章 41: Chapter 23: The Captain and the Scout 2
Nami let out an unruly screech at the sound of someone saying "Greetings," and whirled around to face the intruder (ironic).
The thief prided herself on being able to sense when people were near her. She kind of had to have that skill due to her line of profession in burglary. The orange haired girl was confident she could feel a person out before they got too close.
Except for this mysterious person right here.
They were like a ghost because Nami still couldn't sense them. He had effortlessly snuck up on her and she had no idea how long he had been there.
The figure staring at her, was tall, bronze, and handsome with a brilliant shade of red hair tied into a messy bun that left the spikes in the front hanging. He wore a long sleeved red shirt, long black pants and was equipped with accessories that had Nami eyeing them greedily (especially the ring).
Most notable about this figure though, were those dual orbs staring into her soul without a hint of life in them. One was purple and the other red and Nami quickly averted her gaze due to how increasingly unnerving it was to gaze into them.
He didn't look like he was apart of the World Government but he could just be opting out of wearing his uniform... His outfit was rather expensive, so perhaps he was one of the higher ranking ones... They did get paid incredibly well.
She would need to proceed carefully just in case.
"You shouldn't surprise me like that!" Nami exclaimed with a hand over her beating heart.
"My apologies. That was not my intention. I was just curious about what you were up to," he said blandly, never taking his eyes off of her.
Nami calmed slightly at the lack of suspicion in his tone and figured that maybe he thought she was a fellow Marine? After all, neither of them were wearing uniform so it could actually be easier to convince him.
"I was doing an inspection of the room," Nami smiled in a confident manner and he hummed, tilting his head to the side curiously. She would pretend to be a higher up in the Marines and shake him off when he let her continue doing her "job".
"Is that so? That's odd because I came here to do the same thing and I don't recall Vice Admiral Garp telling me someone else was coming," he replied calmly.
Nami froze at that revelation. He was sent here by a Vice Admiral...? Oh no... Was he also one? B-But weren't Vice Admirals normally stationed in the Grand Line?!
"Would you mind showing me some identification?" The redhead asked those dreaded questions and Nami decided it was high time to jump to plan B and get the hell outta here.
A coy smile formed on her face and she leaned forward slightly, hoping to draw his eyes downward. "How about we do something else?" Nami teased in a low whispering, practically preening at the sight of his eyes never leaving her figure.
The tall redhead hummed, expression not shifting even once, but she didn't notice in her own confidence. "Something else?" He questioned and Nami grinned on the inside.
They always fell for this. Discarding responsibility for the chance to get some action. It was almost sad how easy it was but the surprise on their face when Nami knocked them silly and escaped was always satisfying.
"Yup! Just you and I!" She chirped, stepping up suggestively to him. He didn't react as she got closer, nearly touching him and those intriguing eyes of his pierced her soul, no hint of emotion in them.
Nami knew better though! Even the biggest stiffs, with their neutral expressions, eventually fell for her charms. She was a woman who knew what she was working with and not much people could resist it. This man would be no different.
He silently regarded her for a moment and she just knew he was fully weighing the pros and cons of it. That never lasted long though, soon he'd say yes and she'd take the opportunity to knock him unconscious —
"No thanks, Orange. I'm not interested in whatever you're offering. Show me your identification," he finally demanded, eyes finally leaving her figure to glance out the window.
The thief's jaw dropped at his casual dismissal, reeling back in surprise. Nami wasn't arrogant but she knew she was attractive. Her looks had gotten her in and out of trouble many times over the years and she had learned to hone and abuse it to get her way.
More than once, she did this exact same trick with another person and immediately knocked them unconscious once they were lost in their lecherous fantasies. By the time they awoke, she was long gone and they were probably left fuming at being tricked.
But this man right here was utterly unfazed by her provocations. His gaze hadn't been checking her out... it had just been to make sure she didn't prove to be a threat and the redhead had decided she wasn't!
The man wasn't even looking at her anymore! He was staring outside of the window at who knows what and she furrowed her brows in outrage.
How rude of him! Even a thief like her had some pride and he was stepping all over it right now!
"Y-You…" She stewed in disbelief and the redhead finally glanced back at her.
"I'd love to keep messing with you Orange, but it seems like its getting pretty active out there. Let's do this some other time and we can think up some new roles for ourselves," the stranger said suddenly.
"I'm not a Marine by the way. I just felt like making you sweat because I can. Have fun with whatever your stealing, you should escape soon considering all the Marines are still outside," he finished, waving slightly at the dumbfounded thief.
Without any hesitation, he leapt out of the window and she harshly flinched back at the sound of the glass breaking.
Nami's shock at seeing him jump out the window, quickly turned into anger at the fact that he was messing with her and a vein throbbed on her head.
"MY NAME'S NOT ORANGE, YOU DICK," she roared furiously, before covering her mouth in shock and fleeing the scene.
That stupid redhead… How dare he mess with her?! Who the hell did he think he was? Messing with her because he could?! What kinda psycho did that?!
Then she paused as his actions caught up to her.
H-HAD HE JUST JUMPED OUT OF THE BUILDING?!
