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!

8. Chapter 8: Reaper, The Angel of Death

Hey all! Sorry for the long wait but I'm here with Chapter 8 and it's a pretty big one (only chapter 5 is bigger!).

This one is going to delve into the creation of Rosan's alias and what he'll be using in the upcoming chapters!

The support of this story has honestly been really surprising and I appreciate it! Thank you all for reading it and I hope you enjoy the chapter. I'm always open to answer any questions or clear up confusions :).

Warnings: Violence, mentions of rape.

"Modification!" - Normal Speech

"Modification!" - Thoughts

"Modification!" - Mod

"Modification!" - Techniques

---

Descent

Chapter 8: Reaper, The Angel of Death

Watching Rosan practice above the ship, with his newly acquired wings, was her new favorite hobby, Meiko decided.

There was something enthralling about watching him repeatedly circle the air. It was like watching an Angel perform. The 9 year old looked amazing and Meiko idly wondered if she could get him to fly her around too.

After achieving Shinigami, Rosan had been seen practicing nearly nonstop with the obsidian black wings. The heterochromia said he wanted to accommodate himself with the newly acquired appendages and it also doubled as stamina training for the boy, due to him not being accustomed to flying.

"It's really incredible isn't it?" Meiko asked offhandedly to the approaching figure. She was still looking up at Rosan so she assumed that it was Demon.

Not hearing a response, the blonde glanced down and flinched at the royal purple eyes burning a hole into her.

Ah. This wasn't Demon, this was Angel. That would explain the silence.

Nervously, Meiko waved at the white clad clone and was not surprised in the slightest, to see no response.

No. Instead, she was rewarded with that same judgmental stare the clone seemingly loved fixing her with.

She really to wonder why the clone hated her so much...

Meiko sighed, preparing to watch Rosan from somewhere else but she abruptly stopped herself.

This wasn't fair! Why did she have to move just because the mean clone didn't like her? She had been nothing but nice to them both (even treating them like their own people!) and she had received nothing but scorn from the older clone of Rosan.

She was nice to Demon and in return, Demon was nice to her. So why did Angel hate her so much?

Determinedly, Meiko turned around to face the clone ready to give her a piece of her mind, only to lose all confidence at the questioning glare Angel shot at her.

No fair! She couldn't stand up to someone so intimidating and the clone knew it too, judging by the smug look in their eyes.

"Angel," a soft voice rang out catching both their attention. "That's quite enough, Meiko has done nothing to deserve such treatment," Demon said calmly, patronizing his twin.

Angel proved to be just as stubborn as Rosan however and crossed his arms pointedly looking away. "She's done enough," was his simple response.

Demon shook his head in exasperation. Seems like it wasn't the first time they had this argument and Meiko felt a surge of appreciation at the fact that the red eyed clone was defending her even when she wasn't around him.

Demon decided this time though, that enough was enough.

"I would be surprised, if Master hasn't already noticed your unnecessary contempt for her, Angel," Angel's eyes widened in dread as realization hit him. "I doubt you want him to be the one approaching you about your less then stellar personality before you're ready. It'll most likely lead to you being forced to tell him that."

That? What were they talking about?

Based on Angel's frightened expression, they didn't want Rosan knowing yet. Meiko wondered what it was but it wasn't her place to pry so she wouldn't pry. If they were hiding it from their Master, then she was definitely not privy to it.

Helpful soul that she was, she'd still try to offer her two cents though.

"Um…" Meiko began and flinched slightly as they both focused their attention on her. Steeling herself, she said "I won't ask about the specifics but...Rosan probably already knows that you're hiding something."

Seems that the thought had never crossed either of their minds.

The blonde watched them both pale slightly at the realization that Rosan probably did know.

Did they really think the redhead wouldn't know? Waving her hands, she frantically reassured "Don't worry! He's probably just waiting for you to approach him! I doubt he's upset with you guys but waiting too long will only make things worse on his side."

That calmed them down a tad, before Angel warily asked "How would you know that? We're literally clones of him and he hasn't shown any indication of knowing," and it was the truth. If Rosan did know, he was doing an incredible job at appearing ignorant to the fact.

Meiko smiled. It was the first time Angel spoke to her with something other then barely restrained contempt. "It's just a feeling I have," at their doubtful looks she sighed and decided to delve more into it. "Rosan is really observant, he's very good at detecting emotions and even I can tell how nervous you guys are. He might have picked up on it a while ago. Though, the fact he hasn't approached you guys about it, means he isn't too worried about it!"

They nodded, fear slowly vanishing, at her explanation. The twins stared at each as they deliberated something for a moment before nodding and turning towards her.

Could they read each other's mind? That was really cool! She'd like to be able to do that with Rosan someday…

"I'm sorry about Angel," Demon began. "She's been really stressed since she's gotten emotions and you and I, are the only people she can properly take it out on."

Angel bowed in apology while rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish expression.

Meiko grinned brightly and said "It's okay! I thought you really didn't like me and it was making me a bit sad. I'm glad it's just stress though! I can help you with… wait, she?"

---

Meiko now understood why Angel was so cranky all the time. They may have been a clone of Rosan, but Angel was also a girl.

The blonde girl could understand how being trapped in the wrong body, could lead to some resentment. The white clad clones attitude was somewhat justifiable, especially considering Meiko was a girl in the right body!

Still, their reaction when she asked why they hadn't just told Rosan, had been less then stellar.

Meiko was beginning to think that she was the only one on this ship who didn't fear Rosan. The clones were convinced that if they told Rosan that a clone of the boy identified as a girl, he would lose it and destroy the both of them! Meiko couldn't help the unladylike snort that left her at their sheer panic.

Honestly, they were being ridiculous! Rosan wasn't some merciless demon! The boy would be confused, but there was no way he'd destroy them over something so trivial.

It's no wonder they strove for perfection! They were of the opinion that Rosan saw no value in subjects that could not do their job right. The redhead wasn't like that at all! He valued the things that belonged to him and that included the clones. It's why he didn't have an army of clone Rosan's just running around causing havoc. It would undermine Angel and Demons value!

The clones really did allow their reverence for Rosan to cloud their judgment.

"Do you guys really think Rosan would throw you away based on something like this?" Meiko asked incredulously. The confused looks she got from the twins, made her realize they really did think that.

Okay. Clearly they were going to need her to be a medium for them. She could do that. She needed to do this because at this rate, Rosan really would start getting suspicious!

"Alright, I'll start the conversation with Rosan," Meiko told them suddenly. "I won't be able to tell him though, it'll make him upset with, if I'm the one telling your secret," she explained kindly. Rosan was an honest person and he preferred to handle things himself. As such, he expected others to be the same way when dealing with him.

Both nodded hesitantly, though they still looked unsure of the decision to just outright tell him. Meiko flashed a reassuring grin and said "Don't worry you two! If Rosan really does react badly, which I doubt, I'll convince him to keep you guys! You really are making a big deal out of nothing though, Rosan is surprisingly considerate!"

They relaxed, a bit more confident, and finally finished planning.

"Meiko…I wanted to apologize again for being such a bitch to you," Angel said and she actually looked ashamed at her rudeness. "It's just I was already in a cranky mood and seeing you get along so easily with Demon and Rosan, made me unjustifiably upset with you. I was wrong to think like that though. You're a genuinely sweet girl and from now on, I will support you in your endeavor for Master's heart!"

Meiko's face turned red as a tomato at the words of the white clad clone. "I-I d-don't know what you m-mean b-but thank you for your kind words! W-we should get prepared, Rosan will be on the way soon," were her embarrassed words, before she bolted away from the clearly amused clone.

"You were right Demon, teasing her really is fun!" Angel smiled at her twin.

"I told you. It's adorable seeing how red she can get," was Demon's cheeky reply.

---

Rosan landed to the sight of Angel, Demon and Meiko all awaiting his return. Willing his wings away, Rosan regarded them with curiosity.

They looked like they wanted to tell him something. Based on how nervous Angel and Demon were, it likely pertained to them. Meiko looked relaxed but determined, giving more validity to his claim. Was she there to protect them? From him?

"Mod-chan, how afraid are the twins of me?" Rosan asked her curiously with a raised brow.

"They are terrified of you, Rosan. They are of the opinion, that you'll discard them the moment they make a mistake," She replied softly.

Really now? Did he really give off such an air, that his own clones would be scared of him? Rosan figured clones of himself would know him better then anyone else but maybe that was not true. That was partially his fault, he hadn't made them with the intentions of being perfect copies of himself. They simply looked like him.

Well, best to dissuade them of such thoughts then.

"Oh? Are you ready to tell me about what you've been hiding?" Rosan asked curiously and his answers were questioned when his clones flinched backwards in shock. Were they truly unaware that he knew? Wow, fear really did cloud a person's judgement.

He was very aware that they were hiding something. They always looked like they had something to say before catching themselves and Rosan just pretended to ignore it. If they didn't want to tell him yet, then he'd wait for them to be ready.

As long as it didn't jeopardize anyone on the ships life, Rosan honestly didn't care.

The redhead decided against doing anything else as they opened and closed their mouth in disbelief. They were probably processing the fact that despite knowing, Rosan had still opted to leave them alive for committing a crime as great as hiding something from their Master.

Rosan saw Meiko glance over at the two in exasperation. The blonde had not seemed aware of what they were hiding before so maybe they had told her while he was flying? That had to have been it because the girl was terrible at keeping secrets.

"Rosan, Angel has something they want to tell you," Meiko told him bluntly, pushing his white clad clone forward. Rosan felt Angel's nervousness spike, as he focused his dual colored eyes on him and the boy tilted his head at the fear in his eyes.

Was he really that unapproachable?

"I'm not sure if you realized, but you have literally sprouted all black Angel wings, Rosan. You look like an actual Shinigami when you have your hoodie up as well so I think you already know the answer to that," Mod told him bluntly and Rosan hummed.

Fair.

"A-ah master!" Angel stammered and it only amplified as Rosan raised a brow at him. "I-I j-just wanted t-to inform you about s-something regarding m-myself," his purple eyed clone let out a sigh as he finished speaking. He looked at Rosan expectantly, as if afraid he'd shut him down.

When did he even give off the impression that they were expendable? Was it because of how easily he created them? Rosan frowned at that thought, which caused Angel to wince in fear as he thought it was directed towards him.

There was value in everything, especially things created by him. The 9 year old needed his clones to know how valuable they were to him, easily produced or not.

"Angel," Rosan began "I am not a tyrant. If I've ever given you a reason to believe otherwise, please notify me and we may talk about it. But, I believe I have been fair enough to label your reaction as unnecessary."

Both Angel and Demon had the decency to look ashamed at their reactions. "I-I'm sorry Master it's just…I don't really know where to even begin," Angel said, head held low.

"Try from the beginning," their leader told him patiently.

Rosan wasn't upset with them. He was actually more curious about what would cause them to have such a reaction.

Maybe they had killed someone?

"Right. The beginning," Angel said, before steeling himself. "Well it all started when Master Mod gave us the ability to feel. You're probably aware, but we didn't have emotions when we were first created. We were allowed to keep the ones granted to us due to your gracious nature, which we are eternally grateful for!" He said with a bow

Taking a deep breath, he continued by saying "It's just…well…how can I put this…" Rosan decided not to rush him and watched as Meiko, along with Demon, put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Rosan smiled to himself.

It was good to see them getting along. Angel, for whatever reason, harbored a strong dislike for Meiko and he had been about to confront the clone about the reason why.

Seems they figured out and solved their issues on their own though.

"Master," Angel spoke up again after a moment catching his attention "I've been extensively looking into my new personality and… I have deduced that I'm not a boy," he confessed while nervously looking at the floor.

Rosan blinked as he heard that.

Huh.

What?

"I'm sorry?" Rosan asked. Had he perhaps misheard his clone? No. Rosan and, by proxy, his clones wouldn't make a mistake like that.

"I'm not a boy Master, I'm a girl," Angel told him and he blinked in confusion. A clone of him was a girl? How did that even work? They should have been a near 1:1 copy of him even with the added personality given to them by Mod-chan. Had Mod-chan given Angel a personality that would make him (her now) more attuned to being a female?

"Mod-chan did you—"

"Nope, I simply gave them a personality. Gender preference was never in it," she interrupted him immediately, sounding terribly amused.

Well there was that question answered.

Rosan was genuinely perplexed. For one, he didn't know they even had preferred genders. The redhead wasn't really thinking about things like this when he created them. There was no intricacy when making them… he just wanted to spend as much time as possible with Doc and looting the island would cut into that.

Hence Angel and Demon being born.

Were they really afraid of telling him something like this? Rosan knew his clones feared him slightly, but this was ridiculous. Did they really think he'd throw them away at the slightest error? As much as the man influenced him, Rosan was not Doc.

He'd never be Doc.

Looking at them again, Rosan was surprised to see Angel with a resigned expression on her male face. Why? He hadn't even said anything yet…

Oh right, he hadn't said anything yet. They were probably jumping to unreasonable conclusions due to his silence. Angel probably thought he was about to destroy her if the look on her face meant anything. Demon even looked like he was about to intervene as well, if the way he was positioned indicated anything.

Even at the risk of himself, he'd defend his sister?

Rosan idly wondered if they got that from him, before discarding that thought. A good sibling wouldn't leave their infant brother alone with a stranger.

"…" Mod-chan frowned at his negative thoughts.

Rosan stopped thinking such thoughts and focused on the topic at hand. He should probably do something about this. He'd have to fix the error inside of Angel.

The dual eyed boy began walking towards his older clone with a purpose and her eyes widened at the grave look in his eye. She wanted to take a step back, but she was rooted firmly to her spot with .

Demon, fear visible on his face, stepped in front of her ready to sacrifice himself first.

Meiko watched all this transpire with confusion clear on her face.

As Rosan approached them, he spoke up. "Demon, please move aside. My concerns lie with Angel," he politely commanded but his black clad clone didn't move an inch.

"Master...I can't let you get any closer to Angel," he said resolutely and blood red stared into red and purple. Rosan and his clones were the same height but Demon felt so much smaller looking into the dual eyes of his creator.

Angel violently snapped out of her reverie due to the fact that her brother was putting himself in the face of certain death. "Demon, move! He doesn't have a problem with you so please don't throw your life away!" she pleaded but Demon shook his head and stayed there.

"Admirable," Rosan began praising him, before saying "But Demon, that wasn't a request. Move."

Demon could only watch in horror, as his body moved against his will and stepped aside leaving Angel exposed to Rosan. Dread pooled in his stomach as he watched his Master stare down his sister.

He was about to witness her die and there was nothing he could do about it. Worst of all, his Master, who he viewed as his king, was going to be the one to do it.

This couldn't be happening. This had to be some sick joke. His revered leader killing his twin? The thought made Demon nauseous.

Angel knew this was bound to happen eventually. She just hoped that Rosan didn't get upset with Demon because he had tried to intervene. Her little brother just wanted to protect her...she didn't know what she would do if her twin died because of her.

Standing face to face with Rosan, Angel could see the tell tale sign of Modification. Glowing eyes stared into resigned purple. His face remained blank, not betraying any thoughts.

Rosan slowly raised his left hand and inched it closer and closer to her. "Master please!" She heard Demon plead but Rosan ignored him in favor of closing the distance between them. This close, she could smell the scent of flowers that her Master always had.

It smelt nice, pleasant.

Closing her eyes, Angel accepted her fate. She resisted the urge to flinch as Rosan's soft hand made contact with her cheek. His body radiated heat, but it was cool to the touch.

It was rather jarring.

"Modification:…," She heard him begin and Demon's panic was palpable through their connection. Angel sent him a warm, loving, pulse and his fear only intensified.

She was gonna miss him.

"...Swap."

...

Death didn't feel much different from living. Actually maybe it felt even better! Angel could still breathe and think normal. The female clone wasn't aware that she could even go to the afterlife…her body even felt different too! It felt right-

Wait… she wasn't dead?

Hesitantly, Angel opened her eyes again to look at the amused gaze of her Master. His dual eyes glowed in mirth and he removed his hand from her cheek.

Meiko couldn't hold it in any longer and she started laughing uncontrollably causing both Angel and Demon shot her an incredulous look. The girl was clutching her belly, as she gasped out "R-Rosan who knew you could be so playful?!"

Their leader let out an amused snort. "Did you two really think I'd kill you over something as trivial as you wishing to swap genders? Do you take me for some type of Devil?" Rosan asked, actually looking annoyed.

"Fear is healthy, fear is necessary for survival. But fearing me to such an extent…it's offending. You two are my subordinates and any subordinate of mine, is valuable. It's why I have only you two," He chastised and they both looked ashamed of themselves.

Meiko decided to intervene "Rosan... he's a bit cruel, but he would never destroy you just because you want to be a girl, Angel. Despite how he acts, Rosan is actually kind of a sweetheart! All you had to do was tell him and he'd help you!"

They looked at her in disbelief. Rosan? A sweetheart? Even Rosan looked surprised by her statement, if the way his brow raised indicated anything.

"Meiko, how did you know I wasn't planning on killing her?" Rosan asked curiously, with a tilted head and the blonde gushed.

Angel and Demon looked shocked at Rosan's question. Did Meiko know from the beginning that their leader wasn't going to kill her?

"There's no way you would kill her over something like this Rosan!" Meiko said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. To make matters worse, Rosan was nodding along at her reasoning, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Did that...make them stupid?

"Well, Angel," Rosan began, catching her attention. "I hope in the future, you won't be so reluctant to tell me something like this. Efficiency is important after all. I am your creator, but that does not mean you should treat me as some untouchable God. Besides… what is the point in worshiping a God who won't even hear out your concerns?" He asked and Angel felt a weight get lifted off her shoulder at those words.

...He was right. Angel and Demon were being stupid and they had put Rosan on a pedestal that he didn't tell them to put him on. He had even allowed them to keep their personalities because he didn't want them to be mindless slaves!

She felt really silly at the moment.

Rosan agreed with her if the knowing look in his eye indicated anything. He let out a snort and Angel blushed in shame. "I hope we can be more honest with each other in the future. Enjoy your new body," was all he said and he inclined his head.

Enjoy her new body?

Angel gasped as she looked down and saw the changes that took place. She was a couple inches shorter now with a small bulge around her chest area. Her ponytail had grown from shoulder length to around mid back and the spikes in her hair smoothed out slightly. Her eyelashes became longer and her lips a bit thicker. Her already soft expression somehow became even softer due to the transformation.

"Wow Angel, you look amazing!" Meiko cheereed excitedly. "Is this how Rosan would look if he was a girl? I'm kinda jealous…" she mumbled and Angel felt a dust of red fleck her cheeks.

"She is not an exact replica of how I would look as a female because it's apparent that she is her own person. We bear a large amount of similarities but she has key details that makes her Angel," Rosan informed the starry eyed Meiko.

Meiko whirled on Rosan as he said that. "Doesn't that mean you know how you would look if you were a girl?" She demanded and their clones raised a brow at the validity of the statement.

Rosan simply said "I would rather not answer that question," and left it at that. Meiko whined and kept pestering him but he remained steadfast in his response. The only sign he was even acknowledging what she was saying, was the small smile on his face and the slight glow in his eyes.

Rosan he— Angel felt so dumb for ever fearing her master. He was right, the 9 year hadn't personally done anything to warrant the degree of fear that they felt. They had unjustly labeled him as a terror due to his actions on Daybreak but he had never directed that rage to them...

All she had to do was tell him about her problems and he would have tried to help. Even if he disagreed with the notion that Angel was a girl, the boy would not destroy her. That wasn't the type of person he was. Rosan was pretty open to things like this, that's why he was so good at Modification.

Angel would never doubt him again.

She felt tears brimming and before she could stop herself, the female clone engulfed Rosan in the tightest hug she could muster. Rosan let out a grunt of surprise and her actions caught up to her.

Hastily, she stepped back with wide eyes. "I-I'm sorry Master I don't know what came over me it's just, I'm really happy and I couldn't really control myself! Next time, I'll be able to control myself but for now, please punish me as you see fit!" She bowed lowly, accepting any punishment that would come her way.

