise at the revelation.

That was… This was Rosan's way to prevent people from betraying him... it was...

Terrifying.

Rosan removed his grip from the bomb man's head and stood up, dusting himself off in the process.

Mr. 5 slowly pulled himself up and inspected his own beaten body for a moment, before focusing on Rosan.

"You sure did number on me… Boss," the bomb man grunted eventually.

"I needed to check your tolerance. I can't just have anyone be my student's bodyguard," Rosan replied coolly, face not betraying anything.

Miss Valentine's eyes widened in confusion and she began to struggle even more. Increasing her weight did nothing considering she was already being forced to the ground and the unknown woman's grip was unforgiving.

"Of course! I won't let her highness down," the former agent saluted.

"M-Mr. 5 what is the meaning of this?!" Miss Valentine screeched, terror dominating her body at watching the male agent answer to this demon. "What's going on?! Don't you remember the mission?"

The agent glanced over at her for half a second. "Mission? I only answer to whoever Rosan-sama or Maro-sama decides I listen to," he answered coolly. "And I no longer go by Mr. 5, my name is Gem," the former agent added, adjusting his shades.

Perfect. Rosan had been refining Overhaul over the years. He no longer required the person to be unconscious but someone with a strong will could still resist it.

Clearly Gem didn't have a strong will.

"Right. Gem, standby in my base until further notice. I'll be bringing you over to your new station soon and have you checked out."

Gem saluted and didn't resist as Rosan grabbed him. With a glow of his eyes, the man vanished into his Pocket Dimension, leaving just three.

Watching Rosan so effortlessly recruit Gem, gave Miss Valentine a startling realization.

"You… You're Miss All Sunday," the woman whispered in horror. That explained why everything was so familiar about this woman.

But why?! What was she doing here? Why did she betray Baroque Works?!

Robin, who had been deep in thought, gazed at the woman with a tilted head. "That's right. I'm impressed you noticed through the disguise. Like Gem-san, I decided to change allegiances for personal reasons."

Miss Valentine had no idea who this redhead was to so effortlessly recruit not only her partner, but the partner of Mr. 0 too. He was so much more dangerous then led to believe.

"I don't know w-what you did to Mr. 5 and Miss All Sunday... but it won't work on me." Miss Valentine tried to appear brave, despite how bad the situation was for her.

She had no help right now. Mr. 5 was already on his side, same as Miss All Sunday… Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek were probably in the midst of their performance…

The woman was at the complete mercy of these two. What were they planning on doing to her? She didn't care if he tried to recruit her, she wouldn't fall for i—

"Recruit you?" Rosan interrupted her musing with a hauntingly cold statement.

Miss Valentine froze at that questioning tone, dread and horror filling her at the implications of that simple and short sentence.

Rosan walked towards her and knelt down, nodding to Robin in the process.

The multitude of arms released the woman, allowing her some freedom to move but she was unable to do so because of Rosan gently gripping her chin a warning clear in his hold.

"I think you're dearly mistaken, Panty Flasher-san," the redhead said softly, staring directly into her horrified green eyes. "I recruited Gem because his Devil Fruit is strong but he has no clue how to use it. You think I'm going to attempt to recruit you?"

His voice was set in a low whisper as he spoke to her and she began shuddering at what he was implying, cool feeling in her body turning downright freezing.

"Tell me… why exactly should I even bother trying to recruit you? What are you good for besides giving the world a view of what you wear? I'm better off killing you so that you don't tell Mr. 0 about Miss All Sunday's whereabouts, don't you think?"

"You are a one trick pony. You're use of your Devil Fruit, is even more atrocious then Mr. 5's and it's not nearly as interesting to me. There's much more uses yet you do one thing. Do you think I'm going to go through the trouble of fighting with you to find them? Do you think I want to?"

Rosan's voice never shifted, constantly conveying no emotion as he ridiculed and shattered Miss Valentine's worth. Tears were pricking her eyes at his cruel assessment, a combination of the terror and his harsh words overwhelming her.

"You are useless. That is why I have no interest in dead weight like you. Even that Mr. 5, who used boogers of all things, was much more powerful then you. So tell me and I want an honest answer… why should I ever let you leave this island alive? What purpose should you serve, besides dying by my hand? Please tell me." The redhead asked, satisfied with his job.

"…Ahhh!" Miss Valentine was outright sobbing now, confidence destroyed by him and he released his grip on her chin. She didn't even try to run, curling into herself and shuddering in terror at the demon in front of her.

"P-Please don't kill me! I-I can be useful… please just give me a chance to prove it!" Mikita begged, pleading for her life. "I'll… I'll swear my loyalty to you, I won't ever even think about betraying you. I'll do anything you want so please…please let me live!"

"Was it really necessary to destroy her self worth?" Robin asked softly, watching the entire exchange with an unreadable expression.

It was much more jarring to see how heartless he could be in person, then in his memories. She was used to Rosan's speeches being uplifting but right now, they were anything but.

"You don't approve?" Rosan hummed curiously. "I find that it's much easier to manipulate a person when they're like this."

"Yes that's true but… not everyone is as ruthless as you, Rosan. You should have learned this from Maro," Mod said softly.

"You're moral compass was always off and I'm very used to it but it's just… combined with you rewiring someone into a puppet, I'm a little jarred," Robin admitted.

It must have been because she had been giving these agents orders for years but Robin was actually beginning to feel bad for the mess of a woman who thought she was really about to die.

Rosan glanced back at her in contemplation.

Perhaps he was the real Devil if the Devil Child and a Devil Fruit couldn't handle his actions.

"You'll do anything?" The redhead asked quietly.

A tremor shot through her body at that question but she fearfully nodded.

He tilted his head.

"Get up. I have no interest in your body," Rosan demanded, glancing calmly at the broken agent.

Everything had gone as he had expected, though he expected her to be a bit more resilient... He also didn't expect Robin or Mod to disprove but oh well. Perhaps this method would have to be employed against enemies they truly disliked.

Miss Valentine fearfully looked up at him and hastily complied with his order, stumbling due to how quickly she got up. She was visibly shaking as she gazed at the apathetic redhead and the woman ducked her head to avoid eye contact.

"Tell me your name. Your real name," the redhead requested softly, gripping her chin and making her gaze into his eyes.

Let there be no doubts about who she was answering to.

"M-Mikita," Miss Valentine replied shakily. Her heart felt constricted right now, looking into those dimly glowing eyes of his and she dearly hoped he accepted any answer she gave.

Rosan hummed. "You just declared your loyalty to me. I hope you understand what happens if you let me down. I'm going to send you to my partner after we're done here and when I do, you will do anything she asks of you. Luckily for you, she's much more gentle then I am so don't anger her on purpose," he informed her.

Mikita was filled with a well of relief at hearing that. Not only would she be kept alive, she wasn't going to be in the redhead's presence.

She didn't think she could handle being near him for long so it was a mercy that he seemed to be able to detect that.

"We're done here. Go back to that wax house you have set up as your base. I will retrieve you after I'm finished with business," Rosan ordered, turning away from the woman and making his way back over to Robin.

He... he even knew about the wax house?

"Don't do anything that might hint at betraying me. I will know and death will be the only thing on your mind when I'm finished with you."

She bit her lip and shuddered, tears forming in her eyes again at his heartless words, before nodding at his order. The woman turned on her heel and dashed off without hesitation, eager to get out of his sight.

"You are dangerously effective," Robin said calmly, glancing at the redhead up and down.

"There's a reason I was so cruel. Maro is the complete opposite of me and once Mikita realizes that's who she'll be working under, then her loyalty towards the queen will become unshakable," Rosan uttered.

"How manipulative of you," Mod hummed idly.

"I just love that you're leaving all these people to Maro!" Ram cackled. She was the only one truly unbothered by Rosan's methods. It was his right to use any method he deemed necessary against his enemies. She was one of his many methods and she was also the most dangerous. In her eyes, everything else was child's play.

"She only has the clone army and most recently, Kaori. I want her to have more backup in case things go awry and agents from the Grand Line should be incredibly helpful."

With his work on Mr. 5, the man should be significantly stronger then he used to be. He had Rosan's mind powering up his thoughts on more ways to implement his Devil Fruit after all. Like this, he'd become a valuable asset for Maro—

"Rosan… that Overhaul technique… could you promise me not to use it again, unless you see no other option?" Robin asked suddenly, making everyone go silent.

Mod and Ram nervously eyed the conversation.

Rosan blinked before turning to regard Robin.

"Why?" He asked curiously. To just not use a technique he had been refining over the years seemed incredibly stupid and inefficient of him.

"I just… I don't want to see you forcefully molding someone into your perfect weapon… it reminds me of what Doc tried to do to you," Robin admitted quietly. The only difference was that, whereas Doc failed, Rosan didn't.

Rosan froze at that and pursed his lip in displeasure. "It seems even years later, I can't fully wash off the mark he left on me," the redhead muttered. "I wonder… Did I do to Maro, what Doc did to me?"

He practically forced her against her will, to become the perfect weapon… even going so far to force her to kill someone. In fact, he had only chosen the queen as his student because he could sense her potential —

"OF COURSE NOT!" Mod snarled loudly at Rosan, a look of pure anger on her features.

Ram's jaw dropped, at hearing her Auntie actually scream. The look of genuine anger made her jaw drop ever further.

"Mod-chan?" Rosan and Robin said at the same time, stunned by the volume. They had never expected to hear her scream so loudly for something so serious.

"Don't you ever, and I mean ever, even think about comparing yourself to that monster of a man who would mercilessly torture a little boy for months straight," Mod growled.

