A brooding and bandaged Maro jolted at the sight of a figure appearing in front of her and her eyes narrowed.

  The Queen's face shifted into a snarl as she immediately locked eyes with Rosan, ignoring the two people with him and pushing herself up.

  She may have lost once, but that wouldn't stop her from trying to save her master.

  As green spread across Maro's body, Daisy made its way to her hand and she lunged at the redhead, hellbent on crashing it against his face despite her injuries.

  Rosan's eyes widened and he dodged the frantic and heavy swings.

  "Hey wait Maro! I'm not here to fight!" he exclaimed, grunting as the most recent swing caused the ground around her to shake.

  It was a good thing her special garden was so reinforced because Maro was trying to cave his body in.

  "Shut the fuck up!" she snarled violently. "Just because you won doesn't mean you can come back and do whatever you want! I won't let you!"

  Ah, she still thought he was misguided. He should rectify that quickly because he was seriously in no state to fight right now.

  "Maro!" Robin shouted in concern, summoning a flurry of arms to slow the woman down and watching in shock as she effortlessly steamrolled through them with brute strength alone.

  It wasn't often she faced up against Maro so the woman's sheer strength always caught her by surprise.

  Maro attacked like a woman possessed, not even realizing that it was Robin who had tried to slow her down. She glared venomously at Rosan and lunged, orange overtaking all of her eye.

  Rosan grunted and sidestepped a swing that was definitely aimed to break his leg, before leaning into Maro's guard with a final surge of adrenaline. He gripped her slender and strong arm, forcing it up so that she couldn't destroy the area anymore and pulled her into a deep hug.

  Maro's breath hitched at the action and she froze.

  "You know…" Rosan murmured in her ear. "I always expected your fantasies about me to be lewder. This is surprising... though I guess it's still pretty lewd."

  Maro shuddered at the voice. "M-Master…?" she whispered.

  "It's me, Maro," he replied gently, squeezing her in reassurance. "I'm back. Trust me."

  "He's right, Maro," Robin replied with a small smile, watching as the green melted off her skin. "Rosan is… better than ever I think."

  Rosan smiled and tucked his precious student into his frame after noting how hard she was trembling. "You have no idea how much you played a part in saving me Maro. Until the end, you fought and it helped me so much. Thanks for knocking my head silly when we fought... and I'm sorry for hurting you so badly."

  Maro sniffed repeatedly and Rosan's expression turned concerned.

  "Maro?" he mumbled, running a hand against her back soothingly.

  "You're right," she eventually whispered.

  "...I'm right?" he repeated in confusion.

  "My fantasies of you are way lewder. Y-You have no idea b-but they need you to be alive…" she replied, before breaking out in a gut wrenching sob.

  "MASTERRR!" she wailed, tackling him to the floor with heavy tears.

  "I thought you were g-gone! I didn't know what I was going to do without you! I f-felt... I felt so looost!" Maro continued crying, practically suffocating him with her figure.

  Rosan laughed lightly at that, shaking his head at her words before wrapping her into a crushing hug. "I'm here. I'm here. Thank you Maro. When you told me you were going to show me how much you mattered, I never imagined it'd be like this," he soothed.

  "From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

  Maro just continued sobbing, cries filling her garden as it traveled throughout the castle.

  Rosan just continued to sooth her, running a hand through her hair and humming softly.

  The door to where she had been isolating herself, opened up and Rosan stopped humming.

  Angel and Demon's red rimmed eyes widened in shock, at the sight of Maro crying against Rosan's chest. They heard her cries loud and clear and rushed over to mourn together but they never expected to see the sight.

  As he craned his head to gaze at them, the twins met the brightly glowing red and purple eyes of Rosan, lacking a black sclera.

  At the sight of their older brother smiling at them, they felt a fresh batch of tears forming.

  "I'm tired but I always got room for two more," Rosan said holding his arms, as Maro hogged his midsection. She was still crying, spilling her tears all over him.

  "Mghm," Angel and Demon both sniffed, before they let out piercing wails.

  "MASTER!" they shouted in unison, rushing him with no hesitation.

  "Oof," Rosan grunted, flattened to the floor as his three little geniuses squeezed him. "I'm sorry guys. I didn't mean to worry you all. I'm seriously sorry."

  Angel sobbed on his left. "Y-You better be! W-We thought we… we thought we lost you, big bro! Don't scare us like that again!" she wailed, tucked into his neck.

  "I… I couldn't b-believe it," Demon whimpered quietly. "I felt everything shutting down b-but my body was still fine. That's when I realized it was just how I was feeling a-and I hate that feeling. It's terrible."

  Rosan's eyes softened and he felt his heart pang at the shuddering figures of his former crew.

  He held them all close and sighed sadly. "I… when I realized you guys shut down when something bad happened to me… I made countermeasures. You guys are… practically completely separated from me now," he revealed.

  Angel and Demon were stunned silent by that.

  "W-Why would you do that?" Angel stammered in confusion.

  Rosan tilted his head. "Because your lives aren't tied to me anymore. A mistake on my end should not be the end of all three of us. That wouldn't be fair to you and especially to Maro," he said.

  "You two are no longer my underlings. You two have an all new set of responsibilities that have nothing to do with me and things would get thrown into chaos if something happened to you two as well. I'm not the only one who matters to you guys anymore."

  Angel's tears renewed and she sobbed against his shoulder, muffling the noise.

  "You're always thinking about us," Demon whispered.

  "I-It's so sweet! Even with these little things that we don't even think about… Thank you Master," Angel said quietly.

  "You're seriously the best big brother we could have asked for," Demon mumbled, hiding his face.

  Rosan chuckled tiredly. "It's my job to take care of all my little siblings. I think of the hard stuff so that you guys can live easier."

  "And we appreciate that b-because we can be really dumb sometimes!" Maro sniffed.

  "Just like how I can be dumb," Rosan said softly, squeezing them all affectionately.

  "You work too hard... we're older now too so please slow down. You don't have to do everything alone," Demon begged.

  Rosan's soft gaze turned down to them and he nodded. "Yeah you're right. I don't... I'll do better."

  They continued to cry against him, joy and relief filling the room, until finally they seemed to be all petered out.

  Rosan smiled at them and they all stood up, right as the door was pushed open again.

  The redhead turned and met the stunned and red rimmed gaze of Aiko and Akemi.

  Rosan's heart panged again at that and he waved slightly. "Hey you two—"

  The redhead let out a grunt of surprise as he was tackled by… not Akemi but Aiko of all people.

  "You fucking dumbass!" Aiko sobbed, clutching him desperately as Akemi appeared one step behind her and crashed into him with a loud sob.

  Rosan was taken aback by the raw emotion in Aiko. She was always aloof or pissed but he rarely saw sadness from her.

  The last time he saw her cry so freely... was when she got reunited with her sister.

  Huh... so that's how much he mattered to her?

  "What do you think you're doing?! Who said you could try and get yourself killed?! Then you came over here causing more issues?!" Aiko barked furiously, pawing his outfit before clutching it tightly.

  At the sight of the tough and stern Aiko crying freely, Rosan's eyes narrowed in guilt.

  He didn't make fun of her, he just wrapped his arms around his surrogate older sister with a surprising amount of tenderness.

  "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking at all," Rosan confessed, thinking back to what happened.

  He always had a bug watching Luffy... so he saw the moment his brother lost all the power in his body. He saw Ace lose his battle against Admiral Akainu... and he saw Akainu charge after Luffy to deliver a killing blow.

  Rosan had felt a strong sense of dread and simply moved, not thinking of any other way to save his brothers.

  "No thought went into it... my body moves before I even registered what was happening. I just felt the terror of an older brother and reacted. I can't let anything bad happen to you guys."

  He opened his arm and scooped up the sobbing Akemi as well.

  He squeezed the both of his older sisters and let out a rattling sigh. "I'm not strong enough to ease you guy's worries," Rosan confessed with a deep frown.

  At that war... most of his opponents had utterly outclassed him. He didn't have to be stronger than all of them... but if he had been stronger than some, then he'd maybe have saved enough healing to survive that blow from Akainu.

  ...

  "Ever since Water 7 I realized that my strength was failing me and this opened my eyes…"

  "I'm weak," Rosan finished, closing his eyes.

  For someone who desired to be the strongest… realizing that you were weak was demoralizing and crushing.

  But it was up to you to transform those feelings into fuel to get stronger and Rosan knew what he needed to do to get stronger.

  "You'll get stronger... you have to," Akemi mumbled fearfully. "I refuse to let you do anything if something like this will happen again!"

  Everyone nodded in unison, holding the injured redhead tightly.

  Rosan nodded at that, shutting his eyes as his resolve settled.

  "Thank you Aiko for tearing into me after my fight with Maro. You said everything I needed to hear," Rosan said thankfully.

  "You… no one's ever made me cry since I've become ruler of Fregate," Aiko whispered, feeling vulnerable in a way that she never had.

  "Well, it's always been up to me to make you act outta character," Rosan said weakly.

  Aiko couldn't even glare at him, too afraid to remove her head from his body. She was just so tired and relieved.

  "I-I'm so glad," Akemi whimpered, tears combining with all the others that had long soaked his outfit.

  Rosan sighed fondly. "I need to go visit the rest. Will you guys be okay? After verifying that they're alright, I'll explain everything that happened on my end, alright?"

  Aiko and Akemi's grip tightened and Rosan felt Angel, Demon and Maro clutching him from behind as well.

  "I'm serious guys. No more fighting. I'd be asleep right now if I didn't have to make sure you guys knew I was okay," Rosan confessed.

  They flinched at that, noticing just how deep his exhaustion seemed to run.

  "I think I'll be out for a few days… I've been moving nonstop. I fought too many strong people too."

  The tightening on his body was a reminder that they were well aware of who he fought.

  "I'm not going anywhere for long guys. We can even do a group sleep like the old times and I'll drag all the reluctant ones into it too, like Aiko," he murmured to them.

  "I honestly don't want you outta my sight so I'll join," Aiko muttered.

  Akemi nodded hastily.

  Rosan blinked slowly. Man they were really messed up right now.

  "Alright, I'll be fast. C'mon Robin and Koala," Rosan said, accepting a kiss on his cheeks from Maro, Angel and Demon... and Aiko and Akemi.

  "Come back fast," Angel demanded.

  "I will," Rosan promised, grabbing the two and vanishing.

  The moment he did so, the group let out relieved sobs and collapsed.

  "I'm so tired," Maro mumbled, sniffing as she curled into Angel. The two held each other tightly, tears combining from relief and sadness.

  "We all are," Aiko muttered, wiping her eyes. "You fuckers aren't supposed to see me cry like this. This sucks."

  "Mhm," Akemi nodded, pulling them all into a group hug. "B-But it's better than the alternative. A-At least these are tears of relief."

  Everyone nodded, far preferring these over the other tears.

  "You all need to get a bit of rest," Zala said, crossing her arms in concern. "We'll handle affairs for now. Celadon won't collapse if you all take a bit of a break."

  "She's right," Kaori nodded in agreement. "Please rest and recuperate… this was a taxing event to you all. I'll call and notify Fregate as well. Trust us."

  "We'll deal with it," Gem saluted.

  Maro sniffed and gazed at her soldiers with teary eyes.

  "Master really always is right. I love my soldiers so much!" she sobbed, nodding in agreement. "Okay! I trust you guys! I'll leave the island in your hands for now! Thank you so much!"

  "Of course, my Queen!" they saluted.

  The soldiers were relieved that Rosan was alive. They may have had their personal issues with him but none of it even came close to how much they adored Queen Maro, Angel and Demon.

  They were their precious leaders after all. So if they would be ruined off of Rosan's death, then they too wanted him to remain alive.

  Besides, Rosan truly wasn't all that terrible. The war showed them that if he wanted to, he could have done far far worse to them so they were thankful he found another use for them.

  That decision to hand them over to the Queen... it was truly a good decision in hindsight and they were glad he had the eye for it.

  Rosan's Save Point brought him to Amazon Island and when he arrived, it was to the company of many different people.

  They jumped in shock at his arrival, turning towards him with wide eyes and feeling their jaws drop at the redhead.

  "Rosan?" Jinbe asked warily, noting the black tipped hair.

  The redhead looked at the assortment of people there with a tilted head.

  "Trafalgar Law? You're still here?" Rosan mused, gazing at his fellow pirate.

  Law glanced warily at him. "I saved your brothers," he informed him immediately.

  No point trying to incite the redhead's fury with assumptions.

  The redhead gained a look of concern at that, ignoring Law's wariness. "How are they?"

  "Alive," the surgeon replied after a moment. "The blonde one is in shock and Fire Fist has some serious injuries but he'll recover… Straw Hat on the other hand, was on the brink of death."

  Rosan frowned deeply at that. "That bad?"

  "If I didn't immediately operate on him, he would have died. He could still die," Law said truthfully. "Your… death, put him in shock and combined with how injured his insides were, it was almost impossible to save him."

  "I take blame... he took a blow to the chest from Akainu and I wasn't able to block it completely," Jinbe apologized.

  "That one is going to scar over but other than that... he's somewhat stabilized," Law explained.

  "…" Rosan said nothing at that, frowning deeply.

  "It's my fault Red-boy," Iva apologized regretfully. "I should not have given him another hormone shot. If I allowed him to be taken away, maybe everything could have been avoided. I saw your concern for him and disregarded it because…"

  "You got swept in by his charisma," Rosan finished understandingly, shaking his head.

  If and buts were meaningless. Yes, Rosan had said he would take Luffy out of the battle when he was out of energy but Luffy had still played a key part in freeing Ace.

  "Don't worry about it. I don't blame you… Luffy was able to convince me of all people to work under him. No one alive can resist him," he said matter of factly.

  "Don't you have too much ego too?" everyone who heard him say that thought at the same time.

  "Trafalgar Law," Rosan said, turning towards his fellow pirate with a tired gaze.

  Law glanced warily at him, hand resting laxly at his side but poised for action at any time.

  "Thank you," Rosan said earnestly.

  Law blinked at that.

  The Red Devil was thanking him?

  "I don't know your reasoning and I won't question it, but you saved my brothers. If it was a favor you wanted from me, you earned it. If not, I won't forget this so in the future I won't obliterate you and your crew if we cross paths," he said truthfully.

