AN: Chapter 5 is here and it's a big one (like seriously, it's huge)! Like mentioned previously, this chapter gets dark and that's why I updated the rating. There is much more violence (people die) then in my previous chapters and it includes torture as well, so be warned!
In case everyone forgot, Rosan is 8 years old at the beginning of this chapter.
Thank you to everyone reading this story and enjoy the new chapter!
"Modification!" - Normal Speech
"Modification!" - Thoughts
"Modification!" - Mod (the voice inside Rosan's head)
"Modification!" - Techniques
Descent
Chapter 5: Rage
Rosan awoke to the smell of heavy sanitation and medicine.
His memories were foggy and he had a pounding headache. Trying to glance around his surroundings, proved futile due to the fact that he was firmly tied up. He felt weak. His body was heavy. He was so so tired. Distantly, he heard the sounds of someone talking.
"Subject #118 has awoken but not for long. Breathing pattern appears to be normal. Heartbeat steady. May have a slight concussion. Reacts negatively to seastone. Likely to have a Devil Fruit. Type? Unknown. Name: Unknown. Gender: Male. We will continue to run tests on him. Will have him battle ready as well as obedient as soon as possible."
Unable to concentrate any longer on the conversation, he fell asleep again.
This time, he was awoken by the actions of someone else. Namely, being shocked quite harshly across his body.
Yelping, his eyes surged open and he attempted to thrash about in pain. This proved impossible however, because of how tightly he was tied to a cold metal table. He noticed that there was some type of collar wrapped around his neck but he couldn't focus on it for long due to the excruciating pain.
Memories of the events that took place who knows how many days ago came rushing back and Rosan gasped at the influx of memories he received. He remembered getting ambushed in the clearing by a group of men. He remembered them using some poison to weaken him and he remembered how they waited for him to make a mistake before taking him out.
He had been about to use Modification but he had been to slow. He had completely messed up and it cost them...he was so stupid.
Eyes widening, he mentally called out to his Devil Fruit. "Mod-chan! Are you there?" It was silent for a moment before, almost sluggishly, a voice replied "I* h*r* R**an." She sounded muted, restrained but she was still there. Rosan allowed himself to relax just a little bit, despite the pain, and he tried to get an idea of what was going on. He was about to voice as much to Mod-chan until a voice interrupted his daze.
"Ah-" it began "So you're finally awake! Good good!"
Craning his head in the direction of the voice, Rosan was greeted to the sight of a handsome man, who stood at a 5'9(175cm) in a white lab coat, with black slacks and dress shoes. White gloves covered his hands and he had a stethoscope around his neck. Shoulder length blonde hair framed goggles. The man was looking intently at him, radiating a hunger that sent uneasy chills up his spine.
"Greetings, Subject #118." His smooth voice made Rosan recoil in disgust. It was full of a hidden greed and voices that hid their desires belonged to the worst kind of people. A voice like that didn't bode well for him at all and that thought had Rosan struggling to find a way to escape from his binds.
Completely undisturbed by Rosan's reaction, the man continued. "You may call me Doc," he introduced himself kindly. "I'm sure you're confused about the situation you are in, so I will be the one to enlighten you on what exactly is happening."
"I've had my eyes on you for quite a while," he admitted with a proud smile on his face. "You see, I consider you the perfect specimen and the tests I've run on you only prove it. Strong growing body, dense bones, unnatural healing factor, a Devil Fruit, a good looking face that will no doubt charm both genders in the future, etc. You are everything a person would want in a weapon."
The man cupped his cheeks and Rosan let out a distressed noise. Ignoring the boys discomfort, the man continued speaking. "I thought it would be impossible to get my hands on you truthfully. But after some…helpful information from a reliable source, we were able to successfully retrieve you!" Clapping his hands he stepped back from Rosan and began rummaging for something.
Rosan's tiny pupils shrank as he heard that bit of information. No, it couldn't be, he refused to believe what he was insinuating. There was just no way it was true. This man was implying something, but Rosan would not take the bait.
He never would.
"I have many aspirations for you Subject #118. You see I've been looking for the perfect person to become my weapon and you match all my checks," he said and he was walking around the room. "What I aspire for is not just a weapon, it's the ultimate weapon. Giants are too large, too big of a target, Fishman too noticeable, too hated. You on the other hand, are human. Yet, you're body exceeds my expectations. Your looks are exotic. Good, in the future they will assist you greatly with what I have tasked for you."
Walking back over to Rosan, Doc said "There's only one problem and, even now, I can see it in your eyes." The man tutted as he slowly approached Rosan. The captured boy tried to shrink himself against the cold metal, to put distance between them, but the man would not be deterred.
"What is your name?" Doc asked suddenly.
Rosan blinked in confusion before stubbornly keeping his mouth shut. He wouldn't tell this man anything about himself. Not even his name.
That was a mistake.
As if confirming his thoughts the man sighed and shook his head. "It's as I predicted, you believe yourself uncontrollable and that just won't do. Not to worry, I will personally curb such a rebellious young boy." With that, the man pressed a button on the controller he was holding.
White hot pain filled Rosan as his entire body surged with electricity. "AAAUGH" The boy shrieked as his skin pricked in agony. It hurt. It hurt. IT HURT! He had never felt anything like this before and the pain was unimaginable!
Suddenly the shocks stopped. Rosan's body wracked in pain at the aftereffects of being shocked and he slumped over. Tears ran down his face as his body steamed from the electricity. The boy let out choked sobs as his steaming hair shadowed his face.
"What is your name?" he asked again and the 8 year old shook in fear at Doc's question. But he couldn't answer him. He had promised Mod-chan to keep his identity a secret. This man couldn't know. E-even if it hurt him, he couldn't t-tell him.
As if expecting the silence, the man sighed in faux sadness. "Why must you make me do this," Was all he said before pressing the button again.
Rosan tried to brace himself for it this time, but there was no way to prepare for something like this. His screeches reached uncomfortably loud volumes as he thrashed around at the torture on his young body. This was unlike anything he ever felt! It hurt…it hurt so much. His tears had since dried from the heat. H-he couldn't handle this! HE COULDN'T HANDLE THE PAIN -
"R*s*n ple*se, tell him your name!" For a moment, Mod's muffled voice became clear. There was a horror in her voice that was utterly heart wrenching and her voice was so choked up it was obvious she was crying.
Despite the torturous pain he was in, Rosan was able to register Mod's plea. Not wanting to worry her anymore, the boy choked out a "R-Rosan" to his tormentor before seizing up again as the shock continued to course through his body. He couldn't even scream anymore.
Clicking the device off in satisfaction, Doc asked "Could you repeat that for me? I didn't quite catch that."
"M-my n-name, is R-Rosan," He stuttered slumping over as the pain became too much for him. Mod had gone deadly silent, he wasn't even able to feel her faint presence anymore. Was she...was she okay…?
"Just Rosan?" He asked, smiling threateningly.
Rosan shook a bit in fear at the thought of being shocked again, before speaking up. "I-I'm an orphan."
Silence greeted him and Rosan thought his half truth would be caught. To his relief however, Doc stepped back seemingly satisfied with his response. "Good. Now was that so hard?"
Not waiting for a response, not that he'd be able to get one, Doc tested the name on his lips. "Rosan…a fine name. Much better then Subject #118 at least don't you think? I hope you won't prove to be as troublesome as you have shown today. Somehow though, I have reason to doubt that."
Rosan couldn't hear anything the man was saying. He had already succumbed to the pain and laid unconscious, occasionally shuddering from the after effects.
"To be able to handle so many shock doses is already a good sign," Doc said excitedly. "I will let you rest for now. Bring him to his cell."
Doc watched as his two guards dragged the little boy away with that same deranged smile on his handsome face.
Rosan awoke to the feeling of someone touching him. Quickly sitting upright, he let out a gasp of pain as his body disagreed with the sudden movement.
The stranger gently pushed him back down and Rosan tried to resist, but he felt too weak and soon he was laying down again. Struggling to look up, he was surprised to be greeted by a set of electric blue pupilless eyes. The owner of those eyes, a young girl, slowly put a finger up to her lips in a shushing manner and got back to work.
Rosan thought he was being attacked but upon closer inspection, he saw that she was applying some sort of ointment on his body. He hissed as she touched a particularly painful spot and she had the decency to shoot him an apologetic glance.
Who was this girl? Had she been ordered to heal him? Then why did she want him to be quiet? Maybe she wasn't supposed to be here. Was…she being nice to him? Rosan didn't know the answer to these questions but he was still tired, so he didn't make a fuss.
Rosan took the time to take in her appearance. She didn't look very old, appearing to be 10 or 11, with long blonde hair tied into twintails. She was dressed in sailor outfit, that was all black, fitted with a pink tie. Her eyes, as mentioned before, were a mesmerizing shade of electric blue that lacked pupils. The blue eyes in question were looking at him with pure sorrow. At what? He didn't know.
Did she feel bad for him? Why?
She finished rubbing the ointment on him and she swiftly got up to flee his cell. Rosan wanted to at least say thank you, but he was tied firmly to his bed and he was far too sluggish to speak. The girl opened his cell door as quietly as possible and she sent him one last glance of concern, before closing the door.
Looking at his body as much as he could, Rosan had to admit he wasn't in nearly as much pain as before and it was probably because of that kind stranger. He sent the girl a mental thank you and lied back down on the cold pillow. The redhead tried calling to Mod-chan and was disappointed when he got nothing in response. Trying again, Rosan grew worried at the radio silence. He couldn't even enter their mindscape right now.
Rosan sighed in defeat and allowed his mind to wander to more urgent matters, namely Doc. That man...he scared Rosan. He was a man full of pure greed. The smile he kept on his face despite being witness to a child screaming his heart out, was a warning of what was to come. His utter lack of care for Rosan's safety, his penchant for torture, the way he treated him...
No, he did not like that man one bit.
He needed to get out of here but he didn't know how. Mod was silent and his powers were being nullified at the moment. He was completely trapped. Where was Robin? His options were limited but she would be able to save him when she found him.
He wanted to plan more, but the lull of sleep was to great and soon, he submitted to it once again.
He was getting real tired of his sleep getting interrupted.
This time, it was the banging of his cell that woke him from his slumber. Rosan blearily opened his eyes, before flinching as someone screamed at him to get up. Getting up slowly, so as to not aggravate any injuries, Rosan tried to inch towards the cell but realized he was still tied up.
The man failed to intimidate him. Rosan just stared back at him and after a moment the man grudgingly opened up the cage to free him from his bindings. Rosan was submitted to harsh manhandling, that was only made worse at his injuries, as he was roughly escorted to Doc.
Memories of the doctor, filled Rosan with trepidation but he would remain strong. That man was trying to break him, but Rosan would not be broken. Nobody could control him before and that wasn't going to change now. For now, he had to endure until Robin either saved him or he found a way to break out.
Robin-nee… he wondered if she was okay. She was probably worried sick about him and was no doubt looking everywhere for his whereabouts. If Rosan really couldn't get out this situation she would save him like she had promised. Rosan fully believed in her.
He steadfastly ignored the possibility that she could be the reason he was there. Such a thought was absurd, Robin-nee would never betray him!
Staring into Doc's unprotected, pupilless, viridian green eyes. Rosan told himself to just endure the pain and he would be fine. He wouldn't break to someone like this he had to become the strongest after all!
"Just wait for Robin. You'll be fine Rosan," He thought, motivating himself successfully.
With that he was ushered back into Doc's clutches.
Rosan really hated this place.
He had figured out a few days in that he was in some sort of massive facility. What exactly was it? He didn't know. But, he did know there were other prisoners here besides himself. Being called #118 suddenly made a lot more sense.
The prisoner was pretty sure that he was still in the North Blue, he had overheard the guards talking about it. They tried speaking lowly but Rosan's hearing was sharp and he managed to pick it up regardless. The boy snorted to himself at that. Idiots.
Besides that, he was normally in too much pain to gain new information from his jailors.
Doc was a monster. There was no other way to describe the heartless man. As far as Rosan was concerned, he was simply a plaything to the man who did whatever he pleased with the boy. All in pursuit of perfecting his "ultimate weapon". Perfect his ass. He was an irredeemable sadist.
Besides obedience training, the man would do routinely medical examinations on the boy that were always crueler than they needed to be. Rosan had been given a healthy fear of needles as a result of the man's prodding, one was enough to make him shrink away in panic and it quickly activated his flight or fight.
He had begun giving him "Pain Tolerance Training" as well and Rosan loathed every moment of it. He explained in that sickly sympathetic tone of his that "It's a weapons job to continue fighting despite the pain they are in. This is to help build up your pain tolerance so that you may fit the standards." Rosan knew he enjoyed seeing the rebellious boy shriek in pain. The man was a sadist at heart and Rosan was currently his favorite source of torment.
The man subjected Rosan through various amounts of torture. Repeated beatings, shocking, simulated drowning, poison, etc. Doc was liberally abusing Rosan's advanced body and they both knew it. The 8 year old was already becoming largely resistant to what he was getting poisoned by and Doc took that as a sign to increase the dosages. It was never enough to kill him, but it sure felt like he was dying if the pained sobs were anything to go by.
It was awful.
He had been here for nearly a month and it was beginning to wear at him. Already, his sunny personality was steadily being replaced by fear and anger. But no, he would continue to preserve. He had to. He made a promise to Mod-chan and he couldn't let her down again.
Recently, Doc had begun subjecting him to training for some sort of event called Ash and Dust. It appeared to be this islands main attraction and what Rosan was currently being trained so ruthlessly for.
Wealthy people from all over the seas would bring their slaves to participate in brutal battles against each other. They would make bets on who would win while watching the contestants maim each other. They were allowed any weapon they wanted as they battled brutally in tournament format. Death was inconsequential as they could just find a new toy to torment. It was disgusting and inhumane and Rosan despised them for thinking of something so terrible.
They only saw him as a slave that could make them money. Doc wanted to take advantage of his soft features and tiny frame to give himself an advantage. No one would take the 8 year old seriously and would be caught completely by surprise if he managed to win. It was a scheme to milk an incredible amount of beri out of the people.
It made him quiver in rage at how they used him. That's why despite the pain Rosan refused to submit.
Training for the arena was just horrible though, just thinking about it made Rosan frown.
Flashback
Rosan stared warily at Doc, purple eyes narrowed in distrust.
The man looked happier then normal so that didn't bode well for him, but he wasn't sure why. The imprisoned boy was being as problematic as possible to him and it was beginning to show on the man's features. Barring telling the Doc his name, the boy had not shared anymore information with him. It was painful, very painful, but Rosan was quickly adapting to it. At least Doc was getting visibly frustrated so he counted that as a victory.
Seeing the man be so cheerful though, set Rosan on high alert. Just what was he planning?
"Today, we will do something a bit different! Since you have been so willing to cooperate-" His voice oozed cheerful sarcasm "-We will be adding a core part of your training to the regimen now!"
That couldn't be good. A new part of this hellish torture he called training? Rosan continued to glance warily at the man, not willing to open his mouth at all.
Smile dampening a bit, but no less excited, Doc simply clapped his hands together and said "Follow!" and with that he walked off.
Knowing the consequences if he didn't, Rosan slowly trudged after him. The redhead was mindful to not aggravate his injuries from the previous day, but they were healing up quickly and he could move somewhat fine. Rosan glanced around in curiosity as he was escorted to an area he hadn't been to before.
The facility was huge. He wasn't sure how big, but he knew it was large enough to have at least a prison and medical area. There were other areas but, he wasn't allowed into those parts of the building at the moment due to how disobedient he currently was.
He watched as the whites of the walls slowly turned sandy brown (the people on this island must have been really rich) and soon, he was escorted into a large arena. The boy glanced around and noticed the large amount of seats, that were currently unoccupied, and the large, mean looking, bald man on the other side.
"Your new regimen is called Gladiator Training," Doc said calmly and Rosan's eyes narrowed. "We will be training you in combat in order to prepare for the upcoming tournament, Ash and Dust. Seeing as you have been gracious enough as to not inform us of your Devil Fruit, we have decided against removing your seastone handcuffs. In the future, when you are more obedient, we will have them removed. A weapon must have everything in their arsenal after all," Doc finished smugly.
Rosan sent a scathing glare his way, before processing the information. Ash and Dust? Based on the arena he was in, it was likely the tournament they wanted him to participate in.
Pricks.
He was directed to a room with a large arsenal of weapons. Swords, throwing knives, daggers, a scythe, hammers, and axes were only the beginning. Glancing at them all, Rosan didn't pick up a single weapon, walked back to the arena and simply signaled that he was ready to go, much to the confusion of his escort.
They really thought he was going to fight? Yeah right. They were dumber than they looked. The redhead wouldn't do what they wanted even if it meant taking a beating. Getting a bit more injured wouldn't hurt him more than he was already hurting. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
Doc sensing his intent, simply sighed with a shake of his head. The look in his eyes promised proper punishment after his beating. He'd probably regret this later on, but he was resolute in his decision.
Doc simply started the match with a "Don't kill him," and he walked away. The man decided not to waste any time and charged at Rosan who simply stood there and braced himself.
This was gonna really suck.
Present
He still hurt from the beating he took. That bald man had been quite eager to beat on a defenseless child...what was wrong with the people on this island? Was everyone willing to assault a child so freely? This was messed up.
Worse, Doc had decided he needed more obedience training after his refusal to fight. It was the first time he had seen the man so frustrated and he had paid for it dearly.
Rosan sighed in misery as he shifted his body to the other side to alleviate some of the pain. In the month he'd been here, he hadn't heard anything from Mod-chan and he missed her dearly. Who knows what the seastone was doing to her? If she were here with him it would be much more bearable but ever since she had told him to tell Doc his name, he hadn't heard from her.
It was tugging at his sanity, being separated from her for so long while being subject to this. They had been together for 4 years and not once had he felt their connection sever like this. It left him feeling horribly empty and that was affecting him more than anything. Rosan thrived on positive attention and Mod-chan was always enough for him. Now, without her, Rosan felt so lonely.
Insidious thoughts were worming their way into his head and they were steadily wearing him down. Mod was his rock after all and the Devil Fruit was the only reason he was still sane. Without her, Rosan was slowly reaching his breaking point and he was none the wiser.
He really missed Mod-chan and he really missed Robin-nee. Robin-nee…Rosan wondered where she was? Shouldn't she have saved him by now? It had been one month...they had promised to save each other whenever they were in trouble. He had tried hard to uphold his part of the promise so why hadn't she? Had Robin abandoned him? If not then where was she? Why did Robin leave him behind-
Rosan smacked himself viciously and yelped at the pain, but it helped him focus. Thinking like that wasn't good at all…Robin-nee was still looking for him, he was sure of it. He needed to stop think like that. Robin would never betray him. She didn't. She didn't. She did. She didn't- He needed to think about something else. This was not good for his mental health. Rosan needed to think of something else. Something like...
It's only a matter of time
...That girl! The blonde one that had helped him heal! He wondered how she was doing? Rosan liked her because she seemed to be the only decent person on this island. It wasn't often, but she liked to sneak in the middle of the night and if he needed it, which he always did, would rub some ointment on him to make him feel better. Then she would scurry away as quickly as possible as if she were afraid of getting caught. That at least gave value to his theory that he wasn't supposed to be getting healed.
Most of the time he was too tired to say anything back but one time he had managed to thank her. She had momentarily froze clearly not expecting him to say anything before she ran away even faster than normal.
Rosan frowned a bit at the memory. Guess she didn't like him very much. After he had thanked her he hadn't seen her again which sucked cuz he wanted to talk to her. Rosan felt like he knew her but he couldn't quite put his finger on it...
Well, no use crying over spilled milk. He had more pressing matters, namely surviving Doc until he broke out.
Sighing again Rosan shifted his body once more. He just needed to endure until he escaped. Endure. Endure. Endure.
"Wait for Robin-nee. She'll save me. Of course she will! She promised."
It was becoming too much for the 8 year old. Everything hurt so bad, it was getting worse but he could(n't) do it. He would(n't) handle it. Doc was a man possessed, doing whatever it took to get him to submit. He was increasing the torture to levels that a child should never make it to.
"Rosan! I wanted you to test out this new advanced poison I've developed! It should stimulate the pain of having your insides boiled! It may be harsh but, knowing you, this should only help build your resistance."
It hurt! He screamed and begged for him to stop but it didn't matter. He never listened. But he endured. He had to endure. He just had to.
"Your body reinforces itself the more we break it! I wonder if there is an upper limit to how much it will strengthen? Let's test it out!"
He let out panicked breaths as he tried to crawl away. He never got away from him. Pain. A broken body. So much pain. It hurt so bad...B-but it was nothing! He would endure. He needed to…for Robin…for Mod-chan.
"As of today, your training partner will be allowed to utilize weapons! Isn't that just fantastic? You can build up your pain tolerance with sharp objects! Rest assured though, I've given him explicit orders not you kill you or scar your body. After all my weapon needs to be in perfect condition and we can't have such a fine specimen ruined by something like scars. Though, he does have quite the sadistic streak so good luck!"
A slash on his curled body. Slow, agonizingly slow, cuts marred his body. There was blood. So much blood. How was he still alive? Was he human? He had to be because he felt so much pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. PAIN. So much…too much. H-he needed to endure. But it hurt so much.
Endure...he needed...to...endure...Because Robin...Robin would come. She would save him from these bad people. She promised.
2 months later
Robin wasn't coming.
The soul crushing realization came to Rosan one random day, as he sobbed on his bed at the latest whims of Doc.