After a moment of silence, she looked up only to be greeted by Rosan and Meiko's deadpan stare. "Sorry Master…old habits die hard," she sheepishly rubbed her head and her fellow redhead simply sighed with a shake of his head.

"It's fine. Like I told Meiko, I don't mind being hugged by you guys. I'm just not used to it at the moment. Forgive me if I am a little stiff, I'm still trying to get accustomed to positive contact," Rosan said apologetically and she nodded in complete understanding. "Though… in your excitement Angel, you seem to have forgotten someone," he pointed out.

Angel yelped as she was scooped up and engulfed in a bone crushing hug. Her expression turned warm as she felt the pure relief radiating off of her twin brother and without hesitation, she returned the hug. "I thought I almost lost you…" her twin mumbled and she whispered reassuring words to him.

"Sorry about that Demon," Rosan tilted his head with a hand on his chin. "I was feeling a bit mischievous so I figured I'd mess with you three. Meiko was able to catch on immediately though... so it was really just you two," the redhead hummed curiously.

"I figured it would be funny to show you both how silly your fear is. Perhaps I went overboard?"

Angel and Demon both sweatdropped at his contemplation. Overboard was a bit of an understatement. That prank was way too cruel!

"Well whatever the case, it all worked out well. You two don't need to worry, the only reason I'd ever actually destroy you both would be if you betrayed me. I do not tolerate traitors," Rosan explained easily.

The twins nodded at that. There was nothing to fear then, they were completely loyal to Rosan and Mod.

"You two have a special bond," the Mod Mod no mi user suddenly told them. "Cherish it with your lives. Prioritize it, even over your loyalty for me. Having someone willing to protect you, despite fear paralyzing them, is a precious relationship worth savoring," Rosan finished and they widened their eyes at what his words.

Master he was…he was the best!

"Yes Master!" They chanted at the same time bowing deeply to the boy.

Rosan nodded, finally satisfied and prepared to leave. Meiko, predictably, followed right behind him and decided to strike up a conversation.

"Do you want some tea Rosan?" Meiko teased with an impish grin. "You don't normally talk that much so it must be bad on your throat."

"Do you know how to swim Meiko?" Rosan asked in return and the girl immediately stopped talking. The redhead resisted the urge to snort as she pouted at him.

He knew her too well.

"Rosan, who's Master Mod?" Meiko suddenly asked him, remembering a part of the conversation where Angel mentioned a "Master Mod". Rosan paused and she followed suit.

Right, he never told Meiko about Mod-chan, just that his fruit was Modification.

"There's no harm in telling her about me. Maybe one day, she can even come to the mindscape!" Mod said and he could tell that she was beaming.

Rosan couldn't resist the urge to snort. Mod-chan was not being subtle about how much she liked the blonde. At Meiko's questioning glance, Rosan decided there would be no harm in telling her.

"Master Mod is Mod-chan," Rosan began, continuing to walk and she followed. "Long story short, she's the voice inside my head. In a more detailed description, she's the Devil Fruit that I ate and she has been watching over me since I was 4 years old," he finished with a fond smile. They had been together for a majority of his life now and he never regretted it.

"Oh stop!" Mod said with bright blush on her face.

Meiko's blue eyes gleamed as she heard about his closest friend. "Can she hear everything we talk about?" At Rosan's nod she asked in rapid succession "What does she think about me? Will I ever be able to meet her? Oh! How does she look?!"

Rosan silenced her with a raise of his hand. "Mod-chan actually really likes and appreciates you for treating me normally, despite everything. She's quite fond of you and has been wanting to meet you for a bit."

Meiko blushed in happiness at Rosan's words and waited patiently for him to answer her other questions.

"You can figure out how she looks when you meet her. As for when you can meet her… I don't see the harm in bringing you to her right now," Rosan mused while cupping his chin.

Meiko was excited but curious. How could he bring her to Mod-chan? Wasn't she a voice inside of his head?

"Follow me to my room," Rosan decided and Meiko hastily followed after the shorter boy.

It was honestly adorable how short he was. Meiko wasn't the tallest around and if she got her mother's height, she wouldn't be tall ever but she would enjoy looking down at Rosan while it lasted. She wondered how tall he would be when puberty inevitably struck the 9 year old.

Her face felt a bit hot imagining an older Rosan and she slapped her own cheeks.

Best to focus on other things... Like his room.

Meiko liked entering Rosan's room, it was spacious and felt like she was in his sanctuary. It was like she could get a glimpse of him with his guard down, when he stepped in here. The way his shoulders relaxed a bit and the tiny exhale he let out, made her smile warmly.

The room was far larger then the exterior suggested and it's flowery scent wafted easily through the air. She idly noted, that the bounty of Nico Robin was missing from the stand. Meiko really wanted to know more about their relationship… but she would hold off until they got closer. Though, the 11 year old felt like she was making amazing progress with him!

She would go as far as to say Rosan was fond of her!

"You may want to lay on my bed," Rosan suddenly told her and she froze.

W-w-what?! Lay on his bed?! S-so soon!

This went a little past fond!

"R-Rosan aren't we moving too fast?!" A bright red Meiko, asked him. S-sleeping on the same bed as him w-was indecent! She liked him b-but she had limits!

"What are you talking about… oh," Rosan realized with wide eyes.

"Meiko that's not what I meant at all," the boy said, sounding uncharacteristically flushed. "Where exactly is your mind taking you? I just wanted you to get comfortable for what I'm about to do."

Meiko blushed even deeper. "Rosan you pervert!" The blonde exclaimed, with her hands on her cheeks. She didn't think the boy was so perverted! She was flattered b-but they were too young!

To her shock, a tiny dust of red appeared on Rosan's cheeks and Meiko squealed at how cute the sight was. "Y-you," Rosan stammered and Meiko couldn't resist the urge to engulf the shorter boy in a hug.

"Don't worry Rosan! Even though you're a pervert, you're really adorable!" The blonde gushed and she ignored Rosan's urge to throttle her.

"You're as big of a pervert as your mother, Meiko," Rosan sighed, defeated before forcing them both down on the bed.

Before she could tease him even further, he said "Modification, Link: Users Rosan, Meiko," and she shut her eyes at the sudden vertigo.

---

When Meiko opened her eyes, she was shocked to see an expanse of green instead of wood. The deck of the ship had a lot of grass on it, but this was too much. Looking around, she came to the conclusion that she was not even on the ship anymore.

The area she was in was so full of nature, it was just breathtakingly beautiful. Large healthy trees covered much of the area and she was under one currently, completely shielding her from the constant downpour of rain.

Was she inside of a rainforest? How did Rosan get her here?

"Welcome to my mindscape," a familiar voice rang out and she looked to the side to see Rosan right next to her. The boy was looking at the rain with a slightly cathartic expression on his face and he didn't even flinch as the drops impacted him.

Rosan seemed to thoroughly enjoy the rain. Maybe it reminded him of his freedom?

"Mindscape? What's that?" Meiko asked curiously. Rosan faced her, with that same expression, and told her.

At Rosan's explanation, Meiko felt her eyes bug. A physical representation of a person's mind? One that only he could seemingly activate? That was incredible!

Rosan agreed with her, if the way he puffed up slightly was an indication.

"Follow me, I want to introduce you to Mod-chan," the redhead said, walking without hesitation into the rain. Meiko was surprised to see him look and sound so relaxed! He acted so unlike how he usually did and she much preferred the way he acted now.

The boy was normally rigid and tense, like a frozen wall. She was so used to seeing cold indifference, that seeing him so… loose was a welcome surprise.

He paused as he noticed she wasn't following him and sighed. Turning back, he materialized an umbrella and handed it to her.

She accepted it with a beaming grin (that Rosan rolled his eyes at) and followed after the wet boy. Idly she noted that the redhead's hair was no longer in a bun. Instead, he let it run freely and his red spikes were matted down by the rain.

"You should let your hair down more often Rosan," Meiko said speaking over the patter of the rain. "I really like it like that," she gushed. Seeing his hair in a bun, kind of felt like he was hiding who he was in a way! With his hair down, Rosan felt more like himself.

At least, that's what Meiko thought.

"I normally keep it in a bun for combat purposes but…I can see about letting it flow free in the future," he replied.

She smiled happily at the fact that he was listening to her and they continued to walk in a comfortable silence. Eventually, they made their way to a large, hot pink house. It looked about two stories high and was surrounded by many flowers and fruits. The trees around the house were much shorter and it looked like a perfectly maintained garden.

Meiko looked at it with glittering eyes. The house looked incredible! She could tell a lot of care went into the surrounding area and she appreciated the efforts of whoever did.

Rosan entered without knocking and proceeded to wet the entire floor. The boy looked at the floor for a moment, before continuing to walk without a care in the world. Meiko rolled her eyes at the boys rudeness.

"You should have dried off first, Rosan!" Meiko slightly admonished her crush, who simply shrugged in response.

"She's right, Rosan," A soft, feminine voice agreed with her. It sounded wise and playful all in one. It was very soothing to the ears and Meiko felt herself instinctively relaxing. The blondes gaze snapped up towards the approaching figure and she gaped. "You can make an umbrella at will, yet you choose to hassle me so," she finished.

"Can't help it Mod-chan, the feeling of the rain on my skin, feels good," was Rosan's easy going response and Meiko stared, shocked at how at ease the redhead was.

The now dubbed Mod-chan was a sight to behold. Long purple hair framed a bronze (a shade lighter than Rosan's), heart shaped face with striking crimson, not unlike Rosan's, pupiless eyes. She was taller then them both by a fair margin and was donned in a long black dress with white on the edge of her arm sleeves and at the bottom of her dress. Her nails alternated between purple and red paint and her bare feet were similar. The woman's plump lips were formed into a small smile and she happily regarded the two of them.

Meiko couldn't resist gawking at the woman standing before her. She was that gorgeous!

Meiko turned scarlet as she realized she said that out loud. Oh Kami, that was so embarrassing!

The lady flushed, mumbled a low "Thank you," and bashfully looked away with an endearing smile on her face. She felt Rosan's amusement, as the boy drank up her sudden shyness.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't realize I said that out loud! I didn't mean to embarrass you," Meiko frantically apologized. The woman fought off her blush and waved her off.

"I-It's fine. I thought I got used to Rosan's compliments, but it seems I'm not as adept as I thought I was," she mused, still a bit red faced. She coughed a bit and decided to properly greet the girl.

"Meiko I'm so glad to finally be meeting you! I am Modification but you can call me Mod. I'm Rosan's Devil Fruit and I've granted him the abilities of the Mod Mod no mi," the purple haired woman smiled warmly at the girl and extended one of her manicured hands.

Grasping the offered hand, Meiko smiled up at the woman and said "It's so nice to meet you Mod-chan! I'm Suzuki Meiko and I'm 11 years old! I like helping people, learning new recipes, and spending time with Rosan! Did you decorate this house? It looks incredible!"

Surprisingly, Mod shook her head no and told her "Rosan is the one who decorated everything actually."

Surprise bloomed on Meiko's face as she looked at Rosan in disbelief.

"What?" Rosan asked "Is it that surprising that I'm the one who designed everything?"

The 9 year old looked genuinely offended at her shock and he looked away in annoyance.

Meiko smiled brightly at how less guarded Rosan acted in his mindscape. He looked so much more genuine and comfortable around his long time partner!

She secretly hoped he would one day be this comfortable around her.

Meiko learned a lot about Mod-chan and Rosan's relationship in her time here. The woman had been with Rosan since he was 4 years old and Meiko laughed hysterically, as she was told about the tale of him eating her without the knowledge of what she was and nearly tearing up at her foul taste. Rosan blushed in embarrassment at the memory and mumbled "It looked good," which only caused her to laugh harder.

Her gaze softened as she heard of how Rosan had extended his hand to the woman and how, disregarding the fact she was inside of him, they were inseparable. She loved hearing about the dynamic duo and how Mod-chan did everything to protect little Rosan.

He sounded like he had been such a headache to deal with!

Rosan watched the genuine happiness on both their faces and allowed himself to smile as well. Meiko and Mod-chan got along scarily well. The two spoke to each other as if they were old friends and Rosan didn't know if that was a good thing for him or not. He was leaning more towards the second option due to Mod-chan and her sudden love of teasing him.

Meiko especially loved hearing tales about his escapades. Who knew that Rosan was so reckless?! Attacking an entire ship when he was 4? Raiding a groups personal island? Using a hand cannon to destroy part of a forest because he saw a giant lizard? That one in particular got a deep blush out of the boy.

She couldn't picture the calm and collected Rosan as such a wild person. He sounded like he was crazy! She just gaped at Rosan the entire time Mod-chan regaled her with tales. Worst of all, the boy didn't deny anything! He just sat there with a faint blush on his cheeks, demeanor screaming guilty.

All of this was true?!

"Rosan did you really do all of these? I didn't think you were so insane!" Meiko exclaimed in glee. Rosan didn't say anything but offered her a nod and she laughed in joy. Meiko didn't think learning about Rosan's past would be so fun but here she was.

"He is isn't he? He used to give me and Robin so much trouble—" Mod cut herself off as she realized her mistake.

The atmosphere turned a bit tense as silence washed over them all. Rosan's lips were slightly pursed and Mod-chan looked guilty. Meiko was confused at the sudden shift but remained silent.

Was talking about Robin a sore spot for them?

Rosan let out a soft sigh and said "We've been here long enough Meiko, let's go for now okay?"

Mod-chan looked a bit upset, so Rosan got up to give her a warm hug. She looked surprised but gratefully returned the hug back. "Don't be upset Mod-chan, I'm not mad or anything. It's just this silence is awkward," Rosan told her bluntly.

She nodded in agreement, still wrapped in a hug, and said warmly "You're right, we've been here long enough and you two need to eat something before going to sleep."

Meiko felt her heart warm at the sight of how close the two were. She had thought Rosan had no one to trust but she was wrong!

As long as he had Mod-chan, he would never be alone.

Angel and Demon, Mod and Rosan... Meiko was envious that they were able to have such a strong bond with each other. It hurt to admit, but she felt a tad isolated…

Maybe she was the one who had no one?

Meiko shook her head vigorously at the negative thoughts. She should stop thinking like that, it wouldn't be very good for her. The blonde lightly slapped her cheeks for good measure.

Looking up, she saw both Rosan and Mod staring at her with an unreadable look in their eyes. She flushed at the 2 set of eyes on her. Had they seen that? She should at least try to explain herself.

She yelped as Mod-chan suddenly grabbed her and engulfed her. She was crushed into the taller woman's frame, as Mod-chan hugged her warmly. She flushed but hugged the pretty lady back. She smelt sweet and Meiko felt safe in her grip.

"Meiko," she heard Rosan say. Looking at him she saw a bit of sympathy in his gaze "If you ever feel isolated, feel free to come to me. You were there to offer me reprieve, during my dark times, so I'll be here to return the favor," he said, voice uncharacteristically warm.

How had he known?

"Rosan is an empath… he's good at knowing how people feel. He may be a bit harsh, but he does value the feelings of people he cares about. You don't have to worry about being alone as long as he's here because he knows that feeling well," Mod informed her with a small smile on her pretty face.

Meiko felt tears brimming her eyes at the sincerity of their words.

She didn't think Rosan cared for her very much but he did and that made her happier then she could have thought! The boy was just bad at showing it but it probably wasn't like this before. Meiko felt her heart constrict at the thought that the redhead really did care for her.

"C-can I come back here, Rosan?" She shyly asked him.

To her relief, Rosan nodded without hesitation. "Even if I said no, Mod-chan is spoiled and that woman has already decided to practically adopt you. You're welcome here anytime," he told her.

Mod puffed her cheeks in outrage at the boys words. "I'm spoiled?! The boy who will throw a fit if we don't go along with his plans is calling me spoiled?" Honestly, the nerve of this little brat to completely ignore his own actions!

Rosan smirked cheekily and said "My plans are amazing, Mod-chan. I'm not throwing a fit. I'm trying to help the less intelligent understand why it's good to go with my idea." He froze as he realized the mistake he made and the temperature immediately dropped in the room.

"Are you calling me less intelligent?" Mod asked, with a serene smile on her pretty face. Meiko saw right through it and knew if Rosan answered incorrectly he was in a world of pain.

"No, I did not say that," Rosan automatically said sensing imminent danger in the form of his sister figure.

"So who were you referring to?" Mod asked, still smiling. Somehow, she was directing a piercing gaze towards Rosan with her blood red eyes closed.

"…" Rosan was about to compliment her, but she immediately said "Don't try to worm your way out of this with a compliment, Rosan," and the boy closed his mouth. Well...maybe he could still compliment her.

"Don't you dare," Mod warned

Meiko felt a pulse through their connection and, though Rosan was not looking at her, she could feel his intentions.

She was too nice for her own good. Rosan was lucky she was here because anyone else would have let this unfold.

"Mod-chan," the woman in question looked at her and she took that as her cue to continue. "Boys they can pretty dumb so they don't really think about what they say until they say it!" Rosan sent her a scathing glare but she ignored it, a warning pulse shut him down immediately and he reluctantly shut his mouth.

"Rosan probably didn't mean it like that but hes a dummy, so it came out wrong," she reassured the adult woman. Mod adopted a thinking pose, with the girl still in her grasp, and she thought about what the 11 year old said.

"You're absolutely correct, Meiko," Mod-chan nodded at her explanation, seemingly satisfied. "I have to keep in mind that Rosan just isn't as smart as the two of us," she sighed sadly, thinking about the unlucky reality that was Rosan's gender.

Rosan looked like he really wanted to say something, but he smartly held his tongue at the warning smile Mod shot at him.

Soon they couldn't keep up the facade any longer and they all began laughing. Even Rosan joined in with his boyish chuckles. It sounded so pure and Meiko was blinded by a fleeting image of what Rosan used to be. She was left a little breathless at the sight of him grinning with those sharp fangs of his.

He looked so innocent in that moment...

Meiko couldn't resist anymore and reached out to drag the boy into the hug, catching him off guard. The redhead tried to protest but after a moment, he stopped and began hugging them back.

The blonde blushed fiercely and they both teased her about it. She ignored it all though in favor of the overwhelming happiness she felt.

It was the first time Rosan had ever hugged her back.

---

"This island doesn't look very inviting," Rosan idly said. He was standing on the ledge of the ship, as he watched the approaching island, with a calculating gaze. "Stop the ship right here," he suddenly commanded. "I don't want the White Rose anywhere near this place, in case things go south."

He felt the ship stop at his orders and turned to face his 3 allies. "You 3 stay here. I'll scout this island myself and make sure it's safe for us. We still have plenty of supplies so it's not the end of the world if we can't dock here," he informed them calmly.

Angel and Demon nodded at what he said and Meiko looked a bit relieved. She probably felt the bad vibes from this island as well so Rosan didn't want her stepping close to it.

The redhead had begun feeling rather protective of the girl ever since she started regularly entering his mindscape and he'd be damned if he let her go with him.

If there was any danger present on this island, he'd ensure it didn't get to her.

"Maneuver the ship to a safe location. Remain hidden until I return," the redhead ordered. "Have some fun and don't bully Demon too badly okay?" Rosan told them, already dressed in his guise with his obsidian wings out.

At their nods, the black clad figure flapped once, twice and took off towards the island.

The three looked at his rapidly fading figure for a moment. They stood there for a while until he vanished from view.

After a moment of silence, Meiko broke it.

"Wanna put makeup on Demon to see how he'll look?" she asked Angel. "Rosan normally looks so good without makeup, I think we can make him look better," the blonde reasoned

"…Yes I do," She answered, after a moment of deliberation. "I agree, Master does have an attractive face. It plays a big part in why I look this good," she sniffed haughtily and the girl puffed up.

"Despite being different genders you still look really similar… I wonder if we can replicate your appearance on Demon's face!"

"It should be easy until we hit puberty. We still look like identical twins at the moment."

