Capítulo 53: Chapter 28: Is This Fate? 2
Over the years, the redhead discovered that a lot of creatures were terrified of the dominating might that was Ragnarok and understood exactly where he stood on the food chain. Only Sea Kings seemed to be largely unaffected by his draconic transformation, probably due to the fact that they likely had no natural predators, but that mattered little when he could just burn them alive the moment they stopped lurking underwater.
Combined with his pressure, he could order most animals around like he did with Ritchie. It was a good thing his pressure was actually still able to do something because it had gotten tremendously weaker ever since Meiko died, requiring much more focus and energy to reach what he used to be capable of.
These days, he barely found it worth using.
"W-What the fuck?" Someone asked intelligently.
"Did he just… scare that sea beast away?"
"Who the hell is that…?!"
Arlong's eyes bugged in rage at watching Momoo take orders from someone else and he promised to deal with him after he got his hands on the redhead... Just as soon as he found out where he fled too.
But, how did he do that? Surely the Sea Cow knew who was stronger between the two so why did he choose to disobey Arlong?
"Kaori, you look like you're dying to ask me questions. Follow me if you want answers."
Without waiting for a response, Rosan turned on his heel and began walking through the shocked onlookers watching him with awe and fear.
He was treating this like a normal afternoon... was this bravado or was this guy the real deal...?
Nojiko stopped him momentarily by grabbing onto his wrist and the redhead glanced down at her with a tilt.
"You… you were right about Arlong," she said shakily, still utterly baffled by what he just did.
That same creature that destroyed Gosa and would destroy them if it so pleased... This mysterious redhead right here, who she couldn't get a single read on, managed to effortlessly cow him.
Just who was Rosan?
Rosan made a show of raising a brow. "I tend to be right when it comes to a person's nature," he replied. "People just tend to not listen to me because they choose to live in their fairy tale world. At that point, it no longer matters to me and I just wait for the inevitable moment where I say, I told you so."
Nojiko took a deep breath and gazed evenly at the enigma. "Please… please save us and please make sure you don't die," she pleaded to the redhead. This crew was their only hope and she was putting all of her trust in them.
"Didn't I tell you not to worry about me so much?" Rosan asked softly, patting her on the head in a patronizing manner and tilting his head at seeing her not even attempt to remove it.
Was she truly that worried about his safety? How touching. Rosan wished he could put so much faith in a person he just met.
"There's not a single person on this island who can kill me. I won't be dying anytime soon so you can sit pretty and watch my crew fight, Nojiko."
With that, he continued walking to who knows where and Nami's older sister could only watch his trailing back.
Kaori didn't even hesitate to follow after the redhead. She ignored all the people calling her (and the humans watching her fearfully) and gave chase to the walking redhead, parting the crowd of people like she carried the plague.
This was perfect. She could question him without any of the other fishman interfering and the two of them didn't have to worry about someone getting in the way.
"Wait, Kaori! It could be a trap! You heard what he did to the other crew members! He must have a trick that he used to kill them!" Chew tried to call her back but she ignored him and he let out a frustrated sigh.
"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, REDHEAD?!" Arlong roared, clambering himself back up. "I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU —"
A sandal planted itself right on his forcefully adjusted nose and sent him flying, breaking it again.
"You don't gotta worry about Rosan," Luffy said simply, cracking his knuckles. "I'm your opponent."
"All of this for one lousy girl?" Kuroobi asked, grunting in annoyance at Kaori's retreating figure.
"Lousy girl?" Sanji asked threateningly. "Talk about Nami like that again and I'll fry you up, fish."
"I'd like to see you try, human," Kuroobi smirked challengingly.
"Roronoa Zoro… you and that redhead tricked me and you hurt my crew too!" Hatchan growled in fury.
"So what? You guys tried to destroy me and now, we're here to destroy you," Zoro grinned eagerly, pointing Wado Ichimonji at the man.
Usopp was content to let them battle the fishman. That was until he felt someone grab the back of his suspenders.
"Oh yeah!" Luffy beamed, holding Usopp tightly. "Rosan told me to do this. I dunno why but he said you'd understand."
"W-WAIT!" Usopp screeched. If Rosan told Luffy to do this… then —
The rubber boy tossed Usopp right into an unsuspecting Chew's chest, causing them both to collapse on the floor.
Usopp pushed himself up nervously and smiled apologetically to the fishman, before he spun on his heel and took off.
"GET BACK HERE, LONG NOSE!" Chew roared, taking chase.
"WELL YOU HAVE A BIG MOUTH!" Usopp screamed in terror.
He was so going to get revenge on Rosan after this. Sure he wanted to be a brave warrior of the sea but this was too fast!
"Wait!" Kaori called, finally catching up to the strange redhead. "How much further do you plan on going?"
"Until you chose to stop me."
She snarled at the man after that response. "Are you just fucking around with me?"
This was important to her. There was a reason she wasn't going out of her way to turn the redhead into paste but it was getting really tempting right about now.
"There is information you want to know, and there is information that I don't really feel like letting everyone else know," Rosan replied, stopping and turning to face her. "I can see how desperately you want to know about your father's fate so I'll throw you a bone. I don't normally do this but you've proven that you aren't like the other fishman, else I'd have just killed you."
"Don't compare me to them," Kaori grunted, unfazed by his threat. After what they did to Nami… she couldn't respect the pirates anymore. She'd need to go back to the Grand Line and inform Jinbe of this so he could deal with them accordingly. It was his responsibility since he released them into this sea in the first place.
Rosan simply hummed and she shifted uncomfortably at the shorter man's expressionless gaze. "What do you want to know?" He asked knowingly.
He was messing with her. She didn't like that.
"What happened to my father?" She asked bluntly. "You said you fought him, right?"
"Yeah, I fought him when I was nine," the redhead confirmed. "As for what happened to him… he died, like I said."
"But how?" Kaori pressed. It wasn't making any sense… had her father been set up by their former master? Did they use the redhead to do it? What purpose would they have to use a nine year old to set up a slave? By banking on his morals?
It didn't make any sense.
Rosan tilted his head. What was she not understand —
Oh.
"Didn't I tell you? I killed him," Rosan replied bluntly. "We were opponents in the finals of the Ash and Dust tournament. We fought, I won and he died as a result."