  Law gazed at him curiously. "That favor sounds like a good thing to have… so I'll hold onto it for the future. No point using it now."

  "Smart. One of the smartest things a person who has met me has said," Rosan grinned wryly, peering at the pirate with amused eyes. "Alright, I won't forget that then."

  "Rosan, stop flirting with someone in front of me," Robin admonished with a shake of her head.

  Rosan didn't even bat an eye. "He doesn't have your boobs. Or your face. Or your a—"

  "Rosan," Robin interrupted with a tired sigh.

  "Absolutely amazing personality," Rosan continued with a winning smile.

  "Have you become even more perverted?" Robin asked curiously.

  "I missed you a lot," Rosan replied, turning towards her.

  "It's been almost an entire day since I saw you... and I'm really tired so I'm speaking my mind without using a filter much."

  Robin quirked a brow. "You're telling me you're capable of using a filter? Truly? Am I supposed to believe that?"

  The redhead gazed at her with half lidded eyes and Robin balked as it began trailing.

  "Never mind. Forget I asked," she said, not willing to test him. His eyes looked a little… bedroomy in a dangerous way.

  Rosan opened his mouth, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by a choking noise instead because a blur of a figure tackled him to the floor.

  His eyes widened, as a terribly loud sob pierced the skies.

  "C-COUSIN!" Hancock wailed, soaking his already ruined outfit even further. "You're okay! I'm so glad!" she cracked.

  "H-Hancock, you're squeezing me too hard. And put more clothes on, Robin might kill me," Rosan strained, wrapping an arm around her.

  "I won't," Robin smiled.

  Obviously, Hancock did not hear him. The woman continued to cry against him, squeezing him like he were about to disappear at any moment and effectively crushing the weakened redhead with her absurd strength.

  "Lucky," the people of Law's crew thought enviously, watching as the most beautiful woman in the world threw her whole body onto the Red Devil and squeezed him with it.

  Lucky bastard. Couldn't he be satisfied with Nico Robin?!

  "Hey look. See? I'm totally fine. Don't worry about me," Rosan assured, running a hand against her back with an exasperated smile.

  He would admit that Hancock had wormed a way into his heart incredibly fast. She was almost childishly adorable in her mannerisms and Rosan didn't forget how she risked everything she had, to sneak them into Impel Down.

  Rosan liked Hancock because she truly did love him unconditionally. She was a person that more than earned his trust so he'd treat her accordingly.

  Hancock sniffed and buried her head into the crook of his neck. Considering at least 5 different people had done the exact same move, he was well accustomed to it.

  "When I saw your body collapsed onto the f-floor, I couldn't even contain my cries! Then they only got worse because the air became so thick and heavy with negativity!" Hancock sobbed.

  Jinbe nodded. "Such insidious feelings... I found myself moved to tears just by the charged air alone," he explained.

  Rosan frowned at that. "Sorry. My emotions, particularly the negative ones, are really overwhelming."

  "You felt so sad..." Hancock murmured in despair. "Beneath all those terrible emotions... there was such traumatizing sadness!"

  She sniffed sadly and hugged him.

  " I was so glad to see that you got up b-but then you started screaming in such a horrific manner a-and then I began worrying for you even more and Luffy was unconscious and I just didn't know what was happening!" she blubbered.

  Rosan sighed and just soothed his older cousin. "I know. A lot happened really quickly. I was very close to dying so I needed to use something... unsettling to survive. That's why I attacked that Marine. If I didn't, I'd have died."

  Those there to witness his assault shuddered, remembering the black encased creature well.

  "You seemed more like a wild animal than a human," Bon Clay shuddered, feeling a fear at just remembering that monster.

  "I'm not a human anyways. That's why I was able to survive," he replied, patting Hancock on the head.

  "I'm sorry for worrying and scaring you," he muttered to his cousin.

  "Don't be!" Hancock suddenly exclaimed, shaking her head harshly. "Don't be sorry! I'm not mad at you… I'm just glad you're alive, cousin!"

  Rosan let loose a fond sigh and stood up with his cousin…

  Only to be brought right back down to the floor again, as two much larger figures tackled him to the floor.

  "Cousin!" Sandersonia and Marigold cried in unison.

  "Did you all agree to tackle me to the floor?" Rosan grunted tiredly, completely smothered by his giant cousins.

  "We heard what happened," Sandersonia said in worry, hastily helping him up with the help of her sister.

  "Are you alright?" Marigold finished, patting him down.

  Rosan huffed at them. "I could be better. I did just get a hole punched in my stomach so my insides are in a very precarious situation... some sleep should do me good," he explained.

  Everyone shuddered at how casually he mentioned getting killed.

  "You must get some rest. You've done so much! Oh I know! You can sleep in my room! " Hancock exclaimed eagerly.

  "I HATE YOU SO MUCH!" Law's crew, barring their captain, thought to the redhead.

  "Thanks for the offer but I still have to go talk to my family… and then they'll drag me into their group sleep probably," he explained tiredly, leaning against Marigold as he threatened to collapse.

  "Your family?" Hancock asked curiously. "You have more? We have more?!" she asked excitedly.

  "My little, but also same age, twin brother and sister, my student… my surrogate older sisters," he explained with a sigh. "They've been very affected by this whole thing as well."

  Law perked up at that. "Are you talking about —"

  "Yes. The one you met was my adorable idiot little student. Like I said, I'd like if you never mentioned anything about her and I's relationship. It'd be very bad for you," Rosan finished with a sigh of exasperation

  Law raised a single brow at that. "You said you wouldn't kill me," he mentioned.

  "Trust me. I can do many more things worse than killing someone," Rosan assured softly.

  How reassuring.

  Law smiled in amusement. "Our meeting was amicable. I won't rat her out. She's your student?"

  "And she's banging my sister," Rosan added, nothing the truth in his words.

  His nose suddenly picked up the scent of blood and he grunted in confusion at seeing a few unconscious members of Law's crew.

  "Rosan," Robin sighed, exchanging a deep hug with Hancock. "You really need to go to sleep."

  "I know," Rosan said forlornly. "Hancock… do you mind if I bring them over to explain everything that happened on my end? I don't think I can make many more trips."

  "Of course not!" Hancock sounded offended.

  She probably actually was. Hancock was shamelessly whipped and he was pretty sure she'd nod eagerly if he pointed it out.

  "If they are your family then they are mine! I'd like to meet my other little cousins!" Hancock beamed, wiping her tears.

  Rosan snorted. "Alright. I have a lot to explain to you all…"

  The redhead peered at the ones not in his family and shrugged. "I guess you guys can listen in. The World Government finally knows my Devil Fruit so I guess I don't really have to keep it secret anymore."

  Ah that was fun. The eyes that would be on him now were going to be annoying...

  "Not to mention they know you're Reaper too," Robin pointed out. "I can't imagine what that will do."

  "…" Rosan sighed tiredly.

  "So you truly are Reaper?" Jinbe mused in shock, gazing at his ally of the war with wide eyes.

  "Yeah. I was Reaper from nine years old to fourteen," Rosan explained, allowing Robin to hold him straight.

  "Nine to Fourteen?! What?!"

  Everyone stared at the redhead with wide eyes at his admittance. Reaper was far too notorious for the culprit to be a child!

  "I'd summon my wings but I'm tired so you'll just have to believe my word," Rosan murmured.

  "Believing your word isn't the problem, you were way too young!" everyone barked at him.

  The redhead blinked blearily. "Yeah I guess I was."

  "Your Devil Fruit also seems to be quite desired by the Fleet Admiral. Not to mention you seemed to be taking extra steps to keep it secret," Iva pointed out.

  Rosan sighed and nodded. "I've been keeping my Devil Fruit secret for 20 years. It's called the Mod Mod no mi. I'm a computer human that can modify whatever I touch."

  "S-So you've modified yourself to achieve the form of a Dragon…?" Iva asked in disbelief.

  "Not to mention your complete mastery of elements," Jinbe pointed out in disbelief.

  "All that stems from the ability to Modify?" Law raised a brow. "I'm a Free Modification Human. I can't do any of what I saw you do."

  "You're a doctor's fruit and I'm a scientist's. My reach is naturally farther in terms of what I can do," Rosan replied easily. "I'm also real creative. I bet there's a lot of things you could do but you look like you walk around with a stick up your ass."

  Law twitched minutely at that. The Red Devil was very annoying.

  "Rosan," Robin said in exasperation.

  "How did you get a bounty of 500 million?" Iva asked curiously.

  Rosan blinked slowly. "I killed a Celestial Dragon. He decided that I would look better as his slave. I decided he would look better dead after he clearly forfeited his life," he murmured.

  …

  "H-Huh?" Everyone said dumbly.

  ...

  "HUH?!" they screamed.

  "Good job cousin! He deserved it!" Hancock praised, clapping happily for him.

  "I know right?" Rosan agreed, resting his head on Robin.

  "Imagine wanting to enslave me. How else could I freely shove my ton—"

  "Rosan!" Robin interrupted him immediately, glaring at the redhead and putting a hand over his mouth.

  "Okay okay. Going to get them now," Rosan muffled tiredly, making the woman withdraw her hand.

  He stood up slowly, stumbling around as his eyes drooped even further.

  "I haven't felt this exhausted in forever. It's rare that I can't even think at all," he mumbled, allowing Robin to steady him. "Be right back."

  He sent a lazy two fingered salute and vanished with Robin in tow.

  "Instantaneous teleportation too?" Law mused.

  The Red Devil was incredibly dangerous…

  Law saw his performance at the war. The Red Devil had been the eye of the storm that entire time... single-handedly turning the tides at unfavorable points.

  Perhaps it was smart to not make enemies of the Straw Hats. That favor sounded like it could be a good thing.

  Law would remember it.

  Hancock put a hand to her mouth, at the sight of Rosan standing next to two other Rosan's.

  Angel, Demon and Maro were practically glued to the redhead and it allowed the world's most beautiful woman to stare at all three of them.

  "Triplets?!" Hancock whispered in shock.

  "Sometimes Master calls us triplets, since we're the same age... but he enjoys calling us his little twins instead because he gets to lord being the oldest sibling out of it," Demon explained.

  "It's annoying," Angel scowled, looking Hancock up and down. "We're all 24! Sure we're younger than him but we look the same and have the same age!"

  Rosan yawned. "If you want to be technical, you two are only three years older than Ram, who's 12 years old."

  The twins opened their mouths at that and shut it.

  "Your fun facts are disturbing," Angel said flatly. She was not 15 years old.

  "Little twins it is," Demon agreed with a shake of his head.

  Rosan chuckled softly. "Calling us triplets is easier. I'm basically the only one who calls them my little twins..."

  Angel and Demon watched with wide eyes as their taller cousin appeared directly in front of them, pulling the two into a tight hug.

  "My little triplet cousins! I had no idea I had more! I am Boa Hancock, your older cousin!" she gushed.

  Oh she just couldn't wait to dote on her little triplet cousins.

  Demon recovered quickly, returning the hug easily. "It's nice to meet you Hancock. We've been watching you and Master's adventures... and we just wanted to thank you for helping so much," he smiled.

  Hancock beamed at the purple haired Rosan, who looked quite beautiful, and puffed up proudly. "I will always help my cousins to the best of my abilities! That includes you two as well!"

  Angel smiled at her. "You're good in my books! We gladly accept you into the family!"

  "Angel doing that means you really are in. She's insanely stubborn," Demon nodded sagely.

  Angel felt a tick form at that and glared at Demon. "That reminds me..."

  She turned a heavy gaze towards Hancock, watching as the woman went stiff.

  "What are your intentions with my babiest brother?" she asked warningly.

  Hancock blinked. "Luffy? I'm going to marry him," she said bluntly.

  Everyone who didn't know, felt their jaws dropping at Hancock's straight to the point answer.

  Angel blinked at the blunt answer and took a long look at her, quite frankly, insane cousin.

  "Hm. I'll be the judge of that!" she declared. "No one is allowed to get married in my family without express approval from ME!"

  "You're a psycho," Demon and Rosan sighed tiredly.

  Maro clapped supportively, despite wholeheartedly disagreeing with her wife.

  Sometimes it was best to just go along. Angel was unhinged on the best of days.

  Hancock nodded, somehow not seeing anything wrong with the psychotic statement that left Angel's mouth. "Very well. I will earn your approval if it's the last thing I do!"

  "That's the spirit!" Angel cheered, pulling her cousin into a hug. "I like you, Hancock! Welcome to the family!"

  Hancock beamed. "These are my sisters, Sandersonia and Marigold!"

  "This is my wife, Maro! Look how beautiful she is! You two can talk about back pains!"

  "I don't have back pain, Angel. I have a strong body."

  "What?"

  "Ow, my back."

  Everyone sweatdropped as Angel began to give Maro a massage immediately after the queen's painfully fake exclamation.

  As Maro sighed in bliss, her eyes widened dramatically.

  "No way! If it isn't the Surgeon of Death!" she cheered, bolting over to Law's position.

  Law was filled with amusement as the Queen excitedly closed the distance, unmindful of the bandages covering her body.

  Seems she truly was a warrior.

  "Queen-ya," he greeted. "It's been a while."

  "Yeah it has! Last time we saw each other, you weren't a bigshot pirate!" Maro beamed, shaking his hand eagerly. "Did you save my brothers?!"

  The pirate nodded. "I did. There was no particular reason behind it so don't ask."

  Maro awed at that. "Wow, you're a good guy! I knew I was right to not kill you on the spot!"

  "You certainly are the Red Devil's student. You two say the same things," Law mused, unbothered by her statement.

  She beamed and launched herself at Bepo, squeezing the bear happily.

  "Bepooo you're still so fluffy!" she gushed happily.

  Bepo was about to respond, before he felt a deathly aura wash over him.

  The bear fearfully made eye contact with a redheaded woman who was staring at him with the eyes of death itself.

  "I'm sorry," he apologized immediately.

  "Apologize after I finish killing you," Angel said ruthlessly, marching forward to do just that.

  "W-What?! Angel you can't kill him! Look how fluffy he is!" Maro exclaimed, jumping in front of her wife.

  "I'll peel all his fur off then. You won't be gushing over his fluffiness again."

  "NO! DON'T PEEL HIM!" Maro squealed.

