Hey, all my faithful readers! Here it is! Stay tuned for the latest chapters~! This Chapter goes out to all those faithful readers and my awesome reviewers (You know who you are :D) Having you guys back me up, makes writing this book so much more worth it!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters however, Rosalie is my OC.

Here you go! Please enjoy it

Chapter 26

Rosalie silently sat on the large King-sized bed. She stared down at her hands as she held the Magnetum sheath that Kid made for her. The dagger was still hidden within the metal and she didn't dare to take it out. Even if she wanted to, it was locked inside and it's where it needed to stay.

A part of her wanted to throw away the dagger, burn it, destroy it completely. She didn't want to be consumed by whatever cursed the dagger. The smouldering feeling pushing up in her body as she lost her conscious.

It was terrifying.

Blue eyes travelled towards the bandages she had on her wrists and they twitched. She couldn't remember much about the moment she changed. The only images that haunted her was the way she killed most of the men.

At least she didn't kill any of the prisoners or the crewmates. She could faintly remember facing off against them, though. She could remember Virus' pained expression, Killer's counterattack and then a loud voice.

The scary thing was, it wasn't Kid's voice she heard. It was the dagger. She could hear the orders, the dark voice and presence consuming her easily. She could feel the pain, hatred, fear, anger and all the other emotions of the ones who were once slaughtered by it.

It was too much.

Then there were the images she saw. The symbols painted in blood above of broken bodies. Rosalie shivered and let go of the dagger, pulling her knees to her chest. Her grip tightened and she gritted her teeth.

She did the exact same. She painted that pirate symbol and the crossed it out, declaring war to an unknown pirate. She had no idea who it was but she was a target now. She fought against the navy and made war against a pirate who controlled the human auction.

What did she get herself into? How was she going to get out of this situation? Kid said that she could stay with them for a while and then go when she was ready but, in all honesty, she didn't know where to go. She was lost, her thoughts in a haze and her heart ached.

Mother… What am I going to do?

There was a sudden knock on the door and Rosalie glanced up at the person who opened the door. She blinked in surprise when she met a mask and soon other faces popped out from behind him, all smiling at her.

"Rosalie!"
"Rose!"

The whole cavalry was there, all except one particular redhead. Killer, Virus, Poison, Wire and even Heat visited her. She was shocked to see all their faces but it quickly turned into panic. What if she lashed out? Kid's words rung in her mind, easing her somewhat and she hoped the miracle metal worked.

"I'm glad to see you're awake, Rosalie! We heard from Captain that you're resting…and in luxury too. Lucky!" Poison exclaimed and laughed loudly. He walked towards her, a plate of freshly cooked food in his grasp that he sat down on the cupboard.

"It's not as good as when we work together but I hope it tastes good. I had some help in the kitchen as well," Poison pointed at the group behind him, Wire blushing as he looked away, Heat and Killer's expressions impassive.

"You threatened us if we didn't!" That was Wire's best argument he had and Rosalie resisted to laugh lightly. They knew how to make someone feel better. For the short while she knew them, it was enough for her to befriend them.

"Well, at least it worked out alright! Besides, you were slacking in your other chores." Virus gestured towards Wire who glared at him, followed by a growl. Virus shrugged, unfazed by the male's behaviour before he looked back at Rosalie.

"Anyway, Imma hope you're keeping an eye on those injuries of you. They might be minor but I never trust head injuries." Rosalie nodded, knowing that her head injury was self-inflicted. She then noticed the bandages that stuck out from his see-through green shirt.

She did that. She injured him.

Virus noticed the sudden thick tension lingering in the room and followed her gaze to his bandaged abdomen. She still felt guilty about what happened. That would explain her distancing behaviour and the dark circles under her eyes.

"Hey, don't worry, Rose!" He received her blue eyes staring at his own orbs. "This li'l injury won't do much damage! I even patched it up myself without any sweat! I'm alright." He made sure not to mention the curses and load of alcohol he used to do it.

Rosalie was reluctant to believe him. She knew where she stabbed him meant serious damage. Was he merely saying that to make her feel better? Did she really miss where she stabbed? Could she be that naïve to believe him?

Killer let out a sigh and shook his head. She was completely lost in her own thoughts and guilt. The longer she stayed in this room, the worse it was going to become. He had to get her to snap out of her depression.

"That's enough." Killer walked towards Rosalie, a gleam of fear passing through her eyes. However, before she could react, the male had her slung over his shoulder and walked out of the room with the others giving him blank stares.

"Killer! Let me down! Hey! This isn't funny! Let me down!" Rosalie yelled at him and struggled against his strong grip. Killer ignored her cries, tightening his hold on her and walked down the hall on his way towards the deck.

"If you want to get out of my hold, then why don't you use your teleportation technique?" Rosalie froze up and Killer grunted. He knew it. She didn't want to use her techniques, fearing that she would lose control.

"Teleport!" She surprised him when the space he held her became vacant and she fell onto the deck. She was quick to push herself off the ground, wincing slightly at her sore wrists. The men on the ship was silent, all staring at her then greeting and continuing with their work.