"These ropes are so tight," Luffy complained and Zoro felt his annoyance spike at the hopeless expression on his face.
"H-Hurry up!" Zoro yelled at his new captain, watching the Marine's approached them with an increasingly nervous expression. The strange rubber boy before him had managed to convince him to join his crew but he wouldn't be spending much time as a pirate, if he wasn't SET FREE!
Luffy looked way too proud of himself as he said, "There! I managed to untie one of your arms!"
"GIVE ME MY SWORDS MORON!" Zoro roared at the idiot before him and Luffy did just that.
"KILL ALL THAT DEFY ME!" Morgan roared and Koby screamed in fear as every Marine swung down —
Only to be met and parried by all 3 of Roronoa Zoro's swords. He glared at all of the Marine's as he casually held them back and said stonily, "The first one who moves, dies."
"Wow! He's so cool!" Luffy beamed.
"Eek! He's so scary!" The Marine's thought collectively.
"I gave you my word so I'm a pirate and I attacked the Marines so I'm officially an outlaw…" Zoro began, glancing at Luffy.
"...But hear this! I have a mission to fulfill!" He declared to his captain. "I'm going to become the World's Greatest Swordsman! My name may be infamous, but it's gonna shake the world!"
"If I have to abandon my dream for any reason… Then I'll make you carve out your own heart!"
Luffy grinned eagerly at that. "World's Greatest Swordsman eh? That's great! The Pirate King would expect nothing less!" He declared.
Zoro smirked in return. He liked this kid, his ambitions were equal to the Swordsman's own — No, they seemed even bigger! "You talk big, Captain."
"Stop hesitating! Slaughter them right now!" Morgan roared.
The rubber man grinned eagerly and instructed Zoro to duck, which he confusedly obliged with, before cocking his leg back. "Gomu Gomu no Whip," Luffy yelled, extending his leg and bowling the Marine's over completely, sending them crashing into a heap.
The soldiers groaned, but didn't get back up.
Morgan's eyes bugged out of his head at the display. A Devil Fruit? In this part of the ocean?!
"Incredible!" Koby awed. He had only recently learned that Luffy had a Devil Fruit due to seeing the boy randomly use it while they sailed. The wide eyed screech of terror had earned him a punch to the skull, courtesy of Rosan and Luffy laughed all the while, explaining his fruit in the process.
"What the hell are you?!" Zoro asked in confusion.
"I'm a rubber man!" Luffy exclaimed happily. He said it like everyone should just accept this knowledge with a serene expression.
Just who was this guy?!
The Marines became completely demoralized at the display of the two monsters. Roronoa Zoro was already too much for them but now they had to deal with a Devil Fruit user too?! They really were going to die if they kept it up!
"A rubber man?"
"Captain, they're too much!"
"It's hopeless, we can't fight a rubber man and that demon Roronoa Zoro at the same time!"
Morgan's visage darkened at their words and the temperature dropped around him. "All of you who were just whining right now… I want you to grab your weapons and shoot yourselves in the head. I won't tolerate any weaklings so on my order, fire!"
He refused to have such cowardly men under his command. They could all die right here and right now for their transgressions.
Much to their surprise, the Marine's actually began holding up their rifles to obey the order. Despite shaking, they really did look like they were ready to press the trigger.
"These guys are mental," Zoro muttered in disbelief. Killing yourself over someone elses orders simply due to their rank?
Ridiculous.
Luffy snarled and dashed forward, straight towards Captain Morgan, throwing a punch that was barely blocked by the man's axe. Everyone's jaw dropped, as the weapon crumbled beneath Luffy's fist and shattered. Morgan most of all, was in a state of utter disbelief, at seeing his axe hand completely destroyed by this runt.
"I'm your enemy so try putting me to death," the pirate captain threatened with a glare on his face.
The captain snarled in disbelief. Who did this no name think he was? Waltzing into his base and doing whatever it was he wanted. From destroying his statue, to shattering his faulty axe with a lucky blow! It was obvious he'd have to teach this lousy idiot what happened when you crossed Axe-Hand Morgan.
"LUFFY!" Koby screamed. "DESTROY THIS LOUSY NAVY!"
"You don't have rank or status and yet you attack me? I'll teach you to defy your betters!" Morgan growled. His axe shattering jarred him but he was still him! He was a captain and this was a random. He managed to get a lucky hit? So what? This wouldn't decide the battle and after he won, he'd get his axe repaired into mint condition so that this didn't happen again.
"I'm captain Axe-Hand Morgan!" He roared and charged the scrawny boy before him.
"Nice to meetcha! I'm Straw Hat Luffy!" The captain greeted politely.
Luffy jumped over a wild swing from Morgan and planted both feet to his face, sending the man flying. He didn't get to make it very far, due to the rubbery hand gripping his shirt and the rubber boy pulled him back into his waiting arms, pummeling the man repeatedly with punches.
Try as he might, Morgan found that it was impossible to free himself from the, much smaller, boy's grip.