Robin wasn't coming to save him. Two guards had thrown a newspaper at him that confirmed that Nico Robin had caused the downfall of yet another organization, that resided in the West Blue. All without him. She didn't need him. Did she ever actually need him? No, she didn't. That's why she abandoned him.
She wasn't even in the same Sea as him.
After all these months of enduring, hoping and praying that she would come save him, the revelation that she wasn't coming affected him more than he could ever imagine. The realization that he had been enduring all this pain for 3 months, it was too much for the child. He couldn't handle it. He just couldn't. Rosan felt his entire world shatter before his very eyes.
Rosan broke.
(In hindsight, it was only natural. There was no Mod and there was no Robin to reassure him in his time of need. His mental state had been deteriorating over the months. He only had himself and his unstable 9 year old mind to rely on.)
The 9 year old felt a moment of peace as everything froze. When had he had stopped crying? Actually…why was it that the only thing he could feel right now, was an intense burning rage boiling inside of his core. Normally Rosan would discard such a negative feeling but, instead of banishing this rage, Rosan embraced it. He embraced it fully and he let his rage run rampant.
Robin had betrayed him. He had foolishly thought she would come to save him all because of a promise and he payed for it in blood and tears. He was stupid. He was weak. He had waited and waited, like a silly little princess waiting for their precious prince, for someone to save him and the only thing he got out of that, was pain and misery.
How dare she? How DARE she?! This was unforgivable. Rosan felt the last dredges of his innocence get shattered into a million pieces as the stress of the events caught up to him. It was staggering to have his eyes opened like this.
Nobody in this world was trustworthy. Everyone wanted to use him and when they grew tired of him, they would discard him like he was yesterday's garbage. As if he were useless. Him?! USELESS? HE WAS USELESS?! Just the thought that anyone could think such a thing, made him quiver in fury.
Those insidious thoughts, the ones he tried so hard to stifle, were now out in full and Rosan was unable to stop them. No, that wasn't quite right…Rosan didn't want to stop them. He felt his rage slowly mounting higher and higher, the sheer amount staggering to anyone who would have witnessed it. If there were anyone there they would have felt a wave of pressure wash over them. Such was the boys rage, that it was almost palpable.
Then it stopped.
The rage, along with the rest of his emotions, drained away. Leaving Rosan feeling somewhat hollow. But, like an old friend, rage was still there, still waiting for him like a drug, eager to be called.
The light in his royal purple eyes died as Rosan emotionally shut down. He couldn't afford to be emotional if he wanted to escape. Being emotional is what put him in this situation in the first place. Emotions were a hindrance. Had Rosan been thinking logically, he wouldn't have needed to suffer for 3 months. Rage, along with all of his other emotions, could sleep for now.
They were not needed.
Unbeknownst to Rosan and Mod, his body, even through the seastone, heeded his wishes.
A large castle made of pure ice formed as his soul actually separated into two. One took the form of a sleeping 4 year old Rosan, still filled with something. The other took the form of the current Rosan, the one full of a restrained rage and hatred. The sleeping boy flew as his body was forcefully dragged into the castle by chains and he was laid gently on a bed. Those same chains wrapped once, twice, three times around the entirety of the castle shutting off access. Nothing would get in and nothing would get out. Yet there was still a crack leaving the entrance slightly open.
If Rosan had access to Modification, perhaps he would have been able to stop this. If Mod was available, perhaps she would have been able to warn him. She would have been able to tell him that his soul had split into two and she could have personally stopped it even if Rosan wouldn't. But, Mod was incapacitated and was unable to tell that this was even happening. Right now, no one could stop what was happening.
Rosan, in a moment of clarity, realized exactly what he needed to do. Rosan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He properly restrained his emotions, because they would hinder him, and what was left of him was a cold calculated monster. One who was now willing to do whatever it took for the sake of him and his Devil Fruit.
They had wanted to make a weapon and they had succeeded. He would show them how useless he was. He wouldn't be the princess or the knight in shining armor. Rosan would be the monster that terrorized them both.
Opening his eyes revealed something entirely different from before. On his right eye was the same chilly purple and on his left...a menacing blood red eye glowed into the night.
Rosan broke, but he would not submit. Someone like Doc, weak coward that he was, could never be the one to break him. They didn't have to know that though. Rosan would let them think they succeeded.
The redhead would play it smart and patiently wait until an opportunity arose. Pretend like his spirit had been broken. Comply with all orders. Become the perfect little weapon.
Rosan could see now that Doc was getting desperate. His steady increase of torture methods was full proof of that. So desperate was he, that he would take the 9 year old's sudden obedience as a sign that he had finally won. After all, that was his goal. It would make him arrogant, sloppy, more prone to making mistakes.
He would no doubt have some skepticism, but Rosan had been patiently waiting for 3 months for someone that wasn't going to show up. He'd have the mans full trust sooner or later and that would be the most fatal mistake yet.
When he let his guard down though, he would pay for it with his life.
Rosan scoffed lowly to himself. Perhaps enduring did have its uses, it would be instrumental in his victory after all.
The more he complied, the better his living conditions would be. If he showed them that he would obey all orders without question, they would naturally begin trusting him. It would only be a matter of time before they released his seastone cuffs. They would want their weapon to be at full power after all, in order to better their chances of winning the prize money.
Once they did that…Rosan wouldn't strike immediately. Letting his rage slip through momentarily, a sneer appeared on his neutral face.
No, he wanted them to be completely relaxed, elated even. He wanted their guard to be completely down. He needed to catch them all by such surprise they'd choke on the air. Attacking them immediately, was far too merciful for them after what they did to the child. It would not satisfy him. He wanted to drag them from their high, into a despair worse than the one he felt.
They needed to pay for making him break his promise.
Ash and Dust, he decided, would be when he struck.
He would win that tournament and win Doc his money...then he would strike. The elation and despair they'd feel, all on the same day would be euphoric. He'd take anything useful and then, he'd kill everyone that participated in this event all in one go. That way he'd be secure and still retain his anonymity to the world.
His rage diminished and he shifted back into a blank expression, that he was getting increasingly comfortable with. Right now…retrieving his connection with Mod-chan was his #1 priority. He wasn't sure what the Seastone was doing to her but he hadn't heard anything at all from his Devil Fruit. Getting to her again took precedence over everything else. Afterwards, he would lull the islanders into a false sense of security and let them bask in their victory.
Done with his planning, Rosan noted that he still had tear streaks and he wiped them clean until nothing remained. Rosan was done crying. Crying was for weak people who couldn't do anything to help themselves. Rosan had been weak, but no longer.
Mom had always told him big boys don't cry, after all.
The Next Day
It caught Rosan by surprise when Doc took one look at him and immediately strapped him onto a table without a word. Normally he'd have some taunt ready so, to skip the pleasantries, was rather odd. He was muttering something to himself about Rosan suddenly being a heterochromatic.
Heterochromatic? What was he talking about?
The redhead craned his head slightly to look into one of the mirrors and Rosan blinked as he saw that his left eye had turned a malicious blood red. It looked like Mod's eyes. He had...not been expecting this change. Did this happen last night? How well did Modification work through Seastone? Something like this didn't seem like a tiny change...maybe Seastone only affected abilities when they were being transmitted out of the body. It would explain why he had briefly been able to hear Mod-chan, his ability wasn't being negated, just suppressed.
Interesting. He'd have to ask Mod-chan to explain when he got her back.
Focusing his attention back onto Doc, he listened to what the blonde had to say. "Interesting. Despite the change in eye color, no other outward change seems to have taken place...," the man mused.
The blonde man continued to run more tests on him and Rosan accepted it all with a bored expression on his bronze face.
After an hour of testing, Doc had finally finished with his inspection of the 9 year old. "Truly fascinating!" He exclaimed in excitement. "Outwardly, your body has not changed at all," he explained. "But, on the inside, it's as if everything has well evolved. Organs are working at a high functioning level, bones have been completely reinforced, healing factor increased. All of this happened in the span of one night with little to no explanation. Are you even human?"
He had evolved? Hm. That was not expected but it wasn't as if he had a problem with it. Still, he'd have to look more into detail about that eventually. What had Modification done to his body? Was it another Quality of Life? So many questions, so little answers.
But first, it was time to begin.
Considering the question, Rosan eventually said "All signs point to me being human, so yes I think I am."
Doc snapped his gaze towards the boy, clearly not expecting the answer, and the scientist finally took in Rosan's new demeanor. "Oh? It seems you've changed in more ways than one Rosan. What happened last night for you to go through such a drastic...metamorphosis let's call it?"
Rosan tilted his head at the question and simply replied "I've been subjecting myself through an abnormal amount of pain for what seems to be no reason at all. Seeing as I'm going to be here for a while, it's futile to keep resisting."
Doc's eyes lit up like he had just won the lottery. Overjoyed, but still wary by his explanation, he clapped and said "Wonderful! You'll have to excuse me if I find your claims a bit dubious. So to test the validity of what your saying, I have just one question."
Rosan inclined his head to indicate that he was listening.
"What is your Devil Fruit?" He asked with thinly veiled excitement.
Doc was far too obvious. He had been expecting this to be the very first question he asked and was more then prepared as a result. Still, he needed to not make it obvious that he knew this was coming.
Rosan pretended like he was thinking about the best way to explain it before telling him, "My Devil Fruit is called the Saizu Saizu no Mi. It allows me to increase and decrease the size of objects. It works best on inorganic materials but I can also use it on myself," He lied easily. The redhead chose that to be his Devil Fruit because the last thing he had done before getting captured, was increase the size of his toy robot. He wasn't sure if they saw that but he wasn't planning on risking it.
The green eyed man stared at him as a smile split his handsome features. "Perfect! This information checks out so we can validate your claims!"
Doc was excited. His most stubborn patient to date was finally coming around and complying! He had partially given at the idea of him participating in Ash and Dust but, with this sudden change of heart, there was still hope! He'd have to speed up the progress, since he had spent 3 months disciplining the boy, but that was fine. Rosan was the perfect weapon. He would adapt and succeed and prove to Doc his worth. Finally he felt like he was making progress.
Rosan just continued to stare at him blankly, face not betraying anything. Inside however he smirked in victory. He had been right, the man really was desperate. Rosan had taken a gamble when lying about his Devil Fruit but, based on his observations it, was going to succeed.
Doc had clearly implied that he had been watching Rosan for a long time and Rosan abused that slip up. He was glad that the only aspect of Modification he used in public was the size changing ability, it had served him well here. More and more, Rosan was beginning to understand the power of anonymity. If they knew of his actual Devil Fruit, they'd have tried much harder to break his mind.
How unfortunate for them.
"We must not waste anymore time!" Doc smiled impatiently. "We are months behind schedule so we will have to accelerate your training. Though it's not all for not due to the amount of tolerance you have no doubt built…" the man murmured to himself. "Come," he eventually commanded, already walking away at a brisk pace.
Rosan obediently followed.
They were currently in the arena with the same bald prisoner who had been his fighting partner for the last few months. He seemed eager to begin the match, no doubt garnering joy from assaulting Rosan.
Memories of multiple stab wounds, excessive bleeding, agonizing torture filled the prisoner boy's mind. Rosan's gaze turned slightly murderous as he relived those moments. This man had derived far too much pleasure from assaulting a defenseless boy who had no intention of fighting back. How unfortunate for baldy. He had no clue that this fight would be his final fight and this arena would be his final resting spot.
"Today, we'll begin with some Gladiator Training! Don't disappoint me, Rosan," was all Doc said before he was escorted to the weapon section. The same assortment of weapons that were available to him lay there. Rosan, unlike other times, actually contemplated which one he'd be using. Tilting his head, the boy grabbed a massive hammer, that was much larger then he was and decided this would be his weapon.
Grasping it in his palm, Rosan blinked at how light it was. No. It wasn't that it was light, he had gotten stronger. Seems Doc was correct in his assumption that he had evolved, at least in the physical aspect this rang true. Rosan had been pretty strong for his age but this was nearing Boost levels of strength.
Interesting. There was also the fact that he was being suppressed by Seastone so he should be even weaker. He wondered how strong he would be with his boost activated and without restraints?
Dragging it on the floor, to play up appearances, Rosan calmly made his way into the arena. The bald man took one look at him and started laughing uncontrollably.
"Bahahahaha! You're gonna fight me with that?! Kid, you look like you can't even get it off the floor! You sure you don't wanna just lie down and take the beating like you always do?!" The man asked as he clutched his belly, guffawing all the while.
Rosan stared at him, tilted his head so he that he was facing Doc and indicated that he was ready. Doc seeing that, signaled for the match to begin.
"How sad, your last moment and those are the words you chose to die with," Rosan told him with a shake of his head. Crouching down slightly, Rosan took a deep breath before his eyes snapped open.
The spot he was standing on cracked as Rosan launched himself forward. Baldy, who was still recovering from his laughing, widened his eyes as within moments, Rosan appeared before him. Hoisting the hammer in both hands to his side, like it weighed nothing, Rosan smashed it against his kneecaps with a nauseating crunch. His leg folded like a wet paper as every bone in it was turned into paste.
The scream of agony was music to his ears.
Baldy collapsed as his leg was turned into mush. He pathetically garbled and tried to gasp for mercy.
Rosan would not be showing him mercy. This man did not deserve his mercy.
Without any hesitation, he repeated the same process with his other leg. Rosan held the hammer over his head and swung down. "Suffer you piece of waste," the boy sneered mentally.
The leg stood no chance at all.
With another sickening crunch it gave out. Baldy, unable to withstand the pain, began babbling nonsense as tears streamed down his pudgy face. The prisoner was lying face down choking on his sobs as his lower half was utterly destroyed by the monstrous child in front of him.
Rosan mentally snorted at the pitiful display. So eager to dish out pain but unable to receive any? How amusing. "Can't handle a bit of pain?" Rosan taunted softly. "A shame, I thought you would be tougher than me. You sure did act like you were," the boy mused thinking about all their encounters. The man loved gloating to the weakened prisoner any chance he got and he never showed any of the mercy he was currently asking for.
Truly, he was the lowest scum of the world.
"There's no need to worry though, I'll show you mercy," Rosan finished kindly and it was terrifying to witness on his blank expression.
Slowly but surely, Rosan took the hammer and rested it on the man's, facedown, head.
Doc noticed what he was about to do and tried to shout a warning, but he was too late. He shut his eyes in order to avoid seeing what was about to happen.
Rosan noticed Doc, of course he did. He made a point to make this as slow as possible. Raising the hammer at an agonizing pace, Rosan made sure to engrave the memory in his head. The memory of the absolute power he held over this man's life.
This was what it meant to be strong. To be strong was to have the power to dictate who got to live and who got to die. "Death is a mercy for someone like you."
With that, Rosan swung down the hammer for a 3rd time on the, still screaming, man.
The sound of screaming stopped. Instead it was replaced by a steady drip of liquid.
How Curious. This isn't what he was expecting.
Looking down at the crushed skull of Baldy, Rosan had expected to feel revolted at the sight. He had killed someone for the first time after all. Was he not supposed to feel disgusted? He had heard from Mod-chan that the first kill was always the hardest. Sure, he had inadvertently killed people before but this was the first person to directly die by his hands.
Yet, he felt nothing at all. How odd, his emotions hadn't even slightly flared after the admittedly gruesome death. When he had restrained his emotions, he didn't expect it to be that effective. The redhead stopped thinking hard about it after a moment.
It didn't matter to him. He just wanted Mod-chan.
Doc very carefully avoided the dead body and instead focused his attention on him. Rosan smiled to himself at the look he saw in the man's eyes, Doc feared him. Good. But, not enough. The man's viridian green eyes still gleamed in excitement that outweighed the fear.
Coughing Doc said "Ahem, that fight was most unexpected. However, that was also most impressive! I knew you had the potential and this just proves it. Such an impressive display of power! Being able exhibit such strength even through seastone currently weakening you is doubly impressive."
His jailor started muttering to himself about running more tests on him and Rosan just patiently waited, a picture perfect sign of obedience. The redhead looked down at his outfit and regarded them in curiosity. There was blood and other matter that had splashed on it to give it a rather unappealing look.
Messy. He didn't like messy. He'd have to ensure this didn't happen again. The 9 year old was a bigger fan of being bloodless, it was cleaner.
"Doc, may I request a change of clothes and a shower please?" Rosan asked politely. Doc snapped out of his reverie at Rosan's question and hastily replied "Yes! Yes of course! Right this way, we'll get you just what you requested."
Without further ado, he led Rosan to the showers while demanding someone bring a fresh set of clothes for him.
Rosan had known his sudden obedience would garner positive results but, he hadn't expected those results to be immediate.
Doc really was desperate and it showed. That was perfect for him. He'd be allowed to practice with his Devil Fruit sooner than later and when that happened, it was all over for everyone here.
Soon after getting changed, the blonde man had decided he would need to be moved into a better room. Rosan had no complaints and just nodded along with his decision. He would not say no to better living conditions.
His new prison cell looked less like a cell and more like a bedroom. It was larger, the largest cell in the facility according to Doc, and had more than just a cold bed to sleep on. A nightstand with a lamp stood next to his bed and per his request, the empty bookcase would soon be filled with a variety of books for him to read. Unlike most of the other prisoners, he now had his own bathroom as well. It was even decked out with a shower and everything.
Rosan snorted softly. It would be much easier to live in here then in his previous cell. The room was far more hospitable and it was actually warm too.
At this rate, it'd only be a matter of time before he could reconnect with Mod-chan again. He was beginning to get an idea about what exactly happened to his body but he wanted her point of view.
Even with his radical shift in personality, he had absolute faith in Mod-chan. She was the only person he could still trust and the fact that he could not even feel her, filled him with slight worry about her current state. She had probably expended too much effort trying to speak through the seastone and had fallen into some sort of sleep-like state. He couldn't access his mindscape, so he was mostly guessing, but he was confident in his theory.
Speaking of which, how would Mod-chan react to his change? Hm. He wasn't sure, most likely she'd blame it on herself, his Devil Fruit had a habit of doing that. She had after all wanted him to retain his cheery personality. He frowned as he realized he had broken his promise to her.
The 9 year old was beginning to realize how badly promises were affecting him. He seemed to always get the short end of the stick after they were broken. This is why he was so reluctant to make them. It seemed like the world itself was trying to test him.
Mod-chan would understand, but he still felt like he had to make it up to her somehow…Rosan found himself, once again, cursing the people here. They had robbed him of his smile so, to apologize partially, to Mod-chan he'd rob them of their lives.
Rosan shut the lights and he prepared to get some rest. As he lay down, the Mod Mod no Mi user contemplated his next course of action. Try as he might, he couldn't really sleep right now so he was only left with his thoughts.
Said thoughts were interrupted when he heard his cell door open 1 hour later. He heard soft, nearly inaudible, footsteps slowly make its way towards him.
Oh?
Rosan thought his little healer stranger had been done visiting him. The redhead was convinced that she didn't like him due to their last encounter. So that begged the question, why she was here? The last time they met didn't seem to end on a positive note so it was odd that she was here.
Well it didn't matter to him so he'd let her do what she wanted. If she came back to get some form of petty revenge then she could do that. Rosan didn't care what she did at the moment.
He'd gladly remember her face when he freed himself, though.
Feigning sleep, Rosan listened to the footsteps getting progressively closer. The boy evened out his breathing and heard the footsteps finally stop and the warm presence of another person appeared.
Rosan couldn't tell how, but he could feel her intentions. How was she doing that? Did she also have a Devil Fruit? The 9 year old could tell that she meant him no harm, but he couldn't explain how he knew that.
The girl didn't seem to notice Rosan discreetly staring at her. He must have been doing a good job at appearing to be asleep then. She was staring intently at his face and after what seemed to be an internal war of epic regards, she hesitantly reached out her hand and gingerly pet his hair.
...What.
"So spiky, but so soft!" She whispered in awe. Rosan could only watch, completely baffled, as the blonde gushed over his soft hair. What the hell was she doing? Was she petting him? Who the hell did she think she was?! Why did she know all the right spots-
"Do you normally pet people in their sleep?" Rosan asked having had enough of this embarrassment. He watched, in a small amount satisfaction, as the girl jumped with a small squeal. Finally sitting up, the redhead took the time to get a good look at the culprit.
Like he remembered, she had long golden blond twintails that reached just above her butt. The only notable difference was that her sailor outfit had changed from black to white and she had a red tie instead of a pink one.
Wide electric blue eyes stared into his heterochromatic ones. Predictably, she let out a small gasp as she made eye contact with the shorter boy. "Your eyes, their different! Are you okay?!". Her voice was soft and sweet and the boy found himself tilting his head at the concern in it. Rosan ignored her question in favor of staring at her.
As he practically burned a hole into her, with just his gaze, Rosan repeated his question.
Snapping out of her daze, the child stuttered a bit clearly caught off guard by his question. He waited patiently for her and raised a brow when she reached behind her and shakily pulled out, what he presumed to be, the same ointment she used on him before.
"I-I wanted to help you heal faster, i-if you don't mind…" was her rather timid response. The redhead didn't know she was this shy but that might have explained why she ran away from him that one day.
Rosan continued staring at her with his completely blank face as he processed what she said. So she was a weirdo. Good to know.
Instantly she whispered "I'm not weird, I promise!"
That got her a strange look from Rosan. Even if he had been thinking it, for that to be her first line of defense, must really mean she was weirdo. People must have called her that often.
Holding her head in defeat, she simply asked "Can I just rub this ointment on you?"
Rosan nearly snorted but stopped himself. Instead, he merely nodded at the girl in confirmation and stared at her.