Kaori froze at that and she tilted her head in disbelief. "You…? You expect me to believe that? Can you just stop fucking with me for one second and answer my questions truthfully?" She snarled in a burst of fury, taking a threatening step forward.
All these years of searching and the one actual source she found, was just playing around with her emotions.
It was seriously pissing her off.
The redhead raised a brow at her denial.
"You choose what you want to believe," Rosan replied. "I'm sure you know he participated in a tournament, I'm sure you know what that tournament entailed and I'm sure you know that I undoubtedly met him. What you choose to fabricate afterwards has nothing to do with me."
"You expect me to believe that at just nine, you killed my father?!" Kaori hissed, taking a shaky step forward.
"You sound surprised. It's not like your father was strong," Rosan hummed mockingly (to her ears). "I was the strongest person on that island and because of that, I won. He fought valiantly but it wasn't enough to beat me..."
"...It was never going to be enough."
"FUCK. OFF!" Kaori roared, fed up with him. She dashed forward and attempted to pulverize his insides with a vicious punch downwards.
The redhead simply leapt back and raised a brow at the utterly destroyed ground.
Oh? Seems like there was a decent Fishman here.
"It's clear you want me to beat the truth out of you so that's what I'm gonna do," she snarled. This asshole was antagonizing her on purpose and kept telling lies. One person would never have been enough to kill her dad, much less a fucking child.
"I can't say I'm surprised by this outcome. Though, I expected you to attack me for murdering your father, not because you thought I was telling lies."
"Perhaps you should have delivered it in a more accepting manner?"
"This is not my friend. I have no obligation to."
The redhead tried to be nice and give her the answers she desperately wanted but now she was in denial.
Perhaps she thought he died bravely in an attempt to keep his family safe. Perhaps her childish eyes glorified her father more then he deserved to be. To her, he must have been so strong but to Rosan, Kenzo was weak.
"Fine, I'll show you what I showed Kenzo that night," Rosan hummed, eyes glowing dimly in preparation for battle. "Don't worry. After you see what I'm capable of, you'll have no choice but to believe my words."
"Even if you did beat my father, I'm much stronger than he is now," Kaori stated with a deep glare.
"How funny…" Rosan replied, staring evenly at the furious puffer fishman.
"…I'm much stronger than he is too."
"GAHHHHHHH!" Usopp squealed, running from his opponent as fast as he could.
"STAND STILL!" Chew roared, sprinting after him and wondering how a human could run so fast.
Why did Rosan tell Luffy to do this?! What was wrong with him?! WAS HE TRYING TO GET USOPP KILLED?!
OF COURSE HE WAS! Their redheaded crewmate was vindictive and cruel and he never forgot that Usopp had him labelled as a liar this entire time! This was his way of getting the coward eliminated from the crew without doing it himself!
Well, jokes on him! Usopp had been running since before he was even born! This was nothing to hi—
A water shot collided with his back, cutting off his train of thought and Usopp gasped in agony as blood began blooming from the spot hit.
Chew snorted in disbelief at watching the idiot collapse dead. "Seriously? After all that running, he goes down in one hit?"
What a complete waste of his time. He needed to go back to Arlong to deal with the rest of the troublesome pirates.
Perhaps he'd go find Kaori... If he helped her out with the redhead, maybe she'd finally give him a taste of her. There was really no reason for her to be such a prude.
Usopp peaked open an eye at the sight of the fishman walking away and let out a sigh of relief.
"I'll just tell them I fought valiantly to the end but he was too much! Luffy should be able to handle him and Arlong and if not, Rosan will get him—"
"You have potential."
The coward froze.
What... What was he doing right now? While everyone was willing to risk their lives, he was lying here, pretending to be dead. Their navigator, was living in pure hell for 8 years and realized none of it mattered and he was lying here, pretending to be dead.
That was so pathetic.
"HEY, FAT LIPS!" Usopp yelled.
Chew stopped in his tracks. What? He was still alive?
Wait... WHAT DID HE JUST CALL HIM?!
The fishman turned around, fury painted on his features—
Only to get 3 eggs splashed in his face, courtesy of his opponent.
"Ugh!" The fishman grunted, wiping his face repeatedly to get them out of his eyes.
By the time he managed to do so, that damn human was nowhere in sight, vanishing into the forest and making Chew all the more annoyed.
"When I get my hands on him..." Chew said darkly, taking a step forward—
And slipping into a numerous amount of caltrops. They dug into his skin and only served to infuriate him deeper. The fishman tried to push himself up, only to slip once more into the traps and realized that the floor was oiled of all things.
He was dead.
Usopp, hidden in the forest, stared at the mask nervously, fear wracking his body at what he just did.
It was blank white, Rosan's invitation for him to change it into his image, with a slot in the middle for his nose and two lens in the eye hole to replicate sniper goggles. It was almost like the redhead made this for him in advance. How thoughtful!
(Rosan didn't. He modified it as he was giving it to Usopp)
"When you put that mask on, envision yourself as a brave warrior of the sea."
Brave warrior of the sea... he could try and do that.
The coward placed the blank mask on, all while repeating the mantra of "You have potential" in the back of his mind, and composed himself.
Miraculously, it worked.
One thing he realized while traveling with Rosan and the Straw Hats, was the supreme ability of the Captain and Scout to annoy anyone they battled into a frenzy.
Usopp realized now that Rosan did it because it made them much sloppier when they got annoyed and allowed for more mistakes.
For someone like him, a long ranged sniper, that was crucial. Rosan did it because he was sadistic and loved to torment his enemies, but Usopp could use that to get even more hits and finish the battle with minimal injury due to errors, all while building their annoyance with his various gadgets...
By the roar of frustration, he was largely successful.
By progressively annoying his opponent, the fishman would make a crucial mistake that would give him the opening he needed.
Chancing a glance in the direction he came from, Usopp marveled at how clear everything was. The mask didn't limit his vision, it enhanced it! He could see so much further now and wondered just where Rosan got this mask from.
He'd have to thank him if— No. When he won this battle.
Currently, his opponent was furiously marching towards the forest with a look of hot rage on his face. He clearly didn't appreciate all the stuff Usopp left behind because the man looked like he wanted to do nothing more then pulverize him.
Perfect.
Chew, in his rage, had forgone the much smarter idea of inhaling the water from the nearby lake to obliterate the forest, revealing Usopp, in favor of getting his hands on the slimy bastard.
That would prove costly for him.