The rubber boy suddenly released the Marine and grinned at him, infuriating the man to a degree he didn't think was possible. After all, his grip had been steely and there was no chance of Morgan escaping it so that meant he had been willingly let go.
He was... He was being toyed with? By this no name? Him? Captain Morgan? Treated like a joke...?
HIM?!
"D-DIE!" Morgan roared in unfathomable rage and swung his broken handle at the airborne boy.
"Don't wanna!" Luffy laughed, spinning in midair to effortlessly dodge the incoming attack. Morgan's reward for the failed attack, was another sandal to the jaw and the straw hat wearing boy began repeatedly stomping on his face.
The Marine Captain tried to defend himself but it was for naught and Luffy continued stomping him out.
"Wow… Captain Morgan is getting destroyed," the Marines whispered in disbelief, watching the man groan in pain. They had never seen him get trashed like this and it was rather humbling to see their demon get so effortlessly destroyed.
"So strong?!" Koby didn't know Luffy was this powerful! Rosan was the one who had taken out Alvida so he had never seen the teen in action! He was strong and fast, moving in a way that prevented Morgan from having any form of retaliation!
Speaking of which… where was Rosan? The pink haired boy had seen no sign of him since this whole thing started. He was sure the redhead had been traveling with them but his steps were assured and quiet, never making a sound, which is why Koby didn't even notice him disappear until just now! How did the redhead manage to erase his presence so casually and where did he go?!
"You and the Marines are ruining Koby's dream!" Luffy said, accenting each word with a stomp to his skull.
Rosan had taught him well.
"STOP IT, STRAW HAT!" A voice screamed and it was revealed to be Helmeppo. He was holding a pistol to Koby's head and the Marine's son was shaking in fear. Watching his daddy get manhandled so easily, did a number on him and had reduced him to a nervous wreck.
Luffy completely ignored him and kept stomping on Captain Morgan whose groans of pain at every blow, grew louder.
Zoro sweatdropped.
"I SAID STOP YOU IDIOT! ONE FALSE MOVE AND FOUR EYES GETS IT!" He demanded and the pirate finally stopped.
Luffy just stared at him, completely unfazed. Him and Koby made eye contact and he watched the aspiring Marine steel himself.
"DON'T LET ME BE THE REASON YOU LOSE! EVEN IF IT MEANS I DIE!" Koby screamed out resolutely.
"You're a good guy, Koby!" Luffy beamed before he began winding up a punch. "Hey, stupid son! Koby really is ready to die here!"
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE! I'LL REALLY SHOOT HIM HERE!" Helmeppo screeched but Luffy ignored him.
A shadow loomed over him and Koby screamed for Luffy to watch out.
"Gomu Gomu no…," Luffy began, throwing his fist back.
Zoro placed a sword in his mouth to defend his captain.
A shadow began falling from above.
"...Pistol!"
"DADDY! KILL HIM QUICK!" Helmeppo screeched before the punch collided square with his cheek, knocking him unconscious and sending his body soaring.
At the same time, Zoro moved and cut through Morgan with all three of his blades…
But that wasn't it.
A figure crashed into the Marine Captain and planted him deep into the ground, much to the open mouth surprise of all but Luffy. Morgan spat out a glob of blood from the force and he felt his bones shattering at the impact, as his body embedded itself into the dirt.
"My apologies, I didn't expect you to have already lost. You're quite the weak one aren't you?" a deep voice rang out softly but clearly.
Rosan glanced down at the broken body beneath him and stepped off of him without any trouble, idly wiping his shoes clean with Captain Morgan's outfit in the process. He was going to crush him before he could take a swing at Luffy, but it looked like it had been dealt with by Zoro.
Nice, the swordsman seemed reliable enough.
Everyone (barring Luffy) bugged their eyes at the surprise entrance. Who was this? Where did he come from?! The speed at which he dropped on Morgan... DID HE COME FROM THE SKY?! D-DID THEY HAVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER MONSTER?
"Did you manage to recruit him?" Rosan asked his captain.
Luffy nodded his head victoriously.
"Did he give you a choice?" The redhead asked Zoro in turn.
The swordsman shook his head in annoyance.
"Good," he said for both of them.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN GOOD?!" Zoro roared in annoyance. Don't tell him he had to deal with another person like his captain. Luffy had already shown that he wouldn't take no for an answer and this redheaded anomaly seemed right up there with him.
Luffy just laughed good naturedly at the, already tired, look in Zoro's eyes.
"Rosan's my scout!" The 17 year old exclaimed, prompting the redhead to nod as a greeting.
"Nice to meet you," Rosan greeted politely, gauging Zoro properly now that he was freed. "I heard you want to be the World's Greatest Swordsman… There will be many strong enemies out there. It won't be easy so you have to do better than what you think your best is."
Zoro grinned savagely at that and said, "I wouldn't want it any other way!"
"Captain Morgan's been defeated!"
"Unbelievable!"
"These guys are insane!"
They turned their attention towards the crowd of Marines and Zoro boldly said, "If any of you still wanna capture us, step forward."