Smiling slightly, she quickly closed the rest of the distance and sat right next to him. She clearly had no idea what personal space was but then again, according to Robin, neither did he. This close, Rosan picked up the scent of a fruit perfume on her. It wasn't too strong on his sharp senses and it made her smell pleasant. She was humming softly and Rosan almost thought he could relax due to how nice her voice was.
That didn't stop the prisoner from keeping his guard up though. Nobody around here could be trusted, no matter how pure the intentions seemed.
She rolled up his sleeves and gently began rubbing the cool ointment on his tan skin. Being so close to each other, Rosan could see that her face was extremely red. She felt…embarrassed? Why? How did he know that? And...why would she get so close to him if this was the effect he had on her? Was she an idiot? There was something off about this girl and Rosan wasn't sure what it was.
The girl looked like she really wanted to say something but Rosan didn't care enough to point it out, so he patiently waited for her to gain the courage to speak her mind.
"I'm so sorry about everything!" She eventually blurted out.
Rosan shot her a questioning glance, which prompted her to continue speaking. "I didn't come here for a while because...I felt bad for running away from you after you told me thank you…" her face glowed in embarrassment as she explained her reasoning for not showing up.
Was that it? She came back to apologize to him because she felt guilty?
He raised a brow and told her "It's fine to run away from people you don't like. It doesn't really matter to me."
Instantly, the girl stopped what she was doing in favor of focusing wide, innocent, eyes at him. Shaking her head frantically she said "That's not true, I do like you! You just...s-surprised me a-and I didn't know how to respond so I ran off." She lowered her gaze and focused intently on where she rubbed the ointment.
The redhead glanced at her with a bored expression, not believing anything she was saying. They didn't even know each other, how could she say she liked him? He supposed that this was just another trick by Doc to let his guard down. Even if it didn't feel like she was lying, Rosan wouldn't believe her.
"You're going through so much, but you can still manage to muster up the strength to thank me…it makes me so happy!" She finished with a flushed expression on her fair face. Looking into his eyes once more, Rosan was surprised to find fresh tears brimming in the girls blue eyes.
"B-but now, they c-changed you and while they did that, I was off being too embarrassed to even help!" She let out a choked sob as she reprimanded herself. "Despite everything you went through, your eyes always had so much determination and it was so inspiring to me! Now, you hide it well but, I can feel it…there's so much rage and it's so suffocating and I couldn't do anything to help," The child wailed.
Rosan finally allowed a look of shock to appear on his face because he couldn't hold it back.
She could feel his rage? That shouldn't be possible. His rage...it lay dormant right now. It was still there…it would always be but, Rosan had buried it so deep, not even he could feel it. How was it possible that this girl could 'feel' his rage as if he wore it on his sleeve? Was he not hiding it as well as he thought? No, Doc wouldn't have been so pleased with him if that were the case. He would still be in his previous cell if anyone could sense it.
Who was she?
"I'm sorry. I wish I could help you more but…I'm really weak so all I can do is rub this ointment I made on you. That'll never be enough, though. You don't deserve to be here!" She said sadly and she looked at his dual eyes with a look of sorrow on her face. Her cheeks were flushed and she was actually crying. For him.
He hated that. He didn't need anyone's pity.
Rosan watched all this transpire with a stony expression on his face. Eventually, she quieted down and stared at him with puffy red eyes.
He chose that moment to speak to her. "What's done is done," he said coldly. "All that matters now, is how I handle the situation I'm in. I appreciate your concerns, but you don't need to apologize to me. You haven't done anything wrong. Thank you for helping me heal faster but, if you're done, you should leave. Something tells me, that you aren't supposed to be here and I wouldn't want you to get into any trouble after all."
The girl shot him a look that let him know she was aware of his dismissal, before her eyes widened as she finally realized the time.
Standing up hastily, she said "Ah you're right! I have to go…although I don't even think they'll realize I'm gone..." She got up and made her way to the cell door before stopping. Hesitantly she turned around to face him and asked "D-do you mind if I come back, please? I'd like to talk a bit more with you…o-only if you don't mind though!"
"Do whatever you want. I won't be going anywhere," Rosan said bluntly, already tired of this conversation. Her eyes shined in elation as he accepted her request and she nodded vigorously.
"Yay!" She cheered happily getting the boy to raise another brow. "I'll come back tomorrow night then with some more ointment, Rosan!"
As if remembering something, her face glowed and she said "M-my name is Meiko, by the way. I hope we can get along!" She bowed deeply and finally rushed out of the room.
The door shut quietly, leaving the boy alone with his thoughts once again.
Meiko…what a strange girl. Rosan was wary of her, due to her ability to sense his anger and would be treading with caution. She blamed herself for not being able to do anything, but it's not like it was her fault. He was the one who got captured and like she said, she was weak.
He didn't need to rely on a weakling anyways. The boy would get out of here on his own merit. Still, she was odd enough that he'd carefully observe her in the upcoming months.
The boy refused to acknowledge that she interested him.
Laying back down Rosan got comfortable in his much nicer bed and prepared to sleep. It was as he was finally going to sleep, that he realized something.
"How did she get in here…and how did she get a key to my cell so quickly?"
There were some days when Rosan wasn't with Doc.
On those days he'd be with Doc's wife, Mom, instead. Whereas Doc was more focused on combat oriented things, 'Mom' was tasked with teaching him things outside of combat. The two normally located in the library section of the facility to get this done. That way he could learn what he needed by reading.
Mom wasn't her real name, obviously but, she liked to be called Mom and so, Rosan called her that. At first glance you'd be hard pressed to find anything wrong with her. She was an attractive, short and curvy women who stood at about 5'5(152cm) with luscious black locks and kind blue eyes. She was normally seen with a kind smile on her pretty face and a slight blush on her cheeks.
It wasn't for show either…the lady was generally nice, always willing to help. She had treated him with kindness when he had first arrived. So then what was Rosan's problem with her?
She was a massive pervert. A massive pervert who really liked the 9 year old boy.
It wasn't subtle either. From him calling her Mom, which always caused her to affectionately grab him, to the incredibly suggestive looks she sent him, to the way she liked to crush him into her large breasts. When she looked at him, her blush would deepen and she would start muttering inappropriate things under her breath. He was fairly confident he had once heard her say "The things I'm going to do to you."
This lady definitely wanted to rape him.
Rosan knew he was pretty good looking. Mama had commented many times that she'd have to fend off women with a stick when he grew older and Robin had said, on multiple occasions, that they'd have to be careful in the future if his appearance kept up with age. It would make him quite prized by various people! Hell, his looks is one of the main contributors as to why he was here.
Rosan's only response was that future him had to worry about it. He thought his future self would have to start worrying at around 16, not 9...
It didn't help that Mom being a pervert wasn't her only issue. The lady hated being denied. When they had first met, she had politely requested that he call her 'Mom'. Rosan had only laughed in her face and denied her request vehemently. The boy only had one mother and it definitely wasn't a depraved pervert like this woman.
Her kind visage had shifted into one of cold fury and the beating he had subsequently received made it difficult for the boy to sleep.
After his change in demeanor, he had decided that denying her would not work in his favor so he had begun calling her Mom like she desired. She had melted completely as she heard him utter the word and the depraved look that appeared on her face made Rosan want to stay far away from her. It had worked out in his favor though. So long as he did what she wanted, she'd spoil him rotten. If it helped him live easier until he escaped, then Rosan didn't mind doing it.
They were sat currently in the back of the library out of anyone's sight, not that anyone inhabited the area besides them. Rosan, at Mom's behest, was reading up on the female anatomy. He was buried in her lap while his head cushioned between her large chest, just the way she liked it, and she softly caressed him.
Rosan had to wonder how Doc felt about this. It was likely that he didn't care considering he had seen the way those 2 interacted. The man probably had no intention of stopping it. Their relationship was cold but familiar, maybe at one point they had loved each other, but that had clearly changed with time. Mom had to have had a lot of power in this relationship though, if she was able to get access to Rosan so easily.
Pervert.
Still...if he played his cards right, he could potentially have another escape route. Despite being a last resort, he'd still like to have multiple options. It was never a good idea to put all his eggs in one basket. He would need to set up for that 2nd option so he'd have to get even further into her good graces.
Fortunately, he knew just how to do that. Unfortunately, he knew just how to do that.
Well, he'd already made up his mind to do whatever it took.
Rosan idly got more comfortable, which had the added effect of getting him closer to her. Before, he had been sitting upright on her knees. Now however, he had scooted up even closer to the woman and his back was rested right on her stomach. It also had the bonus of sinking him even deeper into her cleavage.
Rosan felt her gasp at his sudden proximity and she hugged him a bit tighter to herself.
Moving his head in her cleavage to look up at her, Rosan felt he had done a sufficient job as he took glance at the woman. Mom's eyes were a bit glazed over as they made eye contact and the blush on her face had deepened. Her painted lips were parted in surprise and Rosan nearly snorted at the clear shock on her face.
As they made eye contact Rosan said "Mom I noticed you look even prettier than normal today! Is there a special occasion? Your hair looks really nice and you have different colored lipstick today! Normally it's blue, but this time its red and I really like that cuz I really like red!"
It was too easy. A subtle touch there, a smile solely for her here, a tilted head, and direct eye contact.
He felt her panting get heavier as he spoke and by the end of his sentence, Rosan was sure she was visibly restraining herself from jumping him. Her electric blue eyes had narrowed into slits and the blush on her cheeks had turned darker then he had ever seen it.
Mom visibly struggled to get her wits together and when she did, she eventually responded to him. "Y-you're too kind my dear," she stammered a bit before continuing. "I've recently gotten a new brand of shampoo for my hair and I've been using it for the past few days. I-I'm surprised you noticed, nobody else has and that makes me h-happy. Also...I wasn't too fond of it before but I've really taken a shine to the color red now."
Rosan flashed a grin, red eye shining as he looked at the mess of a lady. The gesture came easy, too easy. "Red's my favorite color too so I'm glad you of all people like it Mom!" Red was his favorite color so that part he didn't lie about at least. He wasn't really fond of lying but that only applied to people he liked and the only person he liked right now, could read his mind.
Mom looked flushed. "Me of all people? I-I'm not sure what you mean by that dear," she whispered hopefully and Rosan had her right where he wanted her. If he still had the capacity, he'd be actually smiling.
"Well I really like spending time with you! Doc can be really mean to me and he likes hurting me. You're really nice to me and I feel safer around you so I enjoy being with you way more!" He was practically gushing. Rosan decided now was the time to go for the kill so he turned fully towards her and wrapped his small arms around her neck. Feeling her shakily return the hug, he planted an innocent kiss right on her cheek. "Thank you, Mommy!"
Her grip on Rosan tightened to a wild degree as she crushed him right in her bosom. Rosan could no longer see her face but judging by the possessive hold she had on him, it was safe to assume that it had worked. He heard her try to speak but it was cut off by a low groan. Her warm breath brushed into him and Rosan was surprised that people like her existed in the world.
"Mod-chan probably hates this lady with all her heart," he mentally snorted. She was quite protective of him and couldn't stand the idea of someone trying to take advantage of the little boy, especially a pervert like Mom.
"I-I- did n-notice hohow D-doc has been t-treating you-" she paused for a bit to catch her breath "If y-you want, I-I can talk to him about his rough treatment. Y-your still a growing young boy and possibly stunting your growth would be very detrimental. I- we would love to see you age properly. We h-have to make sure you are properly nourished and needless injuries are counterproductive."
Rosan knew the effects of what calling her mommy would do. She was utterly depraved, so of course hearing him call her that would have a more positive effect. The degree of success though was surprising. The redhead knew she liked him but this was…. Unexpected. Still his manipulation tactics were working rather well. He had always been rather blunt so to dip into more subtle things was like a breath of fresh air.
Popping his head out of her cleavage, Rosan flashed a grin, allowing his sharp teeth to show, as his large shining eyes glanced up at her. "Yay! Thank you Mom, you're the best! I knew I could rely on you!" He beamed as he hugged her tightly.
Pulling back so he could take a look at her face, Rosan was not disappointed. The woman's face was beet red and her blue eyes were focused solely on him. She was biting her lip as she looked at him with hungry, lustful eyes and she was trying her hardest not to jump him. At least she had some morals, despite the fact that she was grooming him. She adamantly refused to loosen the grip on him either as she practically drooled.
Too easy.
"R-Rosan?" She called slowly, hesitantly, as if he were in control of the situation.
Oh? Odd, but he could work with this.
Tilting his head at her, Rosan curiously hummed, allowing her to speak. She followed his gaze all the while. "May I kiss you, please?" she practically begged him.
When had the power dynamic shifted? Was it because he had taken charge of the conversation so strongly? Rosan wasn't sure, perhaps she was inherently submissive? Whatever it was, he would note it. Staying in a control of a situation benefited him well and allowed him to dictate how things went.
"I dunno…maybe we should wait to do that? I wouldn't want you to get in trouble for kissing the weapon…" holding a finger to his chin, Rosan looked as if he was seriously contemplating it but, in reality, he was toying with her, dangling the bait to see how much he could milk out of this situation.
Mom's greatest weakness was her inability to accept denial. If Rosan told her that he would not be able to do something, that she wanted to do, because of someone else…well her reaction would be less than stellar.
As predicted, the brunette's face contorted into one of cold fury. She possessively grasped him and, in a dangerously low tone, said "They will not lay a finger on either of us! I will make sure of it. You have nothing to worry about because you are safe with me."
Her face morphed back into its pleading from like nothing happened as she once again asked to be kissed.
Rosan was totally victorious. He had carefully observed what made her tick and ruthlessly took advantage of it. Rosan marveled at how easy it was to manipulate a person. She had been reduced to absolute putty in his hands and it was fascinating to witness. He would be sure to take advantage of her hospitality up until his escape.
"Hm~ well in that case, if you promise-" "I promise!" She interrupted him and then flinched as she realized her mistake. Hastily apologizing to the boy, Rosan accepted it with a wave of his hand and said "Ok! You can kiss me then!"
"But...~" he stopped her and the visible frustration on her face was delightful "...you can't tell Doc about this conversation, okay? We wouldn't want him to get jealous that his weapon has a favorite that isn't him y'know? This conversation stays between us, then I'll let you kiss me," he finished with an impish smile on his face.
Mom nodded vigorously at his request (demand) and Rosan let out a fond sigh. Nodding in a go ahead motion, Rosan allowed the woman to do what she wanted.
The black haired woman looked like she had won the lottery and, knowing how much of a pervert she was, she probably thought she did. Cupping his cheeks, the pretty woman dove for his lips.
The things he did for Mod-chan. She better not ever say he didn't love her.
Rosan calmly removed his weapon, a sword, from the back of his opponent. Blood dripped steadily from the weapon in a steady pat as the man beneath him bled out. He stared coldly at the corpse. He was weak, afraid, and barely put up a fight. Worthless. If this was supposed to be training, then Doc was trying to turn him into a sadist.
Clapping interrupted him and he stared at the smiling Doc. The man was getting increasingly impressed with his results from these battles. He currently looked elated at Rosan's effortless victory over his latest foe. "Well done Rosan! At this rate you'll win this tournament with ease!"
"You've proven yourself a reliable weapon, so I think it's time to accelerate part of your training!" The man exclaimed and Rosan merely nodded his head. Was it time? Already? That was rather quick.
Doc, who was out of reach, called in a guard and had them remove Rosan's handcuffs. The redhead hummed as he felt the thrum of Modification roar to life. He nearly smiled at the feeling of slowly regaining his powers but he held it back.
He had been waiting for this and now, it was the beginning of the end for everyone here.
Turning towards Doc, Rosan bowed his head and said "Thank you for this opportunity Doc. May I demonstrate what I am capable of doing with my Devil Fruit?"
The redhead knew Doc was testing him. It was fairly obvious and the redhead had to wonder just how much he was being underestimated due to his age. He wanted to see how Rosan would use his ability with the sudden freedom granted to him. No doubt, he had placed countermeasures in case he tried to increase his size to escape. If they were meant to counter the effects of the Saizu Saizu no Mi, they would work well...for someone who had it.
But he didn't have it.
His planning was still in motion however so for now, he would play along by solidifying his "obedience". Besides, simply escaping wasn't enough for the 9 year old anymore.
He wanted no, he needed more.
Doc let out a pleased sigh as Rosan made no attempt to escape. The best way for the boy to escape would be with his Devil Fruit so right now was his best possible chance. He had been slightly worried that Rosan was pretending but once again he had been proven wrong. The boy truly was 100% obedient now. Even if he tried to increase his size to escape, the room they were currently in, was full of seastone. Rosan would simply activate it if he grew too large, neutralizing him in the process.
Luckily, that would not be the case.
"Of course, Rosan! I'll be bringing in the next opponent so, please return to the waiting area while we clean up the mess. If you wish to choose a new weapon please do so."
Rosan simply nodded and made his way through the gate to walk back into the waiting area. He had the location memorized, so he simply walked there on autopilot. Finally alone, but most likely being watched, Rosan sent a mental prod towards Mod-chan to see if she was still there.
After a long moment, he received a weak prodding in return, but no verbal confirmation from the Devil Fruit. She was here but she was weak...
He'd give her time to rest up. Being suppressed by Seastone for so long must have not been great for her because it wasn't great for him. For now, he had a plan to set into motion.
Placing the bloody sword gently on the table, Rosan glanced at his desired weapons. As he picked them up, Rosan placed the massive gauntlets on his tiny hands and flexed his fingers. Nodding to himself, Rosan used his 'Saizu Saizu' abilities to make the gauntlets better fit his small hands and he clenched his fist to ensure they were on correctly.
Job done, Rosan waited patiently for Doc to call him out once more. It didn't take long, as his voice soon came onto the intercom. "Report to the arena please, Rosan," was all he said before cutting it off.
Rosan made his way to the arena at a leisure pace. He stopped to stare at his terrified opponent with an unimpressed stare. It was only natural, rumors had been spreading like wildfire around the inmates that anyone who had been put up against him had not returned. The 9 year old prisoner did nothing to dissuade the rumors and, since silence equaled guilt, they all had a good amount of fear for the child.
It wasn't a lie anyways.
This man was no different. He was shaking uncontrollably and he could barely hold on to the sword he was wielding as he faced the much younger boy. To think rumors could reduce people to such a state. Did everyone just believe everything they heard? Not even a little bit of doubt? This man looked like he had already given up just looking at the 9 year old.
Not a threat to him then. He'd get nothing out of this fight so he'd make it quick.
The moment the signal began, Rosan audibly said "Increase" and watched as his gauntlet grew larger and his strength increased. Not wasting any time, Rosan, in a mood to flaunt, sprinted towards the man. Right before reaching him, Rosan placed the palm of his gauntlets on the floor and used the momentum of his speed to launch himself upwards. The man's eyes widened as the tiny missile began soaring through the air.
Flipping himself to face the man, Rosan caught a sloppy swing of the sword with the side of his gauntlet and said "Decrease."
Everyone watching gasped, as the sword was reduced to the size of a toothpick. The, now defenseless, man's terror increased tenfold as he looked into the expressionless gaze of Rosan. Still in the air, Rosan grabbed one the taller man's arm and delivered a strong strike directly onto his mouth.
The man toppled over from the force of the blow with an "oomph" on his back. Rosan landed harshly on top of his stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and paralyzing him. Moving forward so that he sat on his chest, Rosan delivered blow after blow to his face. The man tried using his arm to block his onslaught, but they simply folded under the pressure of his punches.
The redheaded monster rained punch after punch and felt the man's face breaking under his assault. The floor under him was beginning to dent at the display of strength and Rosan decided to wrap this up.
Holding his hands, together Rosan delivered a brutal double axe handle strike. The mans stopped struggling immediately as blood was sprayed everywhere. His hands fell limply to his side as Rosan crushed his face against the gauntlet with a CRUNCH.
Rosan stood up, gauntlets still clenched into a fist, and he looked over at Doc. The redhead looked completely unbothered by his display of brutality and he bowed to his jailor as he made his way to the rest area. As he walked back to the waiting area for further instructions, Rosan finally allowed himself a violent grin. His sharp teeth gleamed and his eyes glowed. Even the chilly purple had a glow in it, in contrast to its normally empty look.
He had won.
His victory had been assured and now, there was nothing they could do about it. His escape was not a possibility now. It was imminent. Unavoidable. Assured.
Why?
Rosan opened his palm to look at the key that rested there. Knowing he'd soon be visible on camera, Rosan pocketed the key and allowed his rage to vanish. Adopting his standard neutral expression, he calmly sat down to give an appearance that he was still that obedient little toy.
Information truly was a dangerous weapon. Had they known what his Devil Fruit actually was…he was sure they'd never have released him from his Seastone in those conditions. After all, Modification was too difficult to keep a leash on unless you completely nullified it. The ability to change your size however? There were many counters to that.
Had Rosan's Devil Fruit actually been the Saizu Saizu no mi, he may have had to find other means to escape. But the ability to change his size was not his Devil Fruit. Rosan was a Computer Boy who could modify whatever it was that he was touching and they had signed away their lives the moment they freed him.
When had he gotten the key you ask?
It was while he was punching the life out of his opponent. Due to the nature of how he normally killed his opponents, his ruthless executions seemed like a normal occurrence and Rosan had calculated it into his plan. It was also the reason why he had opted into using the gauntlets, they were the easiest way to get what he wanted.
While punching the man repeatedly Rosan, knowing that Doc wouldn't watch the brutal affair, had stolen a tooth from the man. As he continued to punch the man, he had modified the tooth into the object of his desire.
A universal key for his handcuffs.
It had taken longer than he thought it would, which is why he had punched the man for so long. That was to be expected though. He didn't have access to Modification for 3 months and so he needed to get a feel for it again.