Demon sweatdropped as they both fixed their gaze on him. "Don't I have a say on what you two do to my body?" he asked them both, already knowing there was no hope.

"Nope," They replied simultaneously and they dragged him off.

Demon simply sighed in defeat. Getting double teamed by the girls seemed like it was going to be a normal occurrence now.

How fun.

---

"How depressing," was Rosan's first thought as he walked through Fregate Island and observed the people there.

The Shinigami had recently landed on the island in an unoccupied clearing and had quickly made his way to where he had seen people. He made sure his face was properly shielded from view and folded his wings, putting them in a resting position. Rosan had no intentions of recalling his wings, in this disguise they would always be out so he could easily get away in case something unfolded.

After walking for a few minutes, he was beginning to think that this island wasn't worth it.

There weren't much inhabitants but what few it did have, were broken and seemed to have lost all the will to live. That didn't stop them from shooting the disguised boy a wary look so good on them. Rosan wondered if it was because they couldn't see how he looked or because he had massive wings resting on his back.

"Probably both," Mod-chan supplied unhelpfully and the boy internally snorted.

The island itself was quite surprising, it didn't look like it should have such an atmosphere. It was wealthy looking, if that massive castle in the background was an indication and each building looked far larger then he expected. If anything, Rosan expected the island to be full of self-absorbed pricks.

Just what was going on with this place?

Walking up to a vendor, Rosan watched the old man perk up slightly at his approach. He looked nervous, as the black clad figure approached him but held hope at the prospect of a customer.

Rosan took one look at his merchandise and raised a brow. This naturally went unseen.

"All of this is expired," Rosan told the elderly individual, pointing at the fruits in the stand.

The old man looked slightly ashamed and said in a raspy tone "Trust me lad, if I had anything better to sell I would but this is all I've got."

The masked boy hummed in curiosity. "Let me guess, you're hoping I'm going to be a kind soul and then you plan on charging me an outrageous price, right?" his shocked silence was all the confirmation Rosan needed.

Rosan was not a charity case, he wouldn't give this man free beri for some spoiled goods. He didn't care about the problems of the people on this island. They could deal with it themselves.

Turning around, the 9 year old prepared to leave the man behind to scam someone else.

"P-please wait a moment!" he heard the raspy tone call to him but he ignored it. There was nothing left he wanted to say to the man. He had been hoping for information at the minimum but if everyone was like this, he'd be closer to killing them then getting anything.

He glanced around a bit, shook his head, and decided to go back to the ship. They needed to prepare to set sail for the next island; Fregate island was a bust, there was no need to dock here. Distantly he heard the old man still calling for him and he had to respect the tenacity.

"What's will all the ruckus?" A grating voice suddenly called out giving him pause.

Craning his head in the direction of the voice, Rosan was greeted with the sight of 2 bland men with sabers resting at their hips. They were thuggish in appearance but otherwise, they weren't notable enough for him to take stock of.

That didn't mean they hadn't gotten his full attention though.

"Is the old man trying to scam someone else again?" Thug 1 asked with an amused tone, shooting a glance at the petrified vendor. Said old man was rooted to his spot and he began sweating profusely.

Nervous but resigned? How interesting. Maybe this island could be of use after all, if the crowd steadfastly ignoring this was anything to go by.

"Was last time not enough of a reminder for you old man? Trying to get pity out of visitors hasn't worked for you before so why do you keep trying. Maybe that last beating you got rattled the last couple of brain cells outta your skull," Thug 2 chortled, as Thug 1 laughed at his joke.

"N-no it's nothing like that I swear! It's just ever since Lord Arata has taken over things have been hard for all of us! I'm just trying to make ends meet —" The old man tried to speak but was smacked harshly by Thug 1.

"Keep Lord Arata's name out of your mouth filth. Especially if you aren't praising him," he warned the old man, who could only nod fearfully, tears welling at his eyes.

Rosan watched all this transpire with a blank expression on his masked face. He had no interest in helping this man. It had nothing to do with him and he had just tried to scam the boy.

Satisfied at the successfully cowed man, Thug 1 focused his attention on Rosan. He let out a short whistle as he appraised the mysterious figure "I haven't seen you around these parts before," he began looking the much shorter individual up and down.

Rosan didn't say anything, as he just stared back.

"Visitors have to pay a fee on this island. I don't think that'll be an issue, right?" the man asked and the redhead raised a brow, though it remained unseen.

A visitors fee? What was with this island and trying to milk him of his money? The old man at least looked the part of being poor and was likely unable to provide for themselves. These 2 looked more than healthy enough. This was a rather poor attempt at trying to take his beri. Was it because he was short? He doubted they'd try this if he were taller.

Fine, he would entertain them for a bit then.

"How much is the fee?" He asked softly, tone not betraying anything. They looked at each other in surprise before smiling greedily.

Hm. So they didn't have a set price in mind. It also looked as if they hadn't expected him to comply so easily because their stance loosened up.

"1 million beri," Thug 2 told him and 1 nodded along at the price. The people around (they had begun listening when the 2 thugs showed up) gasped at the price but immediately quieted at the threatening gazes shot their way.

A divide amongst the people maybe? Maybe killing these two, would garner positive reactions because to try and extort such an exorbitant price out of him, deserved nothing but a meeting with his blade.

Just who did they think they were, trying to get 1 million beri out of him? Did they really think that would work?

"You want me to pay 1 million beri just because I'm a visitor?" Rosan asked. They nodded, not seeming to sense the danger they were in at all. He didn't blame them, Rosan's tone hadn't changed since he had begun speaking but his word choice was rather obvious.

Whatever, idiots only died faster.

"Whoever implemented this visitors fee, must be quite lacking in the intelligence department," Rosan tested and they predictably darkened. The boy smiled darkly under his mask at their reaction.

Rosan found that he quite liked manipulating people. Ever since the redhead had wrapped Sachie around his finger, the thrill of making someone do what he wanted, unintentionally, filled him with a dark glee.

Brandishing their weapons, Thug 1 said in a threatening tone "Are you calling Lord Arata stupid? There are serious consequences to that!"

Rosan tilted his head and asked "Lord Arata? Is he the reason the people of this island are so depressed and defeated? Are you charging them these impossible prices and threatening them if they don't have it? Some Lord."

The two bland thugs went red with rage at his reply. Snarling, Thug 2 said "Don't ya dare disrespect him like that. Lord Arata is a great man! You wouldn't understand his goals and motives."

"I don't think I want to nor do I care to try," was Rosan's stony response. Internally though, his mind was running at the possibilities of what could be done.

Rosan carefully observed the way the crowd reacted at what the thug said. They flinched whenever Lord Arata was mentioned and the fear on their face when he talked about the man, was all Rosan needed to know.

Arata was an unwanted guest. One that they desperately wanted gone.

He smiled to himself a plan already stewing. Oh he could work with this.

"I like this plan, only benefits and no negatives that affect you. I didn't think you were capable of such a thing," Mod teased, with a grin on her face.

"Reckless they may be, my plans rarely affect us negatively when we put them into play," Rosan retorted, with a glare.

"One day you'll be able to convince me, I'm sure of it!" She giggled at him.

"I hate you sometimes," Rosan replied with a mental sigh.

"You could never~," She chimed.

Rosan ignored her, in favor of looking at Lord Arata's subordinates. They had supplied him with a sufficient amount of info, one that he could use for his own gain. They no longer served a purpose. If he wanted more info then well...

The fearful crowd would willingly tell him the rest after what he was about to do.

"Thank you for the info," Rosan interrupted their spiel and shut them up. "So Lord Arata is the one who offended me with such absurd taxing? Good. I will teach him a lesson," the boy decided, earning a wide eyed gaze from everyone there.

"Y-you? Teach em a lesson?" Thug 1 spluttered in disbelief. They both looked at each other for a moment, before they burst into laughter.

What they said next, did nothing but decorate the color of the grave Rosan had already thought up for them.

"Yer short ass is gonna teach Lord Arata a lesson?" Thug 2 guffawed, clutching his stomach as he nearly collapsed.

"What are you gonna do? Make him bend over and eat one of your feathers?!" Thug 1 howled in laughter.

It was almost like people didn't have a sense of self preservation these days. When someone mysterious shows up, you don't just needlessly provoke them. Rosan couldn't understand these people.

An oppressive aura washed over everyone there, causing them to freeze up in fear. The two laughing thugs choked on their spit, as they were subjected to the mysterious figures presence.

"Oh dear, you're height is still a sore spot for you Rosan? You're only 9 you know," Mod reassured him.

"That doesn't make it any less annoying Mod-chan," Rosan scoffed.

He was decently annoyed now so he figured he'd use his Pressure. Rosan didn't exactly know what it was (Mod-chan said it had nothing to do with Modification), but Meiko told him about how he had unleashed an unreal pressure, the day they had gotten into the argument about whether she hated him or not.

Rosan was still glad she didn't.

Mod smiled to herself.

Rosan had been understandably confused but upon deeper inspection (many trial and errors on his clones) he had discovered that he could generate some type of pressure. He didn't know the specifics but, it was almost as if he were imposing his presence onto the person.

It was exceedingly effective and Rosan had taken to generating a consistently low amount of it. When he wanted to increase the amount, it took a lot of focus but he was able to successfully do it. It left him drained though, so he increased it sparingly.

Judging from everyone's reaction, It was working out very well. He had been training it on Angel and — huh, maybe practicing the technique on Angel and Demon, were why they feared him so much.

He should apologize to them after he finished his job here.

Wait, never mind, they were clones of him.

Accessing their connection (he needed to start naming them), Rosan sent a quick apology to the twins for what he had done to them. The clones seemed like they were struggling but they momentarily paused to send him a confused "It's okay?" before Rosan abruptly shut the connection again.

He'd explain to them later; the twins seemed like they were having fun.

The Triplet Telephone or TTT sounded good enough. He wasn't very good at naming things so this would have to do.

"Rosan," Mod-chan called and he snapped out of his musings. Right he needed to focus, how unfortunate that he still had the tendency to run off on tangents. He'd have to deal with that one day.

"I think it's adorable!" Mod gushed, before her tone turned accusing. "How come you haven't named our connection though?"

"I need to focus on the mission Mod-chan," Rosan said as dodged her question completely.

"…Fine, but this isn't over," she warned him before going silent.

Now he needed to think of another name… lucky him. He would do it though because Mod-chan wanted it, and Mod-chan got what Mod-chan wanted. Spoiled. That's what she was. Maybe he'd just call it Ethernet… actually that was a pretty good one for all of them —

Enough sidetracking. It was time to proceed with his plan.

Rosan dampened his Pressure and allowed everyone around him to finally breathe. He heard a sigh of relief from all of them, before he reached into his cloak. They all let out a tense breath as Rosan slowly dug around.

Thug 1 and 2 had, by now, realized that they might have gone and antagonized the wrong person and the two were shaking.

Hmph, took them long enough. They both unsteadily held their sabers in front of them and they watched Rosan with mounting trepidation.

Rosan, finding what he was looking for, successfully pulled out the item. They all watched with bated breaths as Rosan pulled out a…kama? Calling it that would be a stretch, they weren't even sure it was a weapon.

Thug 1 and 2 resisted the urge to laugh again but they let their guard down for just a moment and that moment cost them. Rosan loved capitalizing on any situation in a fight and this was one of them.

Before they could even react, Rosan had modified his mini scythe into its original size and they watched, with wide eyes, as the scythe grew larger then the person wielding it. The thugs tried to back away but they were too slow and Rosan's presence was too intimidating.

It was too daunting. Like death itself was standing before you.

Rosan smiled behind his mask at the obvious fear in their eyes.

It was time to begin.

He stretched his wings out and flapped once. Within moments, he appeared in front of Thug 1, who only had time to widen his eyes before Rosan, with his scythe raised, swung and nearly bisected him at the waist.

The onlookers looked away in horror and disgust, as blood sprayed through the air and the mortally wounded man fell onto the floor. He tried to scream but Rosan wouldn't even give him that mercy. Before a noise came out the redhead brutally stomped the man's head into the pavement with a resounding crack.

He stopped moving immediately.

Turning towards his partner, Rosan decided he'd take his time with this one. He was the one who made the short joke, so Rosan wanted to show just how much he appreciated it. He slowly progressed towards the man who could only take a step back for every step forward that Rosan took.

"S-stay back! I-If I don't report back to Lord Arata, t-there's gonna be trouble for ya!" He stammered before tripping in his haste. The man desperately tried to crawl away "L-Lord Arata has a bounty of 3 million! You don't stand a chance if you get his attention!" The man tried to intimidate this demon approaching him.

"3 million?" Rosan idly said, tilting his head. "That's so little."

He watched in satisfaction, as the man went pale at Rosan's casual dismissal of their bosses bounty. Watching the hope drain out of him, was exhilarating to witness and the Mod Mod no mi user was beginning to realize how much of a sadist he had become.

There was just something about mentally killing somebody that made him so…

Thrilled.

"You made a joke about my height, yes?" Rosan asked as he steadily aimed his scythe towards the man's legs. "I believe when I'm done with you, we'll end up being about the same height."

The man nearly went catatonic as Rosan spoke. He was finally beginning to realize who he was dealing with. The black wings, the black cloak, the large scythe, the flat tone that had yet to change throughout this entire conversation. Their daunting presence and the indomitable aura.

The Shinigami itself had descended, to rain judgment upon them. Only the aspect of death itself, could speak so coldly about murder. To them, it was probably a normal, everyday, occurrence.

Everyone else watching was beginning to come to the same conclusion and it caused them to quake in fear. This was not a human, this was the personification of death.

This was a person who had no trouble killing and that spoke volumes.

Who knows what would happen to them after he was done? Thankfully, they hadn't earned his wrath like the foolish thugs. Staying on his good side would be in their best interest, lest they suffer the same fate.

Rosan didn't care about any of that in the moment. Right now, he had a target and his goal was to make said target suffer for his insolence.

With that, he raised his scythe and swung down.

---

The crowd were equal parts terrified and appreciative at what he had done.

They were torn between cheering for the death of two of their tormentors, or vomiting at the gruesome scene. A majority of the people chose the second option but Rosan didn't care.

Not his fault that they had weak stomachs, he was 9 years old and this didn't bother him in the slightest.

"You aren't normal Rosan," Mod chimed in helpfully.

"You practically raised me for 5 years Mod-chan. If anyone is to blame for my sanity issues, it's 100% you," he responded smugly.

"W-well that's just not fair! I did my best for you but you're completely insane," she protested, sounding offended on her own behalf.

He mentally snorted and said "Yeah sure blame it on me, the 9 year old. Real mature of you Mod-chan, I'm learning so much right now."

"You…" she fumed, as Rosan's smugness washed over her. He looked at the corpse and resisted the urge to kick it for good measure.

Rosan looked pristine, despite what he had just done and not a single fleck of blood had made its way onto him. He had been practicing avoiding the messiness of what he did and it was paying off.

Focusing his attention towards the crowd, Rosan was satisfied to see them flinch at his invisible gaze. Good they were acting as he expected.

Time to move forward with his plan then.

"I would like to speak to someone who is not on this Lord Arata's side," his androgynous voice rang out to the watching crowd. He waited patiently, not surprised at all that no one was stepping up.

They feared him, he wasn't expecting anyone to step out for a while.

After it became apparent no one wanted to step out in fear of falling victim to his wrath, someone shoved past the crowd, snarling out a "cowards" and approached him. Rosan watched the figure carefully. He doubted anyone on this island could hurt him but it never hurt to keep your guard up.

It was an adult woman who looked to be about 20 years old. She was of average height, with short straight gray hair that was styled into a pixie cut with short bangs. She had a hardened set of brown eyes and a scowl on her face.

She currently fixed him with a hard gaze that belied a small amount of fear. Rosan had to give her credit where it was due, she hid it admirably. He was just too good at reading people.

They sized each other up a bit, the woman getting steadily more uncomfortable, as they both remained silent. Rosan idly polished his kama sized scythe again with the shirt of Thug 2 and the woman fidgeted.

Unable to resist any longer, she blurted out "You wanted to speak to someone right? Well, here I am."

He knew she would crack eventually. It worked in his favor like this, as it allowed him to dictate the conversation.

"So you're the representative of these people?" He asked her politely. At her nod, he said "What is your name?"

"Aiko," was her terse, to the point, reply.

"Aiko," Rosan tested the name on his lips before nodding in satisfaction. "I called you here because I have a proposition for all of you," he told her.

She tried to hide the curiosity behind a scowl, but he saw through it. "What kind of proposition?" the gray haired woman replied gruffly.

"I will kill this Arata person and allow you all to redistribute whatever is in that castle between yourselves," Rosan began and at their wide hopeful gazes he held up a gloved hand.

"But—,"

"There's always a but," Aiko scowled, before flinching at his piercing gaze and shutting her mouth.

"Did you think I would do something like this for free? Underestimating me like that can cost you. Just look at our 2 friends here," was his chilly response and she couldn't help but gulp and shakily nod.

"As I was saying, I will kill him for you all but, I require 15% of this islands total earnings every 2 weeks," he finished.

"15% every 2 weeks?" She asked in disbelief. "I'm not sure if you realized kind stranger, but we're kinda living in pretty shitty conditions," she replied sarcastically, before realizing it wasn't a good idea to antagonize this very willing murderer.

"I'm aware," was his dry response. "That's why I'm asking for a percentage and not a flat amount. I could easily demand 10 million beri every 2 weeks if you want me to," he informed them, which caused them to pale at the thought.

If this island prospered like he wanted it, the percentage would outweigh the 10 million before long anyways.

"What if we say no to your demands?" She asked him.

"Then I will leave and let you explain these 2 corpses to Arata," was his simple response.

"Can we bargain the percentage?" She tried.

"You are in no position to make demands," Rosan responded icily. "Any bargaining, will only end up with me increasing the percentage," and that was that.

She tch'd in annoyance and Rosan felt his respect for her increase. She would be a fine leader for these people. Anyone else would have folded immediately after seeing what he was capable of doing but she still tried her hand.

It was futile but Rosan liked that.

"What if we fail to give you the beri?"

"It all depends on circumstances. I'm not heartless, if you can't afford to give me the beri on a few occasions I won't punish you. I will give you the time you need to get back on your feet before demanding payments. If you withhold it on purpose however, I will kill every single one of you."

She shuddered at his brutal answer before asking one last question. "Will you screw us over by increasing the price one day?"

"No, I'm an honest person. I asked for 15% and that is what I'm expecting. I will not increase the percentage unless you try to bargain or scam me."

"…" looking around at the crowd of people, Aiko sucked in a deep breath and said "Okay, we agree to the terms," holding out her hands for a handshake, she felt a gloved palm make contact with hers and marveled at how warm he felt to touch.

You would think Death would be colder.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the mysterious figured responded "Now tell me everything there is to know about this Arata, I want to be done before night time."

Such confidence! Aiko hoped he could back it up. A stray thought occurred. "I don't know what to call you, what do you go by?"

He paused as if deliberating her question. A name? He hadn't thought of that… Rosan was out of the question naturally. Maybe Mod? No...that was bad too.

Ugh, he hated naming things.

"I do not have a name. You may call me whatever you want. It does not matter to me," he eventually said. Aiko raised a brow at him but didn't voice her thoughts.

No name? Just who was this person? Still he had given her the privilege of naming him, so she might as well try. The gray haired appraised him once more.

He (she just assumed they were a boy. It would save her the headache) had on black. Lots of black. He had large beautiful wings, reminiscent of some birds but something told her, they were more… transcendent. They were obsidian black and Aiko got the feeling that wings like that, should be white.

Kind of like an Angel...

His outfit was dominated with black and white, the colors of life and death. Coupled with his wings…maybe Raven or Crow? They were birds that represented death and, since they were black, it would fit him well. She dismissed them immediately though.

They didn't quite fit those magnificent wings of his (did he have one of those Devil Fruits? She thought they were a myth). He really did look like an Angel… but with that massive scythe...