They…weren't bothered?

"The only person suffering from what happened is you," Killer's voice reached her ears and Rosalie glanced at the masked male. "I'll make it simple. Fight." His blades shot out and Rosalie took a retreating step backwards, the male charging as if on cue.

Rosalie observed his fast movement and barely dodged the onslaught, the wood where she once stood now broken. He was serious. Rosalie's eyes widened when his free arm swiped at her and jumped back, narrowly escaping.

She stopped her momentum by firmly planting her feet onto the ground. She looked up at him, still a bit out of breath from using her teleportation. It was true that she could control it now…but it still exhausted her and also… She didn't want to fight!

Killer didn't give her any more time to think and relentlessly attacked her. She jumped out of the way, dodging most of his attacks and it was obvious that her movements were sloppy. Not the same as she would usually retaliate.

"Hey, hey, hey, is she only going to keep dodging? She won't be able to keep that up for long if she keeps doing it half-heartedly," Wire pointed out and the others stared at the scene with furrowed brows. Virus bit his thumbnail, silently hoping she would snap out of her haze.

I-I can't keep this up! He's coming closer! Rosalie's clothing was cut by his sharp blades and she swallowed thickly. She wanted to move out of the way but her body didn't respond to her, Killer coming straight towards her.

She stood there frozen, eyes wide and her body quivering. She was afraid. In truth, it was a first for her. It was true that she did feel fear yet never to this extend. Adrenaline always hid it as well as the strong mask she wore.

He's going to cut me! I… I can't do anything! Move! Killer pulled back his blade, winding up for a strike and not wavering once. Move! Please! I beg you! Move! Her body refused to respond and she gritted her teeth. She brought her hands up to protect and clenched her eyes shut.

"You better snap out of it, Sweetheart! Don't let it possess you, idiot! Aren't you supposed to be strong?!"

Everything around her seemed to freeze up and stop. She could hear Kid's words echo through her mind and the cloudiness in her thoughts cleared up. He was right. She couldn't let it possess her. She was strong. Stronger than anyone who stood in her way!

Killer swung down on her, smoke emerging from the shockwave that rippled on the deck. There was the sound of metal screeching that echoed in the air, everyone's eyes etched onto the smoke that was slowly emerging from the spot where the two fighters stood.

Killer gritted his teeth as he forced his blades down, unfortunately he was unable to do so. His eyes widened when he saw they were blocked by hardened arms, the smoke clearing to reveal Rosalie's full hardened body, bright blue eyes staring back at him.

"I…won't lose!" She exclaimed and threw Killer back. She clenched her fist and looked at him, brows furrowing and lips pressed into a straight line. "I… I'm a Bloodmoore! I don't back down! I will keep fighting!" She yelled loudly and then appeared in front of Killer.

"Full Hardening! Iketsu!"

Killer was sent crashing on the other side of the ship, his blades that he used to protect himself unable to stop the force. He coughed as he stood up from the impact. A hand came into view and he glanced up to meet a pair of blue eyes joined by a kind smile.

"Need a hand?" Killer took the hand that was given to him and managed to stand up. "Thank you, Killer, I needed that." Killer huffed and dusted himself off. He didn't want to take all the credit. He was relieved to find her smiling again.

"Don't mention it." His voice was soft and she tried to imagine how his smile would look under his mask. She had a feeling that Kid was the only one who knew what he hid behind that mask and that was alright. They were close after all.

"What is going-?! Hey! What the hell are you two assholes doing to my ship?!" Kid's voice boomed on the deck, his glare fixating on the causers of the damage. He was angry. His purple lips pulled into a sneer and his eyes glaring.

"Oh, stop complaining! We were messing around and besides…" Rosalie glanced at the damage they made, the wood splintered and whatever was once beneath it now broken. She looked back at him and chuckled.

"I think it's an improvement."

Veins throbbed out of Kid's forehead and his fist was clenched tightly. Killer shook his head while the others were silent. Virus chuckled softly under his breath and the others next to him tried to hide their own snickers.

"What did you say?! Do you want me to kill you?!" Kid yelled at her, as she stared at him with a bored facial expression. "I'll show you an improvement! Mess my ship up one more time and you'll be having more than a few bandages!"

"Yes, Goggles. I understand." The nickname seemed to calm him slightly and she gave him a smirk. "Look on the bright side. We're approaching an island and I'm sure the buddies at your base would fix it up for you." She patted him on the shoulder and then walked away.

Kid stood there, stunned by her action. She… She was back to normal and as gutsy as ever. A splitting grin spread onto his face and his eyes gleamed with mischief. It was about damn time! He looked back at her, enjoying the life she had in her expression again.

"Hey! Sweetheart!" She glanced back at him with a raised eyebrow, a challenging look in her eyes. That was it. That was what he wanted to see. There was nothing he wanted more than to spew flames right back at her own.