But, with the tooth successfully turned into a key Rosan had completely won. There was nothing they could do anymore. If by some chance they wanted to replace his Seastone handcuffs, he wouldn't allow them and would just have to strike early. He doubted it though, these handcuffs had never been removed from him.
Winning just wasn't enough anymore though. It would never be enough to simply win. Rosan wanted to crush the wills of the people who had given him hell. He wouldn't be satisfied until he heard them beg beneath him. Everyone that knew of his existence would have to die. Doc had likely advertised his newest weapon to the upcoming spectators and so, Rosan would have to take everyone out in one fell swoop. This way he would maintain anonymity and no one would know how he looked or what his name was.
Now that he was free, it would be easy to do what he wanted.
After all, Doc had said himself that he was the Ultimate Weapon.
Rosan had been handcuffed again and escorted back to his quarters to retire for the day. He had naturally done it all without causing a fuss, obedient pet that he was.
He was now sat on his bed, regarding his cuffed hands in curiosity. They were an interesting variation of handcuffs. Instead of linking together like standard handcuffs, they were more so like bracelets on each hand. Due to this, Rosan was able to mostly ignore them and perform normally, even with the exhausting drain it gave him.
Removing the key from his pockets, Rosan removed the cuffs from his hand and tossed them aside. The redhead felt the familiar surge of Modification coursing through his body as he flexed his hand and the boy smiled.
He had missed this feeling. It felt good. No, it felt amazing.
He felt alive.
The boy modified his key into a copy of the handcuffs and put them around his wrists. It would be hard to spot the difference between these and the Seastone handcuffs and Rosan wanted to keep up appearances at the moment.
Glancing at said Seastone handcuffs, Rosan palmed the floor and modified a deep hole into it. Done with that, he tossed the Seastone into the newly created pit.
Not yet finished, Rosan grabbed a piece of metal and modified it into a familiar mechanical fly. He gave it orders to find his belongings, scout the entire island and relay the information back to him. It buzzed in affirmation and flew through the holes of the cage, carefully maneuvering so as to not touch them.
Rosan closed the hole and stood up to walk over to his bed. Breathing softly, the redhead easily entered his Mindscape.
Opening his eyes, Rosan blinked at what he was seeing. His Mindscape...it was different then he last remembered.
While still a forest, it was nothing like how it used to be. The sun had gone down, replaced by the dark of the night and the only source of light was the pale moon in the sky. It was now raining as well, had it been changed to a rainforest? The leaves were a bit droopy but otherwise, they were still healthy and there was an ever present endless amount of green.
Rosan realized Mod-chan was nowhere to be seen. He could feel her though, as a weak pulse inside of the house. The boy headed over there and quietly opened the door to the house and walked into the room he knew she was located in. Rosan frowned as he took sight of her.
She looked terrible. The purple haired woman was bedridden and it looked like she had just woken up, which she probably had. Her tanned face was flushed from what seemed to be a fever and her breathing was heavy. She saw him approach and tried to shoot up in joy at being able to see him once again. It had been so long since they had seen each other and the woman was overjoyed to see him!
Rosan quickly closed the distance between them, to make sure she didn't get up. His Devil Fruit looked weakened and he didn't need to see her overexert herself anymore. The boy gave her a tight hug as he felt relief flood his entire system. He had missed her terribly. She had been a constant presence in his life and when their connection cut, he felt a horrible emptiness that he didn't want to feel again.
"Ah, I missed you more than you could imagine, Mod-chan," Rosan said, hugging her cheek to cheek. She weakly returned the hug, but her grip on him was firm. She was shaking heavily, afraid that she could lose him again and it filled the redhead with a familiar burst of anger. How dare they make his Mod-chan feel like this? Anyone who hurt Mod-chan didn't deserve any mercy from him. He was going to enjoy what he was about to do to them.
Mod tried to talk, but Rosan shushed her. The woman looked like she was just struggling to stay awake. Seastone…he hated the effect it had on her. Rosan wouldn't allow himself to be capture and subjected to its effects again.
"Don't worry Mod-chan," Rosan reassured the bedridden woman. "Rest and restore your powers. I've got it handled now, you don't have to do anything," He said softly to her. She didn't have to clean up for his mistakes anymore, Rosan would do that himself and this would be his start.
She finally noticed his shift in demeanor and shot him a worried look, but Rosan ignored it in favor of getting up and walking out of the door.
"I have company. I will allow you to rest until you feel good enough to speak to me then I'll visit you again, okay? In the meantime, assimilate yourself with my memories that you've missed. Goodbye Mod-chan."
Before she could say anything, Rosan vanished and returned back to reality.
Mod tried to get up and call him but she was still too weak to do anything. The purple haired woman panted in exhaustion from the exertion before lying back down on the bed. Rosan…he was different. Something had changed him. She needed to look into his memories immediately to understand the full scope of what went on.
What had happened to him?
Rosan woke to the familiar sensation of a cool ointment being rubbed on him and was not surprised to see a shock of blonde hair. Meiko worked diligently and quickly. The girl was humming a nice tune to herself and she didn't seem to be aware that he was awake.
"You know Meiko..." Rosan watched in amusement as she squealed in fright "...I haven't actually been seriously injured for a while now. My body has become quite adjusted to Doc's treatment. While I enjoy the sensation of the ointment, your actions are unnecessary," he finished calmly.
Something about what he said, caused her to flinch, before she pouted halfheartedly and tried to glare at him. She failed miserably as the glare fell away instantly, replaced instead by embarrassment. "I know that you haven't b-been really injured for a long time…but, I still want to visit you and this is the only way I can be useful so please don't kick me out! A-also, you still do have small i-injuries so I can work on those?"
Rosan stared at her and said "Fine, do what you want," and that was the end of that. This girl managed to find comfort in his presence and Rosan didn't care enough to tell her to leave so she was free to do as she pleased. It's not like he had anything better to do.
Meiko had made good on her promise to visit him more often. When the girl had said more, Rosan had figured she'd show up every week. But no, she meant every single night. She would barge quietly into his room, ointment in hand, and would proceed to rub the ointment on his body while talking to him about mundane things.
The boy got the feeling that not a lot of people cared or listened to what she had to say. He was pretty sure she told him everything about her day because no one else was willing to hear her. Rosan, not having much better to do, would listen and even contribute to the conversation sometimes (something she greatly appreciate if the elation in her eyes meant anything). It wasn't very often but, the blonde didn't seem to mind that he rarely talked back.
She was just happy that someone was actually listening!
It helped that she had a pleasant voice, instead of one that grated on his ears, so Rosan didn't mind listening to her. She was unknowingly a good source of info too. Rosan learned that they were on an isolated island called Daybreak Island near the calm belt in the North Blue. It's citizens, typically, were wealthy people who either had slaves participating in the tournaments or spectators. Rosan curiously asked her if she had any slaves and she frantically waved her head no.
The girl was vehemently against the idea of having people fight against each other. She abhorred the fact that they'd be killing themselves for the pleasure of other people. Rosan asked her why she was on this island then and she replied, downcast, "My parents," and ended the conversation there. Rosan sensing her sadness let the topic drop though he was a bit curious now.
Speaking of which, Rosan had asked Meiko if her parents were concerned at all that she was going out so often, but her only response, was to tell him "My parents…they don't care about me at all...they won't notice I'm gone."
At his questioning glance she explained that it was because she wasn't very good at doing anything. She claimed that she was not interested in learning their craft and as a result, they had written her off as useless.
She had wanted to become a medic for the Marines, partly to impress her parents, but mostly because she genuinely wanted to help people. The only problem was that she had no idea how to approach the marines, especially considering the less than legal affairs happening on this island. If they figured out her origins were tied to this island she'd never be able to become a marine. The blonde was also too young (being 11), to sail towards a base on her own.
The blonde girl also had low self esteem. She didn't seem to realize that she created her very own ointment, but Rosan had banished that self doubt when he told her how well it was working on him. Her face had turned an atomic shade of red and she stammered an insane amount at his compliment.
Rosan wondered why he tolerated her so much but, he just chalked it up to her being the only nice person in his own personal hell. She had a naivety to her, that made him wonder what she was doing here, and she was the only person on this island who was genuinely kind to him. The redhead had gotten good at reading people. He had an easy time telling when someone was lying and she was genuine in everything she did.
In another timeline, they could have been great friends.
It was a shame that she had to die along with everyone else here.
"Rosan…you seem a bit happier than normal today. No that's not right…you seem more relieved?" Meiko suddenly said, interrupting his musing. Rosan glanced at her, wondering just how she knew that, but he saw no harm in telling her the truth.
He would just omit some details.
"Relieved? I suppose I am a bit relieved. I was allowed to use my abilities today…it felt nice not being so restricted. Perhaps that's the reason?"
As predicted her gaze turned into one of guilt and she looked down. Softly slapping her cheeks in an eerily familiar way, she looked up and determinedly asked him "Your Devil Fruit right? Could you tell me what it is, please?"
"My devil fruit is the Saizu Saizu no Mi. It allows me to increase or decrease the size of myself and objects," was his automated response.
Meiko's soft blue gaze narrowed at him slightly. "Y-you don't have to lie to me, Rosan," the redhead rose a brow in surprise at that. "I know the situation your in is really bad, b-but I've never lied to you so, please don't lie to me."
Rosan froze as he heard what she said. He regarded her with a shocked expression on his face, as the familiarity of it all washed over him.
It was like looking at a ghost. Rosan remembered having the same problem with his mother about being truthful to him. She had been lying to him about how badly pregnancy had affected her and he found it unfair, due to the fact that he was always honest to her. The redhead never thought he'd be the one getting called out for such a thing, but life was funny like that.
Still, to be able to so easily call him out on his lie? So easily? Despite her confidence issues, there had been no doubt in her tone whatsoever. It was worrying how easily she could see through him. If she had been an actual enemy, Rosan would have had a much harder time escaping from this place.
That was another thing about her, she could read him like nobody else. Frankly it was unnerving.
Around her, Rosan felt exposed in a way that he never experienced. Despite the wall he had up constantly, she tore through them like they were made of paper. The redhead wasn't sure how she was able to see through him so easily. Nobody but Mod-chan could do that (and she could read his mind!).
Not even Robin or his mother could see through him this easily and he was an open book around them.
That wasn't to say this was one-sided. Rosan had a frighteningly easy time seeing through her as well. Maybe that was why she kept coming back, they had some sort of bond that he couldn't explain. The two of them were compatible in a way that had him putting his guard fully up.
It's why the redhead decided she needed to die. She was an enigma. An enigma that could be dangerous to him. She needed to be eliminated due to the power they held over each other. Rosan could not risk having this person as an enemy.
Rosan, with a critical eye, gazed at her as she called him out so bravely.
She raised a fair and valid point. Rosan would be a hypocrite if he didn't realize that, because he had had the exact same issue with his mother. He watched as her, once confident gaze, wilted under his eye and she had quickly reverted to her meek demeanour.
Meiko had a very good point and he acknowledged that fully. If this were anything else, he'd have conceded. But this wasn't anything else. She didn't seem to understand the full scope of the situation that he was currently in.
"I don't trust you," Rosan told her truthfully. Her expression turned a bit hurt, but he continued unimpeded. "Don't get me wrong Meiko, everything you do is genuine and normally I would have no problem trusting you, but I'm sure you know what happened to me. I can't allow myself to trust anyone so easily. No, that's not quite right. I won't allow myself to trust anyone."
Why was Rosan telling her this? If she told Doc, all his planning could be ruined and he'd have to settle for enacting his plan early. He wasn't sure why he was doing this but, something told him this conversation would stay between the two of them. Was it stupid of him? Yes but, this weird bond they had, assured him that she wouldn't.
He was getting pretty sick of lying anyways. It went against his character that his mother so caringly raised.
Despite the hurt in her eyes, the understanding gaze she directed towards Rosan baffled him. Here she was, telling him everything she could and he wouldn't even tell her one thing with the reasoning being that he didn't trust her, despite being trustworthy.
Yet she gazed at him with nothing but understanding and compassion. To see someone so caring, so friendly, so kind, Rosan couldn't believe it. How could someone like this exist? How could she direct such a gaze towards him? How could someone be so nice to him?
It seriously pissed him off.
Who the fuck did she think she was? She thought she had the right to look at him with those eyes. This weakling thought she could pity him? Just the thought that he was being looked down upon, filled him with nothing but hot burning rage.
Quicker then she could react, Rosan forced Meiko down and loomed over her. His dual eyes were positively blazing, as he snarled down at her. It was the first time he'd actually lost his temper since this change and the fact it was Meiko who caused it made it all the worse.
"You really think you understand me don't you?!" He questioned furiously to the frightened girl beneath him. His voice was low and packed with fury as he spoke to her."You don't understand anything I've gone through so stop pretending like you fucking do. Don't try to relate your life to mine just because your parents don't love you and you have no friends," he hissed venomously.
The redhead was angry in a way that he couldn't even explain. Who did she think she was? Rosan wouldn't let someone with family issues try to relate to him. How dare she even try to compare the two of their issues. Last he checked she wasn't a fucking prisoner who had been getting tortured for THREE MONTHS!
"T-that's cruel Rosan! Y-you don't have to say something like that," Meiko sobbed but Rosan didn't care. She made him so angry. Did she really think that just because she could read him, she could just go and say whatever the hell she wanted? Rosan wasn't a naive idiot anymore. He wasn't going to believe anything a person said just because they honeyed their words.
She needed to pay.
Raising a fist, Rosan nearly swung down before stopping as he got a good look at her face. He was so consumed in rage, he assumed that she was crying in fear.
But she wasn't.
No, she wasn't crying because of his harsh words or how physical he was with her. She was crying because of his pain and that realization froze him completely. "I-I'm s-so sorry R-Rosan," she sobbed out an apology, making him flinch. "I'm so weak and pathetic, that I can't even properly help you when you're in so much pain."
Rage left his body in an instant and was instead replaced by regret. The boy sagged slightly as regret for what he did, and was about to do to this girl, seeped into his body.
What was wrong with him? He had let himself get possessed by rage and had nearly struck the girl because of it. It was sloppy of him to allow himself to succumb so easily to his own emotions again. He couldn't allow himself to lose control like that again.
Taking a deep breath, Rosan said "You should go Meiko…and you shouldn't come back." He got off of her and let her pick herself up.
She tried to protest his decision, but Rosan would not be swayed. Seeing that he would stay firm in his decision, she sadly got up and walked over to the cell. "I-I know you feel bad Rosan…but i-it's not your fault so I d-don't blame you!" She began softly.
Facing him, compassionate blue stared into a combination of rage filled red and chilly purple as she said "Rosan, I just want to understand you! Please...I know you can't trust anybody, I really do, but that's why I want to earn your trust! B-because if you can't trust even one person in life then can you really call that living?"
"Nobody should ever be forced to be alone!" A 4 year old Rosan said to Nico Robin. The memory came rushing to him suddenly and Rosan had to bite his cheek to prevent himself from lashing out.
"Get out," Rosan said through grit teeth. He hated how her words affected him. He hated how much sense she made. He hated that she refused to accept the reality that Rosan didn't want to trust anybody. He hated that he seriously considered her offer. He hated how seemingly vulnerable he was around her.
So he pushed her away.
Opening the cage, Meiko left a few parting words. "I knew you weren't going to hurt me Rosan. Deep down…you're kind Rosan I know it. I'm so sorry that they did this to you and...I'm going to make this right. You may not trust me Rosan, but I trust you," she told the younger boy with a sad smile on her face.
"I-I'll find a way to break you out Rosan, I promise," before he could respond, Meiko softly closed the cage and scurried away.
The heterochromatic boy stared in disbelief at her retreating form.
She fully believed what she said. Meiko actually did trust him and that confused him more then he could imagine. It was impossible for someone to be so kind. It was a trick, it had to be. But it wasn't. This was just who she was. Someone like her, didn't belong in a world like this. The blonde was too pure for her own good.
Rosan didn't like her.
In his 3 months here, besides rage, He hadn't felt a single emotion flare up and yet she was able to get a reaction out of him so easily. She was lying about something, she had to be. The girl needed to be eliminated. She was a threat to Rosan.
Right...?
3 months later
Like he had demanded, Meiko hadn't visited him since the night he blew up on her.
Rosan was unstable and he could freely admit that. He had been rather unhinged ever since his mother died. Someone like Meiko, who was too gentle for her own good, should not be around someone like him. It was only logical that she would heed his warning and stay away.
He had to admit, he was slightly disappointed. Though he didn't like the girl, her voice was soothing. Rosan wondered if she knew how to sing?
The redhead decided to focus on more important matters. Namely, Doc's walking form in front of him. After all, today was the day of Ash and Dust and Rosan planned on winning the whole thing. Anything less would be a failure for a boy and he wouldn't feel as good destroying everything on this island.
Rosans strength had increased greatly over his span here. Due to being forced to work in Seastone handcuffs for 3 months, being free of their effects, meant he was stronger than ever and it was noticeable. None of the other prisoners posed a threat to him anymore, so Doc had stopped giving him sparring opponents. No need to have such needless deaths, were the mans words.
He was sure he had heard them celebrating at the prospect of never having to face him again and the boy withheld a snort at the thought. Treating a 9 year old like he were the boogeyman, was as funny as it was shameful.
So now, when it was training time, Rosan would just build his knowledge with the various weapons that he had at his disposal. It had the added benefit of making sure he was with the much more submissive Mom instead of Doc. Rosan didn't hate the woman as much as he hated Doc and, ever since his talk with the pervert, the power dynamic between the two had shifted and Rosan found that he was able to get away with far more stuff as long as he sufficiently distracted her.
Though, that had the downside of turning Mod-chan into a seething lunatic.
He pointedly ignored the sudden feeling of being glared at.
There were various books on how to use a majority of the weapons so Rosan didn't have a hard time picking them up. He wasn't a master yet, but he had a good idea on how best to use each weapon. His preferred weapons were the Battle Axe, Hammer, Gauntlets, Sword and Scythe.
Rosan was not a fan of the scythe, which was why it annoyed him to no end that it was one of his best weapons. Everything about the weapon irked him…its exceedingly long reach, how the blade was so awkwardly placed onto the pole, how he had to hold it in a way that didn't interfere with his short stature. The weapon was so impractical, it was a wonder why people thought using it was a good idea.
He despised the weapon and the first thing he'd do when breaking out, would be to find a way to make the scythe more accommodating to his frame.
He had been reading a copious amount of random books since his stay here, to accumulate his knowledge and it was paying dividends. Blacksmithing, gardening, hunting, geography, calligraphy, etc. Rosan had soaked the knowledge of all sorts of books and added it to his growing list of skills to learn. He planned on utilizing every skill he learned so that he would not be reliant on anybody but himself. He would become a Swiss Army Knife so to say.
Speaking of Modification, Rosan had done a good job of making it appear as if he were being properly restricted. Doc still believed that, outside of training, he had no freedom whatsoever and that was so very far from the truth. The bug he had sent out to scout had already gotten a full scope of the island, located his items, and relayed all the information back to him.
In that time frame, He also had a conversation with Mod-chan. It went about as well as he expected.
Flashback
Rosan sat idly in the lounge area of his mindscape. His face was a picture perfect calm as idly raked a hand through his hair.
Adjacent from him was Mod-chan with a blank look on her face. The woman appeared to be as calm as Rosan, but she couldn't hide the distraught look in her red eyes from the redhead. She had probably finished assimilating herself with his memories of his stay here then.
This was going to go well.
Rosan sighed at the look on her face. She was always trying to be strong for the both of them. It was as endearing as it was annoying. The redhead could take care of himself now, and, while he would still need her, the purple haired woman needed to understand this.
Rosan decided that now would be a great time to get that out of the way.
"Something on your mind, Mod-chan?" Rosan asked her softly. Mod-chan flinched at his flat tone and the 9 year old softened his expression. "Without the Seastone limiting us, you look much better…I don't want to see you like that ever again."
Rosan meant what he said, he hated seeing Mod-chan like that. He never wanted her to look so vulnerable. Just the thought of seeing her like that again made him sick.
Mod-chan blushed and a small smile appeared on her otherwise sad face. She thanked him before she turned serious again. Straightening herself, she said "I'm sorry for calling you on such short notice Rosan its just…I finished going through your memories and-" Mod-chan struggled to say what she wanted to say, visibly fighting back tears and failing miserably.
The child shot her an understanding look as he waited patiently for her. Mod-chan was very protective of him so seeing memories of him getting tortured for the better part of 3 months, must have destroyed her. Rosan knew her, she probably blamed herself for this. It was a testament to her overprotectiveness, that she wasn't a sobbing mess at the moment. It was all to keep up the appearance that she was alright.
For him.
He hated that.
Rosan didn't want Mod-chan to be overprotective of him. They were equals now and they needed to look out for each other. It shouldn't be so one-sided in his favor. Rosan would let her say everything she had to say before speaking his mind. Holding things in like this would only lead to a bigger breakdown in the future. It was unhealthy.
(Hypocrite.)
"I'm so sorry, Rosan," Mod-chan began through shaky breaths. "There are so much things I could have done to help alleviate your pain, but I couldn't and while I was sleeping you were suffering so so much," the woman said in despair. "What I saw was horrible and...I could barely watch it! No should ever have to go through that, especially not you a-and it's just not fair-" Mod collapsed as she failed to finish her sentence. Her frame was shaking, as she tried to hold in her sobs and Rosan frowned as he looked at her.
What was with the woman in his life always trying to hide things from him? Maybe that was why he enjoy- he tolerated Meiko's presence. She was an open book and she didn't hide anything from the boy.