The moment he stepped into the forest, he activated a trap that shot a bottle of rum at him. Chew immediately turned towards the direction, heedless of the fact that he was covered in the liquid and fired off another of his Water Gun's in the direction.
He watched in confusion, and more annoyance, as the attack sailed through nothing.
How the hell did that coward have enough time to set up all these tra—
Chew grunted in annoyance as three pellets collided with his back and he turned around immediately, making eye contact with the Usopp in the tree. He raised a brow at the addition of a white mask and let loose a satisfied snarl that cowed the idiot.
"Nice mask, human. You think that'll save you?"
"S-STAY AWAY!" Usopp yelled nervously.
The damn coward squealed at being spotted and began desperately firing those useless pellets at him.
All those did was annoy him. They didn't even hurt and he dared to continue shooting such useless things at him?
Chew began sprinting towards the human with rage on his features. So lost was he in his rage, he didn't even realize Usopp stopped squealing.
Perhaps the fishman would have noticed the smirk on the liars face ... if he didn't have that mask on and he would have approached more cautiously as a result, but he didn't because Usopp did have it on.
The fishman began charging after him, ignoring and barging through every single pellet that the coward fired at him. All they did was serve to infuriate him further and turn his charge into a one man stampede.
You could imagine his surprise, when one of those pellets he kept running through, exploded on his alcoholic covered body.
The effects were immediate.
"GRAGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Chew squealed in agony as his body ignited upon contact.
Usopp smiled victoriously. He was firing those pellets to test if the Fishman would bother dodging anymore of them but since he didn't, he just added a Flame Star into the mix.
It was sneaky and crafty and it worked out well for him.
What didn't work out well, was how much he underestimated the fishman's desire to hit him. He'd have to remember in the future that people who you annoyed, turned really crazy.
Chew looked like a man out of hell as he bull rushed Usopp while covered in fire.
Usopp's eyes widened in horror at that and he pulled out his trump card right before the man punched him in the face with that fiery fist.
Earlier, while he was rummaging through his bag to get the traps ready, he noticed that there was an impossibly neat note on one of his weapons.
"Use this if they ever close the distance. They shouldn't but you're an idiot so it'll happen," it said.
He sweatdropped at the note that was obviously from Rosan but nodded to himself and grabbed it.
Seems like the redhead was right... he seemed to have a knack for that but right now it could potentially save his life.
"USOPP HAMMER!" He roared, right as two fist smashed into him. One connected with his injured chest, getting a pained wheeze out of him and the other hit his nose and mask.
But his attack connected too.
Usopp watched with bugged eyes, as his hammer connected to Chew and exploded on impact, igniting the man even further and sending him soaring out of the forest with raw concussive force.
Mercifully, the man landed in the pool but he was knocked unconscious, burns littering his steaming body.
The sniper expected his face to be hurting way more but besides his nose being broken (which really, really hurt), the mask did an absolute fantastic job at keeping it safe...
What the hell was it made out of?!
Speaking of which, why the hell was his hammer suddenly so... goddamn... heavy?! The sniper collapsed on the floor, removing his left hand from his nose so that it could join his right in trying to life up the mallet.
"Work on your body so that it can keep up with your mind."
Damn... Rosan was really trying to motivate him whether he wanted it or not wasn't he?!
But it was working! Usopp felt like a whole new person while in that battle and it felt so... so AWESOME!
HE WON! HE ACTUALLY WON AND IT WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY EASY BESIDES A FEW MISTAKES!
Usopp whooped in joy, before wheezing at the injury on his chest. He clutched the aggravated wound and decided to go meet up with his crew.
The sniper pushed himself back up and with herculean effort, he began dragging the explosive... force(?)... hammer.
He had no clue what Rosan did to his hammer or when he did it but it was incredibly useful. He would definitely be keeping this in his arsenal but if he wanted to use it, he'd have to get strong enough to carry it...
What a way to motivate him... He was probably going to need a new work hammer too. He didn't fancy blowing up his gadgets.
"How the fuck have you not killed this clown yet?!" Ram snarled in disbelief. "You're still not healed from the injury Hawk Eye gave you?!"
"Who the hell is supposed to heal from something like that so quickly?!" Zoro barked back in equal amounts of disbelief.
"Father!" She retorted back like clockwork, scowling deeply and making him groan.
This was how the fight had been going nearly the whole time. Zoro would attempt to do something, Ram would not approve, then she would bring up how Rosan could do it better and he'd snarl at her in aggravation.
To her, their redheaded scout may as well have been Kami because she was asking for completely unreasonable things that he could do apparently.
Between wielding two katanas that nagged him constantly, the stupid antics of the octopus fishman in front of him and the near fatal injury Hawk Eye had given him, Zoro was not having a very fun time.
If this is what Rosan had to deal with all the time, the swordsman understood why he was as brutal as he was. The things Ram told him to do, bordered on insanity and she clearly had no regard for if he lived or not in the process.
Whenever he didn't do something she said (which was very very often), the psychotic weapon would respond, "Father would have done it!" and he'd heard it so much, he was turning dizzy.
He vowed to get two new swords after this, Ram and Rosan were clearly meant for each other.
Zoro clashed Ram against Hatchan's six blades and despite his annoyance with her, he couldn't help but marvel at how smooth it felt to use the ring. She was light to hold but that's all that was light about her.
"ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT, YOU GRASSY PIECE OF SHIT?!"
"SHUT THE HELL UP AND LET ME HAVE MY THOUGHTS TO MYSELF!"
"FUCK YOU!"
"You can't beat me, Roronoa Zoro!" Hatchan grinned, despite the fact that he was failing to push the man back. "I have six blades to your three so that means I win!"
Zoro was trying to push back but his wounds flaring up, stopped any current thought process and he groaned in agony.
Hatchan took ruthless advantage of that.
"Tentacle Sword Overload!" He called, swinging his swords rapidly and charging the green haired man.
"Why did Father pair me with a half dead dumbass?" Ram moaned sadly. She wanted to hold her head but she kind of couldn't considering she could only exist in the mindscape when Rosan was holding her.
If she fell in that fucking water, everyone here was going to die the moment Father got someone to save her!
Zoro almost didn't react in time but Ram barked out a, "Block!" and he instinctively listened to her. The swordsman blocked the swings and groaned at the pressure it was putting on his body.