"You saw something in Maro and took her away from a life of inevitable death to one of unconditional love. You fed her, clothed her, nurtured her, named her. Maro is your daughter in all but blood."

Robin's eyes went soft at that. She really wanted to meet this Maro now.

"Doc took you away from a life of love and threw you into one of hell. The situations aren't even close and the intentions may have been but you always gave Maro a choice. You never had that choice. I can't… I won't allow you to think you and that man are similar at all!" Mod finished, panting after her rant.

Rosan remained silent, a look of slight surprise on his features that would normally not have been there even a few days ago. After a moment, he snorted quietly and said, "You're right, Mod-chan. You always seem to be right when it comes to stuff like this."

She flushed red at that and began grumbling, pleased that he had so quickly seen the truth in her statements.

"Of course she's always right," Robin smiled teasingly. "Mother knows best after all."

"C-Could you two stop please?" Mod whined. Here she was, motivating Rosan and now she was being made fun of.

That wasn't fair! Why did they have to treat her like this!

"Sorry, Mom," they replied in unison, smiling at each other all the while.

"Ugh, I hate you two so much sometimes. I miss the days when we used to bully Rosan, when did I suddenly become the target?"

"Everyone has an equal chance, even Robin," Rosan replied.

"Let's leave me out of this, I much prefer being on the opposite side," Robin smiled placidly.

"No/Nope/No can, Mother!" They chorused at the same time, causing her to sweatdrop.

She was never going to get used to that.

---

Nami vowed to make sure Rosan was here whenever they docked. From now on, he was going to be her personal bodyguard because this was absolutely nonsense.

The redhead wouldn't let this series of events happen because he wasn't silly and he seemed to know everything and he would have scouted this out because his claims of being a scout were not bullshit... If this is what happened after one island they landed on didn't have him scouting it, she would never doubt his claims again.

First, she realizes a little to late that they actually landed on an island called Little Giant, then the crew decides to leave her and Usopp alone on the ship, like Usopp was going to be able to protect them, then a dinosaur waltzed out to try and make them food, only to be eliminated by a giant of all things and finally that damn Usopp had left her behind to get captured by some wax machine.

This was stupid.

Now, it was raining wax on her and Zoro and the idiot swordsman was doing every stupid thing in the book, including but not limited too, posing to look good, making light of the situation and trying to saw off his legs.

Mod-chan wouldn't have let this happen to her. She'd save her immediately while dealing with these morons but her and Rosan were busy catching up with someone important from their past.

She was happy for them, really. It's just she didn't really fancy losing her life in the process of them being happy.

At least Luffy was here…

That normally would have made her happy but the rubber boy was currently being subdued by Miss Goldenweek's hypnotism paint. Now, their captain had lost the will to fight and was picnicking with the childlike agent.

"DIE IN MISERY TO MY BEAUTIFUL ART!" Mr. 3 raved, holding Usopp and Vivi's body up with wax. They had tried to get Luffy free from the colors trap, but the wax agent had quickly dispatched of them and prepared to add them to the candle figure too.

He had no idea where Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were, but to allow these three to escape… they were definitely dead. If not to him, then to Mr. 0 for failing their mission twice.

"Where are Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine?" Miss Goldenweek asked the docile Luffy.

"Rosan's dealing with them," the rubber boy replied calmly, sipping tea.

"Dealing with them?" She replied slowly, eyes furrowed. The moment the straw hat had shown up, she had thrown her paint on him to prevent him from interfering, due to how dangerous the agents stressed he and the redhead were.

What happened to them if they were left with the redhead?

The answer to her question revealed itself, at the sight of a gigantic, unnaturally red fireball crashing right into the wax figure and completely melting the part that was dropping the pieces onto them.

"Trying to turn my crew into wax figures?" Rosan said idly, walking through the shrubbery with a smoking mouth. "When you wish to kill someone, I only accept torturous deaths if they've wronged you. Killing everyone slowly otherwise, is tasteless. Death is not something you should toy with."

"Rosan!" Nami sobbed comically, tears of happiness falling from her face at being saved finally. While there was no longer wax falling on them, they were still stuck, probably due to Rosan not wanting to hit them with the dangerous flames.

Miss Goldenweek was already on the move, throwing one of her color traps right onto the redhead who didn't dodge it. He looked down and tilted his head at the green paint on his sleeveless shirt.

"Calming Green," the agent said. This one made the person wish to have a picnic with her, much like Straw Hat was doing right now.

"No," Nami gasped in horror. Was Rosan no longer going to help them either?!

Rosan slowly walked over to the placid Goldenweek and stood right before her. She offered him a cup of tea, which he accepted and the redhead downed it in one gulp.

"That's good. This is green tea?" Rosan asked conversationally, reaching his cup out for another refill.

"Yes, my favorite," Miss Goldenweek replied, taking another sip.

"I prefer lemon tea with honey and a lot of sugar. White tea is also very nice," Rosan hummed. Green tea was pretty good… not enough sugar (he had a dangerous sweet tooth) but it was adequate.

Without any warning, Rosan darted forward and grabbed the girl by her neck, catching everyone there by surprise. With no effort, he hoisted the shocked agent to the sky and began to squeeze.

"M-Miss Goldenweek?!" Mr. 3 gaped. Her colors trap didn't work on someone?! But how?!

Miss Goldenweek gasped in surprise and immediately reached for the large arm choking her out. She let out a gagging noise of fear and desperately asked him to put her down with her gaze alone.

"Hypnotic abilities based on paint... You use them to alter an individual's personality... Impressive," Rosan correctly deduced, rubbing the green paint on his shirt.

"Unfortunately for you, not only is my mind incredibly fortified, I have no personality for you to manipulate so all you've done, is ruin my shirt," he finished.

"I don't like when people mess up my outfit," he said ominously.

Everyone shuddered at those words.

"Will you offer them a chance to join Maro as well?" Robin watched Rosan deal with this from out of the agents sight. She idly pat the still sleeping triceratops on its head and smiled at the adorable creature.

"I will offer Ms. Goldenweek, I will not offer Mr. 3."

She raised a brow at that. "Why not Mr. 3?"

"I won't overhaul him and his base personality is not to my liking. He won't be useful to Maro."

Robin blinked at that, before a small smile made it's way on her face and she rolled her eyes.

This was why she loved Rosan. He treated her with so much respect. They truly were equals in his eyes and the Devil Child was one of the few people who he would actually listen to.

"Sleep for a bit," Rosan told her kindly. "Modify Target: Rest Mode," he thought to himself.

Miss Goldenweek tried hard to resist but Rosan's grip around her neck was unyielding and tears began to unwillingly form in her eyes. She gasped but no sound came out and Rosan simply tilted his head at her.

In combination with the lack of oxygen, the technique was devastating to the little agent and she passed out with purple and red burned in her image.

He slung the child over his shoulder and glanced at Luffy. His little brother was still drinking tea with a serene expression on his face.

That expression turned into distress, as a fireball collided with him and burned his shirt.

"AHHHHHHHHH HOT, HOT, HOT!" Luffy howled, desperately rolling around to put out the flames. "ROSAN, WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR?!"

"Payback for punching me in the cheek at Whiskey Peak," Rosan hummed, getting a sweatdrop out of everyone there.

"He has got to be one of the most vindictive people on the planet," Nami muttered in awe. She could only hope to reach that level of petty one day.

"A-Aren't they brothers?!" Vivi gaped in disbelief, watching as Luffy rolled around in a desperate attempt to put out the flames.

Mr. 3 wasn't even sure what was going on right now. Miss Valentine and Mr. 5 were missing, Miss Goldenweek was currently resting on the redhead's shoulder like a sack of potatoes… and the redhead had just struck his captain with a fireball.

Surely they weren't about to be defeated by this crew right?

No… they had been defeated, not him.

Nodding to himself, Mr. 3 turned tail and ran off.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Luffy roared, patting himself off as he jogged after the cowardly agent. Everyone watched the smoky boy run after the agent with a sweatdrop.

"You guys need some more fire too?" Rosan prodded calmly, watching Robin walk up to him with a calm smile. He offered to take the triceratops out of her hand but surprisingly, she shook her head no.

"Always pretending to be so cool and collected when you actually gush over cute things," he taunted, crouching down to melt the wax that was securing the giant and his crew.

"You didn't seem to mind when you were the one I was gushing over, jealous little boy," Robin retorted, glaring slightly at him for calling her out.

"Some things never change and one of them is how possessive Rosan is," Mod laughed.

Robin and Ram joined her and all three began laughing at him.

"Hmph," Rosan scoffed, freeing Zoro, Nami and Brogy from their prison. "If you have a problem with my possessive streak, you're free to exit my body otherwise, it won't stop."

"That's not fair," Mod pouted, grumbling at his demand.

"I like you're possessive streak! Everything should belong to you!" Ram grinned eagerly.

Robin and Mod sweatdropped at that.

Ram was severely problematic and it was a good thing she wasn't the only voice in Rosan's head.

Nami tearfully hugged the redhead in relief. "Thank you for saving me big bro! From now on, you're my bodyguard!" She sobbed.

Rosan ignored her, used to her antics by now and glanced in the direction his brother had ran off to.

He no longer cared about the fate of the wax man. There was no point in recruiting him. He already took liberties to destroy his ship so the man was trapped here... it was only a matter of time before he died.

The same couldn't be said about the girl on his shoulder. Her ability was interesting and while it wasn't able to evoke his emotions like Jango, it could still be a boon in battle and had an even faster application then the hippie.