Unlike him.
Rosan made his way to Mod-chan and hugged her. "It's okay Mod-chan. Let it all out, I'm here for you," the boy whispered soothingly. He would say more but he wanted her to finish before he spoke. For now he would just be the presence she needed.
Mod-chan clutched his smaller frame desperately as sobs wracked her body. "I-its all my fault Rosan! Y-you tried to be so brave by yourself and I c-couldn't even b-be slightly useful!" The purple haired woman was an emotional wreck as she spoke. "They took everything from you and I couldn't s-stop them. E-even now, you've been doing everything by yourself, while I'm just sitting pretty a-and I f-failed you so horribly p-please f-forgiv-" Mod-chan wailed as the floodgates opened.
This was Mod's problem when it came to Rosan. The woman refused to put the blame on the redhead and instead, chose to shoulder it all by herself. He had noticed it since he was 4, but he was dealing with his own trauma and, by the time he had met Robin, he had thought she had solved it on her own. From having Rosan leave the island, to him getting captured and tortured, to his drastic shift in personality…she blamed it all on herself.
He'd have to correct that. The boy should have corrected it the moment he noticed.
Stroking her hair softly as she wailed into his small body, Rosan decided now would be a good time to speak. "Mod-chan, you have to stop blaming yourself," Rosan said firmly. "None of this is your fault, the blame lies solely on me. I'm the one who made these decisions and I'm the one who got us captured at the end of the day," the boy finished looking the sobbing Devil Fruit in her eyes.
"B-but the only reason we got captured, is that you tried to hide the fact you had my powers in the first place." Mod-chan said utterly heartbroken, remembering explicitly how the boy had only decided to use his abilities when it was too late, because of her. Rosan was a child who valued not disappointing those important to him. Of course he'd take the words she told him when he was 4 seriously and it had cost them. She was stupid for not taking that into account.
Rosan shook his head in denial. "I let my guard down and you know that, Mod-chan. I got arrogant, full of myself, because of how strong I had been getting. The idea that I could get ambushed never crossed my mind because I thought just hiding Modification was enough. I am just as to blame for deciding too late to use Modification."
"You need to understand Mod-chan. The moment I decided to leave Baterilla, I should have stopped acting like a child. I failed to do that, I paid the price and now your paying the price for my immaturity too," the redhead said softly. "The only one who failed was me, Mod-chan. Do not blame yourself or else, I'll really get upset with you," Rosan finished firmly with a frown on his face.
Mod-chan tried to argue, but anything else she said, was swiftly shut down by Rosan. The woman didn't want to believe him and that was okay. Rosan would give her time to gather herself, but he would get rid of these self-destructive thoughts.
"I'm not someone who needs protecting anymore, Mod-chan. I made many mistakes, that you salvaged, but those mistakes just kept piling. I won't allow myself to make those mistakes again so you don't need to worry about me," the 9 year old told the slightly surprised woman. It was becoming apparent to her now just how much he changed and it was slightly staggering.
"We were supposed to be partners, but I was a child and you were my mother. But, no more. You can rely on me now and I'll prove it to you with my actions from now on." Rosan's red eye blazed as he confidently spoke.
"B-but Rosan, your smile…I failed to protect it! They took your happiness from you and I couldn't do anything about it! I...I can't forgive myself for that." Mod-chan looked so defeated as she spoke about the promise they had made so long ago. The woman looked like she was about to break down again and Rosan steadily calmed her down.
She raised a good point and the reality of his emotional situation, was finally becoming clear to the boy. Rosan would normally have been sobbing just as badly at this point but right now, he couldn't feel any type of sadness. The redhead was beginning to understand the brunt of just what happened to him and he resisted the urge to frown.
He wouldn't let it affect him.
"You're right Mod-chan, they took away my innocence and they showed me how cruel the world can be. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise to you. Just like you, I can't forgive myself for this failure. So, the people who did this, have to pay."
Mod-chan protested, quite strongly, at that. "You're not to blame Rosan! You tried but no one could make it out of such horrific torture unscathed. You haven't failed anything, so there's nothing for you to forgive!" The woman firmly responded, glaring at him with a motherly fury.
Rosan simply countered her argument. "That's how I feel about you right now, Mod-chan. You haven't done anything wrong, so there's nothing to forgive," the boy said, throwing the Devil Fruit's words right back at her. "How about this? I will slowly forgive myself, if you can do the same," the dual eyed boy proposed.
Mod's eyes widened as she realized that she had fallen straight into his trap. The woman looked at him in a new light and realized that, maybe Rosan didn't need her to protect him so much. The realization hurt her a bit, but she pushed it down in favor of the swelling pride inside of her.
Equals didn't sound too bad to her and, based on what she had seen from his memories, Rosan really didn't need to overly rely on her anymore. He had escaped with nothing but his cunningness and intelligence. Despite the situation, Mod was really proud of the boy.
Rosan watched all this transpire with a critical gaze. He knew Mod-chan enough to guess what she was going to say next. Before she could, he decided to speak up. "Mod-chan I know you are still upset with yourself at my personality shift, but what's done is done. There is no time to dwell on the past, when there is so much of the future to experience. Maybe in that future I will learn how to feel happiness again but until then, we just need to continue."
Mod-chan looked at him in wonder before her gaze turned resolute. Nodding steely, the tan woman said "You're right Rosan. I need to get out of this funk and focus on our future. Thank you."
Rosan nodded, satisfied, with her response. "Good, now do you have any idea why my eye has changed color? I've theorized some things but you have a much more intricate understanding of my body than I do."
Current
A fusion of some sorts between him and Mod-chan. That had been what she told him. Despite being afflicted by seastone, Rosan's inner body, barring Mod-chan, still worked normally and in response to his intense desire to become stronger, Modification had changed too merging partially with the boy.
It was fascinating, Rosan wondered curiously if that made him half devil or half fruit.
Seems all those people calling him a monster were right. He felt Mod-chan vehemently disagree and conceded without any argument with her. He personally didn't care that he had partially fused with Mod-chan and she didn't seem bothered by it either.
In fact, Rosan was sure she was ecstatic about it. It made their connection stronger and Rosan would have a much easier time using Modification. He had been secretly training with it and he noticed the ease at which he was able to do things had dramatically increased.
It was rather odd though, Rosan thought the moment he ate the Devil Fruit he had fused with Mod...maybe it had something to do with the fact that she appeared to be the only conscious Devil Fruit? He was positive that Devil Fruit's fully combined with a person until that person died. Did that mean Mod-chan was not the Mod Mod no Mi in full?
Well, he didn't care too much about it. If that was what Mod-chan said happened, then that's probably what happened. The redhead had no reason to doubt her.
Doc was none the wiser at the fact that Rosan had been free the entire time. To be fair to the doctor, Rosan gave no hints. He kept up the facade of having the Saizu Saizu no Mi and due to that, his actual ability to increase and decrease the size of things had improved considerably.
What had surprised Rosan, was that Meiko actually didn't tell anyone about their meeting or the truth behind his Devil Fruit. Though the blonde girl didn't know he had Modification, she had already known that his fruit wasn't the Saizu Saizu no Mi. She could have ruined months of planning if she told them.
She really had kept it a secret. Rosan…needed to apologize to the 11 year old if he saw her before the end of the night.
That was neither here nor there though. Rosan had a tournament to win and a lot of money, that was definitely going to Doc, to earn.
He had been waiting about an hour for his match to start and he patiently waited. Some man named Daichi was his opponent. It was the same name as the captain of the Saber Pirates, the pirate crew that was housing Robin. If it was anything like his very first battle, Rosan doubted he'd even break a sweat. Even if it was, people in the Blue Seas were rather weak.
Rosan was currently donned in an all black outfit. A form fitting, long sleeved shirt, covered his upper torso while long cargo pants that were tucked neatly into some steel clad boots made up his lower half. His messy red hair had been tied into a bun, so as to prevent anyone from having an easy way to grab him. Though some strands still hung over his face that he made sure wouldn't get in his way.
Despite being a massive pervert, Mom was good at what she did. Rosan was rather vain himself so he was impressed by what she did. The outfit was approved by the both of them and so he chose to wear it. Mod-chan begrudgingly approved of it as well so he really knew it was good. His Devil Fruit always took the chance to hurl an insult at the black haired woman and it was funny to see the, normally calm, Mod so riled up.
As he made his way to the entrance of the arena, Rosan felt the thrumming of people, all screaming, no doubt excited to watch 2 people fight to the death. He withheld a sigh at that. Rich people always claimed to be of a higher status then people but, when it came do to it, they were just as barbaric as the ones they showed disdain too. They just hid it behind curtains and pretended to be perfect. He knew better though, they wanted to watch this because it was fascinating to them.
Well lucky for them, Rosan would put on a show that they'd never seen before.
"Rosan," Doc began, speaking to him excitedly. "Today is the debut of my ultimate weapon! You've got a lot of people expecting you to fail and the bets have already been made. I'm the only one who believes you'll win it all so you'll win yes?"
Said weapon glanced at him and merely nodded his head. He'd win the tournament, that was a guarantee. The green eyed man had said that everyone else already wrote him off and that he was the only one to actually believe in Rosan and that thought, made him snort inwardly.
How sweet. Guess he had to win then.
His inner show off flared as he thought about them doubting his ability. It was time to put those doubts to rest because Rosan wasn't going to lose here of all places. They were surely going to regret betting against the redhead, but then again, they were rich so they probably didn't mind as much.
Besides, it wouldn't be their only regret tonight.
Rosan closed his eyes and let out a small breath. The boy had opted to use twin daggers for this fight and he lazily held them.
They were one of the few weapons that actually fit his tiny frame. The daggers were still made for adults though so they looked more like dual tanto on him. He quite liked using them, it allowed for a more speedy approach and there was a certain type of beauty in the precise cuts.
The redhead opened his eyes as the gate to the arena finally opened. "Bright," he idly noted as he looked around. The roaring of the crowd pounded in his ear, as thousands of people cheered at the spectacle. The cheers only amplified as both contestants walked out of their respective entrances and into view.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME TO THE 7th ROUND OF THE ASH AND DUST TOURNAMENT!" A booming voice, at the top of the commentator stands, said. Modifying his vision to get a better look, Rosan was able to see that he was a man in a full black suit with slicked back brown hair and an obnoxious pair of sunglasses on his grinning face. "ON ONE SIDE, HAILING FROM THE NORTH BLUE, HE'S LEAN HE'S MEAN HE'S SHORTER THEN THE 5 LETTERS IT TAKES TO MAKE GREEN, GIVE IT UP FOR ROSAN!"
Rosan hated this guy already.
The crowd booed loudly for the newcomer, but the boy ignored it. They'd have a real reason to boo him soon enough.
"ON THE OTHER HAND, WE HAVE ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING PROSPECTS TO WIN THE ENTIRE THING! HE'S LAST YEAR'S CHAMPION AND HE'S HERE TO RECLAIM HIS THRONE! GIVE IT UP FOR DAICHIIIII!"
The crowd roared in excitement and Daichi basked in the noise of their cheers. He was a brown skinned muscular man with a buzz cut and a cocky grin. He wore a sleeveless blue shirt with camouflage pants and boots. For weapons, he had brass knuckles equipped. He was a muscled brute in every sense of the word.
This would be easy.
"THIS LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE A FAST ONE FOLKS, SO DON'T GET TOO COMFORTABLE!"
Oh if only he knew.
No doubt, they thought he was going to be easy pickings. They immediately set him up against a fan favorite, and reigning champion, after all. Nobody expected such a small child to win a tournament, much less this fight.
Wasn't it just ironic that only Doc had complete faith in him to not just win this fight but the entire thing. "I'll have to repay his goodwill," Rosan thought mockingly.
A fast one hm? Very well, Rosan would go against this notion because he had nothing better to do. He would toy with their little golden boy and give them the show they wanted.
It wouldn't be fast. They could get as comfortable as they wanted while they witnessed his performance.
Both of his arms laid lazily by his side as he stared at his opponent. The brute let out a laugh at what probably looked like a hopeless struggle. He didn't yet understand, that the one who would be dictating the pace of this fight, was Rosan.
This could have been a quick fight if Rosan had wanted it to be, but he didn't want it to be. He wanted to torment this person.
"That's quite cruel, Rosan," Mod-chan said, tone not disapproving. He would have been surprised if it was, Mod-chan generally didn't care about anyone that he didn't care about. She would barely bat an eye at what he did to anyone else. It was a healthy reminder that the Devil Fruit was intended to be a weapon before he, luckily, managed to find her.
"Just doing what the crowd wants, Mod-chan," was his response as he got ready.
A horn blasted, signaling the beginning of the fight and Rosan took off. It was funny how everyone who fought him reacted at his speed for the first time. They always underestimated him and when he did this, they hesitated for far too long giving him enough time to do what he wanted.
Case in point, Daichi's eyes widened at the sight of him vanishing and let out cry of surprise as shallow cuts suddenly marred his chest.
4 strips of his shirt fell off as Rosan stood before him. The little shit stared mockingly up at him, as a small amount of blood dripped off his daggers. Daichi felt a vein throb at the look in the boy's dual eyes. The look of utter dismissal. As if...as if he weren't even worth his time.
Why was it that even though Daichi towered over Rosan, he was the one being looked down upon?! That look in his eyes...it suggested he wasn't being taken serious at all!
Unbidden, sweat began forming at the thought that he was only alive because the kid didn't want to kill him, but he quickly shook those thoughts away.
This kid was messing with him! Haha as if he could kill him! Nice try, but he wouldn't fall for such tricks from a child of all things. He had been planning on giving the crowd a show, but the little brat had pissed him off to no end with his little bravado play.
Rosan leapt back as Daichi crashed his brass knuckles where he was standing. He smirked at the fact that he had successfully provoked Daichi and, as he soared backwards, he began his next course of action. The moment his feet hit the ground, the redhead was already on the move. He was always on the move, never let your opponent think of their next move. Dust was kicked up as Rosan once again vanished from Daichi's sight.
Overwhelm them every step of the way.
Glancing around wildly, Daichi couldn't help but let out a gasp of pain as 4 more cuts appeared on his body, this time on his back. He wildly turned around in an attempt to punch at the offender but Rosan anticipated this. The child deftly dodged the blow and, using his much smaller height, he jumped on the man's overextended arm. The redhead smiled at the man as he balanced himself perfectly on his flailing arm.
Daichi saw red at the cheeky boy's actions. W-who did this brat think he was?! Did he think he could afford to mess with Daichi of all people? The thought made him gnash his teeth in anger.
Daichi tried to shake him off and when that failed, he used his other arm to swing at the annoying gnat. Rosan leaned back, completely avoiding the blow, and stabbed deeply into the offending arm.
Blood gushed down his arm as Daichi let out an agonized scream at the pain he was feeling. The idiot tried to withdraw his arm, but that only had the added effect of making the dagger lodged weapon dig deeper. Rosan decided to reward his tenacity with more stabs, this time to his biceps.
The man wailed in pain at the boy's assault. This was unreal! H-how was this kid so strong? What had they been feeding him?!
Done with his arm, Rosan leapt up his arm so he could reach the mans face and decided it would look better if he put 4 more cuts there. A slash appeared on both his cheeks, his forehead, and across his nose as the man fell on his ass.
That was a grave mistake. Rosan smiled maliciously and, like a shark in the water, the redhead pounced on him. Cut after shallow cut appeared on his body as little monster gingerly took his time. His shirt had been completely shredded from the little boy and any attempt he made to defend himself only ended up with that appendage getting a new wound.
The crowd had gone completely silent. Whether it was at the fact that their former champion was losing so handily or the fact that his opponent was clearly toying with him. Whatever it was, they had been hushed completely.
Finally, Rosan got up to admire his handiwork. A rose was carved neatly onto the man's muscular chest. The man let out gargled choke at the brutal pain of having your chest carved into with a sharp weapon. The dual eyed boy almost scoffed, but he didn't care about the pathetic state the man was in.
Finished with his job, Rosan grasped one of his blood soaked daggers and slit the man's throat. The boy watched as his latest victim choked on his own blood with a passive gaze. Red and purple bore into brown, as the man gagged and grasped at neck with his hands, but it was useless.
Rosan had made sure his strike was fatal.
The sight of the 9 year old boy covered in blood, etched itself firmly into the minds of the spectators and Rosan was declared the winner. He bowed mockingly to the crowd, before making his way to his designated waiting area. That would teach them to doubt the boy.
It was like the floodgates had been broken as the crowds roars increased tenfold.
Rosan realized that they were cheering for him and a sneer almost made its way onto his face. These disgusting humans...he didn't want or need their cheers. They could save it for the other contestants because they would need it far more than he did.
"Cheering at the sight of an 9 year old killing in cold blood. How barbaric," Mod-chan sighed at the sight and Rosan agreed with her.
"Don't worry Mod-chan, their time in this world is reaching an end," He said softly as the gate shut behind him, crowd cheering loudly for him all the while, unknown of the fate that was going to befall them.
Rosan made his way back to Doc, who looked positively ecstatic at his performance. "Yes yes! Well done Rosan!" The blonde man congratulated. "The fact that you didn't even sustain an injury against the previous champion, is nothing short of incredible! I knew you would perform most impressively!" Rosan held his disgust at the gushing man before him. "Come, let's get you cleaned up right away!"
Rosan closed his eyes as he let himself get taken away.
After getting cleaned up by Mom (Mod-chan was filled with fury the moment she laid eyes upon the woman), Rosan had absolutely mowed through his next few opponents. It was laughably easy how little resistance they put up to the smaller child.
It seems like they wanted to give Daichi an easy run to the finals and Rosan graciously took that in his stead. No one had managed to make him break a sweat and the redhead got the feeling that he was going to be disappointed until he got his revenge.
The crowd loved him now, due to his tendency of showing off (seems old habits die hard) and how versatile his weapon choice was. He had yet to use the same weapon twice in the 4 matches he had after Daichi. In said matches, he chose to use a sword, a nagi, a staff, and a sickle.
He had comfortably made it into the finals and for his last match, he chose to wield the scythe. He lazily held it over his shoulder and as a result, the blade dragged slightly on the floor. He figured he'd get some more practice in with the strange, hard to wield, weapon that was bigger then he and what better way to test in then against his final opponent.
He had no idea who his final opponent was going to be. The contestants were not allowed to view other fights, so as to keep the battles fair. As a result, they were both going in blind.
Not that it mattered to the dual eyed boy, his opponent would die and Rosan would live. That was that. Besides, if they were anything like his previous opponents, Rosan wouldn't be struggling against his opponent.
As he made his way to the arena, Rosan was greeted by something large and blue. He blinked as he took in the appearance of his opponent. 8 feet tall with a lot of fat and gills on his shoulder and neck. He had spikes all over his body and if they were anything like the fish he was based off of, Rosan was going to be in a bit of trouble.
A Pufferfish type Fishman. Fantastic.
Rosan made a mental note to stop tempting fate so much. His final opponent was an actual Fishman. Fishmen were notoriously powerful and were said to boast 10 times the strength of humans. They were made of much sturdier stuff as well and this one in particular, looked like he'd be able to tank a lot of damage.
He wore a slave collar around his neck and the look in his eyes, suggested that he really wanted to turn Rosan into paste.
Right...Fishmen didn't like humans because of the amount of prejudice they had to face. While their hatred was justified, Rosan didn't care about how they looked or where they lived so, why was this man looking at the redhead like he personally committed a crime against Fishmen. The only crime he was about to commit wouldn't really leave the man with much room to direct his hate because he'd be well, dead.
No matter. It would be slightly difficult, but maybe, just maybe, Rosan would finally have a good fight. Gripping his scythe, Rosan stared blankly at the slave across from him.
"How interesting, unlike the other humans, your gaze lacks disgust," The Blue man said and he sounded impressed. If that was enough to impress him, then the bar was set really low.
"What is your name boy?" The Fishman asked curiously. Rosan continued staring at him, as he contemplated answering, before he decided there would be no harm in doing so. It wasn't going to matter in a little bit anyways.
"My name is Rosan," he kindly introduced himself. "In regards to your curiosity, your race means nothing to me. Human or Fishman, you are all just obstacles that need to be dealt with. Who you are doesn't mean anything when you're dead," Rosan replied frigidly.
Despite his uncaring response, the Fishman nodded in respect. "I thank you for that, Rosan," he said with a short bow. "It's not often I meet someone who doesn't care that I am a Fishman. My name is Kenzo and unlike my other opponents, I shall give you an honorable death."
"Kenzo huh?" The redhead repeated softly. "Sorry to tell you Kenzo, but I have no intention of dying here," he informed his opponent truthfully. "You have no need to worry though. I will not forget your name, even in death."
"I will not underestimate you, Rosan. Your main advantage is gone," The pufferfish said and he actually looked apologetic. "It was a good run but your journey ends here. I'm truly sorry young one but I have a family a I must make it back too them at all costs."
"Whether you underestimate me or not, the results of this fight won't change. I will win. That is a fact. You assuming that I'm simply winning because my opponents underestimate me, is underestimation itself Kenzo," Rosan said matter-of-factly.
"You say you have a family? If I ever find them I will send them your regards and let them know that you died with honor, instead of the death I'm about to give you. You deserve that much." With that, Rosan ended the conversation and Kenzo followed suit.
The annoying commentator chose that moment to speak up, "WELCOMMMEE TO THE FINALS, EVERYBODY! IN A CONTINUOUS SERIES OF UPSETS, OUR TWO FINAL OPPONENTS ARE NOTHING THAT WE EXPECTED!"