"He's swinging with a lot of force right now. Use that against the bigger dumbass and take advantage of the opening to use one of your stronger techniques."
Zoro grunted in affirmation, diverting the direction of Hatchan's swing and using the weight of his blow against him.
The octopus yelped in surprise, as he stumbled and the green haired man quickly took his opening with no remorse.
"Tiger Trap!" Zoro said, driving all three blades into Hatchan's chest. He marveled at how easily the blades dug into him and was reminded that Ram was no ordinary weapon.
"O-Ow!" Hachi roared in pain at the deep cut.
"Press your advantage! We're finishing this before your wound becomes too much of a problem! Attack, attack, attack! Overwhelm him and show me that resolve that Father is so interested in!" Ram ordered confidently.
Zoro did just that. He crossed his swords across his chest and glared deeply at the octopus fishman before saying, "Oni Giri!" and slashing right through the man effortlessly, ending up behind him in the process.
He didn't have time to think about his injuries. He didn't have time to question if he was going to lose. Even if someone else would die from these, that would not be him.
He was not someone else.
He wouldn't lose no matter what, not until he crossed blades with Dracule Mihawk again. Until he crossed blades with the World's Greatest Swordsman, he couldn't afford to lose against anyone else calling themselves one.
Zoro began spinning with the three blades until the wind began picking up around him.
"Finish it!" Ram bellowed, grinning savagely. It didn't matter what it was, she loved being used to destroy an opponent.
"Dragon Twister!" He roared, conjuring a dragon-like tornado to strike Hachi.
The octopus didn't stand a chance. He, along with the surrounding debris, were flung into the air and struck repeatedly by the attack. All six of his blades broke from the impact and as he fell into the realm of dreams, he could only say, "But how did my six swords style lose to a human?"
"Your swords don't have the same weight as mine," Zoro replied simply, sheathing Wado Ichimonji in its hilt. "You can see that now, right octo-man?"
The fishman crashed into the floor with a thud, already unconscious.
"Hachi!" Kuroobi shouted in concern, charging Zoro in fury, before being forced to block a kick from Sanji.
"Didn't you say pay attention?" the somewhat bloodied chef smirked. He had taken quite the punch in the chest due to his concern for the idiot swordsman but it was nothing serious.
"Y-You," Kuroobi snarled in annoyance.
Zoro collapsed on his knees and clutched his wound tightly.
"Sloppy but well done," Ram said, satisfied by his performance.
"You're an even harsher critic then Rosan," Zoro snorted internally but if not for the weapon's guidance, he'd have been in a lot more trouble. She was incredibly useful and her claims of being the ultimate weapon, didn't sound so far-fetched.
"Father doesn't want you dead just yet and what Father wants, Father gets. But, you need to improve even more… After this is over, ask him to start training with you," Ram demanded.
It would be good for the both of them which is why Ram requested it. Zoro, with his ambition, would get stronger training with her Father and Rosan would steadily have to put more and more effort into their fights!
Her father wasn't a swordsman but right now, he was undeniably a better swordsman then Zoro. But that would only be temporary. As long as Zoro survived long enough, he'd eventually surpass Father's sword skills and they'd have awesome fights as a result!
"That's not a bad idea," Zoro muttered, nodding in agreement and groaning as his wound flared up again, collapsing in a puddle of his blood that was getting increasingly larger.
Ram groaned. Did she have to do everything around here?
She instructed Zoro to place her a moderate distance away from him and he did so with slight confusion.
The already stunned onlookers, jaws dropped to the floor as the katana's began shuddering before transforming into a silver haired woman of all things.
"Who is that?!"
"Where the hell did she come from?!"
"She's gorgeous!"
"Oh! Ram!" Luffy beamed ecstatically, ignoring Arlong momentarily and rocketing over to the silver haired woman. She easily caught the shorter rubber boy and the two exchanged in a hug.
"Sup, rubber squirt," she greeted cheerfully. "I'm free to cause trouble for a week so we've gotta do something fun in the meantime!"
The captain's eyes lit up excitedly at that. "Yeah! Let's go raid a meat store and then a weapon store and then a meat and weapon store!" he laughed cheerfully, before suddenly grabbing the taller woman and jumping out of the way.
Arlong's fist crashed into nothing and he was greeted with a stray rubbery punch to the cheek as a result. The fishman snarled in aggravation and glared hatefully at the still laughing Luffy.
"I won't get in your way anymore," Ram grinned eagerly, unfazed by the sight of Arlong trying to turn the both of them into paste. "Give that shitty fish hell while I get this shitty swordsman outta here!"
"Leave it to me!" Luffy nodded confidently, turning his attention back onto Arlong.
Ram picked the bloody Zoro up by the scruff of his shirt effortlessly (Father didn't get blood on him, she'd be damned if she did!) and waltzed over to the group of stunned onlookers eyeing her with shock. Without any further concern for his well-being, she unceremoniously dropped him on the unforgiving ground, getting a groan of pain out of him.
"Big bro Zoro!" Johnny and Yosaku shouted in concern, before rounding on Ram with a glare. They were getting ready to tear into the woman for being so rough with him...
All thoughts of doing that stopped as she glared ferociously at them, daring the two to open their mouths and successfully cowing them.
"He should be thankful I'm not stomping on his wound right now!" Ram snarled, much to their fear. "Be glad that Father instructed me to keep you alive!"
"You're psychotic," Zoro groaned.
"And don't you forget it!" She humphed, cocking her foot back and kicking his ribs. "AND THAT'S FOR CALLING ME FAT! I DIDN'T ASK FOR THESE NUISANCES!" She roared, pointing at her breast.
The green haired man's eyes bugged at being kicked and the swordsman could only wheeze.
"She's insane!" Everyone balked, inching away from the furious beauty.
Ram stomped off to an isolated area so she could sulk in peace, tugging at her twintails with a scowl. "Stupid Father and his stupid crew and wanting to separate us even though I'm his weapon."
Zoro was never going to use Ram again no matter how nice she felt to wield. It was better for his sanity (and body) if he didn't touch the unhinged weapon.
"Scary…" Johnny and Yosaku shuddered, watching the beautiful woman march off. Someone so hot, should not be so terrifying.
"Who the hell is that?" Nojiko asked in confusion. Had she just been a sword? Father…? No one on the Straw Hat crew looked old enough to be her Father... Hell, she looked like one of the oldest members in the crew!