He also needed to retrieve Miss Valentine…

"I'll be back," Rosan told them, walking off in the direction of the wax house. "I have some things to finish off so you guys wait for Luffy. Feel free to set sail without us too, I have to visit someone."

"You two leave a lot," Vivi pointed out warily. None of this would have happened if he had just been here the whole time. The redhead seemed like he could easily deal with these issues.

"I thought you didn't like me. Why are you trying to learn about me?" Rosan shot back, not waiting for a reply and vanishing into the jungle.

"Worried about us? I was under the assumption you hated me even more, princess," Robin smiled teasingly, disappearing after the redhead.

Vivi growled and resisted the urge to yank out her hair. "I hate them both. Every time I talk to them, I get a headache and I can't deal with that on the daily."

"Welcome to the club," Nami nodded sagely. It seemed like from what little she had seen of Robin, the woman could be infuriating if she wanted to.

Despite looking physically the same, albeit with different colored hair (Modification maybe?), the woman's change in demeanor made her look like a completely different person.

Even Rosan looked a little happier.

She was happy for them! She wanted to speak more to the person that Rosan seemed to hold in such high regards.

"Can someone patch up my legs?" Zoro asked suddenly, glancing down at the mess of his legs. He had cut about halfway through before Luffy showed up so they were bleeding quite a bit.

Nami punched him on the skull and snarled out an, "Idiot. You were totally useless up there!"

Usopp was just glad he didn't have to interfere with the fight. Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine sure hit hard.

---

Sanji had to wonder… Should he really be drinking tea right about now?

No… he probably shouldn't.

The chef placed the tea down and began glancing around at the weird place.

"Who makes a house around here…?" He asked himself curiously. Sanji had ran into it while searching for Nami and Vivi and decided to check it out.

The tea was nice but it was also warm, meaning someone had been here recently. Not only that, there was a Den-Den Mushi here...

No sooner was he caught in his musings, did the Den-Den Mushi begin ringing.

He raised a brow and answered it, saying, "Hello, this is the Crap Cafe. Would you like to make a reservation?"

The voice that answered was visibly agitated, barely holding it behind a calm tone. "Cut the shit, you idiot. Where is your report? You're late."

Sanji raised a brow at that. Report? "Er… who is this?" He asked.

"It's me. Mr. 0," they replied, remembering that this suspicion was warranted.

Mr. 0? Wasn't that the leader of that Baroque Works group? So that meant that Baroque Works were on this island even now...

"You've been gone a long time. Have you accomplished your mission, Mr. 3?" Crocodile prodded.

Why did this guy sound so annoyed already? Was it because of his joke? Sheesh, what a stiff. But still, this made everything a little more clear to him.

"Why are you hesitating? Answer my question. Did you eliminate Princess Vivi and the Straw Hats?" The voice on the other line was getting more and more impatient and Sanji had to hazard a guess that his joke wasn't the only reason he was so uptight.

"Yeah, they're all dead so there's no need to send anymore agents after them," Sanji answered.

Crocodile grunted. At least one thing was going well.

"Good. The Unluckies should be on their way with an Eternal Pose to Alabasta, after dealing with some business I have for them…"

An Eternal Pose to Alabasta? That sounded perfect! Now they could sail straight there while no longer attracting any agents.

"Once you get it, sail to Alabasta with Miss Goldenweek and standby for orders… We would have begun our plan but a key piece is missing… Tell me, have you seen anything regarding Miss All Sunday?" Mr. 0 suddenly asked.

Miss All Sunday…?

Oh right, that mysterious beauty who Rosan hogged to himself was the partner to this guy. That explained why he was so clearly aggravated. She had been missing for a while due to their scout and probably had no intentions of rejoining the organization.

He wondered just how important she was for him to be this visibly annoyed.

"...Miss All Sunday? Nope, no clue where she is," Sanji replied eventually. He'd let Rosan deal with that since the woman was seemingly under his protection. He'd just play dumb for now to avoid interfering with Reaper.

The redhead was smart, he probably already thought of something to say.

There was silence on the other line before Crocodile said, "Understood, standby for the Unluckies."

Sanji regarded the phone curiously before shrugging.

At least they had an Eternal Pose now.

---

"Oh, Sanji. I didn't expect to see you here," Rosan greeted the blonde haired chef, with a nod.

"So this is Sanji?" Robin asked curiously, offering the chef a smile. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Robin," she greeted.

The greeting on Sanji's lip was cut short at the voice of Robin and hearts appeared in his eyes as he knelt on one knee and held the, slightly confused, woman's hand.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful woman," Sanji complimented, leaning closer to kiss the woman's hand.

That was cut abruptly short, at the bronze hand crashing into his face.

"R-Rosan, you sunnova —" Sanji's words died in his throat at the furious mixed eyes glaring at him with fury.

"Hands off my Mother, pervert," Ram snarled, glaring at the chef with contempt and dragging Robin a fair distance away from him. "Only Father is allowed to do that! Anyone else can and will die by my hands!"

"Hm?" Rosan tilted his head. He was the only one who could do what? Kiss Robin's hand? Since when?

"Not being very subtle at all, huh Ram?" Mod sweatdropped.

Robin watched in confused amusement, as Ram showed exactly who she got her possessiveness from.

"Stay away from creeps like that, Mother. Auntie Angel showed me exactly what to do so if he approaches you like that again, lemme know," the ring whispered encouragingly.

"Thank you for protecting me, Ram," Robin thanked. She didn't mind the chef's actions but since Ram did, she wouldn't protest.

"M-Mother?!" Sanji whispered in disbelief, watching the two beautiful woman interact with each other. The chef glared at Rosan in disbelief due to his odd kinks.

Already?! Why did he have to be so greedy?! Sanji couldn't catch a break around this guy!

Rosan blinked at the glaring figure. Just what perception of him did Sanji have besides the one from him being Reaper?

He wasn't keen on figuring out.

"What are you doing here, Sanji? Was there anything of interest in this wax house?" Rosan asked, making the chef turn serious for a minute.

"I had a conversation with Mr. 0, actually," Sanji said, recalling the conversation. "I posed as Mr. 3 and he should be sending an Eternal Pose to Alabasta over to us… Also, he asked me if I knew about Miss All Sunday's whereabouts but I told him I have no clue. He was seriously annoyed… something tells me he really wants her."

Rosan and Robin raised a brow at that.

"It's to be expected that he's looking for me. I'm pivotal to his plans after all," Robin mused, a little worried for Rosan's safety. Crocodile was no joke and had rightfully earned his title as a Warlord.

"Hm. He can't continue his plan without you? How unfortunate for him. I'm not letting you go for even a second. You're mine," Rosan muttered. He needed to find an object for Robin to keep on her person so that he could make a Save Point for her.

Robin withheld her blush of embarrassment at his blunt words. Ugh, they had just met again and he was already back to these levels of possessiveness?

He was a trip.

"A pendant. I want a pendant like yours so that I can put this picture of us in it."

He smiled at that and nodded. That would be easy.

Rosan explained Nami's situation to Sanji and predictably, his eyes went wide with worry and he darted off with a, "I'll leave the Eternal Pose to you," before vanishing deeper into the jungle.

"That was easy," Rosan muttered. There was one thing and one thing only on that chef's mind. Honestly, it was rather detrimental but he wouldn't dissuade him of it.

The man had been so distracted by Ram and Robin's beauty, he didn't even deign to mention the little girl flung over his shoulder.

"He didn't mention Mikita… I wonder if she ran away," Rosan mused. Well, if she did, she'd quickly find that there was nowhere to go because he had destroyed their ship.

Guess he'd have to spend more time looking for her. Claiming loyalty and then running away? How dumb. There was no escaping from him and she was going to pay the price for thinking that there was.

Robin had been hoping she wasn't dumb enough to run off. Rosan clearly had a plan and the boy despised traitors so he always had one in store for them. Betraying him would be terribly costly and he'd make sure you knew that.

"I'm right here…" A submissive voice whispered, catching both their attention.

Miss Valentine floated down from her vantage point on a high tree and landed in front of Rosan, holding her head down and shrinking into herself at the sight of the tall redhead.

"I uh… I noticed the blonde and since you only act like that when it was you and Miss All Sunday, I assumed you didn't want the other members of your crew to know about our dealings," she whispered, hoping she had done the right thing.

"Surprisingly insightful. Well done," Rosan nodded, impressed by her foresight. "Come. Let's wait in this base. I need to wake up this little child right here anyways."

It was only then did Mikita notice Miss Goldenweek flung over his shoulder and she realized that the much stronger agents had lost too. Any lingering hope she had, that they'd somehow be saved from this man, was quickly banished by that simple fact.

"R-Right. Miss Friday and Mr. 13 should be the ones to bring an Eternal Pose," the former agent said submissively, bowing her head and making her way into the building.

Robin couldn't help but shudder at how easily Rosan had molded her into a loyal servant. He didn't even need to use Overhaul on the young woman and she was still acting so subservient.

He always had plenty of charisma but this was something so much more dangerous. She was glad that she had run into the man before he was like this… Imagine if they had met not knowing each other and she was still an agent for Baroque Works.

Would he have done the same thing to her, if she proved to be useful? She didn't doubt it.

"Don't think about what ifs," Rosan muttered, making his way into the building. "The only thing that matters is that we're here now, together."

She smiled happily and banished those thoughts like he said.

He was right. There was no need for her think about a timeline where these things happened because that timeline didn't exist.

Leave it to him to say something like that.

---

Miss Goldenweek woke up rather abruptly, the memory of two different eyes squeezing her heart until she couldn't breathe. Despite her inherent laziness, she shot up and glanced around wildly. There was a clear panic set on her features as she assessed the situation at hand.