  "I-I'm sorry," Bepo apologized meekly, hiding behind the amused Law.

  "Let's all settle down. Master can't stay up for much longer," Demon interjected firmly, a hint of authority entering his voice.

  Everyone stiffened and nodded, watching as Rosan lolled about, head tipping over until Robin caught him.

  "Nice," Rosan purred in content, nestling in.

  "You're such a pervert. We need to get you to sleep immediately," she sighed.

  "Tell me about it... speaking of, when Ram wakes up I need to show you her," Rosan mumbled.

  Everyone perked up at that.

  "Something happened to Ram?" Robin asked in concern.

  "Is she okay? She better be okay," Angel frowned.

  "She's fine... though her confidence might have taken a blow," Rosan explained in amusement. "Her and Mod-chan are sleeping right now. We've been through a bit of a trial."

  Robin frowned at that. "It's about time you tell us everything that happened. Then, you sleep."

  Rosan nodded tiredly. "Alright."

  "So you've basically been split into two this whole time? That person I fought really was you?" Maro asked softly.

  Rosan couldn't even muster up the energy to nod. His head was already lying peacefully atop the exasperated Robin's lap and she merely ran a hand through his hair.

  "Yeah. I was too emotional for the world so I unknowingly split my emotions from myself and shoved them in the castle. The only one I kept when I was younger was my anger… but then I sealed all of it away when you know what happened."

  Maro wilted in guilt. "I'm sorry Master, I didn't know that it was actually still you. I wouldn't have said such harsh things."

  "Don't apologize. I was just angry and afraid. I thought I had no choice but to take the path I was taking... but I was shown that there's another route that I can take," he said, glancing at his hand with a soft expression.

  The redhead smiled. "With how large the shadow I casted was, it's only natural that the light would be just as bright..."

  "Because love and hate are two sides of the same coin..." Robin gasped in realization.

  Rosan's love and hate... they signified both the sides of the redhead. That quote was literal when it came to her redheaded boyfriend.

  His light and dark... so that's why...

  "That's why you had anger issues," Angel muttered in realization.

  "I never realized your emotions were crippled for so long," Demon said sadly.

  "That makes so much sense," Robin pondered. "I made a realization that you always seemed to err on the negative side of things. It felt like you were divided on how you wished to be treated… I had no idea how true that was."

  "My genius," Rosan praised, getting her to roll her eyes.

  He was a trip alright.

  "You hit it right on. The version of me that you guys got to know, was my negative half. He was my defense mechanism to shield me... so I was stripped of everything unnecessary to that until I was safe. I like to call him War... or Death since I acted so much like Reaper."

  Rosan sighed. "And then there's the version of me trapped in the castle... Famine. He initially had all my emotions but as War met his family... he began to lose more. War managed to talk Famine down and now the Rosan you all know and love is here," he explained eyes fluttering.

  "Fascinating," Law muttered. The Red Devil was speaking of his body in ways that would make any doctor, newbie or experienced, fascinated.

  It was truly interesting the way he spoke of himself. As a doctor, it made him all the more intrigued about this redhead.

  "What about the virus?" Maro frowned slightly, remembering the vitriolic creature.

  "Pestilence," Rosan corrected softly.

  Robin quirked a brow. "You don't… dislike them?" she asked tentatively, not wanting to use the word hate.

  Rosan shook his head. "No. I don't... it's complicated," he said shortly.

  They sensed the slight frustration in his voice and mercifully dropped it.

  Clearly that was the Famine half of Rosan who was struggling with Pestilence.

  "Now if that's everything…" Rosan said tiredly. "I need to sleep for a couple of days… or weeks," he said.

  "You can sleep in my castle! I insist! I can make sure you sleep soundly!" Hancock said immediately, a protective look in her eyes.

  "What?! No way! I want Master!" Angel interrupted matter of factly, leaping onto and possessively grabbing her brother. "He's sleeping with us!"

  Maro and Demon both nodded in agreement at that.

  "Kids," Aiko sighed. "I'll sleep in the same room. I'm not sharing a bed with you late night monsters though."

  "I will!" Akemi beamed. "I know how you guys get so I'll just sleep next to Demon! He's the best bed partner!"

  Demon sighed. "Please don't say it like that Akemi. If they think that I somehow did something with you, I truly will never escape the allegations."

  Akemi smiled teasingly.

  "I'm not a toy and none of you guys are not apart of my harem. Can't I just sleep with Robin?" Rosan asked in exhaustion.

  "No."

  He sighed tiredly.

  Hancock mulled over the dilemma. "My bed is large enough! We may all share it then. Cousin is too tired to find a new area to rest regardless," she said eventually.

  Angel mulled it over, glancing at her cousin up and down before nodding in agreement. "Okay! But there are some ground rules to be understood. Master's right arm is mine."

  "His left is mine!" Maro beamed.

  "Stop speaking about me like I'm some piece of object," Rosan grunted.

  He was ignored.

  "Robin say something. They're talking about your boyfriend like he's rentable," Rosan complained.

  "Rosan's chest is mine," Robin told them.

  "Of course!" They agreed and that was that.

  As the three debated about which part of his body to rent, the redhead simply sighed in defeat and shut his eyes.

  "G'night," was all he said, going unconscious immediately.

  Everyone let out a sigh of relief at the same time, at actually seeing him fall asleep. The mood sombered over quickly and they gazed at his body

  "We kept him up for too long," Maro frowned sadly.

  "I feel bad," Angel said truthfully.

  "We should bring him to bed immediately," Hancock suggested.

  "That would be ideal," Robin said worriedly, letting her brave expression fully melt into blatant concern as she stared at Rosan's still body.

  Maro immediately hoisted the redhead up and planted him on her back. "Lead the way, cousin!"

  Hancock nodded and they immediately left for her castle.

  "I want to run a quick checkup on the others if possible, then I'll help Master," Demon said, smiling politely at Law.

  "I'll remain here to escort you to the castle," Marigold offered with a kind smile.

  "Be my guest. I've stabilized them to the best of my abilities," Law told him as they walked onto the submarine.

  Demon nodded. "Thank you again for helping them. As a doctor I understand how difficult caring for one person, much less three, can be."

  Law shook his head. "My fruit makes it easier. It wasn't that terrible."

  "The Op Op no mi, right?" Demon mused in clear interest. "I'm jealous. That's quite the Devil Fruit for a doctor to have. I have parts of Masters fruit"

  Law smirked and nodded in agreement. "I hope this isn't an attempt of flirting by you."

  The purple haired man blinked in slight confusion. "Flirting? Why would I do that?" he asked curiously.

  While certainly attractive, Demon was already dealing with his own confused feelings right now. Adding a third person to the mix, would make the doctor actually believe what Rosan and Angel were saying about his love life.

  Law's smirk widened, amused further by the fact that Maro didn't even bother telling Demon what she had been up to. "Because your sister in law tried to set us up."

  Demon blinked even harder before letting out an audible groan, placing a hand against his head. "I'm sorry about Maro... she's a bit of a dumbass. Rest assured, I did not set her up for anything like that."

  "I believe you," Law snorted. "Queen-ya is a unique case."

  "They all are. Save yourself while you have the chance… though I think it's too late already. Master definitely has eyes on you and I've never seen anyone get away from him," Demon sighed.

  "That doesn't sound like a good thing," Law said warily.

  "It's terrible if you're his enemy… but it's not the worst if you're neutral or an ally. Master is very sweet. If you can somehow get on his good side, you'll find yourself with the most valuable ally alive," Demon offered.

  "…" Law sighed.

  At least they were entertaining.

  Robin stared at Rosan's unconscious body, wrapped up in bandages, with a soft expression.

  After double checking his body, Demon had immediately began working on his brother, noting that his body was the weakest it had ever been.

  It was a disaster. Rosan hadn't even been running on fumes. The redhead's body had shown the effects of being the centerpiece of a war.

  He and Mod were effectively out of commission for the foreseeable future.

  It was nerve wracking, watching the redhead sleep through the day without so much as a twitch. His face looked peaceful, only showing discomfort when she moved away from him.

  But whenever she moved away, Rosan normally woke right up. Even when he had been horribly sick the lack of her presence would snap him right awake.

  Now? His expression would just shift uncomfortably but he would stay firmly asleep. It was a testament that the incredibly light sleeper wasn't woken by anything.

  Not the group sleeps, not her washing his body... nothing. He hadn't even eaten yet. His body was practically shutdown and to be honest, he remained so still that she feared he wasn't breathing sometimes.

  Despite all his rambunctious behavior, Rosan was quite the peaceful sleeper all the time. It was only when he was struggling from a nightmare that it was bad.

  Robin wished he were a little bit of a more active sleeper. He was just so still.

  The Devil Child sighed, before her attention was grabbed by the ring on the table next to Rosan shaking heavily.

  Robin's eyes widened and she felt excitement at that.

  Rosan and Mod were completely inactive but was Ram perhaps fine?

  "Ram?" Robin asked carefully, watching as the ring shook some more, before it transformed into her daughter in all her glory...

  Well... half her glory.

  Robin watched with a stunned expression as Ram landed on the floor, three feet shorter than she used to be.

  "R-Ram?!" Robin nearly shouted, eyes wide as she looked at the much younger looking ring.

  "Mother!" Ram squealed, rushing the woman with a happy grin.

  Robin watched the ring rush her, looking decades younger, and instinctively scooped her up.

  "W-Why are you so tall?!" Ram complained.

  "W-Why are you so short?" Robin countered in disbelief.

  The ring blinked, before a flash of disgust crossed her features.

  "Oh Kami I forgot," she whined in despair. "I used power to make sure Father was useful and ended up like this!"

  Right... Rosan said without Ram, he wouldn't have been able to help them.

  He just didn't explain that his daughter had turned years younger in the process.

  ...She was so adorable!

  Robin squeezed Ram with a happy smile. "You're so cute, Ram!"

  "Stop! Don't call me cute goddamnit! I don't want to be cute!" she snarled cutely, struggling fruitlessly in Robin's grasp.

  "Stop this! Father refused to let me go too!"

  "I can see why!" Robin gushed, squeezing the girl. Without any hesitation, she carried the panicking Ram.

  "Mother! Where are you taking me?!" she shouted in distress.

  "Oh Ram, you don't have to be so shy! I'm going to show everyone that you're awake!" she exclaimed, rubbing Ram's pudgy cheek against her own.

  Ram's eyes widened in horror. "E-Everyone? What do you mean everyone?! Where are we?!"

  "Amazon Island. Maro, Angel, Demon, Aiko and Akemi are here as well," Robin explained.

  Ram felt her horror deepen and she struggled harshly.

  "LEMME GO! I DON'T WANNA SEE THEM!" she hissed.

  Why was this little body so damn weak?!

  "Are you going to transform back to your regular appearance?" Robin asked curiously, utterly unfazed by her struggles.

  "...N-No. I was unconsciously using my abilities to remain the same age as father... now I don't have the power to sustain that," Ram revealed glumly.

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  "Oh wow, I had no idea," Robin murmured truthfully, stroking the silver hair of the girl and getting her to relax.

  Of course, that relaxation immediately flew out the window the moment she heard a familiar voice scream "RAM?!"

  "I hate you so much," Ram hissed violently, hiding her face in Robin's neck.

  "You can't just expect them to never find out, Ram," Robin soothed quietly.

  "Who the hell says I can't?!" she snarled, only to yelp as she was summarily grabbed out of Robin's arms.

  Angel was gawking at the ring with wide eyes. "R-RAM?! What happened to you?!" she squeaked.

  Ram scowled as she was propped into the air by her aunt.

  "YOU'RE SO CUTE!" Angel squealed, spinning with the girl.

  The ring let out a feral and strangled noise as she was snatched by Hancock next and the two unhinged cousins began gushing over the utterly adorable ring.

  Maro let out a cry of pain and collapsed on the floor.

  "No way, what happened to Ram?!" she cried, staring at her best friend with wide eyes.

  "F-Finally! Someone as upset as me about this!" Ram wheezed.

  Maro held her head in depression. "Your ass was one of my favorites to look at. Now I can't do it anymore," she sighed.

  "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DIE ALREADY?!" Ram roared at the stupid pervert.

  The ring huffed and held out her hands, watching as Robin grabbed and held her.

  "I'm still tired. Bring me to Father," she muttered, burying her head into Robin's neck.

  Robin cooed and nodded. "Come then. You're a growing girl after all."

  Ram gained a tick at that. She hated this so much.

  "We'll have to update your wardrobe in the meantime!" Angel gushed.

  "Update her wardrobe?" Hancock asked curiously.

  Angel nodded eagerly. "We'll go shopping and buy her new clothes!"

  "I've never gone shopping for my clothes... is it enjoyable?" Hancock asked curiously.

  Angel gasped in horror. "Enjoyable?! It's amazing! Oh you have to join us when we go shopping for Ram as well! We'll get you a new wardrobe too! You could rock so many different outfits!"

  Hancock nodded excitedly and the two utterly unhinged cousins began discussing with each other.

  "I think Auntie Angel finally found a best friend," Ram muttered fearfully, shuddering at the thought of getting a new wardrobe.

  "I actually understand why you fear such a thing," Robin replied, running a soft hand through her hair and getting the ring to doze off.

  She entered the room, where Rosan remained rooted to his spot, eyes shut tight as he didn't move an inch.

  Robin felt an irrational terror form at seeing his prone body not move at all and she rushed him, shuddering in relief as she felt inaudible breaths leave him.

  The woman let out a rattled breath and shut her eyes, tentatively placing Ram atop the redhead and watching as the tiny girl latched her tiny arms on Rosan.

  She stared at him and let out a tired sigh, before yelping in shock as a hand grabbed and pulled her down.

  "Rosan?" she whispered cautiously.

  Nothing, the redhead was sound asleep but he just had an arm wrapped around her, tucking her to his side.

  "I'm here." Is what he seemed to convey.

  "Even asleep you're still so considerate," she smiled, calming her nerves slightly.

  She was feeling a little tired... maybe she should sleep the stress off.

  "He's still sleeping?" Hancock asked in concern, gnawing on her lips in some concern.

  Robin placed her book to the side worriedly and raked a hand against the Rosan burrowed into her.

  Ram was off with Angel, being kidnapped by the woman for the time being while Rosan and Mod continued to sleep.