"I doubt they'll be able to," Rosan said calmly, already dismissing them as a threat. He hadn't even needed to interfere with the battle against the Captain… Morgan was incredibly weak and he doubted his attack would have worked on Luffy even without Zoro, considering his Axe was broken.
If they wanted to continue fighting them then Rosan would show the silly Marines how outclassed they were.
Their enemies turned towards each other for a moment before throwing their weapons into the air in joy. Some of them began weeping in happiness at finally escaping the hell that was Captain Morgan's reign and they cheered uproariously.
"WE'RE FREE!" They cheered in joy.
"Morgan's reign is finally over!"
"HOORAY!"
"Huh? They're all happy that their captain was beaten…" Luffy pointed out.
"So only the Captain and his son were corrupt," Rosan hummed. How fitting. A little bit of power and it immediately went to their head. He wasn't even that high ranking, being a measly Captain. How disgusting that he would allow that to poison his mind.
Well, he hoped that Morgan enjoyed getting his organ's pulverized. If he recovered from them, maybe he'd change his outlook on life.
He doubted it though.
"They were all just afraid of Captain Morgan!" Koby exclaimed in relief. It was good to know that not every single Marine here was scum. He had thought that his dreams had shattered right before his eyes but there was still hope for him!
Zoro finally let his guard down and collapsed on the floor with a groan, much to the panic of Koby.
"I'm...hungry…" he eventually said.
"We should get some food," Rosan agreed. He was absolutely not dipping into the resources he had just stolen until they left the island. The redhead needed to preserve as much food as possible because Luffy was his captain and Rosan was his babysitter.
Something told him, all his efforts would be for naught.
"How the hell can you two eat more than me?!" Zoro asked in disbelief. He had been tied up for nine days and somehow, his new crewmates were eating even more than him!
How was Rosan even eating so quickly?! Every time he looked at the man, he was eating at a measured and neat pace but his plates were piling higher and higher the moment he looked away. Was this some kind of trick by the redhead? Was he some type of wizard?
"I burn a lot of energy," Rosan replied truthfully. His body was constantly working and though it kept him in impeccable condition, it had the added effect of draining him. On the bright side, his already immense stamina was constantly being built upon due to it.
It was a good thing he was far more controlled then Luffy was. On the off chance that his brother cleaned out the kitchen, he'd be able to weather the hunger just fine.
"You didn't even do anything?!" Zoro accused, pointing a fork full of food at the man. He hadn't seen the redhead until the battle was over! What was he even doing? Zoro was sure he had came from the sky but where the hell had he come from. Was he at the top of the Marine building?
He wondered if the redhead had a Devil Fruit as well... Falling from such a massive height and having not a single injury to show for it? That was insane.
Rosan hummed and took another bite of his meal, not bothering on defending himself. He was well versed in the art of stealth and stealthy people didn't brag about what they stole. It was one of the things he had picked up while running around as Reaper.
"Rosan…" Koby called and the man glanced at him through the corner of his eyes. "You were right about everything, I was being too naive and I must have sounded so ignorant to you… I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing to me? You didn't offend me in the slightest," the redhead answered blandly, thanking Rika's mother for handing him another plate and getting a blush out of her.
She was giving them far too much food, he'd have to leave her some money due to her hospitality. Feeding him and Luffy would be incredibly draining to her storage.
"I just wanted you to understand that not everything is in black and white and you've learned it. Not all Marines are good and not all pirates are evil. It's as simple as that but something very hard to grasp. What you do with that information, is up to you."
Koby nodded resolutely at his words and vowed to not end up as corrupt as Captain Morgan.
"So besides you two, who else is in the crew?" Zoro asked curiously. He had seen what Luffy was capable of but he knew nearly nothing about the mysterious redhead with the empty gaze. What was his deal anyways? From their short meetings, he noticed that Rosan never smiled, frowned, or displayed any outward emotion.
He was incredibly nonchalant and calm, not allowing anything to affect him.
It was odd to see the two pirates so comfortable with each other. They were polar opposites. Luffy was bursting with energy and Rosan was... not. Yet, the two were familiar in a way that spoke of years around each other and Zoro sorta figured someone with Rosan's personality, would grow tired of someone with Luffy's.
"It's just us 3," the captain said bluntly, still eating his food.
"He forced me to join when he was seven. Didn't even give me a choice," Rosan replied with a sigh, causing Luffy to laugh at the memory.
"Seven?!" Zoro repeated in surprise. He didn't think they knew each other for that long!
The two nodded in unison.
"Yep! Rosan's my brother!" Luffy told him with a big grin.
There was a pregnant pause as Luffy revealed that information. Zoro and Koby had gone completely silent, digesting it slowly.
"BROTHER?!" Koby and Zoro gaped, looking between the two rapidly.
"W-Why am I just learning this?" Koby asked in disbelief. He hadn't been traveling with them for too long but something like this, was normally said in like the first hour of meeting someone! Didn't they think that was worth mentioning?! What was wrong with them?!
"You two look nothing alike," Zoro pointed out. Rosan was a redhead with bronze skin and Luffy had black hair with light tan skin. Plus none of their features were similar at all. Nothing even suggested they had similar blood.