Mr. 3 wasn't here and neither was Mr. 5. It was Miss Valentine, Miss All Sunday, two tiny dinosaurs and the redhead who had choked her out.

The three humans (well, two humans and a monster) were drinking a cup of tea and the little dinosaurs were chewing on their own specially prepared vegetation.

Wait a second…

"Miss All Sunday?!" Miss Goldenweek gawked. What was she doing here?! Why wasn't she at Alabasta? Why were they drinking tea with the enemy?! What were those ridiculously small dinosaurs doing here?

"Miss Goldenweek," The cardigan wearing woman greeted, assessing the young girl with a cool gaze.

"You're awake," Rosan greeted, glancing at her. "Do you want some Green Tea? It's your favorite, correct?"

Miss Valentine said nothing, refusing to make eye contact with her superior.

"What's going on? Why aren't we attacking him right now… it's 3 to 1!" Miss Goldenweek said, fearfully making distance between her and the man so he didn't grip her neck again.

"It is 3 to 1, but are you really strong enough to take the three of us out?" Rosan questioned, making her jump in surprise. "I don't know how you can do it but the Grand Line has been full of surprises so it's possible."

The girl went pale at the lack of response from both her supposed allies and realized that she was the one outnumbered, completely trapped and alone with all enemies.

That blank gaze stared into her and she began trembling due to what the creature who owned those eyes had done to her.

"You're scaring her," Robin admonished, feeling bad for the child.

"Rosan-sama is quite intimidating," Mikita added quietly.

The scout of the Straw Hats tilted his head. Fine, he wouldn't use his tactics on this one then.

"Is that so? Then Mikita and Robin, you can explain her situation," Rosan replied. The redhead moved over to the triceratops and began petting them on their heads, much to both creature's delight.

Robin raised a brow but conceded, turning towards the terrified painter.

"I'm going to be blunt, you've lost and have no way to get off this island, Miss Goldenweek," she began. It was best to just be brutally honest and it was a habit she had picked up from Rosan himself.

"Miss Valentine and Mr. 5 have been recruited by Rosan here and as for me… well, I've been his ally for years so it was easy for me to join his side again."

Mikita and Miss Goldenweek's eyes widened at that last bit of information. Miss All Sunday was always an ally to the redhead? Just who was he to know the woman before even Mr. 0?! She had been one of the first members in Baroque Works and played a part in recruiting the rest of them!

"Rosan-sama wants to offer you a chance to join his side," Mikita said, much to her surprise. "While you were unconscious, I've been talking to him and I think where he's going to send us is much better than being his enemy or staying with Mr. 0…"

While a majority (all) of Mikita was still terrified of Rosan, he had been talking to her about Maro and she'd be lying if staying on the queen's island didn't sound far more appealing then working as an agent.

Compared to Mr. 0 and Rosan, Queen Maro sounded like a godsend and she was eager to meet the compassionate woman.

"What if I refuse…?" Miss Goldenweek asked.

"The ship you brought here has been destroyed, all your allies are defeated and Mr. 0 doesn't tolerate failures… he will never let you live so a new ship is out of the window," Robin informed her. "But if you insist on refusing, we have no more obligation to help you and will leave you on this island. You are our enemy after all."

There was no way she could survive on this island alone… and even if she contacted Mr. 0, he'd absolutely kill her for failing the mission.

At least these people were giving her a choice…

Their conversation was cut short, by the arrival of Miss Friday and Mr. 13. The two animal agents assessed all the occupants in the room, gaze lingering on Robin for a while, before freezing at the sight of Rosan.

Mikita and Miss Goldenweek froze at the arrivals and even Robin gained a slightly worried expression. The Devil Child prepared to quickly subdue them before they could think to fly off but Rosan held a hand up to stop her.

"Mr. 13. Miss Friday," he greeted. "I see that you've brought the Eternal Pose. Give it to me."

They gawked at his demand and gaped even further when the two animals hastily followed through with his order, dropping the Eternal Pose to Alabasta in his hand as if they feared what he'd do if they refused to.

W-What? He couldn't possibly…

"Thank you," Rosan said kindly as he rubbed both the animals on their head at a job well done. "Now, I need you to relay this information to Mr. 0, okay?"

They nodded eagerly and stilled to listen to the redhead's order.

He already had Mr. 13 and Miss Friday on his side?!

"When did this happen?" Robin asked in shock. Even she wasn't aware that they were on his side.

"When I showed up to the ship the first time we saw each other again. I was chasing these two," Rosan replied. "I managed to recruit them first of all the agents. Too useful for animals so I figured I could use them."

Her little companion had grown up into a real threat. To already have moles inside of Crocodile's carefully crafted agency… and not only moles, the most information filled ones too.

Miss Friday, Mr. 13… and Miss All Sunday.

It was at this moment Mikita knew she made the right choice following the redhead. If he somehow managed to already recruit the Unluckies then he was even more dangerous then she already thought he was.

Miss Goldenweek was coming to the same conclusion if the look of worry on her face meant anything. Now it was 5 on 1 and somehow, the lone redhead was the one with all the allies.

"Tell Mr. 0 that Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine are dead and that Mr. 3 has received the Eternal Pose," Rosan began. "When he asks how, you may pin the blame on me. As for Miss Goldenweek…"

The redhead tilted his head at her curiously. "Tell him that she's dead too."

Miss Goldenweek understood that gaze. It meant two things. Join him and her death would be faked or refuse and remain on this island, dying anyways.

It was a no brainer.

"I'll join you," she decided hesitantly, getting a satisfied nod out of the redhead.

It was better to join him then to risk dying here and Miss Valentine vouched for him… despite being visibly terrified, there was hope in her words and it had to be better than working for Mr. 0.

"A wise decision," he praised. "Now, did Mr. 0 ask about Miss All Sunday's whereabouts? Did he ask you to find out what happened to her?" Rosan asked the animals.

They both nodded, a nervous expression on their faces. They weren't sure what to tell Crocodile so hopefully Rosan had an order for them.

"...Inform him that she was captured by a World Government group known as Cipher Pol on her way back to Alabasta. Lead him to thinking they are still transporting her. Maybe he'll be inclined to send units after them but I doubt it," Rosan eventually said, getting a nod of acknowledgment out of them.

The animals didn't know who they were, but someone like Crocodile should be at least aware of them.

"This will be your last mission from me and your last report to him. If I'm correct, Mr. 0 will realize that you two misled him somewhere along the lines and you will die. Come to me before that," he said and they nodded hastily.

With that, he dismissed the two and finished his tea off. The animal duo flew off to report to the, undoubtedly furious, Mr. 0.

They already betrayed him and that fear would ensure that they'd seek safety from Rosan. He had been purposely vague on what information Crocodile would catch as a lie, so the ones they had told previously had a very real possibility of being found out.

"Cipher Pol?" Robin asked with a small shudder.

She didn't think Rosan remembered them… Robin had informed them of the group long ago when she mustered up the courage to tell him things about Ohara... about how strong of a hand they had to play.

The redhead gazed at her and immediately placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't be afraid of them. I'm here."

She relaxed minutely at that and nodded at his confidence.

"If I said we had you, he wouldn't believe it. After all, he thinks Mr. 3 eliminated us and Sanji said he had no clue where you were," Rosan muttered, standing up and stretching.

"Crocodile should know what Cipher Pol is and based on what you told me, he'll think twice about causing direct conflict with them. At best, this should thin the number of agents on Alabasta when we land there, giving us more freedom," the redhead assured.

Each former agent stared at the redhead in disbelief at his quick thinking.

W-What type of monster was he? This man… he had just entered the Grand Line? How unlucky were they to have stumbled upon such a creature?!

Just who was he? Monster seemed to be too nice of a word… they were staring at an actual Demon. A cunning Demon made all the more dangerous by his rational and emotionless mind.

Robin never expected Rosan to think this far ahead in a way that didn't make things the most amount of fun for him. She was proud of him despite how scary a place his mind was.

"It's about time we go," Rosan muttered.

A little fly flew on his hand and he tapped it idly, modifying it into his trusty bird instead. Placing the Eternal Pose on its figure and securing it, Rosan shooed it off and had it fly to his crew.

It chirped, rubbed its cheek against his own and flew off.

"Grab onto me, we're leaving this island," Rosan ordered and they hastily moved to follow his order.

Once everything was in order, Rosan activated Save Point and the entire group vanished.

---

"Master!" Maro squealed, tackling him excitedly and nuzzling him.

Huh… was he hotter than normal? Maybe he just used his Dragon recently? Actually, maybe it was because his arms were out! Mama mia!

"You're sweaty," Rosan said flatly, wrapping an arm around the woman's exposed midriff and squeezing her gently. She was dressed in a sports bra with leggings and the girl had clearly been working up a sweat that she was wiping on his undershirt with glee.

She was lucky he loved her.

"I was training with Kaori when you showed up!" She gushed, nearly lifting him off the floor in her excitement. "Thanks for bringing someone actually tolerable this time instead of that stupid Jango! She's smarter, more awesome, better looking, wayyyy stronger and awesome!"

"You already said that," Rosan pointed out.

"That just means I really mean it!" She beamed.

"You're embarrassing me, your majesty," Kaori muttered, blushing red at the praise. The princess was incredibly powerful and despite her own formidable strength, she stood no chance of defeating her.

The fishwoman nodded at Rosan as greeting and he nodded back. "Rosan, who are these people?"

Maro removed her head from his chest and peeked over his shoulder, regarding the new arrivals with curiosity.