  "We should have at least let him eat something. He probably hasn't had a meal in so long," Robin frowned.

  Hancock nodded in agreement. "He was already running so low on energy… it's been 3 days now and he's shown no sign of waking."

  Saying Robin was worried, was a vast understatement. She still couldn't get the memories out of her head of Rosan's performance and it only amplified her anxiety when she looked at his unconscious form.

  It was truly stellar. He dismantled the enemy forces left and right, destroying key parts, taking out strong forces...

  He even managed to defeat Aokiji! The man who plagued her nightmares the most! Rosan had defeated him with ingenious strategy, managing to make it out against certain doom.

  He did everything so well… and he still took a fatal attack that nearly killed him.

  Rosan was fine now but what if he wasn't…? The redhead was peacefully sleeping next to her but w-what if he had really die—

  Robin jolted as a hand rested on her shoulder and she let out a deep breath.

  Losing any of the Straw Hats was one of Robin's greatest fears but losing Rosan would destroy her because she already thought she lost him. It just couldn't... she couldn't deal with that.

  "I'm terrified as well," Hancock said sympathetically. "I'm sure you know, but Rosan and Luffy both saved me when I was at a low and afraid... and I was unable to do anything when they truly needed help… I wanted nothing more than to assist them to the best of my abilities..."

  "But Rosan refused it," Robin guessed gently.

  She nodded. "He didn't want me to so blatantly risk my island. Even though I was so willing to do just that... he just chopped me on the head and chastised me for being stupid," she explained softly.

  "He's a paradox like that. I always find it surprising how caring he can be," Robin sighed.

  "And it feels almost impossible to repay him. I still don't know how I can help," Hancock replied.

  "It's terrible. This whole thing is a complete disaster," Robin nodded in agreement.

  Her captain was severely injured and in shock, her boyfriend was practically in a coma to the world… her future brother in laws were still unconscious as well...

  And she didn't know where any other of her crew members were.

  It was honestly a mess and now that the high emotions were falling, it made way for the aftermath.

  Thankfully, Maro and Aiko had left the reins of their islands in capable hands because Rosan was in no condition to bring them back.

  They had been integrating themselves with the people of Amazon Island and Robin was fairly sure that relations were going to be strong between the three islands.

  She wouldn't be surprised if they set up an alliance with Rosan in the middle to transport things. Angel and Hancock especially had formed an intense bond that stemmed from how mentally unstable the both of them clearly were.

  They got along insanely well. Every completely unreasonable thing Angel said, Hancock had no issue with and the beautiful duo had taken to hanging out with each other as often as possible.

  It also helped that they both had such strong and arrogant personalities.

  It was nice. Angel didn't really have any close friends that she got on her own but clearly Hancock could handle her and similarly, Angel could handle her cousin.

  "Guys!" the subject of her thoughts suddenly shouted, opening the door. "Sabo's awake! It's really bad!"

  The two jolted at the panic in Angel's voice and immediately rushed out the room.

  Robin made sure Rosan was comfortable by summoning her clones to keep him company.

  "Just... don't kill him in the middle of your arguments," Robin ordered, kissing him once on the head before departing out of the room to make it to Sabo's location.

  "We're just as worried you know," Canary sighed, staring at the redhead.

  Crow had tears running down her eyes and she clutched the redhead. "W-When is he going to wake up? It's been 3 days!" she wailed.

  "Relax damnit!" Raven scowled, masking her concern behind anger as she clutched one of his arms. "He'll wake up! He's not dead. You're just filling all of us with anxiety!"

  Crow sniffed even as a hand patted her on the head.

  "It's okay, Crow. He'll wake up," Canary assured. "Now go cuddle him. He looks very uncomfortable."

  The shyest Robin squeaked at that, before Raven pushed her into the man.

  She turned scarlet as Rosan immediately wrapped an arm and tucked her in.

  "You two are annoying," she mumbled, watching as they followed suit.

  "Yeah yeah," Raven rolled her eyes.

  "It's our job to encourage our younger sister to be more bold," Canary smiled confidently.

  "S-Since when am I the youngest?!" Crow asked in concern.

  "Let's not joke ourselves," Raven rolled her eyes.

  "I have to agree with the brute here."

  "The what?!"

  Crow sighed and dug deeper into Rosan.

  They were such idiots. Crow was convinced she was the oldest.

  Sabo awoke abruptly, eyes wide in horror as a great surge of electricity answered his distress.

  "Sabo!" Koala shouted in relief.

  He did not hear her. The revolutionary let out a scream of anguish and clutched his head.

  "I was more worried about you guys then I was myself… I didn't actually think it was going to happen. I'm really sorry."

  "I'm sorry! I made you guys waste so much time on me and when you finally achieved your goals… I went and did this."

  "Thank you all so much for breathing life back into me… thank you for making me see the value in my life… thank you for loving me…"

  "Thank you for being my family. I'm so proud of you all."

  "ROSAN!" Sabo howled in agony, tears spilling from his eyes before the blonde abruptly vanished in a spark of lightning.

  "Wait, Sabo!" Koala called out in concern. "Hold on! Rosan's not—"

  She cut herself off as he vanished and bit her lip, never once seeing her best friend react like that to anything. The agony in his screams...

  Sabo was one of the most confident people she knew. Utterly fearless and incredibly skilled. He had joined the Revolutionary Army before her and she had made it a goal to try and surpass the talented boy who was a year younger than her...

  To no success at all. Sabo's rate of growth was absurd and she couldn't even be mad about it because the blonde was such a bright personality, even despite his amnesia...

  But now he didn't have amnesia and one of the reasons he had such a strong and caring nature... was presumed to be dead.

  Except he wasn't dead but Sabo didn't know that.

  Koala reached out with her observation but it was a moot point, considering the surge of electricity that suddenly appeared a ways away from her.

  "Oh Sabo," she mumbled in concern, taking off after him. As she ran, she encountered a concerned Maro and she stopped to explain the situation to the friend she made over the 3 days.

  "Sabo's awake," was all she said.

  "Oh. Oh," Maro gnawed her lips in concern. "He still thinks Master is…"

  "Yeah… what should we do?" Koala murmured in concern.

  "Master is still unconscious… but we can at least tell Sabo he's fine," Maro nodded in determination.

  That determination wavered completely as they saw the size of the lightning storm blocking them from reaching Sabo.

  Maro reached out and immediately hissed, backing away as the lightning licked her.

  Even with her immunity on one side, the other side wouldn't be spared from such a thing and the lightning wasn't weak at all, heightened by Sabo's distress.

  Telling him was looking like an impossible task. The cage of electricity was just too large and it effectively blocked anyone from entering.

  The roar of thunder was so loud, they could barely hear their own thoughts. It lashed out indiscriminately, perfectly imitating Sabo's turmoil and anguish.

  They backed away from it and frowned.

  "Is Sabo okay?" Robin asked in concern, approaching their location with Hancock and Angel in tow.

  She stopped immediately, looking at the cage of bright blue electricity with wide eyes.

  "No, we weren't able to tell him Rosan was fine before he vanished and started this," Koala explained, pained by the entire ordeal.

  Hancock frowned. "An understandable reaction… but we must stop this before my people get concerned."

  They mulled over the possibilities and frowned as they realized they were coming up blank.

  "I can go in," Hancock offered, gazing fearlessly at the lightning. "I will simply coat myself and snap him out of this."

  That seemed like the best option. Angel should have some resistance to electricity but there was so much that...

  Yawning cut them off and Robin turned to find an exhausted Rosan rubbing his eyes.

  "Rosan!" they all shouted in joy, resisting the urge to swamp the redhead.

  The redhead was surrounded by Robin's clones, expression half lidded as he leaned onto Raven.

  "My little sibling senses went off," Rosan murmured tiredly, gazing at the storm with a barely open gaze. "I'll deal with it."

  "But Rosan," Robin tried worriedly, placing a hand on him to stop him from moving forward.

  "I know. I'm still really tired," he admitted, sagging slightly.

  He looked like he could barely stand straight. The redhead's body was still in the process of healing and for someone who healed so fast, it was jarring to see that even after 3 days he was still not close to being fully healed.

  "I wanna go back to sleep. I've never felt so drained before in my life…" he sighed.

  Everyone stood straight as his eyes sharpened suddenly and gained a resolve.

  "...But my little brother needs me," he said firmly. "I can't let him suffer like this when I'm the reason it's happening."

  "...I understand," Robin said with a small smile. "Can you absorb the electricity?"

  "I'm fully empty so yea," Rosan replied. "But there's a lot so I might be filled quick."

  "That doesn't reassure me at all!" Robin exclaimed, clutching him tightly. "Just… be fast. You can't sustain anymore injuries. You need to completely rest."

  "I understand boss," he saluted.

  She scowled, ignoring the pleasant tingle at being called boss.

  "Be careful," she called out, watching him sigh tiredly and enter the lightning storm.

  "I see why Master made us settle down," Angel murmured in concern, clutching Maro protectively. "I can only imagine how it feels watching the person you love charge into dangerous situations all the time."

  "It's stressful," Robin admitted truthfully. "I've never felt more afraid than watching Rosan storm Enies Lobby... or Impel Down or Marineford."

  Rosan just filled her with stress didn't he? No wonder he had looked so terrified when he thought she was going to break up with him.

  "Sometimes I want to tell him to just take a break for a long while and rest… but there's always something to be done," Robin murmured.

  "I agree with you wholeheartedly," Angel shuddered.

  Sabo didn't know what to do. It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense.

  It hadn't even been a week since he got his memories back… and he was forced to watch his oldest brother die.

  The brother who he was supposed to be keeping watch over.

  "Please watch Rosan, Sabo. I'm putting all my faith in you... he's very reckless and he'll do anything to save Ace... please just make sure whatever he does doesn't risk his life."

  Robin had requested that. She had looked at him with trust, terror and worry... and Sabo had smiled at her and lied to her face because Rosan had done just that.

  He had done just that because Sabo hadn't been good enough to help him.

  And now... now his older brother was dead.

  Sabo screamed in agony at the memory, curling into himself as his lightning began beating even harsher. He had sustained the least injuries, only truly taking significant damage against Admiral Kizaru but despite that, he couldn't have helped his brother more.

  He was an idiot. He made Rosan do so many things. So many little things that added up to this outcome.

  Sabo should have helped more. He should have helped him fight Magellan. Should have let him rest more. Shouldn't have made him use Modification for so many little things... should have helped him hijack those ships.

  Anything. Anything that would have led to a different outcome.

  It had been up to him and he failed.

  Tears fell down Sabo's face as he slumped in defeat.

  A failure. That's what he was. It was no wonder he had lost his memories. He had failed his brothers once 10 years ago and he failed them again now.

  Forget his brothers for 10 years… then force one to work to death without assisting him at all. Sabo could have helped him against Aokiji... Sabo could have done so many things differently.

  But he didn't.

  Sabo didn't deserve to be integrated back into their family again. Not when he had failed so much at his dutie—

  He went stiff as he was abruptly pulled into a firm hug.

  But that hug did nothing for him at all.

  "Leave me alone," Sabo hissed, trying to push the person away.

  He didn't want to be hugged. Sabo didn't need reassurance right now.

  He didn't deserve any of that.

  Why should he be allowed to feel better? He was the one in charge of protecting his brothers and he failed utterly and completely—

  "Could you kill the lightning? There's only so much of it I can absorb. I'm already pretty injured," a heartbreakingly familiar voice said, dragging him back into the hug.

  Sabo sucked in a deep breath at that, eyes going wide as he completely froze.

  "R-Rosan?" he asked quietly.

  "It's me," his brother replied softly. "I'm not dead yet. I'm still here to help you better control your electricity."

  Sabo hesitantly raised a hand and placed it onto Rosan, not believing what he was hearing or seeing.

  He took a good long look at his brother, from his exhausted gaze, to his glowing eyes, to the brilliant red hair that was dipped in black.

  "I'm serious Sabo. It's me," Rosan said softly, watching as his blonde brother began shuddering in his grasp.

  Sabo shook, disbelief turning into sadness and sadness turning into relief, before the blond burst into tears.

  "I'm sorry, Rosan!" Sabo sobbed, squeezing his brother with all his might. "I should have had your back more! I shouldn't have made you do so much! You were relying on me and I wasn't doing anything while you warded off threat after threat!"

  Rosan pat his brother soothingly. "Hey it's okay. You did your part perfectly. Don't beat yourself up about it Sabo, you'll make me sad," he admitted.

  "But you…" Sabo trailed off, feeling like he were 10 again.

  "I know. I wasn't strong enough… There were a lot of tough opponents out there but we'll match them in due time," he assured.

  Sabo shuddered at the deep and soothing voice of his older brother.

  "You're really good?" Sabo asked quietly.

  "Yeah, I'm good. I just need to sleep," he mumbled.

  Sabo said nothing for a long while… and then the lightning around them began dying down until it dissipated into nothing.

  "I'm so glad you're alive, Rosan," he mumbled, squeezing his brother tightly.

  "I'm sorry for worrying you," Rosan replied, holding him with a soft smile.

  "Don't apologize. Don't apologize for anything," Sabo said strongly, shaking his head at the thought that Rosan would try to take blame.

  "You did nothing wrong. You did everything right."

  Rosan smiled tiredly at that and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair. "I could say the same to you," he retorted.

  Sabo felt nothing but relief at seeing and feeling his brother.

  The two remained there for a while, Rosan letting his little brother get his emotions in place, before the sound of rapid footsteps approached.

  As Sabo glanced up in confusion, Rosan stepped back in time for Koala to tackle the blond to the floor.

  "Sabo! You're okay!" Koala exclaimed.

  "...Koala?" Sabo muttered in confusion. "What are you doing here— mghm?!"

  Whatever Sabo was about to say was cut off, due to Koala planting an insanely unexpected kiss directly onto his lips.

  "Huh, she actually did it," Rosan snorted in amusement, sagging into Robin's arms as she held him up.

  "Maybe she got tired of your teasing," Robin said. "Do you want to go back to sleep?" she asked.

  "Mhm," he nodded. "Let's give the lovebirds some privacy."

  "Do you want some food, cousin?" Hancock asked in concern.