"Reaper," she suddenly said, nodding in satisfaction. An Angel of Death is what he was, so what better name was there then Reaper? With his black wings, black and white outfit, hidden face, and massive scythe he really did look like the Shinigami itself.

"Reaper…that is acceptable. You may call me that then," the now dubbed Reaper nodded, agreeing easily enough with her and it caused her to puff up a bit.

"Now that that's settled, you wanted to know about that son of a bitch Arata right? Well first things first…"

---

Lord Arata was a man pretending to play king.

He was a former pirate with a 3 million beri bounty and was currently using that fact (and his crew) to lord over these people. He had randomly shown up, killed the actual lords of the castle and asserted his presence unceremoniously.

3 million beri might not have been a big deal for him, but for the people here, coupled with the fact he had goons to do his bidding, it proved to be too much. They had tried to resist but after the first group of people died, they had learned to just keep their head down and allow him to do whatever he wanted.

He had asked if they had asked the Marines for any help and her response slightly surprised him.

"We asked them for help but after a half-assed investigation they concluded that we were lying and never showed up again," Aiko all but snarled.

"Corrupt?" Rosan deduced simply and she nodded, glad that he caught along.

"They are likely colluding with Arata because they want exclusive rights to our goods. It's the reason our island was able to become so wealthy," she said with a slight amount of pride before her anger surged again. "Now those bastards just milk us for all we have!"

Rosan knew there was bound to be some corruptness going on in the Marines. Every organization suffered this issue, but for them to disregard a person with a 3 million bounty just for resources? The World Government was the driving force of the world, they didn't need to do this.

This was just greed. How could this self-proclaimed justice be greedy?

How disappointing.

Their reasons for hunting Ace down, while utterly immoral, stemmed from the fear of the rising of the 2nd pirate king. To them that was a good enough reason. It wasn't good enough for him but he could see why they did it.

This though? It really put into perspective that the World Government were just bullies with too much power.

That had been 1 year ago. His grip on this island had remained firm and the people had long given up.

All but Aiko at least. She was the only one that had any fighting spirit left but the woman wasn't dumb. She knew she had no chance against the delusional man.

"Everyone has resigned to their fate so why do you still fight?" Rosan asked her out of curiosity and her face shifted into one of absolute fury.

"That bastard… he has my sister!" If looks could kill, Rosan's body would be a smoking husk because she looked absolutely murderous at the moment. "Just imagining what's happening to my little sister, at his hands, fills me with too much hate to give up," Aiko declared and she was clenching her fists hard enough to draw blood.

The redhead didn't have much right to say this, but as an older brother he understood where she was coming from.

If Ace were in the same situation, well Rosan would make sure that person wouldn't be able to hold anything else for the rest of their very short life.

They would suffer his wrath and he would enjoy every moment of it.

But Aiko was powerless to stop it… just like Rosan was powerless to stop Garp. The 9 year old could sympathize with the rage she felt. It was likely even more overwhelming, due to knowing that Arata had no good intentions. Rosan trusted Garp to keep Ace safe because Mom had trusted him to do so.

He could not say the same for Aiko.

Wait a minute... he had an idea.

"Would you like to get your hands on Arata after I'm done?" Rosan asked her suddenly. If he played his cards right…

Aiko's gaze shot up and brown stared into an endless black.

Was Reaper serious? He would allow her, the woman who had been wanting to get her hands on this bastard for one year, to finally get sweet vengeance.

If he actually allowed her to do this… well Reaper would have her undying loyalty.

Rosan smiled at her vigorous nod.

Manipulating people was quickly becoming his new favorite hobby. Like this, he had practically guaranteed himself a loyal subordinate. Someone who willingly followed a person, was far better then someone who was forced to, there was less chance of betrayal this way.

If Rosan had her willingly backing him, this island would be much more willing to fall in line.

"It's settled then. I will deal with his minions and I will incapacitate him. Afterwards, you may do whatever you want with him. As a show of good will, I'll even give you the means to watch," Rosan told her and the look in her eyes suggested that she may have just won the lottery.

"Hell yeah," she cheered. "You better not be lying to me Reaper," the woman warned playfully.

Rosan smirked under his mask and told her "No need to worry, I'm not one to lie."

---

Modification: Shinigami was a fascinating technique, Rosan mused, as he floated far above the castle.

Like Ragnarok, it made slight changes to his disposition. Not anywhere near the same degree, but enough for it to be noticeable.

Ragnarok amplified his rage. It attempted to turn him into a bloodthirsty berserker. It was strong but dangerous if he lost control.

Daybreak Island was a testament to the destructive powers it wielded.

Shinigami, on the other hand, didn't focus on any particular aspect of his personality. Despite channeling righteous fury into his transformation, Rosan didn't feel any of that. In fact it felt like his already dampened emotions, were even further restricted in this transformation.

How fitting that he was restricting himself even further like this.

When in this form, he felt his cool demeanor turn frosty and his efficiency increase drastically. Killing became a non factor to him because after all, everybody died.

Death had no favorites. At any time, anyone could die and Shinigami was the representation of that.

It was still exceedingly useful. It lacked the raw power Ragnarok had but Rosan hadn't unlocked this transformation for strength. He had simply unlocked it, because his vanity could not handle simple bird wings.

This was all a bonus.

Above the castle, Rosan had already thought of the best course of action. He had contemplated only targeting Arata, but he discarded the thought. He wished to free this island completely so every one of his allies would need to die too. It would take more work but the redhead would still be done before the day was over.

With a flap of his wing, Rosan descended towards the castle at a moderate speed. It did not take long for him to gently and quietly land on the roof of the building. Rosan crouched slightly to palm the roof and Scanned the interior for life forms.

Nodding in satisfaction at what he sensed, Rosan modified a hole into the roof and floated downward. The Shinigami glanced around and confirmed that the room was empty, save for him. He withdrew his scythe from his cloak and began deliberating the right course of action.

How to best approach this? He could just go around and pick them off one by one.

Nah, that was too cliché.

He would just bring them all to him. It would make this faster for him if they all just grouped into one area. A different take on hunting, but one he welcomed.

"Ever the show off, Rosan," Mod couldn't resist throwing in a quip and Rosan rolled his eyes.

"Meiko sure is rubbing off on you Mod-chan, you were never this insufferable," was his retort as he began walking.

"Funnily enough, I don't think I inherited that from Meiko," she responded smugly and the boy snorted.

"Halt! State your business with Lord Arata — ACK," Rosan idly slashed the throat of the person talking, as he leisurely walked past the mortally injured individual.

"Oh? Perhaps you inherited it from my memories of Doc. It would explain a lot now that I think about it," Rosan mused.

"Getting closer~ this person did spend quite a bit of time with Doc," Mod joked with a grin on her face.

"Hey stop right there! What do you think you're — HRGK," someone tried to stop him but a large scythe protruding from his abdomen stopped the minion from saying anything else. Rosan, who had not stopped moving, absentmindedly ripped the scythe out of him and continued on his merry way.

"Wait. Don't tell me...you got it from Sachie?" Rosan let out a mock gasp as Mod-chan reeled in shock at his audacity.

He did not just go there.

"You know, I always wondered why you hated her so much. Besides the fact she was a pervert and that hellacious beating she gave me once… she was quite pleasant to me and spoiled me rotten. Is it because I had her wrapped around my finger?" Rosan questioned, almost as if he were actually thinking about it. "I don't blame you though, that woman had a huge pair of—,"

"Do not say another word," Mod warned him and Rosan gained a predatory smile.

Bingo.

"Oh? I see now," the redhead said in realization. "You're jealous aren't you? I don't blame you though, I would hate her too with how tightly she was squishing me into them? Who knew you were so possessive though Mod-chan? Maybe you got that from me," Rosan had a victorious smirk on his masked face and he felt her embarrassment shine through.

"You have nothing to worry about Mod-chan. You can ask to squish me whenever you want. Sachie can't steal me from you," he teased and she let out a whine.

"I hate you sometimes," she grumbled accepting defeat.

"You could never," Rosan's smirk turned into a shit eating grin as he used her own words against her.

"What happened to the boy who always lost these war of words," she complained.

"Bullying children? That's low even for you Mod-chan."

"That is not what I meant!"

"Sure~"

Their banter continued as Rosan continued to cut down anyone they came across. He was not paying them any attention as his body moved on it's own.

Rosan loved coming up with new techniques and this was one of them. Currently, he was seeing if he could modify his body functions, so that they could move without conscious thought. It was an Auto Mode of sorts and the technique was coming along nicely.

It was not perfect. Rosan had to program it preemptively and it could only handle basic orders but it was progress. His goal was to have it active even while he was sleeping, in case anyone tried anything funny. They would be in for one hell of a surprise when his sleeping body defend itself.

He wondered if Aiko was enjoying the view. He had given her a modified drone that showed her, and by proxy the people around her, a view of his little escapade.

He did this for 2 reasons.

One was to show Aiko that he was a man of his word and that Arata would not be dying to him.

The other, was to ensure that they understood that going against him, at any point, would not be a wise decision. They saw how effortlessly he was taking out the swathes of enemies. If he could take out their tormentors so easily… what chance did they have against the Shinigami?

"The amount of techniques you've been able to come up with is startling Rosan. You are doing things with Modification I couldn't even fathom as a possibility," Mod pointed out and she sounded so proud of him.

"I don't think I could have as much fun with any other Devil Fruit," Rosan hummed, as he idly cut down another individual. His latest victim let out a strangled gasp and they collapsed on the floor.

Rosan stepped on top of their body and jumped a small distance, to avoid the forming pool of blood and continued along his way. Sure he could fly, but he would rather be rude.

Everyone else had surely been alerted of his presence by now and while Rosan could practice his stealth and pick people off one by one, he wanted to be done soon and they were too weak to do something that boring. Stealth missions were only fun when the enemy had a good chance of spotting you.

The most efficient and fun way, he decided, was to group them up in one place, killing any stragglers to attract their attention, and handle them all at once.

His plan was going without a hitch. Rosan reached the room where he had scanned the two presences. Lord Arata should be in this room with Akemi, Aiko's sister. It looked to be the master bedroom and Rosan frowned deeply. That man better not be doing what he thought he was.

Not bothering to knock, Rosan forcefully kicked the door open and stepped inside. 2 gasps and a strangled "Who?" greeted him. Rosan canceled his Auto Mode, as he took in the appearance of the 2 individuals currently on a bed.

Lord Arata was a big man, but it was not muscle, only pure fat. He had shaggy brown hair that was tied into a ponytail and had pale skin. Beady black eyes looked at him in confusion and a bit of outrage at being interrupted. He was wearing a disturbingly little amount of clothing and Rosan curled his lips at the sight he was seeing.

The girl, who Rosan assumed was Akemi, was also wearing a small amount of clothes. She was of average height with long straight gray hair styled into a ponytail. Her tear streaked eyes were a warm shade of brown and she had wobbly lips instead of a scowl. She looked like the spitting figure of Aiko with some differences.

"Are you Akemi?" Rosan asked her and, at her fearful nod, he eased her fears by saying "Its shocking just how much better you look then your sister, despite looking so similar." He could almost feel Aiko's outrage from here and resisted the urge to smirk.

Messing with the angry woman was fun.

Akemi blushed at his praise and stuttered out a "T-thank you."

Lord Arata didn't seem to appreciate being ignored so he decided to interrupt their conversation. "Just who the hell do you think you are —,"

Suddenly appearing in front of him, the stranger's gaze bore into him. The only thing he could see was a faint red glow. which made him flinch back in fear.

"Speak when spoken to," he warned calmly before slamming a fist into his skull. Looking at the girl for another moment, he seemingly decided he wasn't done and glued one of the man's hand to the wall behind him.

With a knife.

Lord Arata let out an uncharacteristically high pitched squeal as the knife pierced his palm and embedded itself deeply into the wall. He tried moving, but the risk of losing his hand, kept him still. It did not stop him for pawing at his arm though. Tears sprung to his eyes at the pain he was currently feeling and he wet himself.

"Stay there for a bit and just watch, someone I know has some words to say to you," Rosan told him.

Arata could only whimper as tears leaked down his eyes.

Rosan sneered in disgust at the sight. "Can't handle a bit of pain? Pathetic," he scoffed.

Satisfied that he wouldn't be moving, he focused his attention back on the half naked Akemi. The woman flinched at his approach and trembled harshly, as he put a hand on her.

Aiko's little sister blinked at the sudden warmth. She looked down in wonder at the long coat that covered her modest frame and clutched it a bit tighter. His touch was soft and warm and it caused her to look up at him in shock. The gray haired woman thought that she was surely going to die to this mysterious figure.

"Did that man rape you?" the stranger asked her curiously. He was pretty sure he already knew the answer but he needed confirmation

At his question, she could only look down in shame as tears began falling from her eyes and she let out a choked sob. She didn't give him an answer but the look in her eyes...

It was all the confirmation he needed.

Rosan could not stand rapists. For a person to touch someone without their consent… it gave him many unwanted memories.

Doc and Sachie had not raped him (though the women had been dangerously close. Rosan blessed his age), but they had touched him. They had defiled him and he couldn't do anything about it for so long… just like this girl here.

Rosan sympathized with the victim more then he would have liked.

He delivered a strong blow to Arata's head and was satisfied at the groan of agony he let out. Rosan regarded the man with thinly veiled contempt and he reached out to grab him.

Disgusting creature.

"Modify Target: Sensitivity," he thought to himself, as he held onto Arata. The man had been reduced to whimpers but his screams began anew as the amount of pain he felt, spiked to unimaginable levels.

Rosan felt dark satisfaction well up inside at the agonized man.

"Disgusting. If not for what you and Aiko agreed to, I'd have dealt with him accordingly," Mod said, scorn in her tone. She gleefully watched the man thrash about in pain.

That would teach him.

Scoffing at the pathetic sight, Rosan told Akemi to find a suitable hiding spot and, despite the confused look she shot him, the woman scrambled to hide herself. She was now situated under the very large bed. out of sight for what was about to take place.

Good. If she became a hostage, Rosan would not stop to save her.

The disguised redhead stood facing away from Arata, who was still moaning in agony, simply waiting. He idly flipped another knife as he stared at the slightly ajar door.

Any moment now…

There. The pounding of footsteps rapidly approached his location. Glancing around, Rosan nodded to himself. This was enough room to deal with them. The castle was quite massive after all and this bedroom room was no different.

Eventually people, the rest of Arata's buddies he assumed, began pouring into the room with all sorts of weapons. Swords, bats, daggers... he even spotted a couple of guns!

All of that just for 9 year old him? He was honestly flattered that they felt like he needed this much things.

He'd have to show them how much he appreciated it.

"B-boys teach this damn midget a lesson — GAGHHHHH," Whatever Arata was about to say, was interrupted as Rosan buried a knife into his other hand. The howl he let out, was music to his ears and the boy nearly laughed. With his sensitivity raised, it probably felt like he was getting stabbed by a knife made of molten lava.

"Did I not tell you to quiet down and enjoy the show?" Rosan asked the crucified man. "If you open your mouth again, I'll lose what little patience I have left with you," as if to further cement his point, he revealed his scythe and returned it to its original size. The Shinigami held the blade close to the man's head and prodded him gently with it.

Arata let out a terrified whimper and shakily nodded his head. He did not say another word for fear of hell incarnate carrying out his vow.

Satisfied that he got his point across, Rosan turned his attention back towards the large crowd. They looked at their boss in worry and fixed a furious gaze onto the one who had done it.

Rosan responded by idly petting the top of his scythes blade.

"Unfortunately for all of you, I'm quite frustrated that I cannot kill this man right here," Rosan tilted his head at the quaking Arata. "I hope you can understand that there are no hard feelings in what I'm about to do to you all."

It seemed, his polite tone did nothing but piss them off even further. What? Was he not allowed to be nice?

Some people these days.

Hoisting the scythe over his shoulder, Rosan beckoned them all towards him. "Try not to take this the wrong way," and with that he charged.

"Is there a correct way to take death?" Mod asked him.

"Shut up, Mod-chan," Rosan responded flatly and she laughed.

Letting out a chorus of yells, the 20 some men charged the mysterious figure that had barged in uninvited. They would teach him a lesson he'd never forget.

There was 20 of them and 1 of him. They were probably of the opinion that he would be overwhelmed by their larger numbers.

How wrong they were.

Rosan smiled a bloodthirsty smile under his mask, as he watched them all charge.

It had been a while since he had last fought someone. Despite knowing the outcome of this fight already, he felt his blood singing at the prospect of the upcoming slaughter.

Removing his scythe from his shoulder in a two handed grip, Rosan charged.

The black clad figure was a whirlwind of steel. Everything the group did, he had an answer to. Hope was lost the moment Rosan released his Pressure.

How could they possibly deal with this? This was no man… this was death incarnate!

As soon as the battle began, Rosan immediately leapt into the group. He was mindful of where his scythe was because with it's large size it could potentially mess him up.

He really had nothing to worry about but Rosan was nothing but cautious.

He was on top of the first person instantly. Ducking under a wild swing, Rosan swung his scythe upwards. The blade slammed through the man's head in a horrific display and, without wasting a moment, he brutally yanked it out.

He jumped off the corpses falling body, to deliver a flying kick onto the person next to him. Stealing his sword, Rosan threw the weapon and successfully knocked the gun right out of someone's hand. He scrambled to get it but Rosan, spreading his wings, flew and slammed into the square of his back. He shouted in pain but was immediately silenced as Rosan dug the scythe deep into him.

Someone tried grabbing for the boy but he sidestepped it. Not wasting a single moment, he deftly picked up the discarded gun and unloaded 4 bullets into the man's back. "Oh, I like this," Rosan thought to himself as he, without looking, aimed the gun behind him and unloaded 3 more shots into the approaching man.

"Note to self, get a gun," Rosan threw the gun away and grasped his scythe with both hands. "I have to admit, this is more disappointing than I expected," Rosan told the petrified crowd. He was sure he heard someone throwing up at his brutality.

They had quickly lost the will to fight after seeing the futility of it all.

How unfortunate. They still needed to die. Rosan couldn't afford to have any loose ends or people plotting revenge. It would cause him unnecessary hassles in the future.

This fight was as good as over so Rosan decided to begin the finale. "Well no matter, I wanted to wrap this up anyways," he said, in that infuriatingly blank tone of his.

Rosan began spinning his scythe rapidly, fully spread his wings and he moved. For a moment, there was silence, then there was blood, then, the screaming.

Blood curdling howls started to ring out throughout the castle.

Rosan moved from target to target at an astounding speed delivering slash after slash. Tendons, muscles, limbs, nothing was safe from his relentless onslaught. Some died instantly, others bled out, some were more resilient and required personal attention by him, but none escaped his wrath.

Someone tried to run, desperate to save their own lives but Rosan caught them by the waist in the sickle of his scythe and pulled. Their top half slowly but surely slid off in a wet display.

No one else tried to run after that.

Rosan mowed through them with cold, elegant, brutality.

He was like a performer the way he danced from person to person. A horrific, yet oddly enchanting display.

Just like that, before anyone could process what happened, the fight was over.

Bodies littered the floor, limbs were separated from bodies, heads were hanging, and there was so much blood.

Yet incredulously, Rosan remained spotless.

Sighing in boredom, Rosan assessed the damage dealt and recalled his scythe. This had not even been enough to make him sweat. He had at least expected the sheer number advantage they had to force his hand but there was none of that.

Not even the ones with guns had posed a problem. It wasn't their fault though, Rosan had made sure they wouldn't be using them and went after them as quickly as possible. They should have known there would be a massive target on their back though.

Seriously, did anyone know how to fight these days?

"Not everyone is a battle maniac like you are Rosan," Mod informed him.

"Maniac? You're exaggerating," Rosan dismissed.

"After this, I'll be happy to give you proof," she offered.

"Nope, don't need it," Rosan replied.

"I wonder why…" she hummed knowingly.

Rosan didn't deign to give her an answer. "Akemi, you can come out now. Though I suggest you close your eyes… and cover your nose. Your sister should be on the way soon," he called to the hiding girl.