A flash of horror suddenly appeared on her face. Without warning, she picked Rosan up and summarily tossed him far through the air.

He landed perfectly on his feet and tilted his head at her. "You have been so violent lately. Should I start disciplining you, little Goblin?"

"I just knew you were gonna keep throwing people my way so I threw you away!" Maro bellowed, glaring at the redhead furiously.

Quick as a dime, she turned towards the onlookers and grinned brightly at them.

"Hiya, nice to meetcha all. I'm Queen Maro of Celadon but you can just call me Maro! I'm sorry for whatever my Master did to you all and I'll be sure to give him a piece of my mind!"

They sweatdropped at her antics.

Marching up to the redhead with a purpose, Maro was about to do just that, when Rosan reached out a hand and began gripping her vulnerable cheek.

"O-Ow! Shtop you asshole!" She whined and he did just that, before pulling her into another hug.

Underhanded ass. He was such a dick for knowing exactly how to calm her down.

"At least hear me out?" Rosan hummed, petting a specific spot on her white and blue hair and getting a sigh of bliss out of her.

"Fine — wait a second... YOUR EYES!" Maro gaped, looking into his eyes and seeing the faint glow in them.

"OH MY KAMI, I CAN SEE A GLOW! OH WAIT, I GOTTA TELL ANGEL AND DEMON ABOUT THIS THEN YOU CAN EXPLAI — WAIT, I RECOGNIZE YOU NOW! AREN'T YOU NICO ROBIN?! HOLY SHIT MASTER, WHAT'S GOING ON? WAIT, DON'T TELL ME YET!"

Not waiting for a response, the queen sprinted out of the room to go retrieve the twins and Rosan, completely unfazed by her speaking a mile a minute, followed after her.

Kaori bowed apologetically to the confused crowd. "I'm sorry about her. Your majesty is… hyper."

Robin, the only one utterly unfazed, giggled and said, "Her excitable nature reminds me of someone and it's rather endearing."

She was going to like Maro just fine.

---

"Oh so you just don't want me to have only the clone army to defend our island?" Maro said in realization, a happy flush dusting her fair cheeks.

"Yes, that's right. I figured if I met some interesting people, I'd send them your way. These three are agents from an organization I'm currently at odds with and I managed to recruit them."

"You're so fucking sweet, Master!" Maro gushed, making the agents gasp a bit at her crude language. "It's nice to meet you all. I hope Master didn't make your lives too hard. He can be a bit… cold," she finished lamely.

"That's an understatement," Demon snorted.

"Master is an asshole," Angel nodded.

The three former agents nodded in unison, Miss Valentine especially and they found themselves very much liking the energy exuded by the cheerful queen.

The redhead shrugged helplessly. "How rude, after I went to the trouble of getting Maro such a rare gift too. Figured I could give you something nice since you are so willingly accepting new allies," Rosan hummed.

Maro's eyes widened excitedly at that. "Gift? For me?! Show me!" She demanded.

A reward for accepting interesting people?! Master was too kind!

With a wave of his hand, Rosan revealed his gift and Maro's eyes bugged.

"Master you didn't," Angel groaned in disbelief. Was he serious? Of all the fucking —

"MASTER YOU DID!" Maro let out the loudest squeal yet.

The queen jumped around in excitement, before tackling Rosan to the floor and kissing him directly on the cheek repeatedly in her happiness. "Y-YOU GOT ME TWO PET DINOSAURS?!"

"Anything for my spoiled little student," Rosan hummed, accepting her thanks with a slight smile. It was always nice to see his family in good spirits.

The little things raised their head at the volume and Maro squealed again, picking both up and nuzzling them into her large chest with gusto.

Angel's glare deepened at that. How dare those stupid little ancient reptiles steal her boobs!

"We were on an island full of them so I figured you'd like one. They're triceratops. Herbivore. One Male. One Female. Babies who I made puppy sized. No name," he informed her.

"I can't believe you got her not one, but two dinosaurs," Angel said flatly, staring at her older brother with a deadpan expression.

"She's always wanted them and she deserved them. It's not often you run into wild dinosaurs so I just took the opportunity granted to me," Rosan shrugged.

"Don't worry, Master! I'll take good care of Gladiolus and Anemone!" Maro beamed, sitting back down and petting the pleased reptiles on her lap.

Gladiolus was the boy and Anemone would be the girl!

"Gladiolus? Anemone?" Angel mouthed to herself, glaring at the creatures sitting on her goddamn perfect thighs! Those belonged to her dammit! Who did they think they were?!

She was about to direct her ire towards Rosan for allowing this to happen but restrained herself at the genuine joy on Maro's face.

She guessed the queen deserved it… maybe.

"They're adorable," Demon said, patting Anemone on her skull and picking her up. "I'll have to do a checkup on them and give you a proper diet to feed the two."

The queen nodded happily and finally focused on the three agents.

"So these three are agents you want me to take in… I suspect you're gonna get more?" Maro prodded.

"Depends on if they are interesting or not," Rosan replied, indicating with his head for them to introduce themselves.

"I'm Gem," Mr. 5 said immediately, bowing lowly to the queen. "I ate the Bomu Bomu no mi and became an explosion man. I hope to live up to your expectations as a bodyguard, Maro-sama."

"Master overhauled him," Maro thought to herself immediately, glancing at the bomb man with a curious gaze. Outwardly though, she beamed in excitement.

"You ate such an awesome fruit! Awesome Gem, you'll be a great addition!"

He nodded with a proud smile on his face.

Her very own terrorist. How exciting!

"I'm Mikita…" Miss Valentine introduced quietly, bowing her head and refusing to make eye contact. "I ate the Kiro Kiro no mi and I'll do anything to prove I'm useful to you… Please give me a chance," the woman begged.

"Master scarred this one," the Dokkaebi thought. They were his enemies after all so it was no surprise that some force probably went into recruiting them. If this one's sense of self worth was shattered, he probably wanted her to…

"Hey, you don't gotta be afraid around me! I may have really sharp fangs but I don't bite!" Maro beamed encouragingly, showing her abnormally sharp fangs in question. "As long as you're loyal to this island, that's all I can ask for! You're one of us now and you can trust me."

She finished her speech with a gentle rub on the woman's shoulder and relied on Demon to make Angel to stand down (he did).

Mikita's head shot up at that and she regarded the queen with a shocked expression, before tears formed in her eyes and she nodded determinedly.

The Queen… she really was as amazing as Rosan said she was. Someone like this… Someone so kind and gentle, willing to accept former enemies despite their uselessness, deserved 100% of her loyalty and that's exactly what she was going to get.

Robin shot Rosan a glance at that and he simply hummed in return.

Maro focused on the last one of the three and that prompted Miss Goldenweek to speak up.

She had watched the queen's interaction with Mikita and seeing how kind she was, decided it was good that she chose to come here. With the queen, she doubted she'd be forced to do anything she didn't want to.

"I'm… Marianne," the child introduced. "I use my painting abilities to hypnotize people based on the color."

Maro's eyes sparkled at that and the queen nodded enthusiastically. "So not only are you an awesome painter… you can hypnotize people too! You're incredible! Are you interested in being a professional artist?! I'd love to have you work on some things around the castle!"

Marianne blinked at that question. Not only were her artistic abilities prioritized… She wanted to use her paint… for more than just combat purposes? That sounded…

"That sounds nice," she smiled brightly, happy to be working under the queen now.

The Queen clapped and laughed in joy, infectious energy reaching them all.

"Alright! I've got a nice little building complex that you and your future agent allies can live in while you're off duty! It has no inhabitants so it'll be you guys only and you're free to change it how you want as long as Master agrees to help. Kaori, do you mind showing them where it is?" Maro fired off.

She actually had quite a bit of empty complexes just in case of emergency. Sometimes they were rented out for visitors when the hotels were packed for an ever greater price! It was a great way to milk them of their money!

Kaori nodded easily at her request and beckoned the agents to follow her. She didn't mind going outside because the citizens had very quickly warmed up to her after seeing how friendly the fishwoman was with the popular queen.

They really did love Maro. Anything she liked, they did and though they were a tad fearful at first... Maro (much to her embarrassment) made an entire speech to her people about how they would not tolerate any sort of prejudice to anyone at all. Everyone deserved to be treated fairly unless they proved otherwise.

That moment managed to solidify Kaori's loyalty and she realized that she had no intention of leaving Celadon because she was just as bad as the citizens when it came to loving the Queen.

Soon it was just Rosan, Robin and the rulers of Celadon.

"Alright, now that we've dealt with them…" Maro began, placing a sleeping Gladiolus on a comfy looking chair. Anemone was still awake and curiously prodded Demon's hand with her horn, much to the doctor's amusement.

"...Let's get down to the serious serious business!" She beamed, closing the distance between her and Robin with an eager grin. "Are you actually Nico Robin?! I've heard so much about you and I've seen Master's memories too! I'm so happy to see you guys reunited and I've wanted to meet you for the longest!"

Robin accepted the queen's eager rambling and offered a kind smile. "It's nice to meet you, Maro. I've heard much about you as well and I haven't even gotten to your part of Rosan's memories! He really cherishes you three," she replied.

Maro squealed with a rosy blush at that admittance and tackled Rosan for the umpteenth time. This must have been a normal occurrence because the redhead didn't look remotely bothered, just wrapping.

"I KNEW YOU THOUGHT I WAS HOT!" Maro beamed.

"I never once mentioned your looks to Robin," Rosan replied calmly.

"Liar liar! Just admit it!"

"I have nothing to admit. I've called you beautiful on multiple occasions."