  "He's already asleep," Robin smiled fondly, clutching him softly. "I really do think he woke up on pure instinct."

  Hancock sighed. "Let us bring him back to bed then. He's recovering well."

  Robin nodded in agreement.

  "AHHHGH!"

  "Straw Hat, wait!"

  Luffy didn't hear them. Luffy couldn't hear anything.

  The rubber boy screamed and ran, disappearing into the jungle that was Amazon Island.

  He panted, body riddled with injuries that weren't even close to healed. He was wrapped head to toe in bloodied bandages but he did not notice in his distress.

  "Where am I? Maybe it was a dream," Luffy huffed, staring into the sky as he lost the energy to run.

  He began breathing heavily, just staring into the sky as the memories resurfaced into his head.

  "I'm sorry, Lu. I'm just a big liar."

  Luffy gripped his head and screamed in anguish.

  "Whether you have me or not… you'll always be a fantastic captain. That's why I chose to follow you… you're the only person alive that I 100% accept as my captain."

  Memories of holding his bloodied brother filled his head and Luffy howled, as he was forced to watch the light leave his eyes over and over and over again.

  "GET OFF! GET OFF ME!" he screeched.

  Without any hesitation, Luffy slammed his already injured body around. He grasped his head and crashed it onto a rock, heedless of the stress it was putting his body in.

  He continued overexerting himself, screaming in agony as his already weakened body gave out and he collapsed.

  "Thank you for being my family. I'm so proud of you all."

  "AGHHHH!" Luffy howled in agony as he bashed his head onto the ground, watching as blood spilled everywhere.

  So much blood. Rosan had been bleeding so much.

  "You're done for Luffy. You won't be useful like this."

  "Ugh," Luffy sobbed weakly.

  Rosan died... because of him... because Luffy wasn't...

  "Me... become King of the Pirates?" Luffy weeped, holding his head as true despair washed over him.

  "You're not strong enough!"

  "I'M SO WEAK!" he wailed.

  "Oh Luffy..."

  Robin made eye contact with her captain and crouched in front of him, pulling the injured boy into a hug.

  Luffy sniffed. "R-Robin?" he asked quietly.

  Then, his expression dipped further into despair.

  "R-Robin..." he sobbed weakly. "I'm sorry... I was too weak."

  Robin's eyes narrowed in concern and she grasped Luffy gently.

  Luffy, much like Rosan, was someone who was absolutely confident in their strength. For him to admit to being weak... it was no different than getting his spirit completely shattered.

  For Luffy to say he couldn't become King of Pirates... it was no different than a death sentence.

  That wasn't good at all.

  "I couldn't protect anybody... Because of me, you lost a-and Rosan..."

  Robin couldn't dare to let Luffy think these thoughts any longer.

  "Yes Luffy... you're too weak. We're all too weak," Robin said softly, holding the rubber boy. "That stubborn and headstrong attitude of yours finally met a wall that it couldn't overcome... and now we've been forced to face the ugly truth."

  Luffy sniffed, only to freeze as someone placed a hat atop his head.

  "We need to get stronger, Lu," a terribly familiar voice, one that made Luffy's heart stop, said to him.

  Luffy shakily looked up, meeting the soft gaze of his oldest brother.

  Rosan looked like he had seen better days but Luffy looked as if he had been through a warzone.

  "R-Rosan...?" Luffy stammered in confusion, wiping his eyes to get a better look at the person talking.

  "I still think you can become Pirate King without me... but I'll help you reach it faster. I'm the Captain's Shadow after all," Rosan said softly, watching as the tears resurged.

  Luffy's lips wobbled and he let out a sharp sob, tackling Rosan to the floor.

  "ROSAN!" Luffy cried, squeezing his brother like he'd disappear at any moment.

  "Oh Luffy," Mod whimpered with foggy eyes, watching as he wailed against Rosan's chest.

  "I'm sorry! I should have listened to you! I shouldn't have asked Iva for another shot. I-If I didn't, you wouldn't have had to take that attack!" Luffy blubbered.

  Rosan wrapped his baby brother in a gentle hug and let out a soft hum.

  "It's okay," he soothed, shooting Jinbe, who had been watching over Luffy, a grateful look. "You know I won't blame you for things like that... beyond saying I told you so," he smiled.

  "Mhm!" Luffy nodded on his chest, shuddering against his older brother with the vulnerability of his 7 year old counterpart.

  Rosan sighed. "We're weak Luffy. Our strength can't take us any further," he said bitterly.

  "He's right," Jinbe interjected. "I was asked by Ace to watch over you two if something happens... and I only agreed to do so after you earned my respect. You two have done just that so from someone who wants the best for you all, think of what you stand to lose if you continue your journey."

  "...Our crew," Luffy realized. "If we... continue right now. We'll lose someone just like how I almost lost Rosan."

  The rubber boy gripped his chest.

  "I don't... I don't want to lose anyone!" he exclaimed. "We can't lose anyone!"

  "I agree," Rosan and Robin agreed.

  "But what do we do?" Robin asked with a frown.

  "I have a suggestion, but it's up to you whether you'd like to listen or not."

  Everyone perked up at that voice and turned.

  "Old man Rayleigh!" Luffy exclaimed.

  "You," Rosan said with a frown. "What are you doing here and what do you want?"

  Rayleigh smiled at them all. "I swam over here from Sabaody. Shakky was worried after reading the news. Resurrected from the ashes... you've caused quite the stir Rosan," he explained.

  Rosan said nothing, frowning at that.

  Maybe he had more people to pay visits to.

  "You already realize you aren't strong enough... but you don't know what to do about it. You need to all train. Kuma didn't send you all away because you're enemies. He did it to help. That's what he told me," Rayleigh explained.

  As they listened to Rayleigh's explanation, Rosan's frown deepened.

  Kuma had been helping... he sent Robin to the Revolutionaries who had been interested in her and he sent Luffy to Amazon Island... for whatever reason.

  Was he really helping? What the hell would Luffy gain from coming to Amazon Island?

  If Rosan knew where the others had been sent, he'd be able to verify if Kuma really was trying to help...

  But Kuma did send Rosan to his mother's island...

  The redhead sighed. "It's a good idea but, I really hate having to do that..."

  "But I don't think we have much of a choice," Robin muttered, just as putout by the idea.

  That sounded... absurd, leaving and training for two years? Was this what Kuma planned by separating all of them? Were he and Rayleigh both helping them by putting them on ideal islands?

  Dragon had already accepted the idea to train her so if she went back... she'd be receiving training from the world's most wanted man.

  Not to mention, hadn't Rosan been sent to his mother's island? Her boyfriend mentioned that she was stronger than him and she certainly could help him train too.

  Perhaps it was for good reason... the New World sounded treacherous and maybe they really weren't ready for it.

  Judging by his frown, Luffy realized it too.

  "How do we tell them?" Luffy asked.

  Rayleigh smiled.

  Marineford was in complete shambles after the war.

  Whitebeard and Rosan had stamped their statements into the very island itself. Marineford Town had been completely obliterated by the redhead, Marineford itself had practically split in half from the deceased world's strongest man...

  They were trying to salvage as much as they could of the stronghold, forces spread everywhere, but it looked dire.

  In the two weeks since the world, much of the place had already been thrown into complete disarray. Blackbeard and Cutter had already made their statements by immediately entering the New World and annihilating the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates in an epic battle that the Blackbeard Pirates won decisively.

  It seemed like they had finished the job the Marines had begun... but taking their place, was not what they had intended.

  Alas there was not much to be done—

  Everyone froze in shock, as four figures burst onto the scene abruptly with a thunderous boom...

  And the reason for that boom, was due to the giant dragon landing on the ground.

  The very familiar looking dragon.

  Rosan felt the wave of terror washing over them, as they gazed at his form and he huffed.

  Destroying them all would be easy. There were no Admirals here.

  But, Rosan wasn't here for that. He was here to relay a message to his crew.

  The redhead rested his head on his claws, watching as Luffy, Jinbe and Rayleigh rushed forward.

  Despite his heavy injuries, Luffy effortlessly evaded the panicking Marines.

  The redhead transformed back to normal and floated idly towards the bell, watching as Luffy rang it 16 times.

  "16?!" the Marine's shouted in shock

  Then, Luffy put removed his Straw Hat and placed it on his heart.

  At the same time Rosan placed a palm over his own heart and the two shut their eyes, sharing a moment of silence.

  Finally, after a long while the two stopped what they were doing.

  Luffy grasped Rosan's hand and the redhead grunted, spreading his wings and taking off.

  "You think they understand?" Luffy asked curiously.

  "The only ones who wouldn't are you and Zoro," Rosan replied, landing on the ship waiting for them. He huffed at the unexpected drain from such small actions but he was still rebuilding his strength.

  "Are you sure you'll be fine with just that old man?" he asked his littlest brother.

  He had brought all the rulers back to their islands and he had brought Sabo and Koala back to the revolutionaries...

  And Robin would join them soon.

  Two years.

  Robin made sure to let him know that he was still expected to visit her but Luffy on the other hand didn't want to see anyone until the two years were over.

  It was a self inflicted punishment for being too weak. This was something Rosan would do, not Luffy... which was why it caught him by such surprise.

  "I'll be fine, Rosan! Just visit me if Ace wakes up okay?" Luffy requested, leaning up and hugging his oldest brother.

  Rosan frowned.

  From what Law had told him, his injuries had fully healed, he hadn't taken anything severe to the head and besides some gruesome scars, he was perfectly fine.

  But he was still unconscious... almost completely unresponsive.

  The redhead sighed. Right now, Ace was on Celadon for the time being.

  Hopefully he'd wake up soon. Rosan knew his brother was in a coma because he took the full blame for practically killing his older brother due to his stupidity.

  If even Robin could feel hatred for him at such an action, Rosan could only imagine what his little brother felt about himself.

  "Take care of my little brother, Rayleigh," Rosan said softly, turning towards the man with a narrowed gaze.

  "I'll train him to the best of my ability," Rayleigh smiled reassuringly. "You can trust me... but could you visit Shakky? She's worried about you."

  Rosan nodded. "I'll pay her a visit. I've got a lot of visits to pay anyways..."

  The redhead grunted as he was pulled into a tight hug.

  "I-I know you won't visit Luffy... but could you still visit me?" Hancock pleaded, eyes set into puppy dogs.

  Rosan sighed and nodded. "Of course, cousin. That's the least I can do for you, alright? I can even bring you around to Celadon for family visits."

  Hancock beamed and nodded, squeezing him tightly. "Okay! Thank you!"

  "No need to thank me. That's what family is for."

  Something about his statement seemed to short circuit Hancock's brain and the woman fainted in his grasp, a dumb smile on her face.

  Rosan smiled at her and carried her, placing her on the bed right next to Luffy.

  "There, now she can faint twice," he said in amusement.

  "Make sure to train with Hancock too, Luffy. She's really strong," he encouraged, leaning over his cousin and engulfing his little brother again.

  "Alright, Rosan! I'll see you in two years!" Luffy exclaimed.

  Rosan smiled thinly.

  He didn't want to not see his little brother for 2 years... but he didn't have much choice.

  Besides, he understood Luffy's resolve. He wouldn't spit on his brother just because he missed him.

  "Rosan, you're squeezing me hard," Luffy told him, watching his brother's impossible grip tighten.

  Rosan blinked and released his brother reluctantly.

  "Alright. I'm going now," he muttered, vanishing before he could waver in his resolve.

  Luffy watched him go with an equally depressed expression.

  "You two aren't used to being separated, are you?" Rayleigh asked knowingly.

  "No. Rosan's mine," Luffy sighed forlornly.

  The Dark King chuckled. "You two truly are brothers I'll say."

  Rosan sighed tiredly, dipping into his Pocket Dimension and inside his castle.

  To his surprise, he didn't get immediately attacked.

  "I was wondering when you'd eventually show up..."

  Aokiji removed Rosan's sleeping mask (he didn't even use it), from his face and regarded the redhead with a curious expression.

  "...This is a nice place you've got. I sensed you entering and exiting recently but you moved too quick."

  Rosan grunted. "Didn't wanna get killed while transferring people. It'd be inconvenient if they got trapped in here."

  Aokiji raised a brow at that. "So you approached me alone, on the chance that I'd kill you? You're noble, Red Devil."

  Rosan peered at him. "Been helping yourself to my food and stuff huh?" he asked conversationally.

  "I've been enjoying my vacation," Aokiji shrugged. "Though, I figured you were going to leave me in here to starve to death eventually."

  The redhead scoffed and shook his head. "Not at all. I wasn't satisfied with our fight... and I don't need you dying in here. I don't even know how long that would take but I want you out."

  Aokiji looked surprised at that. "You don't plan on finding some way to kill me? I'm trapped here. No way out at all. The world's in an uproar with an Admiral missing I imagine."

  "..." Rosan said nothing. "I died you know," he said suddenly.

  The Admiral froze at that.

  "What?" Kuzan scratched his head. "If anything, you feel the most alive I've ever felt since meeting you."

  Sure his hair was a little different but died?

  "The one who did it was Admiral Akainu," Rosan explained, ignoring him and crossing his arms with a frown. "I remember our meeting at Water 7. You mentioned that my absolute hatred reminds you of a terrible person... that's him right?" he asked curiously.

  "..." Aokiji let out a cool breath, never moving from his spot even as he stared in the knowing eyes of the redhead.

  If possible, it seemed like the redhead had gained a new level of wisdom to himself. One that was visible far more.

  "That's right," Aokiji said. "I've seen what absolutes do. Sakazuki was the one who eliminated every citizen of Ohara. He blew up their ship on the off chance that even a single scholar could have escaped onto it."

  "..."

  "That's... terrible," Mod said quietly.

  Rosan took a deep breath. "Perhaps... a past version of me would have done the same if a Marine I hated tried to hide themselves."

  The redhead shook his head.

  "I've learned a few things about myself and while I considered leaving you in here until you starved to death... you spared my life two times when you didn't have to. Considering you contributed greatly to me dying during the war, I'll consider this favor #2 and now we're even," Rosan said idly.

  He sighed and took a deep breath.

  "And besides, better for a coward to become a leader than an absolute asshole," he grunted.

  Aokiji stared at the redhead in genuine surprise. "Alright. I'll accept your temporary peace offering... reluctantly. I was enjoying sleeping in here."