The Straw Hats were by far the strangest crew she had ever met.
Sanji watched the stunning beauty carry Zoro away with a look of jealousy on his face.
He didn't have a single clue who that was but she was drop dead gorgeous, with a unique shade of silver and purple hair and incredibly distinct purple and red eyes... and don't even get him started on the body that her double breasted coat did nothing to hide.
It should have been him getting carried away! That idiot swordsman didn't know how to appreciate her!
Then he paused as he processed the full scope of what he just watched.
"Hey Luffy…" Sanji called slowly.
"Yeah?"
"That gorgeous woman… was she just the swords that Zoro were using?"
"Yep!"
"The same swords… that Rosan gave him to use?"
"Uh huh!"
"So she's the ring that Rosan always has on…"
"Ram belongs to Rosan! I'm surprised she even wanted to leave him! She doesn't like being far from him!"
Sanji puffed out a smoke and remained dead silent, much to the confusion of Luffy and the steadily mounting annoyance of Kuroobi.
The fishman glared at his opponent and cocked his fist back, prepared to do his ultimate attack for this idiots transgressions. "Pay attention, you inferior human!" He growled.
"Ultimate Fist: Thousand Tile—,"
"Collier."
Whatever technique Kuroobi was about to do, was cut off as a kick to the neck smashed him into the ground.
Sanji's looked up and his formerly hooded eyes, were blazing in pure fury. He snapped the cigarette he was smoking in half and let out a yell of emotional pain as he drove his foot even harder down on Kuroobi.
"THAT SUNNOVA BITCH HAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN AROUND HIM AT ALL TIMES?!" He roared in disbelief. That stunning beauty was literally wrapped around his fingers 24/7 and she was exclusively his?
"Epaule!"
"WHY CAN'T I BE THAT LUCKY?!"
Kuroobi tried to get back up but the Epaule connected firmly with his shoulder and drove him right back into the ground.
"WHY CAN'T IT BE ME?!"
"Cotellete!"
"Selle!"
"Poitrine!"
"Gigot!"
Sanji channeled all the rage he was feeling towards Rosan, into a poor Kuroobi who was forced to accept the overwhelming attacks.
He dropped into a one-handed handstand and kicked Kuroobi hard in the ribs before using the momentum to spin around in the opposite direction to deliver a fast kick to his lower back.
Then, pushing himself in an upward position, he slammed his foot into the ray fishman's chest and delivered a sweeping kick to his kneecaps that sent him tumbling across the ground.
Everyone watching, gasped in awe (and sweatdropped at his reasoning for delivering such a beating) at the performance by Sanji. He was tossing that fishman around like no ones business and the fight didn't even look close once he got serious...
Well, as serious as a jealous man could be...
Kuroobi couldn't believe he was being embarrassed by some human that was jealous of another one. This was the most humiliating moment of his life and he refused to accept it.
Eyes white in rage and pain, the fishman once again tried to use his ultimate technique —
"Mouton Shot!"
— But he never got the chance.
When Kuroobi tried to swing, there was no one there because Sanji had jumped into the air and out of his sight. The fishman couldn't even find the chef before the attack began.
A flurry of kicks came out so quickly, Kuroobi could do nothing to prevent it from hitting. They repeatedly slammed into his body with unforgiving force until the chef finished him off with one final kick to his chest.
His body went flying and he crashed into the front of the main building of Arlong Park, but it didn't stop there. Kuroobi went through wall after wall until his body was deposited behind the building.
He did not get back up.
"Don't get in my way when I'm grieving, shitty fish," Sanji said grimly, placing his foot on the floor and reaching for another cigarette.
He was going to kick Rosan's ass for using such a beautiful woman as a weapon. Then, she'd be so grateful by his act of selflessness, that she would stay with him instead of the redhead.
Yes, it was foolproof.
"They defeated two of Arlong's officers…" An onlooker said in awe.
"Who are these guys?"
"In one on one combat too?!"
Nojiko's mouth dropped in disbelief at what she was seeing. "They're amazing… to think they could take down to leaders of the Arlong Pirates…"
Maybe… Maybe they could actually be saved? She thought back to how effortlessly Rosan had defeated and killed one of the fishman and realized that she shouldn't have underestimated him.
They were all monsters! With them… hope was really possible... They really could make it out of this never ending nightmare...
Arlong looked at the wreckage with thinly veiled rage. "Kuroobi… Hachi… you bastards took out my precious brothers one after the other," he said, clenching his fist in barely restrained fury.
"You should worry more about yourself," Luffy grinned eagerly. "You're gonna be joining them soon!"
The veins on his head became even more pronounced, as the fishman stared the rubber captain down.
"Just try it," Arlong said gravely.
"You asked for it," Luffy retorted confidently.
Any further dialog was cut short, due to the sight of an absolutely, massive amount of flames suddenly appearing in the distance.
"WOAH!"
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
"FIRE? FROM THE SKY?!"
"Wasn't that the direction the redhead and Kaori headed?"
"Rosan looks like he's having fun," Luffy grinned knowingly.
Everyone felt a headache forming at that statement.
At around the same time of Zoro and Sanji's fight
After crying in relief at having people to rely on, Nami went and properly bandaged herself up and prepared to head back to Arlong Park.
Well, that was the plan at least, until she heard the sounds of combat and decided to check it out.
What she saw, surprised her greatly.
Kaori and Rosan were locked in combat and the two were exchanging furiously quick blows. They threw out punch after punch and it was clear that the redhead was the victor in most of these exchanges, if the steadily panting fishman meant anything.
The woman threw a punch that Rosan sidestepped, throwing out a punch of his own in the process that she was forced to block.
The force of the blow sent her skidding back but not for long and she quickly dove back into the action.
Her hidden spikes burst out of her body and she immediately rushed him once more, attempting to grab him and failing as he jumped over her spiky leap.
Rosan landed behind her and planted a boot on her back that sent her tumbling for a bit before she quickly regained her balanced.
Dipping her hand into the river behind her, Kaori growled and began launching a salvo of water droplets at the redhead.
"Water Shot: Machine Gun!"
He immediately began dashing away from each one, raising a brow at watching three droplets pierce through a boulder like it were made of paper.
He ducked under two more, pushed himself into a handstand and launched himself upwards.
Kaori's grin at seeing the airborne target, transformed into stupefied confusion as she watched him maneuver his body through the air to continue to avoid her machine gun assault.