"ON ONE SIDE, WE HAVE KENZO THE FISHMAN! TRUE TO HIS LINEAGE, HE'S A SAVAGE MONSTER WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME OF THE MOST BRUTAL DEATHS HERE."
Rosan scoffed as the crowd jeered and booed the fishman. All of this just because he looked different? People really were stupid if they judged things on the surface only.
Kenzo's eyes flashed with pure hatred but he held himself back from reacting outwardly.
"ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE HAVE THE SURPRISE UPSTART! THE GRACEFUL KILLING MACHINE! THE TRUE UNDERDOG! NOBODY EXPECTED HIM TO AMOUNT TO ANYTHING, BUT HERE HE IS AND HE'S READY TO COMPLETE THE FAIRY TALE. GIVE IT UP FOR ROSANNNNN!"
The noise the crowd made was deafening. After his first match against Daichi, the crowd had begun cheering for him and after his convincing victories, they were fully on his side. They were chanting his name as they roared for him to kill the filthy fish.
Tch. Rosan hated taking orders from people he didn't respect.
"ALRIGHT FOLKS! THE CONTESTANTS ARE READY. WILL ROSAN'S LUCK FINALLY END HERE TO THE MIGHT OF KENZO OR WILL HE PREVAIL DESPITE ALL THE ODDS. DON'T LEAVE YOUR SEATS, IT'S GONNA BE A FUN ONE. BEGIIIIIIIIIN!"
Luck? Never mind, he didn't care. He had more important things to focus on. Namely, the gigantic fishman charging him with surprising speed that belied his massive size.
Kenzo was faster than he expected, but Rosan was faster. The redhead ducked under the man's meaty fist and he slid past his leg to deliver an experimental swing of his scythe, that Kenzo jumped over and Rosan was forced to block the responding blow from the large man's foot.
Rosan was sent flying, as the kick connected with the scythe. Landing upright, Rosan decided that he should avoid blocking the fishman's blows. In fact, it was in his best interest to not get hit by his opponent. The man packed a serious punch and Rosan felt the recoil even through the block.
Rosan's adrenaline began pumping in earnest, as the prospect of a challenging fight finally revealed itself. This time, he wouldn't wait until he was sure he had to use Modification. He made that mistake once and it had cost him everything. He'd win this fight right here, right now and Kenzo would be yet another name added to a growing list of people.
"Boost x2." Rosan said and the effects were immediate. The redhead tensed up as he felt the boost wash over him.
The 9 year old was already plenty strong for his age, but right now, he was sure even through all that protective fat, Kenzo would be unable to withstand him.
He vanished from Kenzo's view.
The fishman barely had time to widen his eyes, before a long cut appeared on his back and the force of the blow was so strong, he stumbled forward slightly. Kenzo tried to catch himself, but he felt a gust of wind and looked up, only to see Rosan aiming a downward swing that was no doubt meant for his skull.
He leaned back hastily, but was unable to fully dodge the slash and another cut blossomed on his chest.
"So strong. So fast! How is he able to cut through me so easily?!" Kenzo was baffled. How was a child this age, capable of exhibiting such strength and speed? He jumped back once again as Rosan swung down so hard, the blade of the scythe embedded itself into the floor but that wasn't it, the boy began moving with the scythe still embedded in there.
Just what the hell was that power?! Was he even human?
Rosan "tchd" as he saw that his blade was about to embed itself into the floor, but he swiftly adapted to the situation.
In one fluid motion, Rosan used the momentum of the swing to push himself on top of the edge of the handle, gathered energy into his legs, pushed off the handle with extreme force, grabbed the middle of his weapon as he dismounted it, and using the force of his leap, dragged the blade through the earth. As he soared towards Kenzo, Rosan began spinning rapidly, scythe still underground (but not for long), at an incredible pace.
Eventually, the blade tore itself through the ground and joined Rosan.
The crowd roared at Rosan's ingenuity.
Kenzo watched in disbelief and a surprising amount of fear as the human buzzsaw careened towards him. Rosan was moving too fast for him to fully avoid the blow and, at that speed, he had no illusions of surviving a hit from the boy. Even if he did somehow survive, the match would only be wrapped up moments later.
Kenzo tried to leap away from the redhead but, like he predicted, he was too slow. The boys momentum carried him too quickly to his target. Kenzo let out a loud groan as his leg was severed cleanly from his body. Falling to one knee, blood gushed on the floor, much to the glee of the crowd.
"Modify," Rosan thought to himself as he modified his own momentum and he steadily halted. Rosan eventually stopped spinning before he could crash into anything and assessed the damage he had dealt.
He had never spun like that and he took a moment to thank Mod-chan because without her he'd probably be throwing up his dinner. He had been aiming to kill him, but the man was fast enough to somewhat evade him.
No matter. Without a leg, Kenzo was as good as dead anyways. Rosan gripped his scythe and charged at Kenzo, ready to deal the finishing blow-
Only to let out an unexpected gasp of pain. It was the first time he had made such a noise since his change.
Why?
Multiple small spikes were embedded into his abdomen. Rosan looked down unsteadily at the wound. Spikes? But how? Looking up, the dual eyed boy was greeted by the sight of a fist flying for his face. He only had a moment to say "Fortify!" before it connected with the boy.
"ROSAN!" He heard Mod-chan call out, as the blow connected and he was tossed through the air like a rag doll. Rosan landed on the floor and began tumbling repeatedly, until coming to a stop courtesy of colliding into the wall. He groaned, hand on head, as he tried to gather his wits.
Blearily opening his eyes, Rosan sarcastically thanked Doc for all that pain training he had been put through. Fortifying his body, had definitely played a hand in his survival as well. Before, he'd either have been knocked unconscious by the raw power of the fishman or dead. Now, while still pretty injured, he was mostly dazed (he could possibly have a concussion) and could recover from this.
As he looked at Kenzo, Rosan saw the source of his trouble.
The man was covered in what had to be detachable spikes. A large amount of the spikes were missing from his back and they were no doubt the ones currently making acquaintances with his stomach. Rosan looked at the mess of his opponents shirt, as the fishman desperately tried to stave off the bleeding of his missing leg. He was using his shredded shirt as a sort of wrap to apply pressure onto the gaping wound.
Detachable spikes…just his luck. Rosan had calculated a lot of possibilities, but a fishman who could detach his spikes was not one of them. He knew they were for protection but the extent of that protection was lost to him.
Could pufferfish even do that?
"Are you okay Rosan?" Mod-chan asked worriedly. That punch had been incredibly strong and the Fishman connected all of it. She wanted to make sure Rosan was okay to keep going. If Mod had to, she would take over his body and finish the fight for him.
Gingerly touching his nose, Rosan winced a bit and verified that it was broken. He let out a grunt as he forcefully straightened it into place and began gingerly picking the spikes out of his body. "I'll be fine Mod-chan. I modified my body so that it was more resistant to poison and thanks to Doc poisoning me so often, I've built quite the tolerance," The redhead informed her. "Please ensure that my body is properly checking and purging any foreign sources though."
"Right. We should wrap this up now so I can focus my full attention on healing your injuries. He only has one leg and he's losing a lot of blood. Seeing as you can still move normally, this fight is as good as over." Mod-chan said with a proud smile on her face.
Nodding in agreement, Rosan ripped the last spike out of his body with barely a wince. His movement managed to catch Kenzo's eyes and he soaked in the sheer surprise and fear the man displayed.
He had probably not been expecting Rosan to get up from the combination of poison, pain, and power behind that punch. Maybe on anybody else, Kenzo would have already won the match.
But Rosan wasn't anybody else.
And now, it was time for the finale.
"WHAT AN AMAZING TURN OF EVENTS. IN A SHOCK TO ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY, ROSAN HAS GOTTEN BACK UP! INCREDIBLE! IS THIS BOY A MACHINE?! A MONSTER?! A DEMON?!" The commentators grating voice rang out.
Rosan ignored the annoying voice in favor of slowly bending over to pick up his scythe. He'd have to move a bit slower, lest he aggravate his injuries, but it would be more than enough to finish the fight. "Decrease." Rosan intoned as the size of the scythe decreased looking much more like a Kama.
"Kenzo…," Rosan began making eye contact with the fishman. "...I'm impressed. You were the only one capable of injuring me to such a degree. You have my respect and as such I will give you the death you deserve. Stand up. Die fighting."
Despite the fear in his eyes, Kenzo stood up balancing himself on one leg. Blood dripped sporadically from his stump, landing with a squelch on the floor. "I must admit, perhaps I did underestimate you Rosan. I thought, combined with my surprise attacks and my strength, your neck would have snapped from the blow. I commend you for surviving, but I cannot accept defeat just yet. My wife and daughter are waiting for me and if I die here, how will they survive?" With that question asked, the Fishman got into a defensive stance.
"The lives of you, your wife, and your daughter mean nothing to me," Rosan said ruthlessly. "If they are strong, they will live. If they are weak they will die. You're so focused on them, you don't even seem to realize your own situation," the child pointed out coldly.
"You are weak Kenzo, so you will die."
Rosan didn't bother giving him another response. He had a job to finish. He thought about numbing himself, but the pain kept him alert. Satisfied, Rosan crouched lowly and rocketed off, fully intent on finishing this fight.
He would need to be careful about getting spiked again.
Rosan slid past the incoming punch and ducked under a set of spikes that shot at him. Before Kenzo could withdraw his fist, Rosan dug the blade deep into his arm, severing a tendon.
The redhead tilted his body 90 degrees to avoid more spikes and flipped backwards to make distance between the two of them. Kenzo's right arm bled heavily and it hung limply at his side. The man panted but he still looked determined to win.
He had not yet lost hope.
Rosan smiled.
What happened next, could only be described as a slaughter. It was like watching a dancer.
Rosan would weave in and out, dodging all manner of attacks from Kenzo while surgically removing a part of his body. He would duck under a punch and deliver a cut to his ribs, Spin from the retaliation of spikes, exit his field of vision and strike his back, Jumping over a desperate headbutt, to land on his overextended head and teasingly cutting the back of his neck.
Rosan was playing with him.
This was no longer a fight. This was a performance and Rosan was the leading act. The crowd absolutely loved every moment of it. Their cheers could shatter glass with how loud they were. The redhead was entertaining them more then anyone else ever had with how gracefully he moved in and out.
Rosan didn't care how they reacted. He wasn't doing this for them he was doing this because it was fun.
He was fighting a strong opponent and he was forcing them to submit to him. The power he held over them was fun.
The thrill of the hunt, caused some of Rosan's suppressed emotions to seep through and a psychotic, bloody grin, sharp fangs gleaming, made its way onto the boy's face as he enjoyed every single moment.
Someone should not be able to move so gracefully, with such an insane look in their eyes. It was unnerving. It was polarizing.
Mod-chan watched this all with acceptance in her eyes. Rosan had always had a bit of a sadistic streak and it seems like this had brought it out to the fullest.
They watched with malicious glee.
Kenzo was currently in an unbearable amount of pain. When he had first seen the child, he thought that perhaps they had used underhanded tactics to win their way to the final. He had resolutely decided to not fall for such tricks and to put the small human out of his misery quickly.
He knew now that the child was not using such tricks.
Kenzo hated humans, but he respected this child. He looked at him with no bias so he'd end him quickly. A quick conversation had shown that the child cared little for his lineage, he did not care if Kenzo was a fishman or a human. Kenzo was just an opponent he needed to fight and the Fishman respected that immensely.
The child had caught him completely off guard with the sheer amount of power and speed he possessed. From the start of the match, Kenzo was forced into the defensive. Contrary to his size and what would have been a preferred method of fighting, this boy, Rosan, had pursued him relentlessly, not even giving him a chance to think about his next move. Always attacking.
His tactics were utterly overwhelming in nature.
Despite losing a leg, he thought the fight had been as good as over, after he had managed to catch Rosan off guard with his spikes. They were a last resort in case he got cornered by his master…or by an abnormally strong boy.
Kenzo had the ability to detach and shoot out his spikes to unsuspecting foes. If the spikes themselves weren't enough, then the paralyzing poison, they were laced, with should have given him enough time to gather his wits and finish the job.
Watching Rosan get up and shrug off all of this, with barely a wince, had filled him with an unexplainable amount of fear. How was he not affected by his last resort attack? The boy looked slightly uncomfortable but otherwise, he seemed fine.
What had happened to the poison? The spikes? What was he? He found himself echoing the commentators concerns. Was this boy even human? Had Kenzo been set up against some sort of cyborg?
The redhead before him had decreased the size of the scythe that was far larger than the boy was and Kenzo's eyes widened.
A Devil Fruit user. Fantastic.
That explained his durability at least. If they were near water, this battle would have been far different but alas there was nothing but dirt in this arena.
Rosan told him to die fighting, but he hadn't given up yet. His slave master was a cruel man and relied on Kenzo to do most of the heavy lifting at home. If he died, his beautiful wife and daughter would suffer his wrath instead.
He had something to fight for and he couldn't say the same for this emotionless boy, who seemed to revel in the battle. He would fight with everything he had and win.
Looking at the condition of the child and the condition of himself, he came to a conclusion.
Rosan wasn't human.
No, he was a demon in the form of a child. That was the trick he had played against his other opponents.
Since he had lost his limb, Kenzo had not been able to get a single attack on the monster in human flesh. Worst, he was being toyed with. Rosan could have ended the fight at any moment and they were both aware of it. The boy was dancing around his body with minimal effort and littering it with constant injuries.
It was only a matter of time before he actually did die from just bloodloss.
Most of his limbs were rendered useless by the boys relentless assault. He had been completely overwhelmed and there was nothing he could do about it. Looking into the heterochromatic eyes of this demon, Kenzo shook at the amount of rage they possessed. To make matters worse, the boy was grinning toothily with a bloody mouth.
He was enjoying this, enjoying tormenting the fishman despite having the ability to end this quickly. This was the death he deserved?
Consumed by rage Kenzo made his most costly mistake yet. He jumped and swung his only leg at Rosan with a rage filled scream. For a second, it looked like the blow would actually connect, but Rosan had been expecting this. After all, every other limb had been rendered useless.
As his leg soared through the air, Rosan, in an impressively display of flexibility, leaned back completely to evade the blow.
Hands touching the floor from this position, Rosan angled both his feet up as he got into a handstand and connected squarely with the mans extended leg. Kenzo was unable to balance himself any longer due to his one foot being airborne and he fell on his back.
Still in a handstand, Rosan thought "Modify Weight: Lighten," and launched himself upwards with a push. As he practically, floated through the air Rosan began spinning. He grasped the kama and said "Increase x3," and watched it grow back to its original size.
It didn't stop there however.
The crowd gasped as they bore witness to the scythe growing to ludicrous sizes. Rosan himself couldn't even wrap one hand around the weapon anymore. As he placed both hands around the handle, the weight of the weapon made itself apparent and began dragging his spinning, lightened, body downward at a rapid pace.
Kenzo tried to muster up the energy to move but he couldn't. Rosan had made sure he'd be incapable of movement. Looking up, he saw a gigantic something flying towards him in that same buzzsaw motion that had cost him his leg. Closing his eyes, he accepted his fate. Today, he had fought a real monster and lost and this was the price he had to pay.
"Masumi and Kaori, I'm sorry but it seems like I won't be able to make it home soon," the Fishman apologized. "Please stay strong for me, I know you two can do it. I will always be watching over you both. My only regret is that I wasn't able to free you two and see Kaori grow up into the wonderful woman she would be," were Kenzo's final words as the buzzing of steel reached closer and closer.
"Masumi and Kaori hm?" Rosan thought to himself. "I will remember those names. Don't worry, they will be safe for years to come. You and your master will both die tonight."
The human buzzsaw was seconds away from connecting and this time he would not be denied. Red and purple glared down uncaringly at his victim as Rosan uttered "Meteora" and crashed into his target. A cloud of dust rose as the only sound heard was steel connecting with flesh.
Masaru, or Doc as well all knew him, had been watching Rosan for a long time.
It hadn't been intentional, but plenty beautiful things happened by accident. He didn't know about Rosan at all before he received reports about the "Devil Child" traveling in their area. Doc didn't have any illusions about being able to fight someone able to sink 6 battleships, but it would do good to get info on what she was doing.
Imagine his surprise, when he gained info that she was traveling with someone who seemed to be even younger than her! Another demon perhaps? The new info intrigued him and in moments he was telling his sources to glean more into the new individual instead.
It had been his best decision yet. Rosan was a masterpiece. At first, he had just been watching Nico Robin in hopes of getting info on what she was planning, but the boy had stolen the spotlight in a heartbeat. He was the clear fighter between the two and he relished battle. Everything about him was perfect. It was as if all his desires in a weapon were mashed into this one child.
It was only natural he concocted a plan to capture him. He hired a group of men to tail Rosan and ambush him when he was alone. There was no way they'd be able to fight both the boy and the "Devil Child". In fact, they probably wouldn't be able to even handle him alone, so he graciously supplied them with an invisible toxin that would render him unconscious after a certain amount of time while progressively making him sluggish.
The plan had worked beautifully and soon the boy was safely in his clutches.
The boy had proven to be…difficult but Doc would not be deterred. He finally had his desired weapon and so, he'd make it work. Rosan was stubborn but he'd be able to breakthrough the boy.
What Doc hadn't expected, was for it to be this difficult. No matter how much punishment he inflicted on the child, or how much the child begged him to stop, besides his name he had not made any progress at all with him. The boy stubbornly believed that Nico Robin would rescue him and that kept his resolve strengthened. The fool had no clue that he was far, far away from where he got captured.
Daybreak Island was not any easy island to reach.
Doc tried whatever it took to get Rosan to submit. He increased the amount of punishment and progressively got more creative with it but nothing worked. The boy refused to be broken and the man was at his wit's end. Normally, he'd be impressed that his perfect weapon was so resilient but right now, it was infuriating.
Imagine his surprise, when one day Rosan walked into his lab with a completely different colored eye. Doc had taken one look at him, before he immediately began running numerous tests on Rosan to get to the bottom of what happened.
He had been able to see various changes in the boy's body but frustratingly enough, he couldn't pinpoint the reason why these changes happened. None of what was happening made any sense at all. As he ran through his results with Rosan, he let his frustration seep through a bit and he asked, aloud, "Are you even human?"
He had not been expecting Rosan to say "I believe I am human, yes."
The blonde man snapped his gaze upwards as he finally registered the dead gaze that were Rosan's eyes. Could it be? Had it finally worked?
Rosan answered everything he asked obediently and Doc resisted the urge to yell in joy.
He had done it! Rosan had finally been broken! Finally, his weapon could finally begin becoming his weapon.
The 9 year old went above and beyond to prove that he truly was the perfect candidate. Prisoner after prisoner had been nothing more than a nuisance to the boy and he eliminated them all with an impressive variety of weapons.
His kills were…messy to say the least and he couldn't stomach watching them, but that was why he had a weapon to do the dirty work! It was worth a queasy stomach to see just what Rosan was capable of.
Though, his wife was proving to be slightly difficult when it came to the boy so that was a concern. She was a pervert and he had no interest in indulging her needs, so she could do whatever she wanted. They had a marriage out of convenience and what used to be love. The blue eyed woman had too much power though, so if she wanted to have her way with Rosan so be it.
As long as she didn't negatively affect the boy's performance he didn't care.
Rosan was truly fascinating. The boy was a genius, plain and simple, and he had an incredible aptitude for learning. He would request various books and have them done by the end of the day, always asking for a new one to indulge in. He did not complain anymore and he didn't even let the pain from tolerance training phase him.
He was exceeding his expectations!
And it had all accumulated to this moment.
Doc had never felt more proud, as he watched Rosan mow through the competition in the tournament. The boy had won over the crowd handily and took out all his opponents with minimal effort.
All while putting on a show. It was like watching the son, he never had, win an award.
He had been worried when he saw the massive fishman in the finals, to the point where he doubted if even his weapon could win this match. If he died here, all his hard work would be for nothing!
But watching the fight, he felt his fears assuage a bit. The way Rosan was handling his opponent filled him with a sense of relief he didn't think he ever felt. He even managed to remove one of the man's legs, much to the joy of everyone viewing!
He noted the sigh of relief his wife let out at how well Rosan was performing. She was watching the fight nearly as intently as he was. He wasn't sure when the two had gotten so close but he didn't care enough to question it.
The fear returned and magnified tenfold, as he watched Rosan get stabbed by the Fishman's spikes and launched across the arena. Sachie, his wife, had let out a terrified gasp as her dear Rosan slammed into the arena walls.
He had thought the boy was dead and all his hard work throughout the 6 months went down the drain. Everyone else shared the same sentiment of him being dead, if their groaning was anything to go by. Doc was filled with a dread and an anger at his prized weapon being defeated.
Should he have waited for him to become older?! Why had he placed him in a tournament after only 3 months of proper training? How was this his fault?! He didn't think there would be a Fishman in the tournament! Perfect he may be, Rosan was still underdeveloped and a child. If he were older this fight would have been long over and it would be the Fishman who lay defeated.
But no, the boy got up with barely a wince much to the relief of both of them and everyone there. After removing the spikes and finally using his Saizu Saizu no Mi, Rosan made his move.
What happened next, was a one sided massacre.
Rosan was the definition of grace and elegance, as he systematically dismantled the Fishman. The Fishman tried but Rosan had an answer for everything he did. The boy's opponent was just a moving punching bag and, when he finally got tired of this, he launched himself upwards while in a handstand.
Everyone watched with an awed gaze as Rosan soared higher and higher until reaching his apex. Then he began falling and falling and his weapon began growing bigger and bigger. He closed his eyes before he could witness the gruesome sight. There was a sound of metal meeting flesh, then silence, then clapping, then roaring.