  Rosan scoffed. "You sure made yourself at home. Now I have to burn and change my sheets... and restock on supplies."

  "You sure do have a way with your words, Red Devil," Aokiji sighed, standing up.

  Rosan craned his neck to stare at the admiral and shrugged. "This doesn't make us friends. You've beaten me twice now so the next time we battle, I'll take my victory. I still have to get justice for Robin."

  The Admiral lazily rubbed a hand against his head. "You have a big heart. It's just a shame that the world poisoned it. You'd have been a good ally."

  "Don't put that idea in my head or you'll end up in the middle of nowhere," Rosan said gruffly. "Get ready to go. I want you out of my sight quick."

  Aokiji sighed tiredly before he thought of something.

  "Red Devil... who is that little girl?"

  Rosan stiffened at that.

  "...Someone very dear to my heart," he replied eventually. "If she were still here, perhaps you'd have seen the version of me you're convinced exists somewhere."

  "..." Aokiji said nothing at that.

  "Ah, so that's why you've ended up like that," he said in realization.

  The Admiral nodded. "I understand."

  Rosan said nothing, barely flinching as Aokiji placed a hand on him. "Just my luck to put the only decent Admiral in here," he sighed.

  If Akainu had been the one, the world would have never seen him again.

  Bummer.

  His eyes glowed and they vanished.

  Sunlight suddenly bombarded Aokiji and even despite the fact the Admiral had been practically trapped in an all consuming darkness, he barely flinched.

  Rosan said nothing, merely spreading his wings and flying at intense speeds, merely trusting that Aokiji wouldn't turn on him.

  Well, even if he did, Rosan still had Shinigami activated.

  "There," Rosan said gruffly, landing atop the giant trees of a familiar archipelago. "We're at Sabaody. You should be able to handle the rest."

  "I'm surprised you actually freed me. Killing me would be a heavy blow to the World Government," Aokiji pointed out.

  "I'm trying to be better. Killing someone who spared my life, would leave a bad taste in my mouth," Rosan grunted, wings spreading as he flew off the tree.

  The redhead soared away without hesitation. "See ya Admiral Aokiji. Don't make me regret doing this."

  With that, the redhead vanished.

  Aokiji watched him go and sighed.

  "Troublesome redhead leaving me on the tallest tree here."

  As Zoro stared at the newspaper, wrapping bandages around his body with the help of his little bird friend, he grunted.

  "What does this mean?" he asked the bird that Rosan had gifted him.

  He couldn't wrap his head around anything that was happening... but he knew one thing for sure.

  Something had happened to Rosan. The newspaper wouldn't have been speaking about him like he had died otherwise.

  At seeing that his crewmate had supposedly resurrected from certain death, along with the image of his captain in clear distress, Zoro had made the decision to leave the island at the earliest convenience.

  Unfortunately, the monkeys on this island thought otherwise. He had been fighting them all day and night, body aching at having faced them all.

  Now he was licking his wounds in a castle that he now knew belonged to Hawkeye.

  How did he know?

  Well because Hawkeye was here now.

  The bird chirped in his ear and Zoro glanced at it.

  "It's a message?" he murmured, watching as the bird nodded in a pleased manner.

  A message... for the crew?

  "So that's what you want?" he frowned.

  He had no idea what had happened to the oldest members of the crew.

  "Ambitionless was struck with a fatal blow," Mihawk explained, reading the newspaper with a neutral expression.

  Zoro jolted at that. "So... it's true?!"

  "That's correct. Due to the foolish actions of Fire Fist, he was forced to intervene and weather the blow for him."

  Mihawk looked interested, shutting his newspaper as he regarded Zoro.

  "I felt it. I'm sure everyone felt it. The Red Devil died from his wounds and Straw Hat entered shock... yet he utilized a strange technique that allowed him to survive, becoming a new person altogether. Tell me, what did he do?"

  Zoro scowled at the question.

  He didn't know what Rosan did. Zoro couldn't tell Mihawk because he himself wasn't sure... but it sounded like something involving his Devil Fruit.

  But what Zoro did know is that he was too weak. Luffy and Rosan had fought in a war that resulted in their strongest member nearly dying.

  They raided Impel Down... fought in Marineford...

  All while Zoro had been trapped here because he had been too weak to do anything...

  Hawkeye watched with a curious expression, as Zoro got on all fours and bowed his head to the floor.

  "Teach me what you know," Zoro requested.

  He wasn't strong enough... and not only that, Luffy and Rosan had made their decision.

  Forgoing meeting up in three days... to instead meet up in two years. They weren't ready for the New World, so they needed to stay put and build up their strength.

  And the best way for Zoro to do that, was by asking Hawkeye for assistance, even if it meant throwing away his pride.

  "You would throw away your pride in order to ask me for help? I am your enemy, Roronoa. You disappoint me."

  Mihawk's expression was grave, as he glared at the kneeling swordsman.

  Zoro said nothing, head bowed low.

  "Trashed by the monkeys and unable to head out to sea... get out of my sight."

  "I already beat the monkeys," Zoro interrupted. "They weren't a challenge for me... the only opponent I have left is you... but I can't beat you yet."

  Mihawk's expression turned slightly confused. "I don't understand. Why would you humiliate yourself and bow to an enemy?"

  "To surpass you," Zoro said, full of conviction.

  Mihawk's eyes widened at that, before the man unexpectedly burst into laughter.

  "Very well. Tend to your wounds. Once you've done so, I will instruct you."

  To throw away your pride... a man of such caliber, would only do that for the sake of another.

  Mihawk looked on in amusement, as the bird traveling with Zoro pecked him in annoyance at the sight of him digging at his bandages.

  This would certainly be interesting.

  Zoro grinned.

  Two years... they had two years to get as strong as possible.

  Once those two years arrived, they'd meet up again at Sabaody.

  Until then, Zoro would become the strongest he could. Strong enough to protect the entire crew.

  "So that's what they want?" Nami sighed, gazing at the newspaper with furrowed brows.

  The speed at which she tried to leave this place, after hearing that Rosan had died of all things, left Nami reeling now that she had received this second newspaper.

  How selfish could they be? Nami wanted nothing more than to make sure her crewmates were doing better but now she had to wait two years to verify...

  Nami sighed and turned back to the island she had been blasted to.

  "Hey... I'm sorry for beating you all up?" she smiled her most winningest smile.

  The old men on the fascinating island groaned.

  "You're the Devil," one of them rasped.

  "That's not me. That's my crewmate who I'm really worried about but I'm not allowed to see him and it's REALLY annoying," Nami scowled.

  "For once, I agree with you. Being unable to truly verify the state of Master Rosan."

  "Tell me about it. I can't just read news that he died and resurrected after we finally helped him..." Nami sighed, turmoil destroying her on the inside.

  Luffy and Rosan's message was loud and clear.

  Stay put and train for two years, then meet back up in Sabaody.

  "But isn't it strange that we've landed on some island that truly seems perfect for us?" Clima asked curiously.

  Nami nodded in agreement.

  Weatheria was what it was called and their technology fascinated Nami something fierce...

  She thought back to the newspaper... back to how it had a picture of a Rosan with a glassy look in his eyes as he smiled... and how he was surrounded by so many people who had clear despair on their face.

  Somehow, Rosan had survived... Nami didn't know how but he had and it seemed that it taught him they weren't ready for the world yet.

  Nami hated that she couldn't disagree.

  They had been relying too much on Rosan. It was time for them to start pulling their own weight.

  Two years...

  "Two years is enough for us to become much stronger, Clima."

  "Such motivation! Yes, let us take this island for the blessing it is and turn that knowledge into our own."

  Nami wiped her tears and nodded in raw determination.

  She'd get stronger in these two years. Next time they saw her, they wouldn't even recognize who she was.

  "Two years...? I'm supposed to survive for two years without them?" Usopp, who had gained an obscene amount of weight, gasped in concern.

  Here Usopp was, trying his damndest to get off this strange island at the knowledge that his scariest crewmate had somehow died and now he was being told by that same person and his captain that they should stay where they are...

  The coward was sat a ways away from his ally Heracles, contemplating what to do now.

  "I gained so much weight," he frowned to himself.

  That hellish workout Rosan had put him through, had caused Usopp's physical strength to begin increasing rapidly. He had Rosan lift that weight restriction off the hammer and was amazed to see how much faster he was able to swing it.

  That had been the surest proof that Usopp was improving. Such a thought had filled the coward with a lot more confidence.

  Luckily, it seemed like his physical strength hadn't completely dwindled...

  So why the hell was the hammer so heavy?!

  Usopp gasped, quickly put out of breath at the herculean attempt to lift up his trusty hammer. Even before when Rosan added weight to it, the liar had been capable of at least lifting it up slightly off the ground.

  Now? He couldn't even make it budge!

  Did Rosan... did he increase how much it weighed? How did Usopp never notice?!

  ...So even now Rosan was trying to help him in his own way. If Usopp gained the power to lift this hammer, would he have the right to confidently stand side by side with his crew?

  The sniper flinched as he thought of the newspaper. The one that detailed that Rosan had died and come back to life...

  The same picture that had their scout gazing up with a glassy look, all while Luffy, Ram, Sabo and Ace cried over him.

  Usopp stared at the hammer, tears forming.

  Rosan had been through a lot and still, he was standing tall. Losing some weight and gaining some strength was nothing in comparison.

  Stay put and train for two years...

  Usopp would do that. He'd train for two years and by the end of it, he'd at least be able to lift this hammer up to take off the island.

  "You're telling me Rosan really did die?" Sanji asked in disbelief, gazing at the tall okama with unbelieving eyes.

  "I saw it with my own eyes," Iva explained with a frown. "He took an attack meant for Fire Fist... it blew a hole right through his abdomen. I was reduced to tears at seeing such a hard working young man meet his end but then... he suddenly came back."

  Sanji took a step back, feeling a wave of vertigo hit him as he stared at the newspaper telling them to stay where they were for two years.

  Did they really expect their crew to be able to listen to such a request, after they learned one of their members had died?!

  The reasoning sounded completely believable too. Dying because of Ace? Every Straw Hat had seen Rosan's memories... they knew exactly how reckless Ace was.

  The entire family was reckless and as the most reckless, Rosan was completely aware of that, taking steps to make sure they didn't suffer from their actions.

  It wasn't the first time he had tried to fix Ace's mistakes... but Sanji never expected Rosan to pay a price so great for it.

  The chef fell at that, holding his head.

  "Seriously...? And you said he suddenly came back?" Sanji asked.

  Iva nodded, noting the chef's reaction and frowning. "It was nothing I've ever seen. I felt my despair amplify... and I watched as the Red Devil became a true demon," he explained.

  Sanji froze at that. "Was it an all black creature? One that didn't look natural at all? Terrifying screech with unnerving sockets for eyes?" he asked.

  Iva's eyes were wide at that. "An exact match! You truly are a Straw Hat! He later summoned a woman with white hair with the scariest abilities!" he exclaimed.

  Shit... Rosan had used the virus. How would the virus interact with his body if he died?

  Was it even still Rosan there?

  Sanji looked at the newspaper again.

  No, whatever had happened to Rosan, he dealt with. That's why he was next to Luffy...

  Had Rosan solved the virus issue? It sure looked like it.

  And now they wanted the rest of the crew to remain where they were, honing their skills and getting stronger.

  Rosan and Luffy were incredibly confident. Those two weren't the type to doubt their strength, which meant that whatever they had experienced at the war, had humbled them enough to acknowledge that they weren't ready for the New World...

  If those two didn't think they were ready, then they weren't ready. It was as simple as that.

  Sanji didn't know what happened with Rosan but at the very least, the redhead was alive now.

  He could still make him... no he could make the crew the best meal now.

  Sanji took a deep breath and nodded to himself.

  Two years... alright, he could do that. He could go two years without seeing Nami or Robin...

  He could go two years only seeing these... okama.

  Yeah. Yeah...

  "Two years?!" Chopper shouted in shock.

  But... two years?! How could Chopper go two years without at least checking on Rosan.

  It didn't matter if he looked fine in the picture. The news had said he died!

  Just the thought reduced the reindeer to tears.

  Rosan had sustained a fatal blow without Chopper there to check on him?

  What was he even the ship's doctor for if he couldn't be there for his crewmate?!

  Rosan and Luffy both participating in a war that resulted in Rosan nearly dying and Luffy with heavy injuries...

  And Chopper couldn't check on them.

  How could he trust those two to stay alive for two years?! I-It hadn't even been that long since they separated and the moment they did, they both gained these heavy injuries!

  But... maybe that was why they were asking them to wait two years.

  Rosan and Luffy... they were both incredibly strong but it was clear they weren't invincible.

  They both had really big hearts and they wanted to protect them all, so maybe they realized they weren't strong enough to do that just yet.

  ...Why was Chopper relying on them so much to stay safe? He was the doctor! It was his job to make sure they were safe!

  Chopper knew Rosan now. He knew how self destructive the redhead innately was.

  Self destruction combined with a heart that was too big... Rosan wasn't the type to die so easy. Not unless he was protecting someone.

  They... they really made him do too much.

  In order to curb Rosan's desire to protect so strongly, Chopper needed to become strong enough to curb his worry.

  "You can become our monster and we won't think any less of you, Tony Tony Chopper. Even if everyone fears you, as long as we don't, it'll be okay."

  Chopper would become a monster to his enemies... and then he could show his crew the side that would never think less of him.

  Because even despite being a monster, Rosan still had people who could cry freely if something happened to him.

  Chopper was living proof of that... and even Meiko, the sweetest girl that Chopper looked up to, was capable of loving him unconditionally.

  Rosan had been speaking from experience when he spoke to Chopper. It was okay to be a monster... as long as he still had people who saw past that monster.

  As long as his crew knew he was Chopper, he could spend these two years becoming the monster everyone else thought he was.

  Franky, who's front half had gotten blown up, was scouring through the blueprints of Vegapunk's second lab... the one that had survived the explosion.

  "They want us to get stronger in two years eh?" He muttered to himself, glancing at the Newspaper for a long while.

  To be honest, Franky was finding it hard to believe that Red was struck with a fatal blow... but the picture had been there loud and clear.

  Any doubt Franky had, was dashed away at the second newspaper.