"You didn't ask and we're not blood related," Rosan answered both questions calmly. What was the big deal anyways? Had they never met a pair of siblings? This wasn't worth causing a fuss over.
"B-But you kicked him into a whirlpool?!" Koby pondered in disbelief, distinctively remembering that piece of information. It was rather hard to forget.
"You did WHAT?!" The green haired man's eyes bugged. Threw him into a whirlpool?! He knew that the both of these brothers were insane but it seemed Rosan had inherited a more homicidal dose of insanity.
"He was being dumb and refused to use my ship for the time being… so I gave him a head start," Rosan said vaguely, placing a cheek against his fist boredly. Luffy had gone back to eating his food by now, content to let his scout handle this.
Zoro looked at how unbothered Luffy was by what his brother was saying and came to the conclusion that his captain had inherited a strain of insanity that made him stupid.
He sighed in defeat. "What can you do... Rosan was it?" Zoro asked curiously.
"Portgas D. Rosan," he introduced himself for the first time. "I'm the humble scout. I scout stuff."
He pointed to the little bird playing with Rika and said, "That's mine."
Zoro gauged him curiously, looking up and down at the tall man.
He didn't look like much of a fighter, with his expensive clothing and jewelry and the swordsman couldn't see any visible weapon on the man. Coupled with that fact that he hadn't been there for the fight… Zoro was hard pressed to call him much a fighter.
Though, his figure looked incredibly strong. He was muscular underneath his clothing so maybe he was a fighter...
"He's underestimating you," Ram pointed out, scowling at his audacity.
"It's fine, I have nothing to prove yet."
"He'll find out sooner or later how strong we are. He's apart of our crew now after all."
"Hey hey! Where are you guys going now?!" Rika asked curiously, patting the bird with one finger and beaming as it trilled happily.
"Isn't it obvious?! We're going to the Grand Line!" Luffy exclaimed like it was no big deal.
Koby spat out the juice he was drinking at hearing that. "It's only you three! There's no way you can go there yet!"
"You still haven't even gotten a navigator or a ship yet," Rosan agreed with the pink haired boy. "Unless you plan on using mine forever. In that case, we can begin sailing there now."
The redhead didn't care if they went to the Grand Line now or 6 months later. The Pirate Graveyard was not something he feared and he was confident in his ability to survive it.
He wasn't as confident in the injured White Rose's ability but it would surely be better than whatever Luffy wanted to use.
"Oh! You're right!" Luffy gasped in realization.
Koby sighed in relief at the fact that Rosan was being sensible. Their short time traveling together showed that the redhead was content to follow whatever plan Luffy set down without much complaint.
But sometimes, he would remind his captain of something that would alter his spontaneous planning. Koby was glad that the man seemingly knew how to keep his brother in check.
"Why do you even care? It's not like you're coming with us," Zoro pointed out with a raised brow. Koby was interrupting their conversation as if he were apart of the crew and that was pretty strange to him.
"T-That's because I'm worried for you guys! Is that so wrong?!" Koby yelled out, offended on his own behalf. "We haven't known each other for very long, but we're friends… Aren't we?"
"Yeah!" Luffy said without hesitation. "We're going our separate ways but we'll always be friends! Rosan thinks so too!"
"I do?" Rosan blinked at that before turning those intriguing eyes towards Koby and tilting his head. "You're changing as we speak so I guess I can consider you a friend," he eventually said.
To Koby, who had been called an enemy so coldly before, those words meant the world to him.
"Ever since I was a kid, I've never had anyone to call a friend before, much less someone who would stick up for me. Even I wouldn't stick up for me!" Koby admitted sadly.
Rosan still wouldn't stick up for him, to be fair.
"But you guys taught me how to live for my beliefs! I'm going to make my childhood dreams come true!" He finished passionately.
"I didn't have many friends as a kid either and it took me a while to get some," Rosan admitted and Koby's eyes went wide. "But as long as you continue forward without hesitation, you'll find people who you can consider family."
"Yeah!" Luffy beamed at Rosan, pleased with his older brother.
It was hard to believe that the man had no friends. He looked really cool and his unique appearance would have, no doubt, garnered a lot of attention growing up! Even now, on this island, people were staring at him! Rika's mother hadn't taken her eyes off the strange redhead and Koby wondered what her deal was!
"Shouldn't you be worried, Koby?" Zoro suddenly asked. "You were a cabin boy on Alvida's ship for two years, if the Marines find out about that, they won't let you join."
Sweat began forming on Koby's head at that information as he realized that Zoro was right. The Marine's were no joke when it came to gathering information either, if they wanted to do a background check on Koby, they'd definitely find out.
Right on cue, the door to the restaurant opened and in walked the recently freed Marines themselves.
"Pardon me, you guys are pirates, right?" The man asked.
"Yup!" Luffy answered without hesitation.
"Um… We appreciate that you saved our town from that tyrant and we're truly grateful to you, but we can't shelter pirates. I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to leave. To show our gratitude, we won't report you to the higher ups," he told them all, scratching his head awkwardly but looking firm in his decision.