"How is he moving through the air so easily?" She thought, watching him twist, turn and push himself forward to avoid getting hit. While dodging, he aimed himself in a downward trajectory towards her and began rocketing towards the fishman with merciless eyes.
She abandoned the machine gun technique and instead sought to intercept his attack with one of her own.
"Two Thousand Tile True Punch!" She roared, throwing out a swift punch to catch the descending man.
It collided with his own fist and a stalemate ensued for only a split second before the momentum from Rosan's drop quickly began to overpower her.
Kaori sought to rectify this before it got bad for her and threw out a punch with her left hand on the still airborne man.
Rosan used the fist against her and got into a one handstand by balancing himself atop her left arm. Then, in an incredible display of flexibility, the shorter man delivered a heel kick directly to her skull.
Kaori's eyes went white in pain as she face planted on the floor and the woman began grinding her teeth in rage at the foot keeping her there.
The redhead, who was forcing her head into the dirt with his foot, took the time to address the new source.
"Oh, Nami," Rosan greeted, jumping away from the fishman and landing closer to their navigator. "Are you headed to Arlong's Park?"
"Don't ignore me, you bastard!" Kaori roared, snapping out of her pain from the sheer rage she felt at being stepped on. She pushed herself back up and immediately closed the distance between the two, throwing out a punch that Rosan blocked with his forearm.
The satisfaction at landing a hit only lasted a moment, at not seeing his arm snap in two from her punch. Her eyes went wide in confusion and then they blanked momentarily at the kick to her stomach that sent her flying back.
The woman fell on one knee and began coughing harshly. W-What was that strength? What was his body made of...? That hit should have snapped his arm in half...
"Be patient," Rosan instructed, unfazed by her aggression.
Nami realized at that moment that her scout was toying with Kaori. He wasn't taking her serious at all, from conversing with the navigator, to speaking to the fishman in a patronizing tone.
He didn't even have a weapon out right now!
How strong was Rosan really…? She figured that his words were just the unwarranted confidence that both he and Luffy seemed to carry at all times but... maybe it wasn't unwarranted after all...
Maybe his words carried far more weight then she realized.
"If you're interested, you can stand a little further back. I'll show you that it's okay to put more faith in us in the future," Rosan offered.
She hesitantly nodded and moved backwards, jumping in shock as a the ground morphed into a comfortable seat for her to sit on.
Modification was so useful.
The redhead nodded in return and pulled his long sleeve shirt back, revealing that he was wearing an armband.
"Right, I guess I should get a bit more comfortable for combat then."
A stumbling Kaori and Nami watched in surprise as the armband they didn't know he had, glowed and began wrapping around his body in a smooth fashion.
Rosan's expensive, all black outfit was replaced with a plain black bodysuit that had a red tank top and some red laced black shorts. To finish off, he had some red combat sneakers on that were laced in black.
"You…" Kaori felt her rage mounting to levels she didn't think possible and it wasn't because of her father. "Are you even taking me serious?"
Rosan tilted his head to the side. "What a stupid question…" He began softly.
"...Of course I'm not."
Kaori cracked the ground underneath her with the speed that she took off with and began her assault anew. She gathered the surrounding water vapor in her fist and spikes before punching forward.
"Thousand Tile True Puffer Punch!"
Rosan blocked it effortlessly but she grinned in a feral manner.
She was nowhere near Jinbei's level of proficiency when it came to Fishman Karate but he still taught her some of what she knew.
Case in point, she used the fact that the cocky Rosan blocked her blow against him and manipulated the water inside of him to make what would have normally been an ineffective attack, much more dangerous due to piercing through his defenses.
The redhead grunted and immediately jumped back, glancing down at his body from her strange attack.
What was that? That attack sent his body into quite a bit of disarray at the moment and he was a bit dazed, unfamiliar with the feeling of Modification scrambling.
Kaori didn't want him to have the time to think of what she had just done and kept up her assault, renewed by seeing how effective the blow was.
She charged Rosan and grinned as he leapt back a bit, forgoing blocking her again.
He was steadily getting closer to a water source that she could use.
"Water Shot: Cannon!" She barked, forming a condensed glob of water and letting it fly forward like a cannonball.
The fishman knew he was getting ready to jump over her attack, so when he did, she made a grab at his legs to force him back down.
With brutal force, Kaori slammed the redhead to the ground, forming a crater beneath him before hoisting him up and capturing him in a bear hug.
Then without any hesitation, she allowed her spikes to reveal themselves and began to squeeze, frowning as they failed to pierce the outfit he had on.
Not deterred, the woman leaned back slightly and slammed her head directly on Rosan's own.
The redhead's head flew back from the brutal blow and his head began to spin. The blow itself stung but that's not what the problem was. The problem was she was doing something to scramble his body.
He blinked a bit as blood began leaking from his head. "Mod-chan."
"Right."
"You have the same spikes as he does. Let me guess, poisonous and detachable, right?" Rosan asked knowingly, head beginning to steam due to the Philosopher's Stone. "Unfortunately, I've already built up my tolerance to them after my battle with Kenzo so that won't work."
She shuddered at his knowledge and only squeezed harder.
Was this guy even human? Kaori was squeezing hard enough to permanently disable a normal person and this guy wasn't even letting out a peep! What were his clothes made out of because they seemed downright impenetrable...
It just didn't make any—
Kaori stumbled backwards as Rosan returned the favor and slammed a head into her own. She released Rosan in the process and before she could stumble too far, the redhead grabbed her gi and pulled her forward, delivering another headbutt directly on her skull, scrambling her brain and cutting off all her current thoughts.
The woman tried to blindly throw out a punch but it hit nothing but air due to Rosan's next maneuver.
Still gripping her gi, Rosan flipped himself over her and used the momentum to deliver a devastating knee to her back.
Nami winced at the sight of Kaori letting out a strangled wheeze of agony, throwing up spit and blood in the process.
Rosan didn't let her go. Instead, the redhead wrapped his hands around her waist, glanced up and jumped with her still in his grasp.
"A fishman in the sky… what a surreal sight," Rosan mused, glancing down at the incoherent woman.
"What absurd strength," Kaori thought, slowly regaining her senses and struggling fruitlessly in his hold. Just h-how high were they going to go —
Something shadowed her view and she finally realized the gigantic wings growing out of his back, bringing them higher and higher and making her turn white.