The blonde man didn't even know Rosan could jump that high! Could his Devil Fruit control his weight as well? He didn't know about the mystical fruits but he had to believe that it could because look at what he was witnessing!
Doc had never felt so proud before in his life. Rosan had killed the fishman and was declared the winner of the Ash and Dust tournament! The weapon, his weapon, was a force to be reckoned with and there was still room for him to grow.
The crowd gave the boy a standing ovation and Doc joined them. Sachie was looking at the boy with such hungry eyes, he nearly forgot they were married.
His weapon had done its job well and now they were comfortably rich from the bettings and the prize money. After collecting the money tonight, Doc would finally leave this island with Rosan and continue his research elsewhere. Maybe he could even mend his relationship with…no matter. She would understand once he explained it to her.
Things were finally looking up for him!
Later that Night
Rosan had won the tournament like he said he would.
He felt satisfied, not because he won (only Kenzo had been able to awaken something in him, but not even he could withstand his onslaught) but because that meant it was time. Tonight, was the night he "freed" himself and killed every inhabitant on Daybreak Island.
He would not delay it any longer.
The redhead would do it tonight, before anyone had the chance leave so that his identity would remain a mystery to the world.
He was currently sat upright on his bed inspecting himself. His skin was still a bit tender from getting turned into target practice from Kenzo but it would heal quickly.
Mom had patched him up and he was glad for his injury because he was positive that if he didn't have it, he wouldn't be in his cell currently. It didn't stop her from her suggestive touches though, deranged pervert that she was.
"I will not be satisfied until that harlot is dead, Rosan," Mod-chan told him with a fury in her voice that he had scarcely ever heard.
"But of course, Mod-chan. Anything for you," was his easy response. Rosan didn't really care for Mom but if Mod-chan wanted her dead, then she died. She sent him a warm pulse and Rosan sent her one back.
He had a mental map of the entire island and he decided on the best course of action. Thanks to his bug scouter, he had the entire layout of the island memorized. It had also found all his belongings in the facility so Rosan wouldn't have to waste time looking for it. Rosan really needed to think of a name for his bug, it was incredibly useful and difficult to spot.
The redhead sighed at his lack of creativity when it came to names.
"You can't be creative in everything, Rosan," Mod smiled cheekily and the boy rolled his eyes.
His thoughts were interrupted, as the door to his cell was gently and quietly opened. The boy's gaze snapped towards the noise and his face was one of shock.
It couldn't be… but why?
Meiko walked into vision nervously, with both arms held behind her back as she avoided eye contact with him. Rosan's brows furrowed at her as genuine confusion overtook him.
What was she doing here? Even after he told her to stay away...she came back?
"Didn't I tell you not to come back," the 9 year old said bluntly and the girl jumped. He rarely initiated the conversations, content to just let her speak, so he had probably surprised her.
"U-um actually, y-you said I shouldn't come back a-and I just chose not to listen," Was her meek response. Meiko shut up at Rosan's unamused gaze and shyly removed her arms from her back to show him the ointment and some gauze.
"I heard you were in the tournament today and you won! I wasn't allowed to watch but I wanted to see if you were injured," the blonde girl whispered softly.
Rosan felt his dormant emotions flaring, like they always did, when he talked to this girl. The redhead sighed and simply said "I have some here actually. Mom patched it up a bit but she didn't do a very good job," and he pushed his shirt up.
The girls face lit up as she frantically waved her hand and tried to cover her eyes. She failed miserably and, as her eyes peeked through her hands, she gasped at his wounds. The holes were closing up quickly but they were still pretty noticeable.
A worried look overcame Meiko as she saw his wounds. Not wasting anytime, she closed the distance between the two of them and after sending him a questioning glance, to which he shrugged uncaringly, she began rubbing her ointment on him.
It stung slightly but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Rosan simply took the time to stare at the humming girl working on him. She was so earnest in her work it filled Rosan with a strange, inexplicable, feeling.
"I'm sorry," Rosan suddenly said to the diligent girl.
She paused what she was doing to look at him with wide eyes. "Y-you're sorry?" She stuttered and her bright blue eyes stared into his own.
"The last time we met…I attacked you unprovoked and nearly struck you," Rosan began softly. "I replayed that conversation in my head and I was completely out of line," he admitted much to the surprise of the girl before him.
"It's just...everything about you is different and it irritates me in ways I can't explain. We hardly know each other but it doesn't feel that way and we can read each other like open books. No matter how hard I try to deny it, you can tell exactly what I'm thinking and that aggravates me but, that doesn't mean I should strike you. For the way I acted, you have my sincerest apologies."
Meiko gaped at Rosan's confession. She knew the boy had been trying hard to deny the fact and truthfully, the fact that they could read each other so easily, confused her as well.
They just clicked together. The blonde had felt this sensation since she first laid eyes upon his unconscious figure when spying on him being brought in. She couldn't explain it but she hoped that hanging out with him would help answer some of her questions.
She had never met anyone like this and based on the way Rosan was handling it, neither did he. Unlike him though, who strongly rejected it, Meiko fully accepted it. It felt nice to be looked at, to be acknowledged. When having their one on one conversations despite his general aversion to speaking, he always focused all his attention on her.
He would even have some things to add to the conversation, which always made her happy!
She liked Rosan. He was so considerate, despite his situation and even though he was dealing with his own things, he still let her talk to him.
"Rosan… you don't have to apologize because I know you weren't going to hurt me," Meiko said with a smile on her face. "This whole experience, I know it's jarring. I don't know if anyone has had to deal with a situation like this before. I know I haven't. To feel so exposed, is really weird and I can see why you reacted the way you did. That's why I'm not mad at you," the blonde told the younger boy.
"I meant what I said Rosan, I trust you completely. Deep down, you're a kind person and I hate that this had to happen to you because you don't deserve it. Even still… I know this is horrible of me to say, but I'm glad I met you."
Meiko grinned brilliantly at him and he felt his chest constrict. It was bright, too bright. Meiko's smile was like the sun and it was blinding him.
She was pure. Too pure for this island. Too pure for Rosan. Despite his nature; his atrocities, his actions to her, she still had that look. Those caring, electric blue eyes focused on him with nothing but understanding, not a hint of fear in them despite what he was.
Despite who he was.
Rosan hated it.
"Meiko- thank you. You're words, they mean a lot to me and I'm happy that some people still have faith in me," Rosan said. Closing his eyes, the redhead said "I trust you Meiko. You not telling anyone I lied about my Devil Fruit is enough for me...," Her smile, if possible, got even brighter.
"...which is why I'm sorry," the boy finished after a long pause.
"What? You're sorry?" Confusion overtook the little girl, before realization seeped in. Meiko took a step back in fear as she saw the boy tense. She could feel it, Rosan he was planning on attacking-
"Modify Target: Rest Mode," a voice behind Meiko said and a hand made contact with her. Looking up at Rosan in betrayal, the last thing she saw was the remorseful look in his eyes.
"I trust you Meiko. But, you should never have trusted me."
With that final statement, she lost consciousness.
Rosan caught the falling girl and placed her gently on the bed.
The strange feeling in his pit had refused to go away. In fact, it had only gotten worse at the look in the girls eyes. She had looked so hurt, so betrayed. She truly had believed in him and he chose to stomp on that trust.
He was a monster... so why did he feel this way? Why did he feel so bad?
"It's because you're not heartless, Rosan. The fact you feel this guilt is proof of it. You are simply doing what needs to be done because of the circumstances you've been put in. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise," Mod said soothingly.
"You're right as usual, Mod-chan. I'm simply doing what I have to do." But, a small part of him still felt bad for the girl. Meiko didn't deserve the fate that she was about to receive. She was a good person.
Still, there were things he needed to do. He was getting off this island today and nobody would stop him.
Removing his fake handcuffs and grasping them, Rosan closed his eyes and said "Modify: Form," and watched as they transformed into two humanoid figures. The dual eyed boy simply modeled them after the easiest thing he knew, which was himself.
Not yet finished, Rosan touched them both and said "Modification: Seed of Life."
This technique was a bit different then when he made the bug or the Blue Jay. The previous two had no will of their own and simply followed Rosan's commands. They would dutifully do exactly what he asked of them. With Seed of Life, while they were still loyal to the redhead, they were also much more independent.
Rosan watched as he breathed like into the two synthetic copies of himself. Nodding in satisfaction, he pointed at his first clone and told it, "#1, you will retrieve my belongings and find the money Doc won. Once you find them, go to the closest ocean source and signal me." #1 nodded in confirmation.
The redhead then looked at his second clone and said "#2, your job is to loot everything of value. Begin with this facility and progress to the entire island. If you believe in your abilities, feel free to take from the people as long as you do not get spotted. You may take your time, I have matters to attend to."
Glancing around Rosan walked over to his bed and tugged the blanket off. "Modify Form," was all he said and the blanket transformed into a bag.
"Modification, Link: User White Rose,"He handed the modified bag over to #2 who accepted it without prompting. "That bag is connected to the White Rose. Wait for #1's signal, before you begin storing items in there because the ship is shrunken. Ensure that you two are not seen. #1, when you are done, assist #2"
"Yes sir!"They both replied.
Rosan looked at the sleeping Meiko. She looked so peaceful, contrasting the hurt look on her face moments before he put her to sleep. "Rosan… she doesn't have to die. I know deep down, you don't want to kill her," Mod-chan said worriedly. The boy was conflicted right now and he was leaning towards killing her because of his identity. Mod didn't care that much about keeping his identity a secret. His own worries were much more important than that and she needed to let him know.
Rosan bent over to smooth out her ruffled outfit and he contemplated what to do with her.
The idea of keeping her alive lessened the feeling in his gut so maybe it was the right course of action? Yes, his body seemed to agree with the notion that she should stay alive so he wouldn't kill her.
His thoughts were interrupted as something fell out of the girls clothing.
Picking it up, Rosan's eyes widened slightly at what he saw.
Now this was very interesting. He had a hunch but he never delved too deep into it because the girl seemed adamant in not talking about it and he didn't care enough to prod. He could work with this.
"There's been a change of plans," Rosan said suddenly catching his clone's attention. #2 carry this girl to the White Rose and let her sleep in Robin's room then resume your previous objective. She will not die tonight." Rosan watched as #2 picked her up with minimal issues and with a nod they both vanished from his sight.
"I won't kill her. My body is very against it anyways and there's no reason for her to die with these people. Though with this new info I've just learned…"
Rosan smiled and vanished from sight. To think the one person he could consider a likeable on this island, was the daughter of the person he hated the most.
Seems he had a friend to visit.
The item he held was an image. On it were 3 people, one was obviously a younger Meiko and the other 2…were Doc and Mom.
Rosan had never been outside the facility before.
The cool breeze on his skin, the glow of the stars, the moon shining in the night, the brilliance of the sun during the day...Rosan had nearly forgotten these sensations in the 6 months he had been held captive. It felt nice…he had found himself missing this feeling. He was always an adventurous boy and outside was one of his favorite places to be.
The boy did love nature after all.
It was silent and there was no sign of anyone but that was to be expected. They had most likely retired into their temporary living spaces, tired from all the energy they had expended cheering for him during the tournament.
Not to worry, they'd be able to rest to their hearts content.
The unique thing about this island, was that it didn't have citizens in the traditional sense. Daybreak Island was mostly isolated from the world, they were largely self sufficient and didn't qualify as an actual populated island by the Government.
The "citizens" were just people who had a lot of Beri to spare and were very bored. From what he understood, the only permanent residents were Doc, the prisoners, and a few other people.
This place was just a vacation spot of sorts to the individuals coming and going as they pleased. The only time they all mutually gathered was when there was a big event going on and they wished to witness it.
An event like Ash and Dust.
During events like this, everyone who normally inhabited this island would come back en masse to witness the spectacle. Most would place bets on who would win the whole thing, while others chose to actually enter their own participants for the massive prize pool that the winner got.
Doc had not only bet on Rosan, the man had also entered him into the competition so that he could win the prize in his name. No doubt, he had already collected his prize and was debating on what to do with all the money he had gotten.
Unluckily for him, Rosan was the one who won. It was only fair that the winner was the one who actually receive their prize. Why would he not deserve it? He did everything, while Doc just sat there marveling at "his weapon".
Pathetic. He was going to rip that man apar-
Mod chose that moment to strike up a conversation with him.
"Rosan, what will you do after you leave this island?" Mod-chan asked him and the boy stopped to process her question.
"I don't have a set goal in mind, Mod-chan. I will simply travel around, get stronger, and provide for the both of us. I didn't forget that I have to find and apologize to Ace… but I don't think he's old enough to understand that I'm his brother. He should be about 5 right now? I hope that Marine is raising him well."
"What about Robin-chan?" Mod-chan asked softly and Rosan did a sharp intake.
"…Do not speak that name to me Mod-chan. I can't stand traitors." Rosan said calmly. Mod-chan had seen his memories, she knew what the boy thought about Robin.
"Rosan, surely you aren't upset with her! Robin would never betray you and you know that! That girl…she loves you with all her heart and if she knew what happened to you, she'd bring hell to this Earth."
"Then where is she, Mod-chan? That's right, you don't have an answer but I do. She's joining other organizations and bringing them down all on her own. She's stopped looking for me because she has no use for me. In her eyes, I'm expendable. She doesn't need me and I definitely don't need her."
"Rosan you're being unreasonable and you know it! She trusts you with her life and vice versa. She would never stomp on that trust. You would never stomp on it," Mod-chan begged him but Rosan could not be swayed.
"Unreasonable?! I'm being UNREASONABLE?!" He hissed and felt his anger flare. "Tell me what that trust got me then, Mod-chan. I've been suffering, alone, for 6 months and she's nowhere to be seen yet, here I am. Free. All by myself. I'm no longer the same idiot who needs to be bailed out when something goes wrong. When things actually went south, nobody was there to save me and that made me realize that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself and Mod-chan, I can do it myself now."
Mod flinched at the tone he was taking with her. Was Rosan angry with her? H-he had never gotten angry at her before. Truthfully it hurt... a lot but he was being completely unreasonable! She had accepted that he was no longer the same boy, but to blame his Robin-nee of all people? It was insanity! She needed to try and put a stop to this.
"Rosan, please just listen! Talk to her and I'm sure you won't be disappointed by what she says. This isn't like you at all! I know what happened to you hurt, but-"
"You know?" Rosan asked her and the raw disbelief in his tone made her choke on her next words. "You may have the memories but you will never understand the pain I've been through Mod-chan. You don't really know anything about what I tried to endure while waiting for someone, for anyone, to save me while I went through hell. Every. Single. Day."
Mod-chan said nothing, too shocked by his hurtful words. What was happening? Why was this happening? R-Rosan he was so angry a-and he was lashing out on her. Tears began welling up in her eyes, as she unintentionally let out a sniffle.
Rosan heard it but he didn't care. The redhead was too angry to see reason. He seemed to be always be when he got like this.
"You want to know what I want to do about Robin? Fine. I didn't care enough to seek out that traitor but since you want me to see her so bad, if...no, when I do find her, I'll talk to her just like you want. When she inevitably disappoints and confirms my thoughts, I'm going to kill her and her death will be on your hands, Mod-chan," his voice was completely icy and devoid of emotion.
Mod was in shambles as she heard the 9 year old lash out at her. Never did she expect a conversation with her dear Rosan to go this south. Tears flowed down her eyes at how cruel his words currently were. He didn't mean what he was saying right? "R-Rosan? You don't mean that."
"I'm not a liar, Mod-chan. You of all people, should know that."
"Rosan this isn't who you are!"
"This is who I am now Mod-chan. Everyone changes and you need to accept that I'm no longer the same boy I used to be."
"I know that, I really do, but this is drastic even for you Rosan!"
"No Mod-chan. This conversation is over. Please stop bringing it up."
"Rosan-"
"I said no, Mod-chan." Rosan was beginning to feel frustrated with this argument. Why didn't she understand that things couldn't go back to the way they were. She was the one being unreasonable right now and the woman didn't see it.
"B-but Rosan-"
"Modification. I. Said. No." His anger boiled over and Rosan called Mod by her full name for the first time since they met.
Shock overcame his features as he realized his mistake too late. There was a silence, then a choked sob tore through his mind and it wrenched his heart.
"Wait Mod-chan, I didn't mean to."
"...I-I understand. I-I'm s-sorry Rosan, I... I stepped o-out of line. I-I'll stop. I-I'll stooo-" She was unable to finish what she was saying, as she abruptly she cut off their connection.
Silence greeted a wide eyed, guilty Rosan.
Fuck.
He let his anger get the best of him again and this time, he went too far. This was different from when his anger was directed towards Meiko. A random girl was one thing, but his Mod-chan?
The redhead never should have lashed out at her like that. She only ever wanted what was best for him and he had chosen to retaliate with pure venom.
Rosan felt like scum. Mod-chan was his closest companion and the one person he knew he could always trust. To be the cause of her pain made him feel worse then all the torture he had endured.
He needed to get his anger under control, he had never had such a hard time controlling it and it was causing him to make mistakes that he ended up regretting. He just wanted to apologize now but Mod-chan wasn't even willing to hear him out. An attempt to enter the mindscape proved that she had closed him out from that too.
Double fuck.
Just when he was about to give up, their connection activated again. Mod, obviously still crying, sniffed out "R-Rosan, I-I'm not mad at you…I could never be. I can feel y-your regret, I-I just n-need some time. Please f-focus on getting off this island and then I...I'll be ready to talk. I'm sorry but I won't be of much h-help. I love you Rosan don't f-forget that."
And with that, she shut the connection back off. This time though, he felt the steady pulse of her presence.
Rosan felt conflicted. He could forcefully enter the mindscape to talk to Mod-chan but she wanted some alone time and the redhead valued her needs. Besides, she was right, he needed to get off this island.
Their talk could wait for later when he was fully free.
Taking a deep breath, Rosan curbed the rest of his anger in favor of cold rationality. He made a mistake and he would amend that but for now, he had people to meet and an island to escape.
Rosan idly poured love through their connection and he knew she could still feel it. He needed to make it up to her somehow... and the first step to that, was to listen to her request. That wouldn't be enough though. He hurt her feelings and that wasn't something he was used to doing.
Damn he really had messed up.
But, that was for later. Rosan focused his attention on the mission at hand.
Standing back up (when had he even sat down?), Rosan headed in the direction of where Doc resided. Despite himself, Rosan allowed a cruel smile to don his face.
It was time for him to have some fun.
When Doc awoke it wasn't pleasant. In fact it was quite the opposite.
A slap connected to his face and he woke with a startled yell. He tried to get up but found that movement was not possible. Looking down he saw the source was a piece of rope tied around him quite tightly. He was sitting upright in a chair in what appeared to be his living room.
What on Earth was going on?
It didn't take long for his confusion to be answered. "Ah, you're finally awake," A quiet voice said. "Good."
A familiar quiet voice.
Sitting on the kitchen table across from him, idly polishing a knife, was the source of his good fortune itself Rosan. Relief flooded him for a moment as he thought the boy was here to help him before confusion overtook him as he began to fully shake off his sleepiness.
How was Rosan here? Wasn't he supposed to be in his…cell?! Panic flooded him as he realized the boy was not supposed to be here.
"Greetings Doc," Rosan greeted him with a small wave and a kind smile on his bronze face. "It appears that you've finally noticed the situation," he remarked idly, flipping the knife up and down.
"You're probably thinking along the lines of why I'm here and not in my cell, yes?" Rosan asked him.
Doc didn't say anything but his surprised gaze was all the confirmation Rosan needed.
Hopping down, from his seat on the table, the boy walked over to his captive and gingerly touched his cheek. "I'm right aren't I?" Rosan asked him softly, tauntingly.
"How are you here boy?! How are you free? Who freed you?!" Doc asked frantically and loudly hoping that someone would hear him and come check.
Rosan nudged his head in a direction and held a finger to his lips. "Shh, you don't wanna wake up your wife, right?" Looking to the side he saw Sachie, his wife in question, resting in a similar position as he was. She was sleeping peacefully with a blush on her face and muttering to herself perversely.
"Degenerate," was all Rosan said. The boy shook his head and focused back on Doc and told him "If you're being loud to get attention, that won't work. The walls are soundproof, they can't hear you."
Doc shook his head "That's impossible, These walls aren't designed to be soundproof. You're lying."
Rosan's laughter sent a chill down his spine as he looked at him in pity. "You didn't design them to be soundproof that's true. But I did."
The blonde man was confused by what he meant by that but the redhead didn't deign to give him another response.
Rosan walked over to his wife and delicately stroked her cheek. She was beginning to stir from his touch and Rosan chose that moment to speak again.
"I want to thank you Doc," he began, making eye contact with the Doctor. "You managed to show me the worst side of humanity so early on in my life and I really do appreciate that," the boy had the decency to sound sincere and that terrified Doc more then he could imagine.
By now, Sachie had fully awaken and she shot him a confused, if not slightly frightened look. She had been dreaming about Rosan and she thought maybe this was apart of her dream as well, but his touch felt too real.
What was happening?
Rosan either didn't notice the look or he did and he didn't care as he continued to stroke her cheek.
"To show my appreciation, I'd like to give you both a reward! But…I can't do that without knowing you're names. It's not fair that only my name is known after all! We're friends, yes?" Rosan clapped his hands in false cheer, very reminiscent to Doc himself.
Pointing at Sachie he said "Let's start with you then." Rosan's eyes glowed with malicious intent as his grip on her cheek tightened. "Tell me, what is your name?"