The crowd watching them, immediately erupted into protests at that, hurling insult after insult at the Marines ejecting their heroes out of town.
Luffy simply grinned and said, "I guess we should get going then! Thanks for the food, lady!"
Rosan and Zoro stood as well and began following their captain.
"Ah, wait! Your little birdie!" Rika called, handing the bird over to the tall redhead. He idly pet the chirping bird and permanently disabled their dual connection before handing it back to the girl.
"Keep him, he enjoys your presence," Rosan said softly, patting the girl on the head. "You don't have to worry about feeding him, he doesn't need sustenance."
That was directed towards the mother, who smiled at him with a darker blush, despite her disappointment that he couldn't stay longer.
He could make multiple so parting ways with one barely affected him. Besides, his little bird did actually like the child. It was strange how they all seemed to have personalities but he wouldn't rob them of it. He encouraged independent thoughts from his creations.
Rika beamed with an ecstatic expression and wrapped her arms around his leg. "T-Thank you, big bro! I'll take good care of him!"
Rosan simply nodded and continued making his way out of the restaurant. He didn't feel like staying in a Marine sanctioned island anyways, lest he'd have the urge to destroy it completely. It was good that they were leaving immediately and that only Morgan and his son had been corrupt, else he'd have truly tore the entire place down.
The three walked past Koby without even glancing at him and that prompted the Marine to ask, "Aren't you going with them?"
"Huh?" The pink haired boy asked dumbly. Going with them? No that wasn't right at! H-He didn't want to be a pirate… He wanted to be a Marine so that he could capture bad guys! If he didn't say anything, wouldn't they assume he was a pirate?!
"I'm… I'm… I'M NOT ONE OF THEM!" Koby declared loudly and Luffy smiled to himself.
"Good for you kiddo!" Ram cheered.
"Is that true, pirates?" The Marine asked, prompting Luffy to look back.
The captain's smile turned mischievous at being questioned and he gazed right at the Marine. "I know what he's been doing up until now," the straw hat wearing boy declared and Koby froze.
"He wouldn't…" The pink haired boy thought to himself.
"There was this island and we met a really fat lady named Alvida!"
"He would!"
This was bad. This was really bad. If Luffy revealed his past, he'd never be able to become a Marine. No, he'd probably be labeled a criminal and be forced to be a pirate! That just couldn't happen!
"She was a really ugly hag and for two years this guy —"
"SHUT UP!" Koby roared, punching Luffy right on the cheek.
All went silence at the shock of the situation and Koby, realizing what he did, stared at his fist in disbelief.
Had he just punched Luffy?! Him?! Well he had to because the pirate was about to reveal his past to the Marines!
Luffy grinned.
Zoro let out a sigh with a smile.
Rosan simply hummed. "I'll go get the ship ready. Try not to take too long beating him," he suggested, making sure the Marines heard him. People tended to take him more serious then Luffy so he figured he'd offer his assistance.
"Why you!" Luffy grinned eagerly before retaliating with a punch of his own right on Koby's cheek. The pirate began pummeling the boy while spouting things such as "Take that!" or "Take this!" all the while!
The Marine in charge had enough and yelled at them to stop immediately. He had thought they were friends?! What was going on with them?!
"Hey, hey, that's enough. You went too far," Zoro reprimanded, stopping Luffy from further attacking the helpless boy.
"IT'S CLEAR THAT YOU'RE NOT CREWMATES! PLEASE LEAVE TOWN, NOW!" He demanded and the straw hat wearing boy left without another word.
Koby realized at that moment, that Luffy had goaded him into attacking the pirate just so suspicion could be thrown off of him. Over and over again, the rubber boy had assisted him and the Marine prospect was getting sick of being so helpless. Standing up shakily, he turned towards the group of wary Marines and bowed at a 90 degree angle.
"PLEASE LET ME JOIN THE NAVY SIR!"
Rosan, who was currently on board the White Rose, glanced to the left and saw that same orange haired girl making her way onto a ship of her own.
"Oh it's you, Orange," he greeted and she jumped at his voice, before glaring at the familiar face. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"You…!" Nami said in surprise."How… How are you still alive?" She asked in confusion. She had watched him leap out of the very top of the building and was almost certain that he died after that.
"Are you concerned about me?" Rosan asked in return, sitting on the railing of his ship as he stared down at her. "I'm touched. Thank you, Orange."
Nami bristled at his tone and decided that talking to him was not worth the headache. He managed to effortlessly annoy her and she was still stewing at the prank he pulled on her.
Yes. It was best if she just ignored him.
"At least say bye," he chided and she nearly lost her cool, when she looked at him and saw that he had already dismissed her presence...
Again.
He wasn't even regarding her anymore and that irritated her beyond belief. She didn't even know why it was so annoying. Something about this redhead just got her so riled up and she knew he was doing it on purpose. How he knew the right buttons already? She'd never know but damn she hated it.
She glared at the silver ship (it was an expensive looking ship that she dearly wanted to rob) and just loosened the rope holding her own ship so that she could set sail.