Akemi slowly crawled from under the bed with her eyes closed and her nose covered. It didn't fully block the effects of the smell and she flinched at the overwhelming stench of blood. She closed her eyes tighter, fearful at the sight she would see if she did open them.

Rosan simply walked up to her and guided her to the door. "You can open your eyes now. Make you're way to the entrance of the castle and wait for Aiko to show up. I will be behind you," he told the trembling adult.

She nodded and slowly but surely made her way to the castle. Rosan noticed that she was limping. Before she could make it far, Rosan grabbed her and modified her body so as to wash the pain away. She flinched before relaxing as his touch made her feel better. "Thank you so much," she whispered gratefully and Rosan merely nodded before releasing her.

"How considerate of you, Rosan," Mod cooed with a smile.

"I only did that to invoke loyalty," Rosan argued.

"That's true... but I still felt a spike of sympathy from you," Mod said softly.

"I really can't stand rapists, that's all. I know how it feels, when someone touches you without your permission," he frowned.

"Oh Rosan how I wish I could have helped you more," The purple haired woman sighed forlornly.

"Don't think about that Mod-chan, what matters is that we're fine now," Rosan sent her a warm pulse as he made his way to Arata.

"You're right Rosan and from now on we won't be separated again," she sent a pulse of adoration back to him.

"I'd rather die then be separated from you again," Rosan affirmed with a gentle smile on his soft features.

Rosan smiled before it morphed into a neutral expression as he regarded Arata. He roughly removed both knives from the near coma induced man and was satisfied to hear him groaning in pain. He fell to the floor in a pitiful heap and as he tried to move, Rosan slammed a foot against his head.

"Don't move," he commanded, grinding his foot for good measure. The man fearfully obeyed and Rosan moved his leg from his skull. He silently modified the mans weight to make him easier to move and cruelly dragged him through all the corpse's of his companions. Arata couldn't help retching, as he was covered in the blood of his allies and the man nearly fainted at making contact with their disfigured bodies.

W-what h-had he done t-to provoke this monster?

It didn't take long for Rosan to make his way outside. He was greeted by the sight of Aiko and Akemi having a tearful reunion. The sisters were hugging each other desperately as Aiko whispered "It's gonna be okay now," to the sobbing woman.

Rosan dumped Arata's body in front of the two and handed Aiko a bloody knife. "Here. Under the deal we made, I have given you one very incapacitated Arata. Feel free to do whatever you want to him. He should be particularly sensitive right now," courtesy of him but they didn't need to know that.

The look in Aiko's eyes promised nothing good for the man and Arata finally realized his situation and the reason the stranger had left him alive. He tried to plead for his life but Rosan was already walking away from the 3. Aiko regarded him curiously, with much more trepidation in her gaze then before.

Oh right he did show her everything.

Good. Loyal she may be, humans were a naturally curious bunch. With this display, the inkling in the back of her head asking "Just what will he do to me if I do decide to betray him?" would be answered and she would have no room for such doubts.

He had told his clones not to fear him, because he was concerned about how it would affect their efficiency. To be a proper ruler however, one should garner a small amount of fear from their subjects.

Fear and respect were the most ideal emotions to rule. Respect bred loyalty and loyalty ensured there would be no rebellion.

Fear made sure the small part of doubt in that loyalty, was ruthlessly stamped out. Not too much to overshadow the respect but enough to always serve as a warning.

Rosan was sure he had made his point clear with this display.

"Where are you going Reaper?" she asked him as she had taken notice of the fact that he had begun walking and spreading out his wings.

Rosan, without stopping, responded "To my ship. We will meet again tomorrow to discuss more about our terms. For now, you may teach that rapist a lesson and spend time with your sister," he saw the gleam of rage in her eyes as he reminded her of what Arata did and nodded in satisfaction.

With that, he flapped once experimentally and flew off.

"He's scary," Akemi whispered to her older sister and they watched his quickly retreating form.

Aiko couldn't help but nod "Well get used to him. We're probably going to be seeing him a lot more." At her confused gaze she said "I'll tell you about it later."

"For now though…" Aiko bared her fangs, as she looked at Arata. "I got a lesson to teach our friend here."

Arata could only let out a terrified whimper.

---

A cross-dressing Demon had been the last thing he expected to see when landing on his ship yet, here it was in all of its glory.

Demon was currently blushing in embarrassment as the wide eyed male clone, looked into Rosan's blank expression. The boys hoodie was down, so he was forced to watch as his Master slowly but surely, raised a brow.

He got the sense that the heterochromia didn't even want to question it.

Demon was currently donned in a simple black and red dress that looked a bit large on him with nothing on his bare feet. His hair, that he preferred to keep free, was tied into a ponytail. Upon closer inspection, Rosan realized he wasn't just completely embarrassed (though he was) but there was a makeup on his face.

That would explain why his blush was so deep.

Or maybe he really was that embarrassed.

"Why didn't you tell me you were also a girl Demon?" Rosan asked, curiously raising a delicate brow. He saw no reason for Demon to hide it from him. Had he not been more then fair enough to Angel? Sure, having two clones of himself identify as female was a bit concerning but Rosan truly did not care about that.

"Don't worry Rosan, you're a boy," Mod reassured her partner.

"You make that sound like an insult," he pointed out.

"Insecure," she sniffed.

"I am the least insecure person you know."

"I know like 3 people, Rosan."

"...Touche."

Rosan focused his attention onto Demon once more before saying "One moment. I will swap you as well—"

"T-that really won't be necessary Master," Demon interrupted. "I'm still a boy it's just… some people are very talented at not giving you any say in the matter."

Rosan's eyes widened, before they became understanding. "Ah, Meiko got her hands on you," was all he said and the clone nodded sheepishly.

"My condolences though, if it makes you feel better, they made you look quite good," he complimented.

"That does not make me feel better Master," Demon blushed worse and began fidgeting in place.

Well, he tried.

"Rosan, why don't you let me dress you up like this," Mod whined into his ear and Rosan scowled.

"Absolutely not. Even if I did allow you to, your fashion sense leaves much to the imagination," he shut it down immediately.

"Hmph," Rosan got the sense she was crossing her arms "You didn't seem to have a problem with Sachie dressing you up. In fact it seems like you managed to pick up her fashion sense too. Just tell me that you prefer her style over mine." She scowled.

"…" was this woman seriously going to use Sachie to win every single argument?

"You can only do it in the mindscape, I refuse to wear it outside unless it's my current, male, gender."

Mod-chan cheered and victory and he was sure she'd have kissed him on the cheek if he was there. "I have so much ideas tonight! I wonder if Meiko can give me some tips… wait we can bring her too!"

"I didn't agree to that," Rosan said bluntly but he got ignored. Sighing in defeat, Rosan let Mod-chan do whatever she was doing.

Seems he had found another person good at not giving you a say in the matter.

"Rosan, you're back!"

Ah. There goes his other headache inducing companion.

Meiko waved and gave him a hug which he returned. He had been getting much better at that, it helped that every time they entered his mindscape Meiko would hug him as much as Mod-chan would.

"Hello Master," Angel bowed to him and he greeted her back with a small wave. His female clone was looking at Demon and Rosan and the doubt on her face as she realized what she did nearly made him laugh.

Seems it dawned on her that Demon had his face because the poor girl looked like she was about to faint on the spot.

"So… what do ya think?" Meiko asked excitedly not realizing Angels internal crisis. Demon was shaking the girl in worry but she seemed unresponsive to it all.

Rosan couldn't resist the small snort he let out.

"Besides the fact that you're torturing Demon—," Rosan began and she smiled without a hint of shame "—It looks good. You will not be doing this to me though." He was satisfied to see her immediately deflate.

Angel snapped out of her trance as she heard Rosan's compliment and asked "Does it really?!" before covering her mouth. She shot Rosan an apologetic look but he waved her off.

"Well he looks just like you Angel, and you also look nice," Rosan finished. She blushed scarlet and thanked him profusely before excusing herself and running away in embarrassment. Rosan snorted in amusement.

He had to admit, his clones having emotions made the days far more entertaining.

"Complimenting a clone of yourself? Your ego is massive," Mod poked fun at him with a cheeky grin.

"Didn't you base your appearance on me, Mod-chan?" Rosan pointed out, smiling in equal fervor. "This is your fault. Your very existence is an ego booster," he finished triumphantly.

"That's…fair," she conceded thoughtfully and Rosan laughed in victory.

"So what did you do today Rosan?" Meiko asked excitedly, practically bouncing in her spot. Angel and her had messing with Demon but, a small part of her had been worried about Rosan's safety.

She knew he was strong enough to fend for himself but still!

Rosan, feeling her worry, nodded in appreciation. "I didn't do anything of much importance. I freed that island from a weak tyrant and now they are going to give me a steady income every 2 weeks. Tomorrow, I'm going back down to finalize the details, then we can leave," Rosan replied, voice full of boredom.

Huh?

"Wait… what?" Meiko asked dumbly. That didn't sound like it was of no importance… that... sounded like it was really important?! She voiced her incredulity to him and he shrugged and said "They were weak so I didn't really get much out of it. Though I guess I did get something useful out of it."

Meiko nodded with a serene expression on her face. It all made sense now.

Rosan was insane. Absolutely insane. Mod-chan really had been telling the truth with all those stories.

Palming her head in exasperation, Meiko asked "Can you tell me the full details while I start on dinner please?"

Rosan nodded with a confused expression on his youthful face.

Was it something he did?

---

As Meiko prepared dinner, Rosan was sat on the counter near her, telling the blonde everything he had done on the island. Demon and Angel were nearby to also hear about his adventure.

Meiko had paused multiple times in his tale, to regard the boy in disbelief.

He had taken out over 20 people by himself?! Rosan was a machine! He merely shrugged and said it was nothing he couldn't handle because they were weak.

A 9 year old should not be saying that with such confidence!

Meiko on her part, was torn between being proud that Rosan had freed them from Arata's wrath, or being upset that he put himself in potential danger. She went pale as a sheet, as Rosan mentioned the fact that some of them had guns. She wanted to smack him for being so reckless but the thought of putting her hands on someone, especially Rosan, horrified her.

"A gun is not enough to put me down Meiko," Rosan assured her. "I'm made of tough stuff and I've modified my cloak to be pretty durable." Tugging his cloak as emphasis, Rosan sent her a small smile and it helped calm her down.

Meiko could never stay mad at Rosan for long. He was earnest in a way that made you realize, there was no point being upset with him. Being mad at the redhead would be for naught because this was just how he was and he wouldn't change for anybody.

The blonde also had a hard time staying mad at people in general. She was too nice for her own good and Rosan said that she could be taken advantage of as a result of her kindness.

There was also the crush she had on him but that didn't play a big part.

Yep. It definitely didn't.

Rosan was opening up more and more to her and it made her happier then she could imagine! The first few weeks they had traveled together the boy was reserved, barely showing her a thing, and since his outburst, he had tried his hardest to mask his emotions from her. Outwardly it was successful but through their connection she could tell how he really felt.

Still... she was convinced even Angel and Demon had shown more personality then he had!

He had improved in spades since they began getting closer! She was successfully breaking down his barriers, with the help of Mod-chan, and she could see shades of the old Rosan the Devil Fruit described in the boy now!

His trip on this island was proof of that!

Perhaps he'd never reach his original state but she wanted him to at least be happy.

Rosan and Mod-chan also noticed his gradual shift in personality. Rosan was a bit hesitant, his emotions had caused him much harm, but he realized it was futile to resist Meiko's charm and he didn't feel like going through the trouble of willingly stifling his emotions.

As such, he just naturally let whatever was happening happen. It's what Mod-chan wanted anyways so he didn't have much of a problem with it.

Mod-chan for her part, loved Meiko all the more for it. She didn't think anyone would be able to make a breakthrough for Rosan in a very long time (not until he met Robin at least) but she was proven very wrong. This girl was so pure and she understood Rosan in a way, that it honestly scared her. She didn't think anyone would be able to get through to Rosan as easily as the blonde did, not even his mother!

How Rosan kept finding such amazing people, she didn't know but she attributed it to his magnetic personality. Whatever the case, she was glad Meiko and Rosan had met.

"Rosan," Meiko called getting his attention "You said they are giving you 15% of their total earnings every week right?" He nodded in confirmation.

"I will allow them time to recuperate before I start collecting but yes. Like this we won't have to worry about running out of beri. I will be bounty hunting as well so funds should not be an issue," he told her.

She nodded then asked "Do you plan on staying in the North Blue?" Rosan shook his head, so she followed up with "How exactly do you plan on collecting the beri then?"

She got the urge that Rosan knew she was going to ask that if the way he puffed up was an indication. "I have a technique for that, it's similar to what I did with the bag I gave you but on a larger scale," the boy explained, practically preening at the look of awe Meiko shot him.

"Does it have a range limit?" she asked.

"Nope, but at the moment I can only have a set amount placed at a time. This island will be one of the locations, the White Rose will be another and one will be on you," he told her.

Blinking owlishly, she pointed at herself and said "Me?"

Rosan nodded in confirmation. "Yes my limit right now is 3 and the first was always intended to be for you. This way, if you are ever in danger I will be able to keep you safe," he finished seriously locking his dual eyes onto her own.

Meiko's face turned an interesting shade of red as her pupilless blue eyes widened to epic proportions. Rosan raised his brow, as the blonde began stuttering nonstop and she covered her face in embarrassment.

She looked very much like her mother with that blush on her face.

Rosan couldn't identify any lust from the blonde though, so it just left him confused.

"Rosan isn't Meiko just the cutest thing ever?" Mod gushed and Rosan's confusion amplified.

"Did I do something?" Rosan asked his partner.

"You know, it's incredible how clueless you can be Rosan. You're able to notice obscure details so easily. Yet the moment it's right in your face, you can't see it," Mod cooed, much to his outrage.

"What exactly can't I see? Why is she so flustered from what I said?"

"Never change Rosan. Never change," The Devil Fruit let out a fond sigh. It was times like this, where Rosan really was a 9 year old boy.

An insane, murderous, 9 year old boy but still a 9 year old boy.

"...What?"

On Meiko's half, she felt her face heat up as her chest pounded harshly. The thought of Rosan made her feel dizzy and she felt her blush deepen as she stared at his face.

His very adorable face.

As she soaked in his appearance, Meiko came to the startling realization that Rosan was no doubt going to attract a lot of suggestive glances when he grew older. Soft spiky locks, that were a unique shade of red, framed his tan face. He had let them down and the wild hair flowed past his shoulder.

He had let them down at her suggestion. They weren't in a bun like he was used to. He listened to what she had to say and the thought made her lightheaded.

No one liked to listen to her. No one...except for him. It had been like this ever since Daybreak. He was the only one that gave her his undivided attention.

She felt herself getting lost in those bright, mesmerizing eyes.

Royal purple, formerly devoid of feeling, shone brightly with emotion in one eye.

Crimson red, so full of rage, stared at her without any of it. There was only a tender sort of care. Care for her well-being—

Oh.

Meiko didn't think this was a simple crush anymore.

This was unexpected... She needed to find a way to talk to Mod-chan about this… but could she do that without Rosan knowing? He'd probably let her if she just asked, but he'd be suspicious. She would probably do it anyways, Rosan knew she had a crush on him, but the boy didn't seem to know the full scope of it.

The wise Devil Fruit might know the best way to approach this.

She had thought that maybe this crush would go away over time but, if anything, it only got stronger. The more time she spent with him, the more apparent the feeling got.

Meiko had fallen for Rosan. Hard.

What was she going to do about this?

Looking at the source of her affections, she held her head at the confused look he sent her way.

This was going to be harder then she thought.

---

"I'm coming with you," Meiko declared, not even thinking about taking no for an answer.

Rosan didn't have his hoodie up so she saw him raise a neat red brow at her. She idly wondered if Rosan had a self care routine, his hair, despite how wild it was, always looked so well done.

It made her kinda envious.

"Okay," was all he said causing her to look at him in surprise. She had expected him to argue against her decision and she voiced as much.

"When have I ever denied a request from you?" the redhead questioned and the blonde opened her mouth to answer, before shutting it.

He…had a point. She didn't realize but Rosan rarely disagreed with her. Actually, he avoided pointless arguments so, as long as it didn't affect him too bad, he would agree with most requests.

"It's just I thought you'd be more protective of me and say no," she admitted truthfully, tugging one of her twintails.

"It's true. Your safety is currently my number one priority," he said and she flushed at his honesty. The redhead really didn't seem to understand the effect his words had on her as her cheeks became hot. "But, you will have the most protection by my side anyways. If I thought anything on this island could get through me, I wouldn't let you go and I wouldn't go myself."

Meiko smiled at how straightforward he was.

Some might call Rosan arrogant but she knew better! The redhead wasn't arrogant at all, he was just confident in his abilities and he acted accordingly. He didn't make baseless claims and that's why he didn't let her join him yesterday. It was because he wanted to gauge the power for himself!

Without knowing what he was capable of, it would be easy to confuse the two.

"Are you afraid of flying?" Rosan asked her. She shook her head no and let out a surprised squeak as Rosan suddenly scooped her into a bridal carry. She instinctively wrapped her hands around his neck and blushed deeply as she realized their proximity.

Rosan snorted at her reaction and said "You always have a blush on your face, it reminds me of Sachie," and her blush deepened, as she pouted.

"What a surprise, a daughter acts like her mother," she said sarcastically and Rosan let out a small chuckle at her bite.

"You two are remarkably similar though, you're not as big of a pervert as she is. I could be wrong though," Rosan teased and she blew a raspberry at the boy.

His only response was to laugh at her misfortune.

"You're a jerk, Rosan," she grumbled and he gave her a completely insincere apology that made her roll her eyes.

"Try not to call me Rosan when we land," was all he said, before he spread his obsidian wings and took off without warning.

Meiko couldn't up let out a scream of surprise as her body was suddenly elevated at a rapid rate. The blonde was clutching onto Rosan for dear life and she let out a squeak at how far away the ocean was.

"P-please w-warn me next time," she begged the boy and the two momentarily remained stationary in the air.

"Don't worry Meiko, you can trust me. I won't drop you, I'm strong," Rosan promised. She simply hugged him harder and he gave her a reassuring squeeze in response.

Eventually, she settled down and gave Rosan a shaky nod, indicating that she was ready. "You may want to hold on to your hat," he recommended and with that, Rosan spread his dark wings and took off.

---

Flying was the most incredible feeling ever, Meiko decided.

Once she got over her fears, she let out a shout of joy in Rosan's arms. The height was not so scary when she didn't look down and the feeling of the cool wind on her, madly grinning, face felt amazing!

She felt so safe in Rosan's arm! The 11 year old knew he wouldn't drop her so it allowed her to let go of her fears and embrace her excitement.

Rosan couldn't resist the smile that made its way to his face at the look on Meiko's face. The girl looked like she was having the time of her life, as she held one hand on her sunhat.

He was glad she was enjoying this, flying was probably his favorite thing to do and to see that she shared his love for it, satisfied him.

"I wonder why~," Mod cooed.

"You sure have become talkative Mod-chan," Rosan couldn't resist pointing this out.

"I can't help it. Since you're too cool to speak now, I have to pick up the slack," was her snarky response.

"Who made you this sassy?" Rosan wondered.

"You." All playfulness disappeared, as Mod-chan spoke in the most deadpan voice yet and Rosan sweatdropped at the drastic shift in tone.

She really meant that huh?

"You…may have a point," he conceded.

"Of course I do," she harrumphed and Rosan just knew she was crossing her arms.

They weren't far from the island so they made it there far sooner then Meiko would have liked. Rosan clutched her tighter, as he suddenly angled himself downward and began descending. The land mass got closer and closer and Meiko noted that he was flying directly towards a large castle.

Rosan reached the floor with barely a sound and as he softly landed on the floor, he put Meiko down and furled up his wings.