Sachie felt true fear. Despite his cheer, the look in Rosan's eyes was anything but happy. "R-Rosan dear w-what are you doing?" Rosan simply tightened the grip on her as he continued smiling.
"I asked you a question."
"I don't understand! Didn't you say I was your favorite person dear? You can just keep calling me Mom-"
She was interrupted by Rosan's very audible scoff. "You're more delusional then I thought. I've got you tied up, at my mercy, and you still think anything I said was true? Did you really believe that I liked calling you Mom?" Rosan asked with a small laugh. "I only did it to get on your good side you pervert. A degenerate like you could never be my Mom. Only one person is worthy of being called my Mom and it will never be you," He finished cruelly with a grin on his face.
As Rosan tore into her verbally, her eyes narrowed into that same cruel gaze she had donned when he first refused to call her Mom.
How dare he? HOW DARE HE?! He had tricked her?! She had showered him in nothing but love and affection and this was how he treated her? This backstabbing little BRAT!
"Oh? Seems like the pervert is finally mad. Do you plan on doing something about it?" He taunted and she glared at him in pure hatred.
Rosan relished in it for a few more seconds, before growing tired of her refusal to answer his question.
"Modify Target: Sensitivity," The redhead thought to himself and he watched in satisfaction, as her expression shifted from hatred to pain.
He hadn't changed his grip on her whatsoever, all he had done was increase her sensitivity. Where as the grip was slightly uncomfortable before, it was now too painful for her fair skin to bear.
"Answer my question. I'm not going to ask you again," the boy said, no longer smiling. Those dual colored eyes bored into her as Rosan stared blankly at the woman.
She tried to ignore his question as best as possible. Her silence quickly changed, as Rosan decided to stop gripping her, in favor of sinking his sharp nails into her instead. She couldn't help the gasp of pain that evolved into squealing as Rosan pressed down harder and harder and harder and harder-
"Sachie!" She squealed and Rosan paused what he was doing. Panting harshly, she said "My name… is… Sachie. Now please stop!"
Nodding in satisfaction, Rosan stepped back, removing his hand from her cheek in the process. He looked down at her with a smile on his face, exuding a staggering amount of superiority.
Rosan shook his head and said "Now was that so hard?"
The boy tut his teeth in disappointment. "It's such a shame Sachie, I didn't really hate you all that much but your refusal to answer my question, has netted you quite a bit of negative points from me," Rosan shrugged helplessly in a "what can you do motion". "Maybe if I was Doc, I'd be willing to forgive you. Unfortunately for you Sachie, I'm not as "patient" as your dear husband."
With that, before they could register what was happening, Rosan had taken the knife he was holding and slashed her throat.
Rosan stared stone faced at the dying lady.
Mod sent him a burst of satisfaction.
Doc watched in horror, as a spray of blood flow through the air, landing on Rosan's expressionless face.
Sachie mechanically looked down, almost not believing what just happened to her. The woman tried desperately to grasp at her throat but, she was still tied up. The woman let out a gargled breath as she choked on her own blood.
Looking back up, Sachie was met with a sight that would haunt her for the last coming moments of her life.
Looking down at her, was not a person. No, Rosan was a demon in human flesh. Electric blue stared at an angry blood red that clashed with a frozen royal purple, as the heterochromatic child looked down at her with an utterly blank face. Catching her eye, Rosan did the most natural thing that came to him.
He grinned.
The bloodied boy grinned at her. "Don't worry Sachie, I'll take good care of your daughter. After all, you taught me everything I needed to know."
Sachie's eyes went wide as he said that. She tried to ask how he knew that she had a child but she only succeeded in coughing up a large amount of blood. No not her daughter, not Meiko. She hadn't even gotten to completely make it up-
She coughed up another glob of blood as thinking became too hard for her.
Rosan knew what she wanted to ask but he didn't deign to give her a response. She deserved to die in the most horrible way possible. Let her imagine the possibilities, they were probably way worse then what he could say.
The 9 year old walked away from her right and right towards the terrified Doc.
Doc watched all this transpire with an impending sense of doom.
He watched his wife struggle to breath. He watched his wife look towards him, pleading with her eyes for him to help her. He watched as it became too much and her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she stopped breathing all together. He watched her die. Dead. Just like that. There were no theatrics. She was alive one second and dead the next. At the hands of the weapon he had been raising.
He felt tears forming in his green eyes at the sight of the corpse.
They didn't love each other anymore, but he still held her in high regards. They had been together for more than a decade, of course he cared for her. They had even raised a child togeth-
Wait.
"H-how do you know we have a child?" He stuttered out in confusion. That wasn't possible, he had never mentioned his only child around Rosan. It was irrelevant information that he didn't need to disclose yet until they left the island.
So how did he know?
"Oh you noticed that? How astute of you Doc," Rosan mocked. "Meiko and I..." Doc's eyes widened as Rosan said her name "...are quite acquainted with each other," he informed the man with a smirk.
"When I learned she was you're daughter I was quite shocked! I never imagined a girl as kind as her, would come from people like you! I decided even though you will die tonight, someone will still be alive to pay for the sins of their parents."
Naturally, this was a lie but the man didn't need to know that. Rosan didn't believe that a child should pay for the sins of their parents. If he did, that would make him a massive hypocrite.
Doc listened to this psychotic boy speak and he finally realized that he had made a mistake. He should never have targeted Rosan. There was a reason he had been traveling with the Devil Child and Doc should have taken that into account. The boy was unhinged and it was present, even when he still had his sunny personality.
The man had just chosen to ignore it.
Now, his unhinged nature was coupled with that of a cold blooded monster and he was the one who caused this. Doc had given birth to this demon and now he was paying the price.
Rosan stopped in front of him and looked him in his green eyes. "You wanted to know how I freed myself right?" He asked kindly, bloody grin still on his face. "I bet you're expecting me to say Meiko freed me. Well your out of luck Doc, Meiko didn't free me, you did."
At Doc's shocked confusion Rosan continued with malicious glee. "I can see your confusion and, since I'm in a good mood, I'll explain," the boy informed him.
"The Saizu Saizu no Mi? Yeah, I lied. That isn't my Devil Fruit. For the sake of maintaining my privacy from the dead, I won't tell you my actual ability but the moment you released me from my handcuffs, you freed me," the 9 year old finished smugly.
Doc felt like his world was crashing around him as he heard Rosan speak. He freed him when he unlocked his cuffs? He had lied about his Devil Fruit? But that meant that…
"You've finally realized Doc. Everything was a lie except my name and like the desperate imbecile you are, you accepted it as the truth."
By now, Rosan had dropped all friendly pretenses in favor of hissing in rage.
"You thought you could make me submit but I will never submit to anybody. I am Portgas D. Rosan and I will become the strongest in the world so that people like you, won't think twice about coming after me. Your attempts to break me failed but I wanted to thank you. Your trials have only made me stronger. Being a prisoner in this personal hell has taught me more than you could imagine."
Rosan touched him again. "But now the tables have turned. You see Doc, even though you're going to die tonight, you won't have the luxury of dying quickly like your wife," he said softly and his voice was drenched in so much rage Doc began praying.
"No Doc, for you my friend, it will be long, slow, and painful. 6 months of torture in a couple of hours, do you think we can do it?" The redhead wondered.
Modifying his sensitivity Rosan grabbed the knife and made a small cut on his cheek. For Doc it felt like he was losing a limb and the man let out an agonizing yell as Rosan marked him.
Grinning down at him Rosan, in the ultimate form of revenge, said "Now tell me..."
"...What is your name?"
2 hours later
When Rosan walked out of Masaru's (Doc) home, it was raining hard. The downpour soaked his body and matted his hair but the redhead didn't let that bother him. He quite liked the rain.
He had done what he set out to do and now his anger had finally been properly sated.
Doc was a screamer, and he lasted much less time then Rosan did too. Though, after about 30 minutes, he had lost his voice.
Rosan had taken a vindictive pleasure in torturing the man within an inch of his life. Since his sensitivity had been increased, the smallest of injuries felt far worse, meaning the redhead could tease him as much as he wanted and it would still be terrible. Larger inflicted injuries, felt like the man was dying. Rosan had made sure to inflict the maximum amount of damage to him.
Rosan had inflicted the same hell that he had been dealing with, upon that man and it felt euphoric.
Doc was slowly bleeding out now. He no longer had any limbs, and Rosan had instantly cauterized a majority of them so that he could die slower. Rosan had decided against killing him because he had something much better planned for him. Something that he would be putting into action right now.
While torturing Doc, Rosan had been waiting to receive another signal from #1 and #2. He had received one earlier but he wanted to make sure they were now off the island. When he did receive it, he had wrapped up his business with the man and now here he was.
It was time to begin.
Crouching onto one knee, Rosan placed his palm on the wet concrete of the floor. The Mod Mod no Mi user concentrated and said "Modify State: Oil" and the floor changed.
All across the island, the floor transformed. With the assistance of the heavy downpour it had been made much easier. His pants and boots had been unfortunate enough to get caught in the crossfire but that was okay.
He wouldn't have to worry about that soon enough.
Rosan got up and took a moment to gather himself.
That…was draining, extremely so. He had never modified on such a large scale and he was getting dizzy because of it. The boy took a moment to compose himself and regather his energy.
He wasn't done yet though. There was still something he needed to do.
Rosan could have just set the island on fire from here and be done with it, but Rosan was a show off at heart and he was thorough. It was why the crowd loved him and as such he would do nothing less but entertain.
The redhead staved off his dizziness and leapt on top of a random roof. He closed his eyes and activated Modification again, only this time it was on himself.
Rosan had an epiphany. For 5 years he had been trying to achieve one goal that he just could not do. He had been unaware about why he couldn't do it and it honestly left the little boy stumped.
He was normally a quick learner so to be unable to achieve this, left him a bit doubtful of whether it could actually be done. What had he been doing wrong? Where did the technique mess up? What was he missing?
Now, Rosan had an inkling as to why he couldn't do it. He didn't have a good enough base to rely on. He was also lacking the resolve to properly latch onto a certain emotion that was needed to achieve this transformation.
Now he had both.
Latching onto rage, Rosan snarled to himself...
"Modification: Ragnarok."
For just a moment, the world stilled. Then Rosan began to change.
Rosan hunched over as black scales formed across his body and his hands began transforming into claws. He fell to his knees as two large (much larger than the boy) black wings, with red streaks , sprouted from his back. A large and long tail with a similar black and red color scheme to the wings burst from his tail bone.
Gritting his, now sharp, teeth Rosan drew blood as he began to grow larger and larger. The building he was on couldn't hope to handle his new weight and with a rumble, it collapsed, crushing anyone that was currently inside. Soon, he was an intimidating 20 meters tall.
Rosan's human form was gone and in his place, was a large black dragon with streaks of red coursing through his body like visible veins.
Large sharp claws, massive wings, and a long spiked tail dominated his frame. The only thing the dragon had in common with Rosan were the large heterochromatic slits that made up his eyes. One was a blood red, the other a royal purple.
He hoped Mod-chan had saved a picture of this for future viewing. He wanted to see it from a different perspective.
With one experimental flap, Rosan took to the skies and basked in the feeling of finally flying. He had always been jealous of avians for having the ability to soar through the sky.
This was freedom.
Alas, he couldn't fully enjoy the feeling just yet because it was time to finish the job. By now, a commotion was beginning to stir and people were exiting their homes. Whether it was due to the sound of the building collapsing, or realizing their possessions had been stolen, islanders left the "safety" of their homes and they bore witness to the massive mythical creature flying above them.
They were looking up at someone greater than them, someone better than them. This was the view that the strong earned and this was the fate that the weak inherited.
Rosan roared. It was one of pure rage. One of the pent up anger, of a boy who had been denied his freedom for far too long.
"RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
The people screamed and tried to run, but Rosan had oiled the floor for 2 reasons. They slipped and fell and panicked as they realized running away was near impossible. Even if it were, where would they be able to go? Making it to the ships would take too long and for the people who did, they had no delusions of being able to take on a Dragon.
They felt a primal surge of fear as they looked at the large draconian figure in the sky. Rosan snorted at them and, on his new figure, it was more akin to a deep rumble.
They were trying to beg for mercy? Pathetic but Rosan understood where they were coming from.
He would give them mercy.
Rearing his head back, The dragon began gathering energy into his throat. It didn't take but a few moments to answer his call and soon, the rainy night sky lit up brilliantly.
The people paled as they noticed, what looked to be, the sun dominating their vision.
At night.
The screams of terror only grew louder as they realized it was the mysterious Dragon preparing an attack. An attack for them.
Impending doom encroached upon them all, as they saw the Dragon, that appeared out of nowhere, gather a large amount of energy in his long maw.
Some people cried, some prayed, others even tried shooting at the Draconic figure.
All of them failed and when that failed, they were reduced to praying to a God.
But, at this moment the only god that could save them…was Rosan.
And Rosan was no God.
The obsidian dragon finished gathering energy and, as he pointed his head downwards, the world froze for everyone there.
A single moment of eternity, that didn't last long enough.
Rosan opened his mouth and the world burned.
"ANNIHILATION" The dragon roared as an absolute gigantic amount of flames, burst out of its mouth. The rain did nothing to diminish the flames. As the flame soared through the air, it finally reached its target.
Daybreak Island.
Rosan watched as his own personal hell folded under the pressure of his immense draconic flames. It was sweet irony, that this hellhole of an island was now burning.
The people screeched in agony as the monstrous flames connected with them. His enhanced sense of smell, detected charring flesh and the agonized screaming was like a chorus of imps. Rosan hoped that in his last moments, Doc felt this fire, this rage.
Masaru did. The near catatonic man felt every last moment and the knowledge that he caused this would haunt him even in the afterlife.
Rearing his head back one last time Rosan let his victorious roar sing through the night.
"RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Daybreak Island, the man made island, was no more. Brought to ruin by a monster of its own creation.
By Portgas D. Rosan.
Rosan landed on the White Rose, now in his human form, naked as the day he was born.
Unfortunately, his clothes were not able to survive his long awaited transformation.
Well no matter, he hadn't grown at all in the 6 months captured so he had a spare set of clothes. Even if he did grow, he could just modify his outfits so that they could fit.
Though, it would be inconvenient if his clothes ripped every single time he transformed. He'd need to find a way to circumvent that.
Looking at #1 and #2, Rosan thanked them for their work. He was about to demodify them, when he thought better of it.
"Actually, you two can prove useful to me. As such, I will keep you both," The boy told them with a nod of acknowledgement. Both clones saluted as they heard that.
"Thank you sir!" They said in unison.
"We will need to add some key differences though you two look exactly like me and I would much rather not have that," Rosan said idly. He didn't mind that they looked like him, they were his clones after all. But being a carbon copy was not something he needed.
After a moment of deliberation, he turned to #1 and turned his eyes royal purple, like his right eye, while changing his outfit to a white cloak. "#1 You will now be Angel," Rosan informed his first clone.
"Thank you sir." The now dubbed Angel said and Rosan nodded in satisfaction.
Turning towards #2, he repeated the same process with different results. Rosan turned his eyes blood red, like his left eye, and gave him a black coat instead. "You will be Demon, #2."
"Your wish is my command, Master," Demon said with a low bow.
Satisfied, Rosan stepped back. "You two manage the ship and make sure we make it to the next island in one piece. I will be having a talk with Mod-chan and then, our guest of honor."
"Sir!" They saluted.
With that they went their separate ways.
Rosan allowed one last smile to appear on his face. This one was a victorious one.
Finally, finally they were free. It was a minor setback but it was essential for his growth. Rosan entered his room and closed the door behind him.
He had work to do.
Chapter End
Bonus!
The Misadventures of Robin and Rosan – 1
This takes place right after the end of chapter 3. Robin and Rosan are 8 and 4 respectively!
Robin was mortified from the events that had happened last night.
She remembered everything. From watching a 4 year old systematically destroy a crew of pirates, to crying herself to sleep in the large chest of his pretty Devil Fruit.
The same large pair of breasts she was waking up in right now.
"Finally awake?" A soothing voice said and Robin looked up to find Mod-chan looking down at her with a gentle smile on her warm face. Robin, noticing their compromising position, turned beet red and hastily removed her head from the woman's chest.
"Ah! I'm sorry I didn't uh mean to fall asleep there!" Robin stammered out an apology. She hadn't planned on crying herself to sleep and now she had probably gotten snot and tears all over the ice queen!
Mod-chan let out a soft chuckle and her long purple hair bobbed in time with her laughter. "It's okay Robin-chan! I really don't mind. You barely bothered me and I know you really needed that." Mod-chan said understandingly.
"Besides, you looked so cute, I couldn't dream of waking you up," Mod-chan finished, with a larger smile this time.
Robin blushed an interesting shade of red at being complimented, but hesitantly put away her worries and looked around. "Mod-chan…where's Rosan?" she asked, looking for any sign of the little boy.
Mod-chan got up, still carrying an even more embarrassed Robin in her arms, and made her way out of the mindscapes house. "Rosan is training right now. Your words really lit a fire under him and he wants to get as strong as possible to protect you!" Mod told her.
"R-really? He's training…for me?" Robin asked hesitantly.
Mod merely nodded with a bright smile on her face, as they found the boy in the forest clearing trying to rapidly modify a piece of wood into various objects.
"Of course! You're one of our precious people now, Robin and, whether you like it or not, Rosan has attached himself to you," Mod said cheerfully before her face shifted into a more serious expression.
Robin looked slightly intimidated by how serious the woman looked and she awaited her words. "I hope you're tolerance levels are high Robin."
Robin's eyes widened as she said that. "W-why? Is something wrong?" She asked in confusion.
Nodding in sympathy Mod-chan said, with full confidence, "Yes. Rosan is clingy, possessive and selfish. Whenever you do something please keep in mind, those 3 important details."
Robin couldn't help the sweatdrop that appeared on her face. She had been expecting something a bit more serious not…that. Despite the absolute confidence Mod-chan displayed, Robin found herself doubting what she said.
Mod-chan, sensing her doubt, simply said "You'll see," and they continued watching the boy train.
Surely Rosan wasn't that bad right?
Rosan was that bad. The groaning bodies surrounding them was a testament to that.
Robin took a deep breath to stave off the urge to choke the cheerful boy in front of her. She had known that his idea, while reckless, was too good to be true.
Rosan had suggested they use her reputation to sneak into organizations that desired her abilities. After some time gaining their trust, the redhead would show up, in his disguise, and they would work in tandem to destroy them from the inside out.
They would then take all of their valuables, while Rosan left an anonymous tip of their whereabouts to the Marines.
It was a good plan, which surprised Robin considering hyperactive 4 year old Rosan, was the one who thought of it. She figured there had to be a catch but disregarded it because there wasn't an obvious one she could point out.
It was going smoothly and Robin figured she'd have their trust after about a week, based on what she saw. That was when the catch, she couldn't spot, reared its head full force.
Rosan couldn't stand the thought of her not being with him so much so that, not even a day later, he had invaded and beaten down all the people in this organization just to get her back.
When she asked him what he was doing here so early, his reply was "I missed you so I came to get you," and that was that. There was no worry for her being in danger, no thought that she could have been captured, just a desire to get her back at all costs.
Robin looked on in sheer disbelief at the audacity of this boy. He was the one made this plan and he was the one messing it up?!
Who did that?!
Robin turned and walked away. She pointedly ignored Rosan calling her and the smug "I told you so" from Mod.
She was beginning to regret working with these two. They were definitely insane.
"You don't mean that!" Mod said in mock offense.
"Robin-nee come baaaaaack!" Rosan called.
Yep. Definitely insane.
Bonus End
Character Sheet: Rosan
Current Age: 9 (His birthday is March 12th! He turned 9 sometime during his 6 month imprisonment)
Summary: Found and raised as an abandoned orphan, by Portgas D. Rouge, not much is known about his origins or who his actual parents are. Previously, he had a larger than life personality but due to the actions of being imprisoned he is a shell of his former self. Suppressing all but rage it is not wise to cross this monstrous 9 year old. His current goal is to become the strongest in the world so that no one dares mess with him or his loved ones.
Devil Fruit: Mod Mod no Mi
Type: Paramecia.
Description: Turns Rosan into a computer man that allows him to modify anything he can touch. The nature of this fruit is unknown. Due to the stress of being captured, Rosan has fused even further with his Devil Fruit and the result has turned his left eye a blood red.
Appearance: Tan, nearly bronze skin. Wears a form fitting long sleeved black shirt, long cargo pants that are tucked neatly into some steel clad boots.
Height: 4'4
Hair: Spiky long red hair that's soft to touch. Tends to keep in either a ponytail that reaches his mid back or a bun with strands over his face.
Eyes: Right eye is a chilly royal purple. Left eye is a angry blood red.
Likes: Rouge and Mod-chan
Dislikes: Traitors, Having his freedom restricted, the World Government, Needles, and people using him.
AN: Man this is a huge chapter (nearly 40k words)! Hope you enjoyed it and hopefully my warning about the violence was good enough (should I make it more clear how violent this chapter is? I dunno).
Rosan has snapped and things will never quite be the same. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and it's a huge turning point in the story. Robin and Rosan got separated and they won't be seeing each other for a long time!
Next few chapters won't be as crazy as this one and they will also be shorter. (I don't even know if any other chapter will reach this length!) Expect a Robin and Rosan bonus at the end of most chapters until I run out! I purposely didn't show their adventures together because it would have taken a lot of chapters to cover so I gotta reward you all with somethin!
Thanks for the follows and if there's anything you wanna know or share feel free to hit me up. Bye bye for now and as always, here's the title for the next chapter!
Chapter 6: Confusion