Stupid, annoying redhead. He was so lucky she had things to do.
Rosan, tired of his conversation with the thief, watched his crewmates approach with a half lidded stare.
"Woah, I've never seen a ship like this," Zoro whistled, looking at the sleek silver ship.
"I've made many changes to the White Rose since I first got her," Rosan informed his newest crewmate. "She's very dear to me and has gotten me out of trouble many times."
Zoro raised a brow at hearing that Rosan himself made changes but nodded at his explanation. Seems he was a little more than a humble scout...
"Yeah! Rosan's ship is super cool but we still need to get a new one!" Luffy declared, boarding the ship with a carefree grin.
Zoro nodded, following after his captain with a smirk. "It's a nice way to leave, don't you think? Being unable to turn back because everyone hates you… It's pirate-like."
"I agree," Rosan nodded and Luffy laughed at the two.
"That's true!" He exclaimed.
"Luffy-san! Rosan-san!" A voice screamed and the two looked at the source. Koby stood there, saluting to the group.
"Thank you for everything! I'll never forget all you've done for me!" He shouted out. Those two had changed his life for the better and because of them, he was actually going to become a Marine!
"I've never heard of a pirate being thanked by a Marine," Zoro chuckled in amusement.
"There's no need to thank me. I barely did anything," Rosan waved him off and the ship began setting sail.
"Let's meet again, Koby!" Luffy yelled, waving his hands back and forth.
"Bye big brothers!" Rika screamed, waving and the bird chirped a cheerful farewell to its creator.
"All hands, salute!"
"Being saluted by a group of Marines…" Ram mused.
"How unexpected."
Rosan didn't want their salutes. He had long since stopped looking at the group and instead, made his way deeper into the ship.
"I'm off to sort the things I stole," he waved. He wondered if the Marines would still be saluting if they knew what he had done. They had more things to worry about, such as making sure they managed to secure enough food to sustain them all.
"Things you stole?" Zoro asked with a raised brow. Was that what he had been up to? Huh, he seemed pretty useful.
"Yeah, I raided that Marine base for everything they had," Rosan replied and the swordsman's eyes widened in shock.
"When?! Where did you even put everything?! You landed on Morgan without anything in your hands!"
"That's a good question."
"SO ANSWER IT!"
Rosan let out a quiet sigh, as he sat in a comfy chair and his weapon immediately plopped herself into his lap and closed her eyes in content, snuggling the redhead without a care in the world.
The redhead was currently relaxing in his mindscape with Mod and Ram and they were discussing various things as his body slept.
Right now, the topic of discussion was their new crewmate.
"Will you be telling Zoro about us?" Mod asked curiously, sipping on a cup of tea and resting her head against Rosan's shoulder.
"I didn't plan on telling him immediately," Rosan admitted. He hadn't told Koby anything about himself. The pink haired boy wasn't even fully sure the redhead had a Devil Fruit but he had an inkling.
Zoro wasn't even aware he had a Devil Fruit. Maybe he'd have to rectify that...
Mod raised a delicate brow at that. "You don't trust him?" His partner asked. He was a crewmate now after all. Who knows how long they'd be traveling together? A little trust would go a long way in securing healthy relationships and Rosan needed some people to trust.
"Trust is not something we can afford to hand out so easily, Mod-chan," his deep voice came out bluntly. It's not as if Zoro was untrustworthy, Rosan was just someone who wouldn't give out his trust without hesitation.
That was a key difference between him and his captain.
"I'd normally agree, but there's no point causing potential rifts between crew members. At the very least, as our first member, Zoro should know. We can decide about future people knowing when the time comes," Mod argued, standing up for the swordsman.
"Even if it puts you at risk?"
That's the sole reason Rosan was hesitant to hand out information about himself so freely. Mod's safety was a priority to him and he wouldn't allow anyone to jeopardize that no matter what.
"Zoro doesn't strike me as that type of person and you're even better at reading people than I am. I think you know he's not a risk to us," Mod smiled and her partner eventually nodded his head.
"Alright, I'll tell him then," Rosan conceded. She was right, Zoro wasn't that type of person. He was the type where if you told him something, unless told otherwise, he would keep it to himself.
Mod smiled brightly, satisfied with his reply and nuzzled deeper into him, prompting Ram to glance up.
"That guy was underestimating us," she grumbled in annoyance. "Who does he think he is?! None of his swords hold a candle to me and he's trying to write us off! We should show him just what we're able to do."
"He doesn't know what we are capable of and that's fine," Mod chided gently, stroking the taller woman's hair. "We can't go around flaunting our strength to the Marines so soon. If even one person recognizes Modification, they'll potentially send an army for me, which is honestly still better than an Admiral..."
"I'm confident I can handle a majority of Marines... but if they send someone of Garp's level or an Admiral, I could be captured immediately and they will separate us from you, Ram," Rosan joined in. Sure he'd likely be able to escape by accessing one of his Save Points, but Luffy and his future crew would be put in danger and he doubted he was fast enough (he was fast but an Admiral was very likely much faster) to gather them all to flee.