  The one that had Luffy and Rosan praying.

  Both brothers came to the agreement that they needed to hold off on meeting for two years so that they could get stronger.

  That was serious. Rosan alone was stubborn enough that it was almost impossible to get him to concede to things. If you combined that with Luffy?

  The two brothers were utterly unyielding so for them to both put that audacious confidence of theirs to the side to acknowledge that they weren't strong enough...

  Who was Franky to go against what they said? If they weren't strong enough, that meant none of them were. They would all need to get stronger if they wanted to brave the New World.

  Sunny was doing their part, it would be shameful if the Straw Hats weren't enough to protect the ship.

  "Alright, I super heard you loud and clear," Franky nodded, soaking up all the information he could.

  Two years with Blueprints from Vegapunk... Franky would be able to make the best weapons around!

  "SUPER!" Franky shouted eagerly, before lowering his voice at the sounds of Marines.

  Brook read the newspaper in his cage, expression undecipherable as he absorbed the information.

  "Yohoho! If that's what you want... but I must compose a truly magnificent song for our reunion," he said softly.

  Despite not having spoken to Rosan much, Brook actually felt closest to the redhead out of his new crew, by virtue of seeing his memories.

  In fact, since being resurrected by his Devil Fruit, Rosan was the one new person who Brook truly felt like he got to know. His isolation in the Florian Triangle meant that he truly had not had any allies for those lonely years.

  The redhead held a special spot in his bony heart due to that. It was as if Brook had a true friend.

  So he was understandably crushed when he saw news that Rosan had been struck with a fatal blow. It was a relief to read that he had not been truly killed... but the government wouldn't say such a thing for no reason. They had no reason to lie in such a way.

  Rosan had truly been struck with a blow that was supposed to kill him, but he had survived somehow...

  And Brook didn't think Rosan had a copy of his Devil Fruit. The redhead showed interest in extracting Devil Fruits but he hadn't succeeded in such a thing yet.

  Which meant it was likely the virus had something to do with it and that was a scary thought.

  Brook saw what the virus was capable of when he witnessed the memories of Water 7. He saw what happened to the one agent that participated in the kidnap of Robin... and he saw the sheer vitriol Rosan and the Virus had with one another.

  The skeleton sighed.

  Well, his worries about what had happened had been mostly dashed when he saw the second newspaper. Rosan looked mostly fine and while Luffy was injured, the two had managed to both assuage the crews worry and relay a message at the same time.

  Two years to get stronger. Brook had barely been apart of the crew and such a lofty thing was expected of him...

  But he would train as hard as he could. This utterly helpless feeling was one he had felt for 50 years but now he could work to actually do something towards it.

  Two years was nothing in comparison! Yohohoho!

  "Perhaps you should reconsider, Rosan?"

  Rosan sighed. "I understand Mod-chan. I get why you would be hesitant, but there aren't many people who can help me."

  Mod grumbled in disappointment. "Why not just go with Robin? I'm sure Dragon would be fantastic and Sabo is there too!"

  Rosan sighed. "Robin and I are too dependent on each other. We need to have our own lives," he explained slowly.

  Robin looked up at that. "I hope you don't think that means you can go the entire two years without seeing me. That is absolutely not acceptable," she said firmly.

  2 years was quite a long time and she'd be damned if she went that long without seeing him.

  Luffy wanted to be left alone for the 2 years but… Robin couldn't go that long without seeing Rosan and she was sure he was the same.

  So they'd be seeing each other of course.

  Rosan let out an audible sigh of relief. "Thank Kami. I don't think I'd last a week."

  "You give yourself too much credit. You wouldn't last a full day."

  "5 hours if we're being honest," Ram chirped happily.

  "If I remember correctly, on the girls trip, you two couldn't even go a few hours without missing my presence," Rosan retorted, stretching idly.

  "S-Shut up! I was just worried that you'd be lonely without us!" Mod scowled.

  Rosan rolled his eyes. "You've become such a brute lately Mod-chan. How unladylike of you. You sure have gotten an ego."

  Mod spluttered. "I've decided I need to change myself as well. Do not call me a brute! I'm willing to fight you about it now!" she warned.

  Rosan laughed at that, before it turned into a slight cough. He grabbed his midsection and huffed.

  To his annoyance, the Philosopher's Stone was still rather dormant. It was reigniting but it was a slow process.

  Dying did that. Pe-chan had forcefully combined themself with the stone and basically made it go into overdrive, all while pumping the viruses energy through his veins.

  The forceful transformation had given him enough time to drain the lifeforce of two people. He was full of vitality, more than the average person and the stone amplified that tenfold.

  He imagined it'd be back to full power in another month or two but until then, he'd have to recover normally like a human.

  Bummer.

  "I'm coming with you. There are things I want to say anyways," Robin said decisively.

  Rosan nodded in agreement. "Of course. I imagine if things go to plan you'll be seeing them a lot these 2 years."

  "Seriously, can't you just—"

  "No, Mod-chan," Rosan interrupted gently.

  "I hate you."

  "I know," he said soothingly.

  The redhead took a deep breath, raking a hand through his hair.

  "We'll be flying mostly," he informed her. "I'll teleport close to Celadon and it'll maybe take an hour or two to get there."

  She nodded in acceptance. "Okay. It's been a while since it's just been us."

  "Do you want me to take you out on more dates?" Rosan asked, raising a brow as they vanished to near Celadon.

  The Devil Child rolled her eyes. "Yes, that would be nice. We have two years so I expect a lot. Maro loves when Angel takes her out."

  They both laughed and Rosan transformed into a dragon to better carry her.

  He'd visit Aiko but she was currently in full mother hen mode so she wouldn't let him leave if he did drop by.

  Well, that was everyone. Even Sabo had been reluctant to let him go... but he understood that one.

  Ace was still in a coma after all. Rosan didn't know when his brother was going to wake up.

  He sighed to himself.

  "It's okay, Rosan," Robin soothed, patting his scales. "He'll wake up eventually."

  "I'm sure he will. Ace is as self destructive as me... but he's also just as whipped by our family as I am," Rosan replied. "He won't let us down."

  Robin smiled at his conviction. "I still can't believe we won't be meeting up officially as a crew until two years from now... I'm so glad you created Save Point."

  "I created Save Point because of my obsessive desire to never be separated from the people I love... so it was a technique you inspired," Rosan explained with a smile, maw curling up at the thought.

  Robin felt her heart swell at his admittance. She already knew that but hearing it from him was always nice.

  "And you have the audacity to say I don't inspire other things from you. The loudest and sweetest boy wearing muted colors like black... sure Rosan," she mocked.

  "You might be one of his biggest inspirations. You saw the memories. Rosan absolutely adored you."

  The dragon twitched, stopping momentarily.

  "I'd be careful if I were you two," Rosan warned lowly, continuing his flight.

  Robin giggled. "You show shamelessly admitted to staring at me when we bathed but you won't admit that you look up to me? Isn't your thinking a little backwards?" she pressed with an amused smile.

  "There's no shame in admitting I stared at you. I know you stared at me too. The reason I won't admit such a nonsensical thing, is because you yourself refuse to admit that you look up to me."

  The Devil Child scowled slightly at him. "Why would I look up to a narcissistic, selfish, egoistical redhead?" she asked.

  "You're saying that about a person who you basically asked out by the way," he pointed out. "What does that say about you?"

  "...I showed the man who wouldn't stop staring at me, some pity," she replied eventually.

  Rosan burst into laughter. In his dragon form it was a loud and terrifying thing.

  "And I'm the narcissist. We boosted your confidence by too much. You're lucky I think it's cute."

  "Gross."

  "Get a room."

  Robin and Rosan rolled their eyes.

  "We haven't even done anything," Robin pointed out.

  "Yeah you guys are stiffs. It's especially crazy that Ram can read erotic books but draws the line at light flirting," Rosan rolled his eyes. "...Also I'm confiscating all your books."

  "WHAT?!" Ram howled, mortified.

  "Absolutely not," Rosan said. "Read less inappropriate stuff. I'd feel like a terrible father if I caught you reading that."

  "I-I don't read it for that! They just have the most interesting romance plots! Please Father don't do this to me!"

  "...We'll have to discuss it more," Rosan said eventually.

  "Rosan..." Robin sighed.

  "Fine, I'll allow Robin to pick them out with you. Nothing too bad," Rosan instructed.

  "You can trust me Ram, I'll find good books that Rosan approves," Robin smiled.

  "I trust you mother... you've already picked out some good ones."

  She laughed at the sigh of relief from Ram.

  They continued to fly and conversed with each other about various things, until a dot appeared in the distance.

  "Is that it?" Robin asked curiously, watching as the dot got larger and larger. She glanced down and saw the turbulent waters protecting the island.

  It was no wonder not many people knew of this island. The waters seemed rather counterproductive to sailing. Navigating to this island seemed difficult.

  "This should be it... that's where my doll is at least."

  As the island became more clear to them, they were able to make out flowers of all colors. They approached the stunning island with appreciative glance.

  It was huge, the island stretched far and wide. It seemed to be a forest island, one that was adorned with flowers of all kinds. On the center of the island, there was a town, tall buildings everywhere made of a smooth stone.

  From this distance, Robin counted countless different cities. The Kingdom of Wisteria was quite massive, even larger than the island of their cousins.

  The island looked rather advanced too... It had shades of Amazon Lily to it. Robin could see Empress Allium's work as clear as day.

  Rosan transformed back to normal, way out of sight of anyone, and held onto Robin in a bridal carry as they descended onto the outskirts of the largest city.

  "Beautiful," Robin said idly, inspecting the island with an interested gaze. "So this is Wisteria."

  "Yeah," Rosan grunted, hair turning jet black as the tips spread over the entirety of his head.

  He grabbed a strand of Robin's hair and turned the entirety purple, before they walked into what looked like the capital city of the island.

  "Can you imagine that I was supposed to rule this place? It's huge. I wouldn't want to govern this place at all."

  Robin giggled at his genine disgust. "It's rather funny to think about. I'm in a relationship with a prince. By blood and all... you are genuinely royalty," she joked, leaning into him with a happy smile.

  He glared at her but wrapped an arm around her. "Yeah yeah. C'mon. I wonder if anyone's gonna stop us."

  They walked through the island without a care in a world, though many people did a double take at seeing Robin and Rosan even with their disguises.

  Both he and Robin were tall figures after all.

  Also helped that they were hot.

  "Thank you, Rosan." Robin rolled her eyes.

  Rosan smiled, eyes shifting slightly before he abruptly pivoted to a different direction. He would have expected Raisa to be in that giant castle looming over the entire city, but no... her presence was actually in those flower riddled forests.

  Interesting. What was she up to?

  He and Robin continued to converse with each other, strolling to the edge of the cities once more until they reached a large set of trees.

  "U-Um excuse me?"

  Rosan stopped before he could take a step and gazed at the short woman who was straining her neck to look up at him.

  She was cute in a bland sort of way, with a head of brown hair. The girl was wrapped up in a blouse and there was a blush on her cheeks that darkened as both he and Robin stared her down.

  "Um by any chance, Are you… the Red Devil? O-Or perhaps the Morning Star?" she whispered, noting the disturbing similarities between him and her queen despite his black hair.

  The tall man gazed at her with a neutral expression and mulled her question over.

  "No. I'm Rosan," he said eventually.

  The woman and Robin both sweatdropped at his response.

  He was such an idiot sometimes.

  "Wait… who's Morning Star?" he asked curiously. "Oh and I'm going to find Raisa if that's what you were wondering."

  "U-Um Queen Raisa is currently occupied. If you'd like to schedule a m-meeting I'm sure we can work something out," the lady stammered, fishing out a bounty poster from her outfit.

  She was gazing at it and then him, paling slightly in horror as she met his intimidating gaze.

  "I'm not gonna do that. Waiting isn't really my thing. I like being answered immediately so I'm gonna go talk to her now," Rosan denied, taking the paper out of her hand as he continued walking.

  Robin smiled apologetically at the spluttering girl. "I'm sorry about him. Rosan is very headstrong and if things don't go his way, he throws tantrums. I fear he's going to go see Raisa now," she answered, leaning into him to get a closer look at the bounty poster.

  At once, both their mouths opened in shock.

  "Oh shit," he said slowly, scratching his head. "Well, still not as high as I expected it to be."

  "But that's still quite high," Robin explained, mouth opening in disbelief.

  The lady looked nervously at the two pirates, body shuddering in horror.

  "What's your name by the way? What is your relation to Raisa?" Rosan asked, handing her the bounty poster back.

  "U-Um… Jen? I'm Queen Raisa's personal secretary... I handle her affairs. I'm 22," she muttered, not really understanding why she was answering his questions.

  The Red Devil wasn't as scary as she expected him to be... in the first place, Jen was pretty sure she was the only one who knew that this was him.

  But despite that, he seemed very relaxed. Jen would even say he seemed friendly. His expression didn't reflect that dangerous expression on his face that his bounty poster had.

  "Nice to meetcha Jen. We're probably gonna see each other a lot so let's get along," he said, smiling slightly at her.

  Jen blushed deeply and averted her eyes from the tall and handsome man. "U-Um is that a threat? You're a pirate after all…"

  Robin's eyes narrowed slightly and the woman let out a yelp as Rosan summarily pushed her in front of him.

  "Down, girl," he chastised.

  "I am not some rabid creature like you are," she bit out, allowing him to push her forward.

  "I know," he mocked soothingly.

  "W-What do you want from Queen Raisa? I can't let you speak to her if you have less than savory intentions," Jen said a bit more firmly.

  The woman squeaked in terror as he gazed at her, tilting his head questioningly.

  She didn't question him again. He was as scary as their Queen.

  Rosan said nothing and the group eventually made it to an isolated part of the island where only a giant house resided.

  Jen didn't even realize they had walked all the way to Raisa's private abode.

  "I'm going to die. I'm really going to die," she thought in despair.

  If not by the Red Devil then definitely her Queen because she just allowed someone to walk to her private home without any resistance.

  Would she be understanding to the fact that Jen was literally dealing with a wanted pirate that could break her in half?

  Probably not.

  "This is some advanced stuff," Rosan mused, inspecting the building and nodding in appreciation.

  Raisa was clearly a person who exported from the Grand Line. She must have had good connections there.