"Say I'm hot! Hot, Master!"

"No."

The twins effortlessly ignored the two and turned to face the sweatdropping Devil Child instead.

"To finally meet you in the flesh… I'm honored. We can't view his memories but we know almost everything about Master's past. You've been a huge influence to him," Demon bowed, introducing himself and kindly shaking her hand.

Robin smiled at the purple haired clone of Rosan and shook the elegant looking clone's hand.

His features were all around softer than Rosan's own, lacking the sharpness the oldest triplet had, and that extended to his smooth purple hair, tied into a high ponytail. He was currently wearing a loose black kimono that, combined with his general appearance, gave him a rather pretty look.

His genuine kindness was nothing like Rosan's rude and confident demeanor. The man exuded a gentle aura that would put anyone at ease.

"Angel and Demon, I was surprised to see that Rosan made clones! To see that you both have such different personalities from him… I'm glad to meet you," Robin greeted, before turning towards a fidgeting Angel.

"Rosan I don't know why you're so reluctant to transform into your female form," Robin joked with an amused smile, remembering the first time they had forced the boy to do it. "Though, I'm a bit glad because she's a little too gorgeous don't you think?"

The female clone (Robin laughed heartily at the memory of Angel's gender revelation and Rosan discovering the beauty of female puberty) had the same red hair as her creator, that was not nearly as spiky and much longer, reaching her back and having a blue daisy resting in it.

Like her brother, Angel's features were much softer than Rosan's and she was surprisingly dainty in appearance... barring the fact that was only a little shorter then Robin.

The woman wore a short, white and blue dress and thigh high combo that hugged her curves (she was significantly less curvy then female Rosan it looked) and showed off the beautiful sapphire ring on her finger.

Angel blushed beet red and squeaked at the compliment. "N-Nico Robin! You have no idea how long I w-wanted to meet you! I'm Angel, Master's younger sister and Maro's wife!"

She wanted to be on her very best behavior because this was Master's best friend! Nico Robin had been everything to Rosan and played a huge part in shaping him into who he was.

"Oh, you and Maro are married?" Robin asked curiously, glancing back and forth between the two. "You two seem like an amazing fit, I'm happy for you!"

"O-Oh you!" Angel gushed, switching on a dime and hugging the noticeably taller woman happily with tears in her eyes. "I'm so glad to finally be able to see Master's first companion. Just off of meeting each other, I can see Master's eyes glowing slightly! I… I normally only see brief glimpses of it but to see it for so long… Just… thank you."

Robin's eyes softened at the looks of gratefulness on all three of their faces.

It seems Rosan's emotions were important to all of them and the relief that they displayed at making genuine progress made her as happy as it did sad.

She had an inkling as to why they weren't traveling with Rosan anymore but she'd have to see it in his memories to confirm.

"I'm just happy to be reunited with him… I thought he was dead for so long but because he told me to be strong for the both of us, I had to do it and it payed off," Robin said sincerely, hugging the crying redhead back.

Funnily enough, those words Rosan told her, were eerily similar to the ones that Meiko had told him. Those two really were more alike then they assumed.

A small part of Robin wondered if she'd be just like him if she had to witness the boy die in her arms.

Based on the brief sadness in Demon and Angel's eyes, they too realized that those words were painfully familiar.

"I'm happy you guys are getting along so well," Rosan's muffled voice came out. He was still being glomped by Maro but the two were watching with fond smiles on their face.

"Robin needs a new wardrobe and I doubt her clothes at Baroque Works is better then anything you guys have," the redhead said, pulling himself up with the leech known as Maro.

"Already letting her wear your clothes? I knew that was your cardigan," Maro leered, grinning like the pervert she was. "Though, I don't really mind that you aren't wearing long clothes right now. Look at those free arms!"

The Queen shamelessly squeezed his arm with a pleased noise.

"Nice," she nodded.

Angel extracted herself from Robin's grasp and marched over to her drooling wife in order to grip her by the cheek and drag her off of Rosan.

"Stop giving Robin such a bad impression of you, idiot!" She reprimanded, tugging the whining queen's cheek.

"F-Fine! I'll stop being who I am because you want me to be like the rest of them!" Maro said with large teary eyes.

"WHO IS THEM?!" Angel roared, calling her out on her bullshit immediately.

Demon and Robin watched with a serene smile on their faces while Rosan sighed, walking over to pet Gladiolus' head.

"I'd say I'm surprised, but somehow I'm not," the Devil Child said.

"Perfect, you'll see this very often," Demon replied.

"Somehow it's always my fault too," Rosan grunted.

"Of course it is, you're you!" Mod laughed.

"Father's greed coming to bite him in the ass," Ram tutted. This was why she was only greedy for Father, Mother and Auntie Mod.

Rosan scratched his head. Surely he wasn't actually the problem…

Right?

---

"So you want to buy a new wardrobe for Robin, right?" Maro beamed, nodding her head. "Okay! Let's go, I wanna show her around the island that we all worked so hard on. Celadon is amazing!"

"Thank you, Maro," Robin smiled at the energetic queen. "Rosan, I didn't bring any beri with me. Will you be paying?"

"Yeah, I have more than enough to get you what you want," Rosan nodded before Maro interrupted them both.

"P-Pay?!" She gawked. "Are you two nuts?! You think my dear citizens would ever make Master pay for anything?! Even without me there, they'd still give you things for free! You're super popular here!"

Rosan was incredibly popular with the citizens of Celadon. After all, a majority of the buildings that they lived and worked in had been refined by him and it was no secret that Maro looked up to him.

He was also one half of the duo that had freed their island from the tyrant king! Of course they'd offer him free stuff. Coupled with the fact that he didn't live here, he was practically a celebrity to their people!

He wasn't popular as Demon but Maro was beginning to think Demon was the most popular person on this island… Seriously, even the tourists wanted to see him. According to a list that the more gossipy people of her island piloted, the Doctor was considered the best looking person on the island...

Good, he deserved it. Demon was awesome. Also, Maro was considered the second best and that left her beaming in joy.

"I'll show you guys our best clothing stores! You'll come out looking even hotter than you already are," Maro grinned, getting a slight embarrassed flush out of Robin.

Getting compliments from people she didn't care about left her mostly unfazed but she liked everyone in this room and... she wasn't used to being complimented earnestly.

"Ah I love clothes shopping!" Angel gushed. "Master, do you need more clothes?!"

"No, you and Akemi have given me entirely too much clothes. If I brought it all on the ship, we'd sink," Rosan replied.

"I think you need more too!" His sister beamed, completely ignoring him.

They sweatdropped at her but Rosan conceded with a small sigh.

The redhead blinked for a second and extended his hand, watching as the ring on his finger shuddered and transformed into Ram.

"Father, Mother! I'd like to talk to Auntie Angel, Maro and Uncle Demon for a second about something important!" Ram beamed, hugging the two woman excitedly.

The three in question raised a curious brow at what the ring called Robin but neither her or Rosan seemed to mind it very much.

"Right, we'll wait outside."

Robin and Rosan both went outside, leaving 4 left.

"Ram," Demon greeted with a small smile, hugging the ring warmly and getting a happy sigh out of her when he began to stroke her hair.

"What's the occasion? I don't think you've ever wanted to talk to us without Master unless its to cause problems... which you dont talk to Angel about either," Maro prodded, knowing her best friend was plotting something.

Ram nodded at her astute observation.

"I've decided that I want Nico Robin to be my mother!" she declared bluntly. "To make that happen, we need her and Father to get together but I can tell that they're both really stupid when it comes to what they want and I can't get them together alone."

...

Maro's jaw dropped to the floor at that blunt statement and her eyes bugged in disbelief. "W-W-What the hell did you just say?!" She spluttered.

Ram, her best friend… was playing matchmaker?! HER?! The ring who only craved violence… The same ring who had more then a few screws loose, was trying to set her Father up with someone?! The same Father whose attention she wanted nonstop?!

Maro could say with confidence, that Ram didn't have a single romantic bone in her body. But all of a sudden, she was cupid?!

No way...

"I'm in," Angel said without hesitation, making Maro's jaw drop further.

The redhead looked offended that her wife was so shocked. "What?! I think they're really cute and look at them! Since coming here, they've barely been away from each other!"

"Master Mod mentioned that they both had a crush on each other as kids but Master didn't notice because he wasn't in tuned with that side of his emotions," Demon interjected calmly. "I think they deserve a little happiness that they seem to find in each other."

"You too?!" Maro gaped. The Dokkaebi didn't think they'd be so willing to pair Rosan with anyone! They were all jealously protective of the redhead (Demon less so) and tried hard to protect his chasity when they could.

Angel especially, seemed to want to kill whoever it was her teacher hooked up with. The girl would scream murder if someone even sent him a suggestive glance in her presence!

Maro was the only one who genuinely didn't mind seeing Master get together with the various women interested in him.

She was rather proud that he was so popular!

"So, we're all in agreement?!" Ram asked excitedly. "You don't have to ask Auntie, she's already in!"

Maro snorted but smiled at the little schemers. "Alright, I'm in! Operation: Robin and Rosan is a go!"

"Yeah!" They chorused.

...

"What do you think they're talking about in there?" Rosan muttered.

"I'm not sure," Robin admitted. "Mod-chan?"

"...I have no clue," Mod lied.

There was no way she was going to be the one to ruin this plan… that was Rosan's thing.

---

"Thank you again for this, Maro… I do still feel a little guilty for not paying for all of these."

"Haha! Don't sweat it, you're Master's precious friend so you're my precious friend too! Besides, my island's super rich and we have tons of resources! Some clothes won't hurt and Mai was happy to accomodate!"