He was a Devil Fruit user…?!
"So you finally realized," Rosan hummed, turning her around to face him and showing the taller woman his slitted eyes. "Still think I'm lying? Fine, I can show you the move I used to destroy that entire island. Maybe then you'll believe me."
If he was a devil fruit user… then his chances of defeating Kenzo skyrocketed, especially considering the fact that those wings looked draconic in nature.
Wait… destroyed that island? What did he mea —
"A fish shouldn't try and fight a dragon in its domain. You should have jumped in the water and stalled me out," Rosan advised calmly.
Kaori's eyes widened in horror and her struggling increased tenfold. She desperately cocked a fist back and roared, "TWO THOUSAND TILE TRUE PUFFER PUNCH!"
The attack actually connected with Rosan's face, knocking his head back brutally, lodging some spikes deep into his skin and causing a spurt of blood to begin flowing from her powerful punch.
But to her increasing fear, the redhead didn't stumble like the previous two hits when she bypassed his defenses. Her mind was not in that much disarray to misuse her technique and this was directly on his face... Why was he acting completely fine?!
"Your tolerance to that strange attack has been built up to workably resistant levels."
Such was the nonsense that was his Devil Fruit.
"Well, not like hiding out in the water would have worked against me anyways. You'd need to go to the ocean to have a chance."
"Thank you, Mod-chan. I'll give you a massage later."
"!" Mod's face split into a grin and the woman let out a pleased noise at that.
Her horror turned into true genuine terror as that demon stared back at her with an unfazed expression, face already healing from the injury. She watched him open his mouth to spit out a tooth and then another, this time razor sharp in nature, replaced it, along with all his other.
D-Did her Father really have to fight someone like this?!
Rosan tensed up and launched the vulnerable puffer fishman down at breakneck speeds to the water.
Then, he reared his head back and built up the required energy, razor sharp teeth gleaming as the temperature around him turned blistering.
"Annihilation."
Nami's jaw dropped to the floor, as an absolutely gigantic amount of red flames erupted from Rosan's mouth and rushed towards Kaori. The navigator couldn't help but take an instinctive step back at the overwhelming display of power from their scout.
She was sure everyone on the island could see the fire.
"Holy shit," she whispered in awe. Rosan was not joking. He really could have just saved her at any point but she had been to scared to see it.
What the hell was a monster like this doing in the East Blue?
Kaori used the surrounding moisture to cover her body, hoping that it would protect her from those unnaturally red flames.
It did not.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kaori screeched in agony as those red flames slammed into her and the only thing that saved her life, was that Rosan had mercifully thrown her towards the water. The flames carried her into the water source and granted her a moment of reprieve, as they began to turn the surrounding water into steam.
T-This was excruciating! All Kaori could think about, was the agonizing pain she was currently in.
How... How could anyone withstand this? It felt like her entire body was peeling.
The part of the pond that didn't transform into steam, became uncomfortably hot and the woman bit back tears at the searing pain that hardly diminished while submerged.
Rosan floated down and gently landed on the floor, staring at the rising steam with a tilted head. "You should be grateful. I didn't want to kill you yet," he said softly.
Kaori let out a soundless gasp from the blistering pain and tried her best not to move too much. If she aggravated these burns even more, she didn't think she'd be able to stay awake.
"Do you believe me now?" He asked softly, now standing right in front of her with that same expressionless face he always had on.
It was like he was mocking her… He didn't take her serious even once.
D-Did he take her dad serious?
She doubted it...
Tears of defeat sprung up in her eyes and she let out a shaky sob. "W-Why? Why did you kill him…?"
"I was merely defending myself," Rosan said quietly as his wings slowly retreated back into his body and he returned to normal. "In that tournament, defeat meant death and I just happened to meet your father in the final round. One of us were destined to die that day and it wasn't going to be me."
Kaori sobbed as she was forced to accept the reality that her father's end had been at the hand of this man.
Deep down, she knew he died but to hear that it was at the whims of those cruel slave masters. It was too much.
The redhead let her cry and idly began pulling out the spikes embedded to his face. She had just found out the fate of her father after all. It was understandable that she reacted like this.
Nami couldn't help but soften her eyes in sympathy as the fishman cried and cried. It was a testament to her kindness that she was even able to feel bad for one of them.
"S-So you were really a slave too? And they made you fight in that hellhole?" She couldn't help but ask through the tears.
"That's right. I was conditioned and tortured so I could compete in that tournament," the redhead responded, much to her shock.
Didn't he say he was nine? What type of sick bastards tortured a child to put him in a tournament where he could die?!
"After I defeated Kenzo. I chose to escape the island and then I killed every single slave owner there, including your own I'm guessing."
How funny... The murderer of her father was the one who freed her. Kaori would cry at the irony of it if she weren't already doing so...
"I hate you," Kaori eventually said.
"Many people do," the redhead replied, unfazed by her declaration.
"Even though you inadvertently freed me… you still killed my father."
"The fight would have gone differently if he had a water source."
"I spent years looking for answers and this entire time, you mocked and belittled me."
"You are apart of the crew that made my navigator suffer."
He... He had a point.
"...Did he really think about me and Mom in his last moments…?"
"He did. He apologized to you two and I made a vow to him that I'd remember your names and tell you of his honorable death."
Kaori wasn't stupid. She knew that the redhead before her had no choice but to kill her father in that fight. It was very likely, that Kenzo had been actively trying to kill him too.
She had traveled around with the Sun Pirates… with Fisher Tiger and Jinbe and the two had given her a much broader look on life. She wasn't immature enough to blindly blame one person for being put in a similar situation to her.
Slaves didn't have much choices in what they did. Kaori still hated him but that was just not something that logic could ever change.
"...Thank you for killing my former master," she grunted, pulling herself up and wincing at the pain.
"How unorthodox of you to thank me," Rosan replied softly, grabbing the fishman and hauling her up. "Do you plan on continuing to fight for this crew? If so, I will kill you."
"No," Kaori replied honestly, assessing the severe damage done to her body. "I'm a hired gun and after I heal up, I'm going to go to the Grand Line to call my teacher so he can deal with them. After seeing their actions… I can't stand here and let them do what they want anymore."
Nami's eyes widened at the revelation. She was going to go get help to deal with Arlong? Was she really serious?!