Meiko was reluctant to let him go, but she eventually unwrapped her arms from his shoulder. "Please tell me we can do that again?" she pleaded with puppy dog eyes and Rosan almost melted at the adorable sight. He gained control of himself quickly and just nodded.

"Seems like someone else is good at using how cute they are," Mod accused and Rosan groaned.

How was it his fault that he knew how to abuse his looks? Use every advantage you had.

"Of course Meiko. We can go flying again whenever you want," she hugged him in glee and the redhead returned it.

A whistle interrupted them and Meiko jumped before hastily removing herself from him, red faced. Rosan simply turned towards the source of the noise and was met with Aiko and Akemi both staring at the two with an impressed and wide eyed gaze respectfully.

"S-sorry for interrupting Reaper-sama," Akemi bowed nervously.

"Didn't think you had emotions honestly," Aiko shrugged before looking at Meiko. "Getting yourself such a cutie? I'm seriously impressed," she finished, causing the blonde to blush in embarrassment.

"Aiko. Akemi I trust you had a good night," Rosan nodded towards the sisters and he was satisfied to see the amount of respect they had for him.

"It was incredible! I hadn't seen my sister in over a year, so we have a lot of catching up to do," Aiko naturally took the lead. Bowing lowly, she told him in a serious voice "You have my eternal gratitude for saving this island and my sister. Whatever you want Reaper, I'll do my best to help you."

"I will keep that in mind, Aiko," Rosan said, easily slipping into his Reaper persona. "For now, we will stick with our current deal, I do not desire to take advantage of you all."

Her respect for him only grew and she bowed deeper. "I have a few concerns that I'd like answered though," she began, leading them back to the castle and she shot a curious look at the blonde "Who is she?"

"A friend," was his clipped response and she reluctantly dropped it.

"N-nice to meet you both," Meiko waved at her. Aiko and Akemi smiled at her and waved back.

She was a polite one!

"How did a sweet girl like you, end up with an asshole like them," Aiko asked pointing a finger at Reaper. The Shinigami ignored them all, as he kept walking and she stuck her tongue out at him, which he also ignored. The older sister grumbled to herself.

Jerk.

"He kidnapped me," Meiko responded truthfully and that gave the sisters pause. They looked at her with wide eyes at what she just said and she stared back in confusion.

"S-sorry but," Akemi stuttered. "D-did you say he kidnapped you?"

"Mhm!" Meiko nodded, seemingly not bothered in the slightest.

They opened and closed their mouths, no doubt wanting to ask dozens of questions, but Reaper simply said "Don't bother," and that was the end of the conversation.

The rest of the walk continued in silence and Aiko shot Reaper a wary look. Kidnapping this wealthy looking girl, freeing an island from a tyrant, brutally murdering said tyrants subordinates...

Just who was he?

"Reaper are you a revolutionary?" She asked curiously.

"No," was his response and she scowled at his short answers. He wasn't revealing anything about himself and it was grating on her nerves. The asshole could at least afford to elaborate!

They arrived to the castle (which Aiko and some other islanders had a blast cleaning up. She was sure some of them were still throwing up at what they saw.) and made their way to the office. Meiko glanced around in awe at the size of the castle and the various artifacts on the wall.

It practically screamed wealthy! If the rest of the island was like this… then she now knew why Rosan wanted money from them.

"Reaper, I'm sure you don't plan on staying here so… how exactly do you plan on collecting the beri every 2 weeks?" Aiko asked curiously. Meiko also wondered what exactly this technique was, Rosan had said he'd rather test it on something that was not on her, to avoid any potential risk.

"I have my ways," he said cryptically, not sparing them a glance. "You don't need to worry, I've got it all covered."

Aiko looked a bit unsure but she just shrugged and nodded. If he said he had it handled, who was she to doubt him?

"You are going to be moving into this castle," Rosan announced suddenly, causing her eyes to bug out in shock.

Maybe now she could start doubting him.

"W-what? Why?" Aiko asked in disbelief. Reaper stared at her and she got the sense, that he was raising a brow at her stupid question. She blushed a bit and glared at him.

"Convenience for the both of us," he said simply. "Someone needs to be here to give me the beri and I'd rather not be kept waiting. You are the only one I trust to not mess up and you are the leader of the island anyways so this castle is yours," he finished matter-of-factly and Aiko spluttered in surprise.

"Wait wait wait, since when am I the leader of Fregate? The others didn't agree to this!" she tried protesting and Rosan internally snorted.

Was she serious?

"Since I decided. This is not up for debate. You are the delegate I chose for the island and if the others have any protests, they won't say anything regardless, cowardly bunch that they are."

She found herself nodding in agreement and realized that he was right. The others couldn't even step up when Reaper had asked for a representative so how could they be trusted to make sure things on the island were running smoothly.

She didn't have to like it though.

"Relax Aiko, you just have to be here on schedule every 2 weeks. You were already planning on getting this island back on its feet so I would assume I'm not adding any unnecessary work," Reaper said and she nodded reluctantly.

She could do that, someone would need to do that anyways. She doubted the rest of her people had the leadership qualities so she'd need to be at the forefront.

"Now," Reaper claimed as they arrived to the office "You two stand out here for a moment," he directed towards Aiko and Akemi, who both nodded with some curiosity at his demand. What was he planning on doing?

Rosan made his way, Meiko in tow, into the room and gently shut the door behind him. After a moment of deliberation, he walked towards the wall closest to the office desk and looked for the spot with the most space. He moved a painting out of the way to give himself more room and threw it somewhere.

Looking at the now more spacious zone, Rosan nodded to himself.

This would do just fine.

Meiko watched all this transpire, with anticipation on her features. What was her crush about to do?

Rosan closed his eyes and focused hard. What he was about to do… it had taken a lot of brainstorming but he had finally figured it out.

The redhead had only thought of this due to having a mindscape and due to the bags he had given to Demon and Meiko respectively. The same bags that were somehow linked to a room in his ship.

He hadn't thought about it at the time… but the more he did, the more he realized the massive implications of just what he had done.

How had he been able to connect that bag to his ship? He had connected the two with a thought and an application of Modification, but the more he delved into it, the more potential he saw in the technique.

The conclusion he came to, had the boy grinning wildly.

Manipulation of space.

The redhead had been modifying space and it had slipped right under his nose this whole time. Even with other techniques, Rosan always manipulated space to achieve his modifications.

With that realization, Rosan had been hard at work to crack it.

There was a medium between the bag and his ship that allowed them to link. Rosan wanted to find that medium and make it his own. It was a secret project that he had been working on in the mindscape and thank god for that, because Rosan didn't want to accidentally (he would not risk it) cause the end of the world by ripping an accidental tear into space.

His research, had given birth to the discovery of a Pocket Dimension.

A Pocket Dimension!

Rosan actually had access to a Pocket Dimension and had expanded it to levels that would be suitable for his needs.

"The ability to find a Pocket Dimension and turn it into your own… I don't think I would have never thought of that," Mod remarked and she was smiling fondly at her charge. "You're incredible, Rosan."

Rosan puffed up at the compliment. It had taken a lot, he had been practicing it nonstop in his mindscape, even sacrificing sleep, but the results were more than worth it.

The Pocket Dimension was not exclusively his though. In theory, the small space had always been there and, with the right Devil Fruit, someone could access it but as far as Rosan knew, he was the only one who could fully utilize it.

Anyone else that could access it, even partially, would have to be killed. It was too much of a risk, even if they couldn't utilize it to the same degree he could. Imagine if word got out that the pocket dimension was real and the wielder of the Mod Mod no mi, a fruit already coveted by the World Government, was the only one who could access it.

Rosan was sure all 3 Admirals would converge upon him, given the chance.

Confident in his abilities he may be, Rosan was not foolish enough to think he could take out 1 admiral. 3 would be overkill.

His access to the Pocket Dimension was why Rosan didn't need to stay on this island. Concentrating a considerable amount of power, Rosan's voice rang through the room.

"Modification: Save Point."

A nearly invisible door formed on the wall that he had just cleared up. It flashed momentarily, alerting Meiko before completely vanishing. None could see it, but Rosan knew it was there.

Save Point was a technique that connected a source of Rosan's choosing to the pocket dimension. Like this, Rosan would be able to enter the confusing dimension from his ship, locate the door that led to Fregate and collect his beri all in a matter of moments. To others it would look like he was teleporting and in a way they were right.

It was an incredible technique and it had been hiding under his nose this whole time.

Rosan wanted to actually turn himself into a save point so he could enter at any location, but that was proving to be difficult. It seemed turning a person's body into a source for another dimension wasn't easy. If it failed, then he'd just have to find a medium like what he planned for Meiko.

Rosan explained this to Meiko and she widened her eyes in disbelief. "Rosan that's i-incredible!" She exclaimed, not quite believing her ears. The girl was in a bit of a daze at his explanation and she was having trouble fully processing it.

Manipulation of space? Something like that was possible? It sounded as amazing as it did dangerous to the blonde girl.

"Mod-chan is capable of doing some really scary things. Your Devil Fruit is so strong," she told him and she felt how proud he was.

Rosan was about to say something before he stopped and just put a hand on Meiko. She got a little dizzy as Rosan said "Link," before it quickly faded. She blinked for a couple of seconds wondering just what he did.

"Don't mind him, Meiko," a familiar voice made the blonde jump 10ft in the air with a startled yelp. "Rosan is a show off and he wants to prove to you just how amazing I am," Mod finished, sighing in exasperation.

Meiko whirled around to look for Mod-chan. She sounded like she was right by her but it felt a bit… closer. Wait, was Mod-chan in her head?

"Yes I am!" she heard clapping, as Mod-chan confirmed her suspicions. "Rosan linked the two of you without dragging you into his mindscape so this way, you can talk to me and to him," Mod explained to her.

"What can't you guys do," Meiko asked in slight fear.

"Swim/Swim", They said simultaneously and she sweatdropped.

"It seems to be a success but I'd like to have a bit more control over it before I use it on you. I need to ensure that it's 100% safe...," Rosan informed her.

"In the meantime, find a medium that you would like me to use," He finished and she beamed in appreciation. Rosan was so considerate and she cherished that feeling it gave her.

"Okay, I'll find something!" Meiko smiled and Rosan nodded.

He called in the sisters and as they walked in, they looked around and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. They might have noticed the painting was moved, but they didn't habit this room enough to know.

"This is where we'll meet," Rosan told them getting a grunt out of Aiko and a shaky nod from Akemi.

"Um Reaper-sama," Akemi called and flinched as Rosan faced her.

Meiko idly wondered why they were calling him Reaper.

"Identity reasons," Rosan's voice chimed in her head. "I'd like to keep my identity a secret. Having this Reaper alias, allows me to do what I please and if things go wrong, I can just go back to being Rosan," he told her and she nodded at his logic.

Giving himself a free way to live his life normally, if Reaper did something dangerous, was smart. She now understood why he asked her if she wanted a disguise. The sunhat did a good enough job hiding her face and so did the sunglasses with her eyes but she refused to change her appearance.

Her appearance was unique to her and she refused to change it. It's what made her special and changing that would be changing who she was.

Rosan respected her decision and at her explanation, the boy had even told her that he would limit how much he changed his personal appearance due to what she told him!

The idea that she was actually changing the boys perspective on things, left her beaming in joy. Despite how stubborn Rosan could be, he always kept an open mind and was willing to change if he needed.

It was one of the things she liked most about him.

"What is it Akemi?" Rosan snapped Meiko out her musings, as he looked at the nervous woman.

The woman looked like an absolute mess and Meiko felt strangely sympathetic with her. She wilted a bit under his gaze and avoided eye contact.

That confused Rosan.

"You are the one who called me, yet you won't even look at me?" he asked making her flinch. She trembled a bit at his words and the woman looked like she was very close to breaking down.

"You could stand to be a little less intimidating, Rosan," Meiko suggested.

"I agree, you can be quite scary," Mod chimed in.

"But…she called me? I'm not understanding how I could possibly be in the wrong." She wanted to laugh at how genuinely confused Rosan sounded.

He was too cute sometimes.

"Boys," Meiko sighed in disappointment.

"Boys," Mod agreed.

"This was a mistake," Rosan's voice came out flat and they both laughed at his misfortune.

Aiko shot him a glare and said "Could you be a bit more gentle, Reaper. You know what she went through," and Rosan fixed his gaze on her.

He tilted his head at the older sister and asked "I'm aware. But then, why would she call my attention in the first place?"

"What happened to her?" Meiko asked curiously.

"She was raped and held as a prisoner for over a year," Rosan explained her situation and Meiko looked horrified.

Who would put someone through that?! Being r-raped and held prisoner? The blonde wanted to throw up at the thought and Rosan sent her a soothing pulse which calmed her down. Meiko tried hard not to let sympathy show on her face.

She failed miserably.

"She's trying her best right now! Don't be such a dick, Reaper," she snarled and Akemi frantically tried to calm her down. "It's bad enough that she had to be in that hellhole for a year, you slaughtering every single person while she was in the room didn't make her situation better," the woman was baring her teeth at Rosan now.

Akemi truly feared for her sisters life right then and there.

"Oh I'm sorry, did you want me to tell the goons to wait one moment while I deliver your darling sister to you?" Rosan asked sarcastically, taking a step forward. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not someone who likes to waste time and searching the island, for the remnants, would be far more trouble then gathering them in one location."

"Rosan did you really kill those people with her in the room?" Meiko asked Rosan, with a disappointed tone.

"I fail to see the issue. I told her to hide under the bed then to close her eyes. Whatever she saw is on her," Rosan said rigidly and Mod-chan readily agreed with him.

"Rosan is no ones babysitter," Mod said, rather coldly and it caught her off guard. "Akemi is an adult who didn't take much of his advice and she suffered the price for it."

Meiko flinched at their callous replies. It was a stark reminder, that the boy and his Devil Fruit were not saints. Everything the two did, was for themselves and the people they cared for. This whole island could perish and she doubted either of them would bat an eye.

It was quite a terrifying thought how little care the 9 year old had for the lives of others. Why did her parents have to…

Her breath hitched and she forcefully disregarded those thoughts. It would do no good if she broke down here in front of everyone. She didn't want to cause any trouble for Rosan.

Aiko held her ground but was pulled back by a visibly terrified Akemi. She knew what Reaper was capable of and if Aiko made him upset… she really was going to be an only child!

Bowing deeply, the younger sister hastily stuttered out an apology. "I-I'm sorry Reaper-sama f-for Aiko… she's r-really hotheaded a-and c-combined with her p-protective streak, it makes her say dumb things often."

"Do not apologize for the attitude of someone else," Reaper said in a stony tone and she immediately stopped talking. She began fearing for the worst and Aiko seemed to realize that she might have aggravated the wrong person, if the way her expression shifted indicated anything.

She hated her sisters mouth sometimes.

"Akemi," Reaper said grabbing her attention. "It's alright to be afraid."

Aiko's eyes widened in surprise at his words.

Was he...?

"What you went through… no one should ever have to go through that," he began, causing her lip to wobble.

"It's okay to feel fear. Fear is a driving force. But, do not allow that fear to drag you down. Don't let that fear control you," Reaper let out a small breath as he spoke.

"The people who hurt you, they're gone now. I made sure of it." Her lip quivered as his words struck into her.

"Do not let your memories of them defeat you because they can't get to you anymore. That fear… it's healthy. It will ensure you never want to feel like that again. What's not healthy, is allowing that fear to determine how you live. You must control your fear, not the other way around. No matter what, you must never stop fighting," the masked man concluded, backing away from the woman, who regarded him in pure shock.

Akemi felt as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders.

The full scope of the situation had hit her all at once. They couldn't hurt her anymore. All those months of misery, gone in a blink of an eye. Her tormentors were gone and it was all because of the black clad figure in front of her.

The Angel who had saved this island.

Her savior.

Akemi tried to bite back her tears.

She failed miserably.

Something grabbed her and once she identified it as Aiko, all the floodgates released. Clutching the hem of her older sisters white shirt, Akemi shook as sobs wracked her body. She felt so relieved. It was like she had finally woken from a never ending nightmare and it was overwhelming.

The girl could do nothing but cry and her older sister knew just how to deal with that.

"Shh, everything's gonna be okay Sis. I'm here for you." Aiko, who's anger had dissolved, shot Reaper the most grateful look she could muster. She had no clue how she was going to even start talking to Akemi about her trauma. The cloaked figure had managed to assuage both of their fears in one speech and she was eternally grateful for that.

Reaper may have been an ass, but at least he cared a little.

"It's good to know that you still have an aptitude for speeches," Mod smiled at Rosan and the boy snorted in amusement.

"He does this often?" Meiko asked looking at Rosan in shock.

"Mhm," she nodded. "Rosan could turn even the most rebellious folks loyal to him, if he wanted too!"

"Wow, Rosan," Meiko awed, before asking "Why don't you become like a Pirate Captain or a Marine. You have so much charisma!"

Rosan let out an uncharacteristic snarl and it made her jump in surprise. "I have no interest in becoming a pirate and I'd rather die then become a Marine," he growled and she flinched at his tone.

Meiko wondered just what happened for Rosan to harbor such resentment towards both. She had wanted to be a Marine, so it kind of stung that there was a possibility her and Rosan could have been enemies.

The blonde shivered to herself.

She didn't like her odds against the 9 year old.

"What did the Marines do to you, Rosan?"

The redhead simply said "I'll explain it to you one of these days," and left it at that.

Mod-chan sighed fondly, much to his annoyance. "Such trust already? Meiko, you sure are doing a number on him," she teased them both.

Meiko turned scarlet. There was no way Mod-chan knew right?

There was no way!

"Rosan, out of curiosity, how do you think someone with a mix of blond and red hair would look?" Mod asked curiously. The lady sounded down right devious.

Oh Kami, she knew.

Meiko felt lightheaded at the blatant question Mod-chan asked.

"Blond like Meiko's?" Rosan asked in return and Meiko felt like she was going to combust on the spot. "I think blond with red streaks and vice versa would look good. A 50% combination of both, would be questionable but it could work," Rosan finished.

"Hmm and what about you Meiko? How do you think a child with those colors would look," Mod asked and Meiko swore she was going to throttle the woman.

She wasn't being subtle at all! Child?! T-that was so far into the future. This hypothetical question was totally unnecessary… though she did feel happy that Rosan approved of their future—-

No, bad Meiko!

"Meiko, are you alright?" Rosan asked her.

"Are you sick? You're awfully red," underneath that worry, was too much mirth and Meiko promised to herself, that Mod-chan would be getting assaulted the next time she saw her.

Before she could answer, she was mercifully saved by the sisters.

"Reaper," that was Akemi speaking and the girl looked at him with such reverence, Meiko felt her stomach twist. "Thank you so much!" she bowed at a straight 90 degrees.

"Y-you saved me and made me realize that they can't hurt me anymore, you have my utmost gratitude and rest assured, I will make sure Aiko lives up to your expectations," she vowed with a shaky smile on her face.

"H-hey I'm not that bad," Aiko protested and was summarily ignored. She scowled and promptly turned away from them.

"If there's anything you need, please let me know!" Akemi bowed once again before smiling brightly at Reaper and, after a moment's hesitation, hugging him.

Meiko gaped in disbelief.

Was that a blush on her face?! W-who did she think she was?! Meiko was utterly outraged! If only she knew Rosan's real age, she probably wouldn't be looking at him with those stupid, gushy, brown eyes of hers.

"Thank you Akemi, I'll be sure to let you know," Rosan nodded, not hugging her back but choosing not to break it.

Akemi didn't seem to mind. In fact, Rosan not pushing her away only made her hug him tighter.

Meiko glared at Rosan. This was his fault! He shouldn't be entertaining this at all! The blonde didn't need to be here to watch this anymore so she wouldn't be. She crossed her arms and, without any prompting, left the room.

They all watched her go in confusion, though Aiko had a knowing look in her eyes.

"Meiko?" Rosan called but she didn't stop.

"You're a jerk Rosan," was all she said.

Rosan looked at her retreating form with nothing but confusion.