"Get your ass ready. I don't want to wait for you!" He told her and she was briefly baffled by his words. She then blinked a few times before she laughed whole heartedly. She gave him a nod, bright blue eyes resting on his reddish orange orbs.

"Aye, Goggles!"

Meanwhile at the Marine Headquarters…

The headquarters were as busy as ever, the work piling up as more and more rookies came into the New World and messed up the balance. However, two retired souls sat and calmly drank their tea while enjoying crackers.

"Ever since you've retired you've become all grey! Looks like the work was the only thing that made you keep your colour, Sengoku." Garp laughed loudly at the glare he received from the said male. Sengoku let out a sigh and sat back in his chair.

"Says the one who was grey even before me." His words seemed to silence Garp's obnoxious laughter and he let out a chuckle. He watched as Garp reached for his pack of crackers while he went to take a sip of his tea.

"WHAT?!" Followed by an explosion.

Sengoku spit out the warm tea as Garp choked on a cracker, resulting in him drinking his tea. The loud exclaim came from none other than Akainu. It was usual for his outbursts but this time it was worse and it made an unsettling feeling wash over them.

"THAT DAMN REDHEAD!" Another yell, then footsteps and the door of the room was slammed open where the two retirees sat. His squared shaped face, scars on his right side, a tattoo on his left side were trademarks and his usual sneering facial expression.

"I knew I'd find you here. This situation is all your fault!" Akainu accused and slammed a report onto the coffee table between the other two males. He was livid, his eyes glaring at both of them. Sengoku frowned deeply and took the report in his hands.

"Hey, you need to respect elders, Sakazuki. You can't blame us for every little thing that doesn't go according to your 'way of justice'," Garp told the male, agitated by his attitude. Sengoku's shock quickly drew his attention and saw sweat trail down the side of his face.

"Garp… You need to see this." Sengoku handed the documents over towards the other male, Akainu snorting. He crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Garp carefully. The male's eyes briefly widened and then he let out a sigh, closing the file.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"That's not the point!" Akainu snapped, his eyebrow twitching. "If we executed her the moment she stepped on these grounds, then this would've never happened! But you two refused and argued to keep her alive and this is the result."

His words made Garp glare at him, his own anger rising. "You want us to execute a child?! She didn't choose her parents! She wanted to be a marine! She wanted to follow justice! She was a good person and then you brats messed that up. This is your own fault!" Garp snarled, Sengoku sighing deeply.

"There's no point in playing the blaming game. The only thing that should be the problem is how you're going to handle this, Sakazuki," Sengoku calmly stated and took a sip of his tea, his nonchalant behaviour making the tension disperse.

"Simple. Find her and execute her." The two males froze at his words. "She threatened a Warlord, slaughtered innocent men and betrayed the World Government by devoting herself to a life of piracy. She broke the Warlord agreement we had with Trafalgar, that makes her a target," he replied.

"You're going to execute Rosalie D. Bloodmoore, who is both the daughter of the deceased Red Menace and 'Redhead' Shanks. What do you think is going to happen, Sakazuki? Do you want another war?" Sengoku asked. He could practically see the answer swirling in the male's eyes.

Garp sat there in silence, feeling a familiar ache rise up in his chest. He already lost Ace and now Rosalie was next. He raised her as his own, taught her everything he knew and trained her. He knew that she would never stray from the right path.

He looked at the file that lay on the coffee table. He could barely believe what she did. It was exactly the same methods as Liza. That meant, they pushed her in a corner and unleashed something dormant inside her.

However, even if they did catch her, he knew that Shanks wouldn't sit quietly. He knew that Shanks would react as soon as this news spread. If only she stayed with the Navy, without being poisoned and threatened, then none of this would've happened.

"We can't let her run free any longer. I will make sure to get rid of her even if I have to do it with my own hands." Garp flinched at his words, the images of Ace's death still haunted him even if it was more than a year ago.

"I already called for the Warlords to gather. They have a clear mission to find her and bring her here. I'm not stupid enough to let this information leak out. Everything will be done in the shadows. She'll vanish just like her mother did," Akainu concluded and Sengoku let out another sigh.

"I take it you're here to assure we don't get in your way." Akainu grunted. "Then you have nothing to worry about. We won't stop you," Sengoku said and watched as Akainu nodded. He took the file and went to exit the room.

"One final warning, though." Akainu stopped at the door and glanced back at Sengoku's serious expression. His eyes held a dangerous gleam and veins visibly throbbed from his head. It's been a while since one of them saw him angry.

"If you underestimate her, then you'll end up like these victims. Don't forget who her parents are." Sengoku's words made a thick tension form between them. Akainu said nothing and left without another word.

The now spoiled tea break was filled with silence. Both of them caught in each other's thoughts and they both felt the same. They were filled with uneasiness and helplessness. There was nothing they could do but hope for the best.

"We promised Liza," Garp's voice cut through Sengoku like a knife and he grimaced visibly. He knew that they promised. That was the only reason for a long time but in truth, they also loved Rosalie. She was raised, trained and one of their own for a long time.

"I know… I know."

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