"You don't have to worry. Arlong will fall today," Rosan said simply, glancing at her wounds with a tilted head.
"I can believe it… you're way stronger than he is— u-ugh," Kaori grunted, dabbing at a wound and holding back a howl. The water (thank Kami it wasn't salt water) was a small moment of comfort but now the pain was out in full force.
That red fire... Those hellish flames weren't normal. Flames didn't become that shade of red.
"You won't be getting any medical treatment here from people who hate you and those wounds aren't going to heal naturally… Come with me if you want," Rosan offered.
Mod smiled to herself. Rosan may not have realized it, but his family was making him become a better person. Not only did he spare the girl, he was even offering to get her healed!
"S-Shouldn't we be going to help the crew?" Nami asked in concern. She didn't have a problem with Rosan going to heal Kaori, but didn't they need him to finish off Arlong?
"Go to Arlong Park, Nami. Our captain will show you what he's capable of," Rosan said softly. "I'm not the only one you can rely on. Have some faith in all of them."
She was going to protest, but Rosan shot her a firm (by his standards) look and she nodded reluctantly, running off to Arlong Park to go see what he was talking about.
"You're… offering to get me medical attention?" Kaori whispered in disbelief, glancing at the human before her with a startled gaze.
"Yeah, grab onto my hand and close your eyes," the redhead replied to the fishman.
She wasn't used to being treated normal by humans. They didn't really wanna look at her, much less touch her.
This guy was… pretty respectable.
She clasped his hand without hesitation, wincing at the pain it brought her, and the two vanished from their spots.
"Demon, Maro. Perfect timing," Rosan greeted the two surprised people with a short wave. "Heal this person for me? She has some severe burns. I'll be back later today."
Not even waiting for a response, the redhead vanished again.
"Huh?" Maro blinked dumbly, glancing between the fishman and the spot her Master had been at repeatedly.
"Come with me, let's get these burns checked out," Demon said, utterly unfazed by the antics of Master and gently pushing her along.
"R-Right," Kaori nodded, allowing herself to get escorted by the purple haired man who looked like the brother of her opponent.
The two promptly left and Maro's jaw began dropping more and more in confusion.
"What the fuck just happened?" The queen mumbled in confusion. She had just been having a conversation with Demon about upgrading the hospital when… a fishman was deposited in front of her to be attended to and now the one who did it was gone.
He didn't even offer an explanation before just leaving...
Ugh, she seriously hated Master sometimes.
"Shark on Darts!"
"Woah!" Luffy said, grabbing onto a part of Arlong's building and leaping over the lunging attack.
"Gomu Gomu no Stamp!" He retaliated, stomping both his feet into the back of Arlong and sending the man careening into a wall.
The rubber boy landed neatly on his feet.
"You…" Arlong snarled in fury. "Is this some type of game to you?! Don't you realize the difference between us?!"
"Nose," Luffy replied bluntly.
…
"Jaw?" He asked questioningly.
…
"Oh! Webbed Hands!"
"RAHHHH!" Arlong roared, throwing caution to the wind and trying to bite Luffy in half.
He chomped at the rubber boy repeatedly and his irritation only grow at each failure. Eventually, he tried to grab at Luffy but the rubber boy was too quick for him and leapt sideways.
"Gomu Gomu no Whip!"
A rubbery leg smashed into Arlong's cheek and sent him crashing, breaking another wall in the process and flooring him for what felt like the umpteenth time.
He burst out the rubbery with a roar of fury, only to be greeted by a fist that smashed and shattered his teeth in the process.
He went crashing back into the building and it began creaking uncomfortably at all the punishment it had been dealt with.
"Water Shot!"
Luffy wasn't fast enough to avoid the surprise attack and it connected solidly with his midsection.
He was sent flying back and landed with a thud on his stomach.
"LUFFY!" Nami screamed in horror, watching his unmoving body and the blood blooming on his red vest. She just knew Rosan should have come to help but she had let him sway her with his words.
Damn that devilish redhead and his way with words!
"SHAHAHAHAHA! NOW YOU GET IT RIGHT?! YOU INFERIOR HUMANS CAN'T DO ANYTHING!" Arlong cackled, growing back his shattered teeth with no effort.
"Yeah, that's right!" Luffy nodded, pushing himself back up with no effort and brushing off his outfit. "I can't scout! I don't know how to use a sword! I can't navigate! I can't cook and I can't tell lies!"
Everyone listened to his speech with a confused expression. Why was he needlessly putting himself down like this? Was he secretly really depressed?
"I know I can't live without help from a lot of people!" The rubber boy declared, glaring at Arlong.
The shark fishman simply roared in laughter. This human had no dignity!
"Shahahahaha! I feel bad for your crew! Having to save an idiot like you must be tiring!" He mocked. "Just what can you do?!"
"I can beat you," Luffy grinned confidently.
"You only have to worry about the things you can do and I'll handle the things you can't," A calm voice spoke up.
Rosan looked at the scenery before him with a tilted head. "Beating this man before I show up is absolutely something you can do. Are you messing around again even though I told you not to?"
His brother was seriously way too playful. His fights would honestly be so much easier if he took them even 5% more serious but unless one of his friends were in immediate danger, he wouldn't do that and would instead put himself in a very stupid situation.
The onlookers looked at the redhead in clear surprise. Not only had he shown up out of nowhere, making them jump in fright, there wasn't a single scratch or injury on his body after walking away with one of, if not, the strongest fishman on the island!
"FATHER!" Ram cheered, leaping on the redhead with expert accuracy and nuzzling him. "I did what you wanted! Are you happy? Pleased? Proud?! Never ask me to do that again or I'll be really fucking pissed with you!"
"Well done, Ram," Rosan said idly, rubbing her silver hair in a soothing manner and getting a happy sigh out of her. She morphed back into a ring and wrapped perfectly around his finger, gleaming unnaturally.
"AUNTIE DID YOU MISS MEEEE?!"
"No. It was so peaceful and quiet until you decided to barge in."
"I MISSED YOU TOO!"
"Please slow dow— oof. R-RAM! LET ME GO!"
"Nope! Nuh uh! And you can't hurt me neither!"
"I hate this already."
"You're the one she calls Father?!" Nojiko gasped. Why did that gorgeous woman call him that? Was that their kink? They looked the same age... Did she just TRANSFORM INTO A RING?!
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