Robin smiled at the friendly woman and the two exchanged hugs.

"You would have made me pay for everything anyways," Rosan muttered, perfectly balancing all the bags in his arms. He even had his draconic tail out, balancing even more of the clothing on it.

"You sure you didn't want to go without buying anything for a little longer?" Angel said suggestively, raising a brow in amusement. "You look really good in Master's clothes."

"Do I?" Robin mused, looking down at the purple cardigan. "This is a nice cardigan… It smells like Rosan and I do love the color purple… maybe I'll keep this," she decided, nodding her head at that decision.

Rosan raised a brow incredulously at her. "I don't have a decision in whether you get to keep my clothing? I like that cardigan too you know and we just bought you an entire wardrobe," Rosan muttered.

"Yes, but I already got comfortable wearing this one and I quite like it," Robin retorted. Sure it was a bit big on her but she wasn't that much shorter then Rosan... she was just much slimmer.

Rosan snorted at the protective hold she had on his purple cardigan and conceded without much difficulty. "Fine, keep it."

If she wanted it, she could keep it. At least she looked good in it... even if it was a bit big on her but that honestly made it look better.

Maro and Angel grinned at each other at their interactions.

"I say you let her keep it… you two even have matching pendants now!" Angel gushed, looking at the tiny black pendant around Robin's neck that had a picture of a younger her and Rosan inside of it.

The redhead had gone out and bought it himself while they were out shopping for clothes. He had gotten it in black because his was white and when he verified that Robin liked it (she loved it), he applied his Save Point to it.

The limit of his points had increased to seven over the years. The locations were Aiko's castle, Maro's tiara, Luffy's straw hat, Rosan's earrings and Robin's pendant (it used to be on the White Rose).

That left two and he wasn't sure what to place them on but it never hurt to have spares.

"Alright you two! Be sure to visit us again," Maro beamed, pulling the both of them into a hug. "Master, you're not allowed to show up without Robin, okay?!"

"I second this!" Angel beamed, joining the group hug.

"Right. That works for me since I don't want her out of my sight," Rosan hummed.

Robin rolled her eyes at his words.

"You're lucky I'm the same way currently or else I'd reprimand your possessive streak," she admonished, grabbing onto the man so they could vanish.

"Bye you three, I really enjoyed meeting you and can't wait to see you all again," Robin smiled at Rosan's old travel companions. She really did like all of them and their oddities.

She was glad that despite blowing up on them so long ago, Rosan still cherished the clones.

With a short wave, Rosan activated his Save Point and they vanished.

"That girl's a keeper," Angel sighed.

"I agree," Demon nodded sagely.

Maro didn't say anything, prompting the twins to look at the queen in confusion, considering she always had something to say.

Her eyes were furrowed and she looked at the spot Rosan had just been in with a contemplative expression.

"Maro, what's wrong?" Angel asked her wife in concern.

"Master… he's hot," the Dokkaebi replied after a short pause.

They sighed at her stupidity.

Seriously?

"Yes, Maro… We've established that Master was hot like 10 years ago," Demon said, not seeing the point of stating old news.

"It's why I want to commit murder so often. His hotness gives me stress," Angel added.

"No! Not like that!" She retorted, brows furrowing deeper. "His body… it's really hot. I thought it was because he recently transformed into his Dragon but he's somehow gotten even warmer."

The clones froze at that and they began seriously thinking about her concerns.

"Not only that but… I've been around Master a lot and I've never seen him activate Save Point that slowly," Maro finished gravely, a worried look dominating her now.

It wasn't terribly slow, but it was off by a couple of seconds that she noticed immediately.

Damn it she should have mentioned his body temperature sooner but her fears had only been confirmed after watching him activate his traveling technique.

"Are you saying Master's sick?" Angel asked with her own confused look, raising a brow incredulously.

Demon was just as confused, shaking his head in denial. "That's not possible. Without Modification I think it's impossible for him to get sick but with it and the Philosopher's Stone? There's absolutely zero chance it happens."

Master's immune system was incredible. If anything even remotely dangerous entered him, his body would instantly attack it and purge him of it. The stone he consumed amplified what Modification already fortified. His body was near invincible to anything normal and if it was new, it'd only affect him once and not for long.

Demon marveled at it whenever he did checkups and if he were greedier, he'd inspect the man's blood samples to see if they could do anything more with it.

Getting sick was not an option for him and they all knew that.

Master Mod especially would make sure of it…

"I know but it's just… they were on an ancient island right? Who knows what type of diseases they could have?" Maro frowned, idly petting Anemone in her concern.

Demon began thinking deeper before a flash of horror crossed his features.

"What if he is sick but he's not supposed to be?" Angel chimed in, gnawing her nails. How did she not notice?! She should know everything about Master no matter what!

"Modification… it might have gotten him sick on purpose," Demon finally said. "Master's body is almost always passively being worked on by Modification in hopes of improving anything. It keeps him in peak condition, ensures that he's healthy and… builds up his immunities when it sees the opportunity."

They all paled.

A sickness that Modification willingly let enter Rosan's immune system? And it actually affected him?

"Ah shit," Maro concluded for all of them.

---

"Hm… is it just me or was that Save Point slower than normal... No. It was definitely slower than normal," Rosan mused as he appeared on the deck of the Going Merry.

"STOP JUST APPEARING LIKE THAT!" Usopp roared, clutching his chest in fear.

"I-I agree," Vivi wheezed. The moment Rosan appeared, she jumped high into the air and collapsed on the floor.

Rosan ignored them for the moment in favor of inspecting his body with an almost confused expression.

Robin, who had been about to formally introduce herself to the crew, paused at the silence from the redhead and turned to face him. "Rosan? What's the matter?" she asked, tilting her head at his furrowed brows…

Was... was he hotter then normal? He had been pretty hot before but she just attributed that to the fact that he radiated an unreal body heat already which must have been because of Ragnarok.

Upon closer inspection, Robin saw that the redhead's cheeks were a little flushed and she immediately closed the short distance between them. The woman placed a hand against his forehead and immediately drew it back due to the burning heat.

"What in the world," Robin muttered, gazing at her hand in shock.

Any greeting on the Straw Hats lips, died down at seeing the concern on Robin's face.

"Robin? Did I just burn you? But how? I haven't activated any technique." Rosan tilted his head in confusion.

"Mod-chan?"

"One second…" Mod frowned, noticing the same things Robin noticed. It couldn't possibly be...

Activating Modification, the woman searched for any recent changes in his body and immediately froze at what she saw.

Almost at the same time, a wave of vertigo hit Rosan and he abruptly collapsed on his knees, much to the shock of everyone watching.

"ROSAN?! ARE YOU OKAY?!" Luffy shouted, rocketing forward towards his brother and immediately grabbing onto him. "W-Woah?! You're so hot!" He gaped, watching as the redhead's skin actually began steaming.

"That must be… because of the Philosopher's Stone," Rosan grunted, gazing at the smoke with half lidded eyes. "It's healing something right now but its going into overdrive and I'm not exactly —"

The redhead's statement was cut short by a harsh cough and they noticed that his cheeks were flushed a deep red, reminiscent of his own hair.

"It can't be… am I sick?" Rosan asked Mod-chan.

"...Yes," Mod said. "Modification saw a chance to improve your immune system drastically and allowed a virus on that island to successfully invade your body."

"What?!" Robin whispered in horror, much to the confusion of everyone there. "But Rosan's immune system is already amazing! If there's something that can get him sick then…"

"Then it's a good thing I'm the one who got it," Rosan interrupted, panting from exertion. The Philosopher's Stone constant healing was quickly draining him of his energy. "If anyone else here did, they'd be dead within hours."

"Rosan's sick?!" Luffy repeated in disbelief. "He's never gotten sick before! Ever!"

"What do we do?" Nami asked in concern. If Rosan was actually sick, even with Modification and his bodies natural strength, they'd need an actual doctor to heal him which was something no one here was equipped to do.

"I'll be fine… I just need to go to… Demon. He'll be able to patch me up," Rosan said, forcing himself up. "Modification: Save Poi —,"

The technique never activated because the redhead suddenly collapsed on the floor in a heap, body thudding unceremoniously.

"ROSAN!" Robin and Luffy screamed, quickly moving over to the redhead and hoisting him up.

Mod had gone radio silent but she was no doubt trying to ensure that her user was in no life threatening situation.

"SANJI, GO GET SOME WATER AND ANYTHING TO REPLENISH HIS ENERGY!" Nami barked, mind moving a mile a minute.

They needed to find a doctor and quick. Alabasta was too far right now and there was no telling what would happen to the redhead's condition in the time it got there.

Sanji saluted, worry on his face and he darted off to do that.

"It's fine…" Rosan strained. He looked up and everyone saw two bright glowing orbs in his eyes. "I'll be fine. My body will heal me in time and I'll be stronger than ever. I just need to rest and I will Purge it eventually…"

He shut his eyes and collapsed again. Thankfully, Robin and Luffy held the taller redhead up and they quickly moved him over to a bed to lie in. They went to the more neat Nami's room and after her approval, lied him down.

The Straw Hats, sans Sanji, quickly followed after and looked at the flushed face of the, for once, vulnerable redhead. His body was actively steaming and his eyes were shut tight as he panted harshly.

"So this is how it feels to get sick?" Rosan grunted, a wry smile crossing his features despite the situation. "I knew I was right to get you a doctor that time, Robin."

"Now's not the time for jokes, Rosan! If something's strong enough to get you sick, that's a serious issue!" Robin said, hastily removing his shirt so he could get some cool air on his body. He was burning up right now... a human should not be steaming like that.