What did he even do?

Mod-chan sighed and Rosan got the sense she was shaking her head. "Meiko was right, boys really are stupid," was all she said which only amplified his confusion.

"…?"

---

Rosan was blunt.

He very rarely sugar coated his words and his honesty, was often confused for rudeness. The redhead didn't really care about that though. If someone was hurt by his honestly, they could grow a spine and deal with it. He didn't think he'd ever be put in a situation where he wished he had more tact.

Dealing with Meiko, seemed to give him a lot of first times though.

She had been ignoring him, for some reason, ever since they had left the castle. Rosan normally wouldn't have cared but he didn't even do anything!

Was she upset that he had killed all those people? Leaving them alive, would have been more trouble then it was worth. It would mean that there was always the chance for an attack in the future and Rosan did not feel like dealing with that.

He tried to get her to explain just what he did, but the blonde was stubborn in her silence.

The Shinigami politely greeted the approaching villagers, who looked at him as if he was some deity that didn't deserve to walk amongst them.

Rosan hadn't expected to get that reaction out of other people but it made sense. He had just saved them from their long time tormentor, after all. Coupled with the fact that he had wings resting on his back, they probably thought he was some type of guardian angel.

A stupid assumption, but he wouldn't dissuade them.

But, back to his main issue. Rosan had tried to coax a reason out of Meiko and she didn't even bother giving him a response back. Her refusal to speak to him, was beginning to irk the boy, especially considering he wasn't sure what he had done to her.

Their issues could be solved if they just talked so why did she refuse to talk?

Coupled with the fact that Rosan despised being ignored, it was no surprise that he was slowly boiling over. Grabbing her arm, he dragged the, clearly surprised, girl into an isolated area and firmly held her against the wall. He was glaring at her now, though it remained hidden, and he chose to speak aloud this time.

"Stop. Ignoring. Me," the black clad figure grit out, as his grip tightened on her. "I don't know what you're deal is, but I'm getting fed up with how you're acting right now."

Meiko flinched slightly at his steely stone and he noted that she was trembling ever so slightly, but Rosan just wanted to know what her problem was.

"I'm going to ask you one last time before I'm over it. What's your deal?" he growled.

Meiko felt tears brimming in her eyes at the forceful tone. "R-Rosan, you're hurting me...," she whispered and she bowed her head.

Rosan's eyes widened and he hastily let her down. The redhead backed away from her and began wondering, what exactly was wrong with him.

Guilt washed over him at her tone. He had gone and done it again, hadn't he? Letting his emotions get the better of him… Was the situation even that serious to get worked up about?

Rosan was a complete mess and he cursed himself for it. At least he had managed to reign himself in faster then normal.

"Meiko I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," he tried to apologize to the girl but he knew that wasn't enough.

"C-can you escort me back to the ship please," she muttered not looking at him. Rosan saw a stray tear hit the floor and he felt knots forming in his belly.

"...Alright," he eventually said with a sigh. With her permission, he reluctantly grabbed her and they took off.

The fly back was silent.

Dropping her off on the ship, Rosan opened his mouth to apologize again but shut it, seeing no point. He already apologized once and doing it again and again, would change nothing.

Meiko awkwardly said she was going to get dinner ready and Rosan made an excuse that he still had some business to do on the island.

Not waiting for a response, he flexed his wings and took off. Demon and Angel wisely stayed silent.

Why did he keep doing this? He overreacted. Again.

Damn it Rosan.

He needed to dedicate some weeks to just controlling his emotions. He had thought he was getting a better grasp at them but with Meiko, all logic was thrown out of the window and his emotions continued to get the best of him. Still, she didn't deserve to be a constant victim to his errant emotions.

He would make this up to her.

"Try getting her a gift?" Mod suggested and he nodded. That was perfect. Rosan would get her a gift.

"Thank you Mod-chan. By the way, do you know why she was upset with me?" Rosan asked curiously.

"I do, but I don't feel like telling you," Mod said.

Rosan sighed and just dropped the topic. Mod-chan could be such a brat.

Returning to the island, Rosan went to the plaza he had been to when he first arrived on Fregate. This island didn't have much of anything at the moment but maybe he'd be able to find something suitable here? Meiko wasn't the type to care about the price of a gift.

No it was the intentions that mattered to her.

"Oh Reaper-sama!" A familiar raspy voice called out. Looking in the direction of where it came from, Rosan was greeted by the form of the old man from before who had tried to scam him, waving the figure over. Shrugging his shoulders, he simply walked up to the man.

"Planning on scamming me again?" The Shinigami greeted conversationally and he was pleased to see the man rapidly shake his head in denial.

"No! How could I ever dream of scamming our savior," he looked genuinely disgusted at the thought and Rosan nearly snorted.

How quickly people backtracked when learning new info. How fast they changed when someone did something favorable for them.

He hated that.

Rosan didn't detect any insincerity, so he chose to believe the man.

"Why did you call me over here?" he asked bluntly. Rosan wasn't quite in the mood to entertain some old man at the moment, so it had better be a good reason.

The old man cupped his chin and looked at the fully cloaked figure.

He could not see anything that would suggest who Reaper was. He wondered what Reaper's actual gender was? Everyone assumed that he was a boy because that was just easier to remember but who really knew? The Angels voice sounded like they could be either gender. Eventually he said "You looked as if you were searching for something,"

Rosan nodded a bit surprised and said "I'm looking for a gift," and, after a moment of deliberation, he added "I do not want your expired fruit."

"Please stop bringing up the events of yesterday!" The old man had the decency to look embarrassed and Rosan couldn't help but smile to himself at how tormented he looked.

Outwardly he just nodded.

The elder adopted a thoughtful look. "Is it for the lass you were walking with earlier? She did look rather upset with you," he pointed out, before hastily taking back what he said, as Reaper just stared at him. He didn't say a word but the man got the message well enough.

"Keep talking and something bad will happen to you."

A light bulb went off, as an idea came to his head. He told Reaper to wait one moment and vanished to who knows where.

The masked redhead just watched the mans retreating back.

Rosan waited for about 3 minutes, before the panting old man came rushing back with something.

In his hands he held a small case that fit right into his palms. "I think this will do the trick," the old man said, before handing the case to Rosan. He gingerly took it and opened it without delay.

A shining red orb, the size of a marble, dangled from a long chain that ended with a clasp. It shone in response to the brilliant sun and Rosan raised a brow at how expensive they look. The gift came in a pair of two and he hummed in contemplation.

Earrings. The man had gotten him a pair of earrings.

"Like it?" the elder puffed up proudly. "It's made of ruby and it was far too gorgeous for me to give up to those ruffians so I hid it from their sights. I believe they would be the perfect gift for the lass," he finished with a grin that revealed a lot of missing teeth.

Rosan had to admit, they were a sight to behold. Meiko would love them for sure and they were red. "How much do you want for them?" he asked, looking up from the earrings. He began digging around inside of his cloak before he was stopped by the elder.

Waving his hands frantically, he said "I could never charge our savior," and Rosan frowned at that.

He was not a fan of special treatment and that applied to himself.

"I insist! Consider it an apology, for trying to charge you a ludicrous price for the fruits yesterday,"

Rosan simply sighed and accepted. That was fair, he supposed. Rosan grabbed the box from the man with a simple "Thank you," and pocketed the earrings. The Shinigami bid the man a farewell, stretched his wings and took off in a gust of wind.

The onlookers looked on in awe at the sight of Reaper soaring away in a matter of moments.

He wanted to get them to Meiko as soon as possible.

---

Meiko was a bit glum as she made dinner.

She knew she was overreacting a bit… but Rosan didn't have to get so rough with her! She...didn't think he would have reacted like that.

Rosan was normally much more in control of his emotions.

Ever since he blew up that one day she figured out her parents were gone, he never overreacted like that again.

"Rosan knows he messed up," Mod chimed in, making the blonde jump in fright at the voice.

Mod-chan could still speak to her? Was Rosan able to hear this too? "No it's just you and I," she informed the blue eyed girl.

"I didn't know we could talk, just the two of us," Meiko gasped and Mod hummed.

"My connection with Rosan is constant, but when we speak to each other I have to focus on him. When it's the both of you, I have to focus on the both of you," She explained and Meiko was nodding. "I chose to focus on just you this time."

Her mouth formed an O at the explanation and she nodded in understanding.

"I'm not asking you to excuse his actions, but please understand that, due to extreme circumstances, Rosan is not very good at things like this," Mod-chan began, with a frown on her bronze face. Meiko could tell that her blood red eyes were furrowed a bit too.

"What do you mean?"

"Rosan he… he hasn't had anyone properly teach him about many things. The only ones he had were Robin and myself and well… one is an introvert, who had a rough upbringing herself and the other is a Devil Fruit, who lacked emotions until meeting him," Mod informed her.

"We tried our best to teach him about these things and we were making good progress too! But, as you can imagine, getting captured and tortured everyday for 6 months didn't positively help with his malleable mind..."

Yeah that would change anyone much less a child.

Meiko nodded in sympathy. He was only 9 years old and it was safe to assume he had been sailing the seas at a very young age.

"Since he was 4 to be exact," the woman clarified and Meiko felt her eyes widen in dread at that bit of information.

S-since he was 4?! That was suicide! What made him decide to travel at such a young age?! It couldn't have possibly been anything good, judging by Mod's tone.

"It wasn't by choice but you'll have to ask him to elaborate," The Devil Fruit said sadly and Meiko nodded in understanding.

Rosan would tell her when he was ready!

A child's mind was very easily influenced. It didn't sound like the circumstances that caused Rosan to leave at 4, were very good so, it was very possible that his mind was already in a not so stable state and Daybreak made it worse.

Meiko could understand Rosan's point of view a lot more now. The fact he was making a genuine effort to change himself, was a good sign that he knew of his shortcomings.

Rosan was seriously awesome! His maturity at only 9 years old was awe inspiring and Meiko wanted to follow his example.

"That boy… I love him like he's my own son and he might as well be," Mod admitted fondly and Meiko's electric blue eyes, went soft at her gentle tone.

"Seeing him so broken before, broke me and watching him slowly but surely gain the light in his eyes from before makes me happier then you could imagine and it's all thanks to you Meiko," The earnest tone in her voice shook Meiko to her core.

"B-because of me? What did I do Mod-chan?" The girl asked with a confused expression on her fair skin.

"Nothing except being you, sweetie," Mod-chan began kindly and the girl flushed at the compliment. "You're bringing out the suppressed emotions in Rosan, that no one else is able to, and it's putting him in unfamiliar territory."

"Rosan… I would never have expected him to be so accepting of another person so soon, due to what he went through, but your managing to shatter any barrier he has put up and it's bringing my old boy back," Mod-chan sounded a bit choked up, as she spoke and Meiko sent nothing but sweet reassurance to the purple haired woman.

Mod needed this. The woman was attached to Rosan but it was clear she couldn't talk to him about everything. How could she tell the boy that she wanted the old version of him back? It was unbelievably selfish and worst, Rosan would try his hardest to go through with her wish.

His love for her was deep and he was willing to go through hell and back for his long time partner.

She knew Rosan would be furious if he found out she was keeping info from him, so she needed an outlet. Sweet, caring Meiko was the perfect choice and the little girl had no problem being a listening ear.

Mod-chan was really starting to love this shining girl.

"Don't worry Mod-chan! Together, we can slowly but surely help Rosan get better," Meiko spoke with such sureness, all Mod-chan could do was laugh and believe her.

"You're an amazing person Meiko," Mod-chan started, getting a blush out of the little girl. "That's why I approve of your pursuit in Rosan's heart!"

A ticked off expression formed on her face at the memory. "Mod-chan what exactly are you doing?!" she bellowed at the Devil Fruit.

"Whatever do you mean," Mod-chan asked innocently and Meiko wanted to strangle the woman right then and there.

"Asking us about a blond and red haired child? Could you be more obvious?!" Meiko asked, completely exasperated, as she waved her hands animatedly.

"Just wanted you to know, that I know!"

"W-why didn't you just tell me like this?!"

"… The chance to tease you, was too good to pass up," the purple haired woman admitted sheepishly. She let out a nervous laugh, as Meiko tried to burn a mental hole into her.

Mod-chan, sensing danger, tried to salvage the situation.

"W-well Rosan and I both know you have feelings for him, but only I know that it's evolved from more then just a crush," Mod-chan explained, causing her to turn a deep shade of red.

"When did you find out?" Meiko was curious, she only recently found out that her feelings ran deeper. Did Mod-chan always know that it would end up like this or did Meiko give it away?

"When you did," was her response. "I saw the way you were looking at Rosan when he said he wanted to keep you safe. The realization on your face made me realize too."

"H-how were you able to tell but not Rosan?" She stammered and Mod-chan sighed in fondness.

"Due to spending a prolonged amount of time around Sachie—," she flinched from the restrained venom in the woman's voice at the mention of her mother "—Rosan has gotten quite good at picking up when people are attracted to him."

That didn't really her answer and she said as much.

"Let me finish," the woman requested politely and she nodded and apologized. "It's fine. The problem is that Rosan is only good at detecting lust due to it being more… negative in nature. You don't feel lust for Rosan, your attraction to him is pure in nature and that's why he isn't able to tell how deep it runs."

"He's good at detecting negative emotions but not more positive ones when regarding himself? But why?" Meiko mused.

"Rosan he… he doesn't have a very high opinion of himself," Mod admitted and the blonde couldn't help but ask why.

"It's two things, really. He was forced to leave someone behind and…he thinks someone else has abandoned him. Coupled with the fact, that his time on Daybreak Island has caused him to view himself as a monster, you can imagine that he probably doesn't think anyone, barring I, loves him," she answered and the woman sounded upset.

Clearly Mod didn't believe that but Rosan would not listen to her because of how intertwined they were.

Meiko's eyes softened in sympathy. She understood well what it was like to have low self esteem. Being ignored by your parents for years, really helped in giving you confidence issues.

Her crush didn't seem to have any confidence issues. In fact, Rosan's confidence bordered on arrogance but... that probably only extended to his skills and not his character...

She really wanted to help him with whatever problems he had because the redhead had been helping her tremendously with her own confidence. She wanted nothing more then to return the favor to the boy who deserved it.

"I'm trying myself but maybe, with the 2 of us, he'll finally start to see reason," Mod said with a hopeful tone and Meiko nodded rapidly.

"Honestly that boy is so self punishing sometimes," she exhaled fondly and Meiko had to agree. For someone normally so compliant, Rosan really could be insufferably stubborn. But, it was apart of his charm and it was another reason on a long list of why she was so infatuated with the boy.

In a much better mood, Meiko hummed as she began making dinner. She wanted to make seafood today after seeing a recipe so she quickly took out the necessary ingredients. Rice, shrimp, salmon, beans, tomatoes… these were some of the things she grabbed.

Satisfied with her selection, Meiko quickly got to work.

The 11 year old was just about to finish, when Rosan showed up. The boy did his best not to startle her and, seeing that she was still busy, opted to keep his mouth shut. She shot him a small smile and he relaxed a bit, though he still looked tense. He felt guilty and that warmed her up considerably.

It always made her smile knowing that he really did care.

The blonde decided she would hear what he had to say first and so she made them both a plate of her dish (it was something called Paella!) and ate in silence. She beamed at the delighted look in Rosan's eyes and began to eat her own food in return.

Rosan finished before her. He always finished eating first, despite normally having a larger plate of food but he was considerate enough to not leave, even after he was done! They normally talked about mundane things as she finished her food and the peace was calming.

This time, he opted to stare at her while she ate which made her flush in embarrassment.

There was something about his eyes that just gave them such an intense feel. Whether it was the fact that they were two different colors, or that they subtly glowed, she didn't know but it made keeping eye contact with him, really difficult.

Rosan's presence was hard to ignore.

She finally finished eating and once she sighed in satisfaction, Rosan decided now would be a good time to talk.

"Meiko…" he said softly, grabbing her attention. Taking a deep breath, the redhead said "I wanted to apologize for being so rough with you… I keep letting my emotions get the best of me over simple things and it's only causing you harm."

Meiko opened her mouth to tell him that it was okay but Rosan would not let her. She was too forgiving for her own good and he would never get better, if she just forgave him after every transgression.

He needed her to at least be a little upset, dammit.

"Meiko it's hard to feel bad when you're not even upset," Rosan sighed out and she sheepishly tugged one of her twintails.

"I'm just trying to understand things from your perspective is all, Rosan!" The 9 year old let out a deeper sigh at the compassionate gaze she shot him and dropped it.

"Well whatever the case, I still want to make it up to you."

Pulling out the box, he said "I got you a present as an apology... and as a thanks for putting up with me," and he presented it to her.

Meiko's eyes shone in curious delight and she easily accepted the box out of his hand.

She loved getting gifts! She used to get them all the time when she was younger and they never failed to fill her with joy, no matter what it was. It was just the fact that someone wanted to get her a gift that made her love them!

The 11 year old opened the box and her eyes widened in shock at what she laid eyes on. Inside of the box, was a pair of really beautiful earrings.

They were a ruby red pair of orbs, that dangled slightly on a short chain. They were in perfect condition and seemed to glow in the lighting. The earrings were light to the touch, but held a weight to them, that let her know it was likely not fake.

They were absolutely gorgeous and Meiko loved them.

She let out a squeal and crashed into Rosan. In her excitement, she planted a kiss right on his cheek and didn't even flush in embarrassment.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" she exclaimed, smiling brighter then he had ever seen. "I love it! Wait just a sec, I'm gonna try them on right now," before he could say anything, she took off.

Rosan absentmindedly touched his cheek. Huh, he wasn't expecting such a strong reaction. He guessed she appreciated it.

Mod smiled knowingly.

The Mod Mod no mi user walked out of the dining room, just in time to run into Meiko again. He was about to say something, but paused as he took in her appearance.

Gone was her night robe and in its place, was a long frilly red dress that was streaked in black. It had no sleeves and flared out at the bottom. She had on the earrings he gave her and they complimented her current outfit well.

Rosan felt his mouth go dry and he stared at her with wide eyes.

"Wow~," he heard Mod-chan say and he had to agree with her.

"Well how do I look?" The blonde asked, spinning in a circle. "I love these earrings! Oh I know!" Meiko suddenly exclaimed to the frozen Rosan. "I want you to use them as a Save Point so I have an excuse to always wear them," she told him and Rosan could only nod, as he soaked in her appearance.

She looked stunning.

Red looked really good on her. Her silky blond hair, always tied in those twintails, looked even brighter and Rosan felt the urge to stroke it. Pupiless, electric blue eyes shone in excitement, as she looked at him in pure adoration. The admiration in her eyes, as she flashed her pearly whites at him, staggered Rosan a bit.

Admiration just for him.

Rosan regarded Meiko, as if he was actually seeing her for the first time.

Hate them he may have, Doc and Sachie were not ugly by any means. In fact, the married couple were quite the attractive duo and Meiko seemed to have inherited a perfect mix of her parents.

In the future, the girl was going to grow up to be quite the beauty and Rosan suddenly felt a small sense of disdain, at the attention she'd likely be receiving in the future. He hoped she didn't pay any of them attention because he deserved all the attention.

Her button nose, her large, caring, blue eyes, that looked at him like he were an actual person and not an object, the way her lips curled whenever she smiled at him, her golden blonde hair just thinking about it, suddenly made his chest pound.

The redhead felt a bit lightheaded looking at her.

This was new. What exactly was this feeling—

Rosan felt his eyes widen in dread, as realization finally hit him.

Oh. Oh no.

"Oh yes~," Mod said in a sing-song voice.

There had to be an explanation for this! Surely he didn't…

Rosan recalled the innocent kiss on his cheek and felt his face turn hot.

T-this couldn't be happening! He couldn't be... not to her of all people!

"Rosan, are you okay? Your face suddenly turned red," Meiko said, clueless about his internal dilemma. Rosan tried to tell her he was fine, but he choked on his words the moment he looked at her.

She looked really good in that dress.