  He tapped the door with a finger and modified a hole large enough for them to walk through, taking a step inside the building.

  "Couldn't you have knocked?" Robin asked.

  "I'm impatient," Rosan replied, turning around and sealing it shut once more.

  "W-What did you just do?" Jen stammered, watching in shock as he created and repaired a the door.

  "C'mon I can feel her this way," he grunted, taking purposeful steps.

  They approached a door and Jen gnawed on her lips as Rosan knocked on it without any hesitation.

  There was no reply.

  Rosan knocked again.

  Nothing.

  Robin sighed in exasperation as Rosan knocked even harder this time and finally there was a response.

  "What the fuck do you want."

  The voice was raspy and tired, no emotion conveyed in it at all.

  Jen flinched horribly at that. It was rare to hear her Queen curse but when such a thing happened, nothing good followed it.

  Rosan said nothing at the question that didn't sound like a question at all.

  "He's so petty all the time," Robin sighed in exasperation.

  A tense silence took over and Jen felt like she could die on the spot. The tension was too much. What was going to happen to her—

  The door swung open with almost enough force to tear it off its hinges. It creaked loudly as a figure stepped into view, aura positively murderous.

  "Do you have any last words before I fucking tear you to pieces —"

  Raisa instantly froze in her spot, anger melting off her face as she gazed straight into the eyes of Rosan.

  Jen immediately drank in the sight of her queen donned in something that was not her battle dress and felt her mouth go dry.

  So… much… leg. It was no wonder Raisa wore a dress all the time. She was sparing her citizens from blood loss.

  A finger poked her and she noticed that it was Rosan standing next to her. He didn't look her way but it was probably for her to realize that her mouth had been left agape.

  "He's not evil at all," Jen thought. If he were evil, he'd let Raisa kill her for shamelessly ogling her.

  "Raisa is a blessed woman," Robin noted idly, gazing at the woman's long legs.

  Goodness, it was no wonder Rosan was so attractive. Raisa was the spitting image of his male and female form.

  Clearly Rosan's youth stemmed from his family as well. Robin wouldn't be able to tell that Raisa was 42.

  "You look like shit," Rosan said bluntly, looking at his birth mother with a tilted head. "When was the last time you left this room?"

  Raisa said nothing, just gazing at her son with disbelieving eyes.

  "R-Rosan...?" she whispered hopefully, reaching out with her arm and grasping the redhead.

  "Raisa," Rosan greeted. "Hey sorry. I know I said I'd visit but things were a bit hectic."

  "You can still leave. I feel hives forming just looking at her."

  "Mod-chan, how about you take a small break. I'll come give you a massage later."

  "...Fine. I want one for two hours."

  "You're so fucking spoiled these days."

  Raisa began shuddering at that deep voice, as tears surged and the woman let out a sharp wail of anguish.

  Jen's jaw dropped in disbelief, as she watched Raisa leap into Rosan's arm without any hesitation.

  Rosan caught her and the Queen let out a heart wrenching sob, crushing the man against her.

  "W-W-W-What?" Jen spluttered in shock.

  Queen Raisa was... crying? And hugging? What was this?! What was going on?!

  "Rosan!" Raisa sobbed. "I thought you were gone!"

  Rosan blinked, before his eyes widened in realization.

  After all this time, Raisa still thought he was dead? Rosan just thought she really missed him... he had no idea she didn't know.

  "That's... terrible," Robin frowned. Despite her issues with the woman, thinking someone was dead for so long was terrible to your mental health

  "You haven't seen the news?" Rosan asked quietly, allowing her to sob against his frame. He rubbed a hand against her back and watched as she shuddered horribly against him, letting out shaky sobs as she grasped his cheeks and began kissing him all over.

  "Yuck," he sighed, accepting her affections.

  Jen watched with progressively wider eyes, watching as Raisa displayed a side of herself she quite literally never saw.

  "I… was in a coma until a week ago," she replied eventually, sniffing weakly as she finally stopped marking his face. "When I saw what happened to you, I fell unconscious… I don't know what happened in the aftermath. When I woke up I just came here and wallowed… I had no idea you were still fine."

  Rosan frowned and sighed, wrapping an arm around her and tucking her into his frame. The simple action made her break out into new sobs and she practically glued herself to him.

  "Goodness, you truly did tame her completely," Robin thought in shock.

  Whipped didn't even seem to properly describe what Raisa looked to be in terms of Rosan.

  "I had no idea you were affected bad enough to be put into a coma. It hasn't hit me how much you care for me," Rosan admitted.

  Raisa whimpered at his tight hold. "I care for you so much, Rosan. I-I just want to make things right with us and I can't do that if something bad happens to you."

  His eyes softened slightly at that and he rubbed his hand against her back. "I appreciate that, Raisa. Sometimes all you can do is try."

  "And I'll try my best, Rosan," she assured, squeezing him tightly. "I-I love you. I hope you know that. Y-You don't have to say it back."

  Rosan froze at that, not having expected the sheer earnesty of her words. "...Raisa, I have a favor to ask," he said eventually.

  Raisa sniffed and nodded against him. "Anything. No matter what you want. Does... does Mod want to hurt me?" she asked hesitantly.

  "Not yet," Rosan assured.

  She nodded in relief. "What is it that you need?" the queen asked curiously.

  "I want you to train me for 2 years," Rosan said bluntly. "I'd be staying here in that time frame... but I realized I'm not strong enough and you're the best equipped to teach me."

  Raisa felt the world freeze around her at his request. "You want me… to train you?" she asked hesitantly, staring at him with wide eyes.

  Rosan nodded. "I felt it during our fight. You're stronger than me. A lot stronger. So I figure you could teach me —"

  "Yes."

  Rosan, Robin and Jen blinked owlishly.

  "Yes?" Rosan repeated.

  "Yes! I'd love to do that!" Raisa exclaimed.

  Jen's jaw dropped at seeing an actual grin on Raisa's face. It was as beautiful as every other face the Queen made, sharp fangs flashing momentarily as she nearly broke into elated laughter.

  "Two years? I get to have you for two years? Truly?" Raisa asked excitedly.

  "Yeah... that sounds about right." Rosan nodded slowly and Raisa resisted the urge to squeal happily.

  She squeezed Rosan with all her might and nearly lifted him off the floor.

  "I'd be happy to! I've never had a student before and this also means I can spend more time with you too! This is perfect for me to make up for all my transgressions towards you! B-But that doesn't mean it'll suddenly get rid of what I've done. Even if you don't forgive me, I'll cherish every moment and continue to work hard to make you love me back!" Raisa said happily.

  Raisa finally seemed to notice the other presences and she stared at Jen with a chilling gaze, smile wiped off her face in an instant.

  "Don't tell anyone of what you're seeing right now. I will make your death slow if you do," she rumbled, smoke puffing out of her mouth.

  Jen nodded fearfully, utterly confused by the entire thing. She let out a sigh of relief as Rosan easily stole her attention by patting her on the head.

  Raisa immediately turned back to Rosan, an adoring look in her eyes and the redhead smiled at her.

  "You owe me," his eyes seemed to tell her, flashing a smug smirk her way.

  Jen nodded hesitantly, watching at just how easily Rosan was able to deal with Raisa.

  Rosan sighed at how hard she was hugging and squeezed her. "Where are Dalia and Oren?" he asked.

  Raisa's brows furrowed. "I'm… not sure. I think they need some time to themselves... but considering they haven't informed me you're alive, they might not know either."

  Rosan nodded and Robin took the time to speak up.

  "Iris D. Raisa," Robin greeted. "I've been wanting to talk to you. It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Nico Robin."

  Raisa went stiff at that and gazed at the beautiful Nico Robin with wide eyes.

  Robin noted how wary her expression turned and remembered that Mod had very violently slapped her across the cheek.

  "Don't worry, it won't be nearly as bad as your conversation with Mod-chan, but I still have some of my own grievances with you," Robin assured.

  Raisa bit her lip and nodded. "I did say I'd be willing to hear whatever anyone who had a problem with me had to say… and my daughter in law is no exception."

  Robin blinked, before a slight blush crossed her face.

  Rosan sighed.

  He hoped this was a good idea.

  "Thanks," Rosan said, accepting the tea from Jen. He took both cups out of her hand and passed one to Robin.

  "I-It's no problem. Thank you for protecting me from Queen Raisa," she mumbled, bowing lowly.

  "No problem," Rosan smirked, taking a sip.

  Jen thought Rosan was actually quite nice. He just peacefully accepted all of Raisa's affections, while only throwing a few teasing remarks her way for her earlier staring.

  "So... forgive me for asking but what exactly is the relation between you and Queen Raisa?" she asked quietly.

  Rosan blinked. "I'm her son."

  "Oh that makes sense... it's no wonder she never stopped looking at your bounty poster," Jen nodded at his response.

  "She's obsessed with me. I guess I don't blame her for that. I'm me after all."

  "You're such an egomaniac," Robin sighed.

  ...

  "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Jen screeched in disbelief, eyes bugging out of her head.

  Queen Raisa had a child?! The Red Devil was Raisa's son? Those two were mother and son?!

  Jen fell on her butt at the revelation, staring at the nonchalant Rosan with horrified eyes.

  "I don't think I have to really say this, but don't mention this to anyone. I don't need people to know I'm here. It would jeopardize this island," Rosan explained calmly, eyes boring into her.

  She shuddered at his measured gaze. There was no sign of intimidation anywhere but his presence was far too much for her.

  "I won't... I've been loyal to Queen Raisa for years," Jen assured quietly.

  The pressure on her shoulders vanished and Rosan smiled. "Good. You didn't tell a lie."

  "So he can do that too... just great," Jen sighed tiredly.

  "Why did Jen scream?" Raisa's deep voice asked, stepping out of the bathroom fully dressed. Her damp hair rested against her head and she immediately took the seat to Rosan's right (Robin was sitting on his left), leaning against the redhead with a soft sigh.

  Rosan didn't even flinch at the damp hair, just placing a hand against her hair and instantly drying the redhead.

  "Useful," she murmured in awe, touching her hair with an appreciative glance.

  "I was telling your secretary that you were my mom," Rosan told her easily. "She's a nice girl. Very accomodating."

  Raisa puffed up at that and Jen blushed.

  "I'll take my leave now... I'm technically not on shift," Jen bowed deeply.

  "Right... keep up the good work Jen," Raisa said, not used to saying such a thing.

  Jen lit up at that and nodded vigorously.

  It was official, she liked Rosan now.

  As the secretary departed, Robin put her tea down and turned towards Raisa with a serious expression.

  Raisa stiffened at that and straightened up.

  "Rosan, could you let the two of us talk alone for a bit?" Robin asked. "I'd just like to speak to her one on one."

  Rosan nodded easily and stood up. "I'll go check out my room then. Call me when you need me."

  Robin nodded and they exchanged a quick kiss, before Rosan left the room.

  Raisa watched the action with wide eyes and Robin turned towards her with a firm expression.

  "Raisa... I understand that you understand the errors of your way, but you have to understand how much Rosan matters to all of us," Robin began slowly.

  Raisa nodded, listening attentively.

  While Mod was completely antagonistic towards her, Rosan was almost aloof in how nonchalantly he treated her.

  Robin seemed to be the perfect middle ground. Raisa felt like she could make genuine progress if she talked to the Devil Child.

  "Everyone knows you abandoned him in a forest and everyone has severe issues with you for such a thing," she explained.

  "You are one of them aren't you?" Raisa asked.

  Robin nodded. "I am but I am also the most rational in our family and Rosan tells me everything. I know you weren't in the right state of mind when you made that decision... and seeing how you reacted to seeing Rosan let me know that you're actually attempting to make an effort."

  "So you don't hate me?" Raisa asked hopefully.

  "Not at all," Robin shook her head. "My perspective is the same as Rosan's... If you had kept him, we would have never met and I'm glad that it didn't come to that."

  Raisa sighed. "How can I... how can I connect with him?" she asked tentatively.

  Robin smiled thinly. "You'll have to win Mod over to make the most progress. Those two really are one and the same and Rosan's keeping you at an arm's length because Mod-chan hates you so much, she can decide to cut contact with you at anytime. Rosan won't deny her, especially when he doesn't care all that much," she explained.

  The queen nodded, pursing her lips at that. "I figured it would be that hard. I intended on doing that regardless. Mod-chan is his mother so I will do my best," she said, determination on her face.

  Robin saw that determination and sighed fondly.

  She really was like Rosan alright.

  "I'm sure my treatment of you will play a good part. Despite everything, you went through tough times as well and I think you deserve some happiness," Robin explained gently.

  Raisa blinked, before a flush appeared on her face.

  "May I hug you?" she asked tentatively.

  Robin giggled. "Rosan doesn't bother asking, so it's a little refreshing to see someone with his face actually ask... but you don't have to ask me."

  Raisa smiled brightly and pulled her into a tight hug.

  "Thank you, Nico Robin. I'm glad Rosan found you," Raisa muttered.

  "Keep up the good work and I'm sure you won't regret it," Robin replied. "Take care of him for me please... he'll visit me a lot regardless but I still needlessly worry for him."

  "I don't think it's needless... he's very reckless," Raisa sighed, shuddering as she remembered how he had been struck with a fatal blow.

  Robin patted her and the two broke off, taking a seat.

  "I suppose I should call Rosan back now," Robin hummed, drinking her tea once more.

  "When will you two give me grandchildren? I've decided you are the perfect wife for Rosan so that means you two need to have kids," Raisa suddenly stated.

  Robin nearly choked on her tea at the question. She lightly coughed and watched with wide eyes as Rosan materialized behind her and pat her back.

  "You alright?" he asked in concern.

  "I-I'm fine," Robin muttered, taking a deep breath and staring at the confused Raisa with wide eyes.

  Robin had an inkling that this wasn't going to be the last time Raisa asked such a thing.

  Two years of this... Robin suddenly wasn't so sure about this.

  "What did she say?" Rosan tilted his head in confusion.

  "Nothing Rosan... nothing at all. Come, take me back. I need to get situated myself."

  Rosan tilted his head even further.

  Bounty Poster

  WANTED

  DEAD OR ALIVE

  'THE MORNING STAR' ROCKS D. ROSAN

  1,044,000,000 Beris

  -Marine