"We need to find him a doctor!" Vivi decided resolutely. Alabasta could wait, the redhead needed help urgently.

The heat in the air seemed to amplify at that statement and they paused.

"No doctor is allowed to touch me besides Demon," Rosan suddenly said seriously, face set into a cold visage. "I don't trust them with my body. I will never trust them with my body."

They shuddered at that statement. Did something happen between Rosan and a Doctor...?

Nami and Robin knew exactly what he meant by that statement and their gazes turned soft.

"You need medical attention, Rosan!" Robin stressed, not willing to wield. "You need to see a doctor, I'll be there to watch you the whole time. Nothing will happen to you. You don't need to trust them. Trust me."

Rosan listened to her plea and hummed, before coughing again. Eventually he nodded his head. "Of course I trust you... I'll never doubt you again."

They sighed in relief at how easily he conceded and Sanji burst into the room with a glass of water. Handing it over to Robin, he said, "I'll go make some soup for him. Let him drink that slowly."

Robin pushed the glass to his lips and the redhead accepted it greedily, downing it quickly despite Sanji's warning.

She was too worried to chastise him so she didn't.

Rosan let out a sigh at the cool water and placed his head back on the pillow. "You guys... need to focus on not getting our ship sunk. Don't forget where we are."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of him," Robin assured them all and they nodded, reluctantly leaving the room.

"Don't die!" Luffy demanded, glancing worriedly at his oldest brother and closing the door behind him.

"It seems like no matter how much time passes, I'll always end up overly relying on you," Rosan coughed, smiling despite his current conditions.

Robin sighed in exasperation. "Getting sick sure has made your emotions flare up a lot."

"It's true…" Mod said tiredly. "I can't believe Modification saw it fit to let this virus enter your body. On the bright side, when you do heal from this you'll be immune to just about anything and if not, your body will quickly nullify it."

That meant his life wasn't in immediate danger.

"I guess this is good preparation for when the actual virus makes an appearance," Rosan mused, making Mod flinch back.

The sickly redhead regarded Robin with a heavy pant before coming to a decision. "Here, it should be easier to care for me if I'm like this."

"Hm?" Robin asked in confusion.

What was he planning now? Sick Rosan was already looking like he was as unpredictable as his days of being a child.

"Modify, Age: 4."

The Devil Child watched with shocked eyes, as the flushed redhead transformed into a near carbon copy of how he looked as a child. The only difference, were the heterochromatic eyes that little Rosan didn't have until he was nine.

"There you go," Rosan said, voice squeaky. He looked down and saw how large his baggy black pants were, before modifying it to make them fit.

"Stop overexerting yourself!" Robin demanded, grabbing a cool rag and placing it on his head. "You don't get to use Modification while sick, we both know how taxing it can be when your out of energy so just rest. I'll take care of you," she assured.

"Yes boss," he squeaked and Robin nearly cooed.

She forgot just how adorable Rosan was as a child.

"It's not transmittable so your fine to take care of him without catching anything," Mod said quietly.

She felt a little guilty, considering it was Modification that had gotten him sick. She would need to keep a closer eye on things like this in the future so that she could consult with Rosan.

While checking what was wrong, Mod had also been busy making sure Ram didn't have a full blown panic attack.

The ring was full blown sobbing at seeing her father actually get sick and the sight was so surreal, that Mod swiftly put her to sleep.

Hopefully she'd be calm after waking up. The girl was downright hysterical.

Nami quietly opened the door to her room with a plate of soup in her hand and made her way over to the duo.

She nearly dropped the plate at the sight of the tiny redhead. "R-Rosan?! What happened to you?"

H...He was so adorable!

"Oh, Nami," Rosan's childish voice rang out raspily. "I modified my age so that it would be easier to care for me. I was much smaller as a four year old compared to how I am at 24."

She resisted the urge to squeal at the Chibi Rosan and handed the soup over to Robin.

"We'll have to find an island soon and get you medical attention so hang tight, okay?" Nami requested, making her way back out to the deck.

The door shut, leaving just the two alone and Rosan let out a miserable sigh.

"I don't even think I can enter my mindscape right now," he grunted, pushing himself up to accept the food, only for Robin to gently lie him back down.

"I'm going to restrain you with my Devil Fruit if you keep moving," she warned, feeding him the soup.

"You know how restless I am… it was a nightmare for you and Mod-chan trying to get me to sleep because of how much energy I had," Rosan reminded them, getting fond smiles out of them.

"Such terrible times. You were such an annoying child but that's why we loved you," Robin teased.

"Oh the good days, I wish you had the energy to enter your mindscape, I want to sleep with all of you again," Mod giggled.

"Well, that's just a you issue. I don't suffer such things," Rosan taunted, opening his arms up. "Robin, come."

"You are so lucky you're sick or else you'd be suffering a headache," Mod deadpanned.

Robin rolled her eyes but acquiesced, getting in the bed with a quiet giggle and hugging the incredibly warm child.

"You're really hot," she muttered. It was a good thing she had spent years in the desert. Such heat was the norm.

"I've been told that many times over the years, so it's nothing new," Rosan coughed, wrapping his arms around her and almost instantly falling asleep.

Getting the last word in then going to sleep? He really was a piece of work…

...She missed him. She really missed him.

Clutching his tiny body closer to her, Robin decided she had been awake long enough and got herself ready for sleep.

"Goodnight, Robin," Mod said warmly, elation filling her body at the fact that she was here.

"Goodnight, Mod-chan," Robin replied happily.

The sick redhead snored quietly and idly buried his hot body deeper into Robin, getting a smile out of her and causing her to clutch him like a teddy bear.

Rosan was sick but he'd get better as long as they got him medical attention. He was actually here with her and that made her feel lighter then she felt in a very long time.

For the first time in 16 years, Robin fell asleep with a smile on her face.

---

Crocodile could admit that he was pretty easily annoyed.

He was not the most rational man around, but he prided himself on being able to keep some of his cool in situations. At least to the point where it didn't affect his battle sense.

Right now, when everything was finally coming together, was not one of those times.

Why?

Because Cipher Pol had Miss All Sunday, a woman who was necessary for his plans.

Of course someone as information heavy as him, knew about the secret agency. Crocodile had been a Warlord for years. It was an oversight on his part to not think that Cipher Pol was not hunting down Nico Robin of all people.

But that begged the question… if they knew to capture her, did that mean they would soon converge upon him? He would know if he was being watched beyond the appearances he made when saving the country from pirates and he was confident nobody but Nico Robin knew he was Mr. 0 now that those pirates were dead.

They would be suspicious if reports stated she was on Alabasta… but she had been evading the World Government for 20 years. He could play dumb when questioned and they'd believe it, lest they openly admit a pirate was better than them.

The only hiccup in that, would be if Nico Robin herself told them of his identity.

He wasn't foolish enough to think she'd keep that information to herself. There was no loyalty between the two. Their relationship was mutually beneficial, strictly hinging on what they could provide to each other.

Coupled with the fact that he needed her to read the Poneglyph…

"Mr. 13. Miss Friday. Send a message to Mr. 2 to sail out to Little Garden and intercept any ship that he sees for clues on Miss All Sunday's whereabouts… Even Mr. 3's. And have the millions keep an eye out for any Marine vessel," he ordered the attentive animals. He had been forced to reveal his identity to them due to Miss All Sunday not being here but that was fine.

Nico Robin was essential to him more than ever now. If the Marines interfered in his business before he discovered Pluton's location… he'd be in trouble.

Unfortunately, Nico Robin was the only one who could tell him where it was.

Just how long had Cipher Pol been watching her? Crocodile felt his paranoia rising at the thought that they could potentially come after him.

Perhaps he should shake some rust off… he wasn't as strong as he had been the days he had been sailing but with his current annoyance, he needed to let off some steam.

The animal agents, sensing his irritation, saluted and hastily went to give the letter to Mr. 2.

Unknown to Crocodile, once they finished that mission, they'd go and find Rosan immediately to get away from the man who, in his irritation, completely dehydrated the massive Banawani next to him.

It didn't even have time to scream and Crocodile glared dispassionately, eventually throwing the animal in the water so that it could hydrate again.

In his anger, he was attacking things around him and that just wouldn't do. It was about time he released some of his building anger so that he could commence Utopia without anymore hitches.

If Cipher Pol did decide to come after him… well Crocodile would show them a glimpse of the pirate he had been before settling down in this country.

---

Finally! We're here with Chapter 30! This is a big one but I couldn't stop writing! I hope you all don't mind.

Robin and Rosan are properly reunited and she's begun seeing his memories too! If you're interested, I'll be writing those as bonuses at the end of the next chapters!

Seeing as Robin is no longer apart of Baroque Works, things are going to get a bit crazy once we actually land in Alabasta!

Also, Rosan got sick instead of Nami! The reason Nami got sick was because her shirt was burned off when she got fully turned into a wax figure but that didn't happen here because Rosan put a stop to it immediately.

Unfortunately, Rosan himself left some skin exposed and his Devil Fruit saw a perfect opportunity... Also if he wasn't the one to get sick things would have become significantly easier and I wouldn't be able to justify going to Drum... so yeah.

Fun chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it. Next we'll be covering Drum Island and then we'll get to Alabasta, which I'll be covering in two chapters (It would have been three but I really didn't wanna so enjoy Part 2 being the longest chapter to date by like a mile... unless you do want me to split it into three parts).

That's all for now! Here's the title of the next chapter.

Chapter 31: Do Demon's Get Sick?