"I-I'm fine Meiko," the redhead wanted to curse at his slipup.

Rosan didn't stutter.

Meiko caught it immediately.

Quick as a flash, she placed a dainty hand on his forehead in concern. Rosan knew it was just her inner doctor kicking in but she was close. Too close.

Rosan didn't know what was happening. He couldn't think straight and he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She smelt really good. Like strawberries. Rosan really liked strawberries.

His mind was completely betraying him right now and that was unacceptable! He needed to get it under control right now or else he might do something regretful—

"Are you sick? I've never heard you stutter before," she sounded worried. Worried for him. Just for him. Rosan had never gotten sick before in his life, but he was tempted to say yes, just so she could keep her eyes on him.

Like right now.

She had her attention focused solely on him and Rosan liked that.

Rosan really liked tha—

Ah shit.

"You finally realized!" Mod sang and for once, Rosan had no comeback. How could he after the revelation of what he was feeling, made itself clear to him.

"Rosan?" Meiko asked in concern and the object of his new affections, was invading his personal space like no ones business. Rosan found he didn't quite mind Meiko being in his personal space— this was bad.

This was really bad.

Rosan had fallen for Meiko. Hard.

The victorious cheers of Mod-chan, rang through the night, confusing poor Meiko greatly.

Chapter End

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Bonus!

The Misadventures of Robin and Rosan – 4

Robin and Rosan are 9 and 5 respectively.

Summary: Robin gets sick. Rosan tries to help in the best way possible. You can imagine how well that goes :).

---

Rosan wanted to cry.

Why did he want to cry, you ask?

Because Robin was dying and nothing he did made her feel better. The girl had been bedridden for a week now and no matter what she told him to do for her, she didn't get better. She was clearly dying and the thought brought the little boy to tears.

He had wanted to bring her to the hospital but she had told him they would sooner call the Marines, then treat the Devil Child. When Rosan mentioned disguising her, she said "We don't have enough funds at the moment to afford a hospital bill, Rosan," and put her foot down. Robin had told him she'd be fine in no time so there was no need for that.

Rosan was reluctant to believe her.

"Rosan, I think you're overreacting," Mod tried but Rosan shook his head in denial. He was currently sitting outside of Robin's room because she didn't want him to be close to her. The girl was worried that he would catch whatever she had.

Jokes on her, he couldn't get sick! He had never been sick a day in his life!

"Neither of us are doctors Mod-chan, how do we know it's nothing serious!" He whimpered and his Devil Fruit sent him a soothing pulse that helped little. If only he had been a doctor, he could—

Wait a minute. All they needed was a doctor right? Rosan didn't have to bring her to a doctor… he could just bring a doctor to her!

Slamming his fist against his palm, the redhead got up in excitement. They were currently stationed near an island because the swaying of the ship made Robin dizzy.

"Robin-nee?" Rosan called knocking softly on the door. He patiently waited for her to respond and eventually the sick girl spoke up.

"Y-yes Rosan?" Her weak voice called out. She sounded so tired and Rosan felt his heart breaking. Robin-nee seemed infallible at times so seeing her like this, made him really sad.

He would make sure she got better!

"I'm going out… is there anything you need before I go?" He asked her gently.

After a moment of silence, she said "Sorry but can you get me some water and a wet rag please?"

"Don't apologize Robin-nee, I'm on it!" with that, he took off to get the requested items. Quickly retrieving the items, he made his way back to where she rested at record time.

Opening her door softy, Rosan made his way to the 9 year old, looked at the flushed Robin and promptly replaced her rag. He touched her forehead and winced at the temperature.

She was burning up. That only reinforced the idea, that he needed to get a doctor to check up on her.

He carefully placed the water to her lips and she greedily drank it all. He planted a soft kiss on her cheek and hugged the girl before stepping back. She relaxed easily at his warm touch and Rosan smiled in return.

Touching her arm gently, he said "Modify Target: Rest Mode," Robin shot him a grateful look as he put her to sleep and soon she was quietly snoring away. Rosan modified her, numbing her body, so that she would feel less pain.

It would allow her to sleep easier.

Satisfied, the 5 year old got up and prepared to get off the ship. He placed one of his Bugs near Robin to alert him if anything went wrong with her. He'd be here as fast as possible in the case something did happen.

Rosan set off to find a target. He had to help Robin-nee in any way possible.

---

"Rosan… are you sure this is a good idea?" Mod asked unsure of his plan.

"It'll be fine," he whispered, scouting the house of interest. It was night time and he was currently stalking his targets home.

He had been watching him all day using his Bug and decided he would be the perfect target to help him.

He was a plain, unassuming man with messy graying hair. He seemed like a bit of a pushover, which is why Rosan chose him for his mission today!

If the man didn't want to hear him out…then well, he'd threaten him of course!

If that failed… the redhead wasn't a murderer by any means so he wasn't going to kill him out of frustration. He'd just mix with the man and force him to do it! That was another reason why he had picked the pushover, there was no way he had more will then Rosan!

Rosan didn't like the idea of forcefully controlling somebody, because it was a gross violation of a person, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Rosan, this is kidnapping," Mod said in a deadpan tone. The boy's plan, really made her question his sanity sometimes. He seriously wanted to kidnap an entire person and he saw no issue with it at all!

Honestly, he gave her such a headache sometimes!

"I gotta help Robin-nee somehow, Mod-chan," he hissed. "If they don't wanna help her by choice, then I won't give them one."

With that, he secured his hoodie and jumped down the building he was on into an alley. He didn't want to risk getting spotted.

That would be pretty bad.

He stealthily made his way to the Doctors house with nothing but determination. He soon arrived to the house and, stopping at a wall, the redhead touched it and closed his eyes. After a moment, he modified a large hole into the wall and quietly stepped through.

All the lights were shut off but that didn't impede Rosan. Thanks to Mod-chan, he could see just fine in the dark. As he glanced around, Rosan thought to himself that it was a nice house.

It was much bigger then his own home at Baterilla but that was to be expected.

Mama wasn't a doctor. Actually... how did Mama get money? They were always well off and Rosan never felt like they were lacking in any...

It was probably Roger. Gross.

Rosan Scanned the entire house for signs of life and eventually spotted two near the top.

Upstairs then.

Rosan spotted the stairs and slowly trudged up to his destination. He idly thought about robbing the man silly but shook his head. That was not what he came here to do and the man would be less inclined to help him if he realized that the redhead robbed him.

Robin-nee was much more important.

Eventually, the 5 year old made his way to a room with its door shut firmly. Holding his head to it, he idly heard snoring from two people.

Was he married? Oh well, that didn't matter. He didn't need his wife.

He slowly turned the door knob and quietly opened the door. Making his way to the sleeping couple Rosan did the most natural and efficient thing that came to him.

He slapped the man awake.

"You are such an idiot, Rosan," Mod sounded tired of his antics and Rosan blinked in confusion at her words.

The Doctor woke up with a start from the blow and before he could even begin screaming, Rosan had covered his mouth with a "Shh," and used his superior strength to restrain the man.

His flailing eventually woke up his wife (he assumed) and she was about to scream but immediately stopped as Rosan fixed her with a gaze. Rosan held a finger to where his lips would be and she thought about going against it, but seeing the grip the stranger had on her husband, she wisely stopped.

She looked to be in much better shape then her husband with shoulder length black hair and scared brown eyes. She was sleeping in her underwear and she seemed to just realize because she quickly covered herself up, with a small, embarrassed yelp.

The man eventually stopped flailing, as he realized the futility of it and Rosan patiently asked him "You done?" At the mans nod, Rosan said "I'm going to remove my hands and if you scream, I will knock you out. Okay?" He nodded fearfully and Rosan removed his hands.

Thankfully the man was smart enough to not scream, Rosan would have been really annoyed if he had to drag his bigger body to the ship. Still the fearful look on their faces was not really what he was hoping for.

"It's almost like you broke into their home," Mod said, sarcastically and Rosan shushed her.

He needed to break the ice here and show he wasn't that hostile.

"What's you guys names?" Rosan asked them both and they flinched at his sudden question. They looked at each other then back at him, as he stood there without a care in the world.

Eventually the woman (the doctor really was a pushover) decided to speak up. "I'm Hana a-and this is Goro," she said pointing at herself and then her husband.

"It's nice to meetcha," he said, purposely not introducing himself. "As much as I'd love to get to know you more, I need your help Goro," Rosan directing his attention towards the doctor.

"M-me?" He asked in confusion pointing a finger at himself. Rosan nodded at the still tense man in affirmation.

"A…companion of mine, she's sick and I need you to give her a personal checkup to make sure there's nothing wrong with her," Rosan said, unable to keep the worry out of his tone.

Hana's eyes softened a bit at that information and Goro's widened in disbelief. "Y-you broke into my house to t-tell me that?!" He gaped, almost not believing what he was hearing. "W-why didn't you just wait until I was actually in the hospital and bring your friend there?"

Rosan shook his head no. "I can't do that, it has to be personal. I just need you to follow me back to my ship, do the checkup and then we'll pretend like this never happened," he told the doctor.

Goro started shaking his head rapidly in denial. "No no no! I can't do that! If you want a checkup you'll have to schedule an appointment at the hospi—"

He froze, as the intruder suddenly appeared right in front of him. If Rosan had his hoodie down and his mask was off, the man would have seen the boys snarling visage but thankfully, he was only subjected to his very palpable anger.

That still didn't help him.

"Listen. This girl means everything to me. If anything happens to her because you refused to help, I'm going to lose my mind and I'm going to take out my frustrations on you," he snarled at the, steadily paling, doctor.

"I'm going to give you two options. You either get up and follow me to this ship willingly, or I drag you there and force you to do it and don't even think about sabotaging the process because I swear to Kami, any pain you've felt before, will not be enough to prepare you for what I'm going to do to you," he finished, getting closer and closer until the hem of his hoodie touched the man's forehead. This close, Goro could see a white mask and faint purple glow.

A tap on his shoulder, made him look over to his wife who was looking at Rosan with soft brown eyes. Her black hair bobbed, as she shook her head and the woman said "Honey, I think you should help them. They seem very stressed right now and this seems like an act of desperation."

"I don't think this person is used to asking people for help and they look like they're in a rush. Despite the crudeness, they were still willing to give you the courtesy of asking you for help," she finished and Rosan looked at her happily.

Goro looked like he wanted to argue, but one look in Hana's firm eyes, let him know it would be futile. Letting out a sigh of defeat, he said "I need to at least get some equipment for a basic check—"

"I already handled it," the hooded figure interrupted him. "I took everything I thought you would need and just put it on my ship… I'll return it all after you're done," his even tone finally broke through, as a hint of impatience seeped into his voice.

Goro gawked at him. "Y-you broke into the hospital too?" at his quick nod, Goro was tempted to question them, but decided the headache was not worth it and closed his mouth. At Hana's urging, he hastily got up and requested to take a shower at least. His wish was granted albeit reluctantly by the short, black clad individual.

Goro, not wanting to try his patience, quickly took a cold shower to ensure he was fully awake.

Getting out of the shower, he was confused when he didn't see anyone in the bedroom. He quickly got dressed, fearing the worst and made it downstairs only to see Hana and the mysterious figure having a seemingly pleasant conversation.

They were both drinking milk and Hana was laughing about something the figure said. A plate of cookies were being munched on as well and, while the figure still had his hoodie up, he saw a white mask with a black rose on it lying next to him on the counter.

They both faced him at the same time, though he got the feeling that the masked figure had sensed him long ago and greeted him. "Welcome back, honey!" Hana greeted him cheerfully. She was dressed in a simple white robe that covered her modesty. "Our dear friend here, was just telling me about his escapades! He's quite the charming individual you know?" she said cheerfully and the figure next to her laughed happily.

Goro opened and closed his mouth, at the sight of the masked boy rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Dear friend?! He had been gone for 10 minutes! What even happened in that timespan?! He finally settled for lamely saying "I'm ready to go," and left it at that.

Rosan nodded and he put his mask back on. Securing it firmly on his face, he got up and hugged Hana, which she happily returned and the woman pat him gently on his back. "Bye Hana! I'll make sure to bring your husband back in one piece! Though, I should have done this during the daytime since he needs the sunlight," he bid her farewell and she just laughed knowingly, as if they had known each other forever.

"He would have said no if the sun was out!" She joked, waving him off. "I hope your friend is okay! To throw away your pride for her… you two have a very strong relationship! I kind of envy you for that," the brown eyed sighed despondently and Rosan pat her shoulder in sympathy.

Why did he suddenly feel so outraged by her statement!?

What the hell had he missed in the 10 minutes he was gone? His wife and a burglar…getting along like they knew each other forever?!

He really needed a smoke.

Finally done bidding each other farewell, they departed his home. The boy told him wait one moment, vanished behind his house and came back not soon after. "What were you doing back there?" Goro asked curiously and the figure simply said "I was closing something."

He learned that, for the sake of his waning sanity, it was best not to question him and just followed the boy wherever he was being taken. They walked at a rather brisk pace and the Doctor had to wonder how this short figure was so quick.

Rosan shook in anticipation, as they got closer and closer to their destination. Finally someone would be able to check up on Robin! He needed to make sure she was absolutely okay and this was the best way to do it.

"You never cease to amaze me, Rosan," Mod said, voice full of exasperation. "I don't know how you managed to make friends with someone who's house you broke into but only you could do it."

"It's cuz I'm awesome Mod-chan," Rosan grinned smugly. Mod simply agreed with a "Yes you are Rosan," and ended the conversation.

The 5 year old knew Mod-chan was proud of him, the woman didn't wanna admit that she was just as worried as Robin-nee as Rosan was, but the purple eyed boy could see right through her.

At the pace they set, it didn't take long for them to arrive to the White Rose. Goro was panting at the speed they set off at while Rosan stared ahead, perfectly fine.

They boarded the ship and Goro had to take a moment to appreciate its design. He had never seen such a sleek ship! The design, layout, and interior looked far more advanced then any ship he had ever seen.

A ship this unique must have cost a fortune!

Rosan grabbed a glass of water and they walked at a much more moderate pace to her room.

The boy finally arrived at Robin's door and he told Goro to wait a moment. Not bothering to knock, Rosan entered the room without hesitation. Robin's room had been slightly changed to accommodate the medical supplies he had borrowed from the hospital.

The girl in question, was wide awake and looking at him with confusion in her blue eyes as she, no doubt, noticed said equipment. She tried to speak but Rosan shushed her and put the glass of water to her lips, which she greedily drank up. The girl let out a sigh of relief, as her parched throat was momentarily satisfied.

Rosan decided now would be a great time to tell her the news.

"I found a doctor that will check up on you Robin-nee," Rosan said bluntly. Predictably, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"H-how?" she croaked out and the 5 year old explained what he had done today. By the way her eyes narrowed, Rosan was glad that she was currently incapacitated, else he'd be in trouble!

If the girl had not been sick, Rosan was sure he would be getting an earful but the moment she tried to berate him, she began coughing and gave up. The purple eyed boy gave her another sip of water to ease her pain and he smiled softly at her thankful expression.

Robin had to wonder just how insane her lovable partner was. She was feeling a certain type of resignation at what he told her.

Did he seriously break into a doctor's house?! Then proceed to ask him for help? After slapping him awake?!

Rosan had to have some loose screws, right? He was so polarizing in his actions, that it made her head spin. Everytime she thought she got used to him, he went and did something new!

The brunette had made it loud and clear that she didn't need the help of a doctor and that it was just a fever but Rosan clearly wasn't of the same opinion. It was cute that he was going so far to make sure that she was alright

"Don't try to deny me, Robin," Rosan chastised her and the concern in his voice was obvious. "I need to make sure you're not dying and neither of us are doctors. So, I got an actual doctor."

Her eyes softened at the worry in his tone and, with a defeated sigh, she nodded her head in compliance and placed it back on the pillow. Rosan grinned in victory and called Goro in.

She warily looked at the doctor through half lidded eyes and she idly felt Rosan touching her. After a moment, they linked up and Robin let out a relieved sigh at not having to use her actual voice.

He had gotten really good at knowing what she was thinking.

"Can we trust him?" Robin asked the boy.

"We can. I already warned him what would happen if he tried anything… Also, I get along well with his wife," Rosan told her.

Somehow, Rosan telling her he was friends with the wife of the man, whose house he broke into, was one of the more normal things he had done.

The man looked slightly uncomfortable but resigned. As if he just wanted this all to be over with.

She honestly felt a bit bad for him. It was hard to deny Rosan when he wanted something (spoiled brat) and to be woken up this late must have been arduous for his aging body.

He wasted no time in running various tests on her. She didn't put up resistance to anything and with how intently Rosan was staring at the man, she doubted he would try anything funny.

He didn't seem to recognize her so that was good. It could be potentially disastrous (for him) if he did.

He soon finished and turning towards Rosan, said "Your friend will be fine. She has a particularly harsh variant of the Flu but give her some rest and make sure she doesn't exert herself and she'll be fine in no time."

Rosan sagged in relief at the news he received. It warmed her heart how worried he was for her and she didn't (not that she could) resist when Rosan wrapped her in a hug.

"You're going to be okay Robin-nee!" he exclaimed aloud, hugging her tightly. She let out a coughing laugh, as she tried and failed to hug him back. The boy didn't mind whatsoever and he more than made up for her lack of energy with his own.

"Wait… Robin-nee?" A voice suddenly spoke up causing them both to freeze. They both looked at Goro at the same time, as the man began connecting the dots. Realization slowly made its way onto his face and he took a good look at Robin.

The doctor paled.

"Oops, guess I have to make sure he stays silent about this," Rosan said sheepishly, eyes glowing with the telltale sign of Modification. He wouldn't jam him because he actually liked his Hana! She would be understandably upset if he brought back a vegetable.

"One day, I will go a week without getting a headache from you Rosan," Robin replied.

"I'm afraid, that's impossible," Mod said, in the most defeated tone ever.

Rosan just laughed nervously.

Bonus End!

---

Modification Techniques: Ragnarok, Shinigami, Save Point.

Modification: Ragnarok – Transforms Rosan into a large Dragon. The size and appearance of the transformation varies depending on Rosan's needs but. It's default design obsidian with red streaks coursing through its body and Rosan keeps it this way. He has been working on this technique, since he was 4 years old but he was unaware he needed to channel a certain emotion, that being rage, into it. Due to his time at Daybreak Island, he has finally achieved this coveted transformation.

Rosan can transform into certain parts of the Dragon and he can utilize it's mystical Draconic flames outside of the transformation. Ragnarok also passively heightens some of his emotions outside of the transformation.

Modification: Shinigami – Transforms Rosan into an "Angel" and gives him a pair of angelic black wings. Due to his perception of Angel's being that they are mostly human-like, the wings are all he gains and he retains his original appearance. He achieved this transformation due to his desire to separate Ragnarok from his new Reaper guise.

Unlike Ragnarok, Shinigami doesn't heighten any of Rosan's emotions but instead dampens them causing him to appear more cold and calculated. Outside of the transformation it works well at limiting how much Ragnarok affects his emotions.

Modification: Save Point – Rosan manipulates space to connect an area of his choosing to the Pocket Dimension. Rosan can then use the Pocket Dimension to access his other Save Points, though he can only enter the Pocket Dimension through them. His current limit is 3. One is on the White Rose, another is on Meiko's earrings, and the final is on Fregate, in the castle owned by Aiko.

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AN: Here's Chapter 8 and we introduce an important character! Reaper is pivotral to Rosan's character so I'm glad I finally got to introduce them! Due to Rosan's desire to keep his identity a secret, he made Reaper and now the world will begin to know just who the Angel of Death is! As Reaper, Rosan will be much more willing to do reckless things so be on the lookout :).

We're also getting some development of Rosan's character and his relationship with Meiko! He's a rather complicated person whose too emotional for his own good and he knows this. That's why he dreads the fact that he has feelings for her.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always thanks for the support, I always appreciate it and here's the title for the next chapter. Bye bye!

Chapter 9: Serenity