Ram's eyes widened in fear at that revelation and she clutched Rosan tighter. "Absolutely not! If anyone that isn't you tries to touch me, I'll destroy them myself and claw my way back to you!" She growled out angrily.
Her father was right though... They were strong but they weren't that strong yet. Soon they would be but for now, they wouldn't flaunt their abilities to the whole world.
"Good. Besides, the people in the East Blue are far too weak. I imagine that once we enter the Grand Line, things will get much more fun for us," Rosan mused. Ever since he had been a child, he was rather interested in the world's most dangerous sea and that interest seemed to extend to even now.
"I've mostly been in the Grand Line and the best way to describe that place, is bizarre," Mod admitted truthfully. "Sometimes the sea itself can be more dangerous then the people when dealing with the Pirate Graveyard."
She was glad that Rosan had managed to convince Luffy to gather more crewmates before going there. Something told her, the boy would have gone there with any little ship and just Rosan and Zoro if given the chance but with the Grand Line, that was almost certain death.
"That sounds like so much fun!" Ram grinned savagely, trembling in excitement at what they could potentially meet there.
"You act a lot like I did when I was younger," Rosan hummed, stroking the purple streaks of her silver hair softly.
"Well I'm your daughter! Of course I do," Ram gushed happily, leaning into the touch and purring.
"Rosan was much more tolerable than you were," Mod sighed. "He didn't harass me every single day of the week."
A look of annoyance crossed the ring's pretty features and she glared at her Auntie petulantly. "You just didn't have to deal with him going through puberty! He'd be worse than me," Ram argued crossing her arms under her ample bust.
"I doubt it. Rosan spoiled me often and all you do is give me headaches," Mod sighed sadly, shaking her head admonishingly and causing the silver haired woman to gain a vein of irritation.
"T-That's not all I do! I give you massages a-and I uh…" The woman trailed off in disbelief as she thought of something else to say. S-Surely she did more for her than harass her... right? Was she really that annoying?!
Ram glanced up and saw Mod with an infuriatingly smug look on her face.
"And…?" Her auntie asked with a smirk on her pretty face. Those red orbs pierced into her challengingly and Ram resorted to her last option.
"F-Father! Auntie Mod is bullying me!" she whined pitifully, sinking deep into Rosan and gazing pleadingly at the redhead.
"But Mod-chan has a point, no?" Rosan replied and the ring froze in shock at his words. "I think you're much more problematic then I am."
The look of betrayal she shot him, made Mod shudder in amusement until she couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Kahahahaha!" The woman laughed, pulling the youngest there into a warm embrace. "Oh Ram, we're just messing with you! I love you all the same no matter what and I know for a fact Rosan would have been more problematic. He was a demon as a child and gave me more headaches than I deserved."
"That's a rather rude thing to say about the boy you raised, Mod-chan," Rosan said but the faint amusement in his eyes, made their heart flutter in joy.
"Your body is showing emotions more frequently now," Mod grinned happily at the revelation. It was still brief bursts but it was so much more promising then the first couple of years he was like this.
"I have you all to thank," Rosan said truthfully, grabbing both the shorter woman into a tender hug. "All of you, my family, made it known loud and clear that I was loved and even someone as stubborn as me is being receptive to it."
"You never need to thank us," Mod said gently, rubbing a calming hand through his soft hair. "We would do anything for you. You have become a pillar for all of us over the years and you wanting to see us all happy, makes us want to see you happy."
"I dream of the day where I get to cause chaos with a version of you capable of feeling everything," Ram admitted in a near whisper. She had never said it out loud because Rosan's goals were her goals, but this was something that she alone decided.
"I know," Rosan said softly. "It's just one more reason, on a long list, to get my emotions back. A lot of you have never seen me with my emotions and just rely on my memories and stories but I want you guys to experience it yourselves and realize that I really do appreciate you for everything."
Ram teared up a bit at his own admittance and crashed into him, shuddering a bit as she silently cried into his chest. She remained there and Rosan just patted her until the woman fell asleep.
Mod watched it with a fond smile on her face. Ram was physically 24, but mentally the ring was far younger then her and Rosan and it really showed when they weren't talking about violence. All she wanted was her father's acknowledgment and she couldn't fully receive that until his emotions unlocked.
After all, Rosan had never once referred to Ram as his daughter and that must have torn her apart internally.
Rosan, with his deep connection to her, sensed that too and did his best to appease her.
He just... He didn't think of her as his actual daughter and he couldn't lie about it. They were connected after all. Ram was an extension of him and he acknowledged that he was her Father, but he couldn't currently see her as his daughter because he didn't deserve things like that at the moment.
After unlocking his emotions, he'd evaluate his relationship with his ring and hopefully, she'd be able to finally get the acknowledgement she yearned for.
"Do you think it helped?" The redhead asked his partner softly, adjusting the tall woman in his lap into a more comfortable position. Ram was only a couple inches shorter than him so it was a tad difficult but he managed.
"More than you could imagine," Mod whispered encouragingly. "Ram likes to appear strong but she's quite vulnerable when it comes to you."
"When did everyone become so protective of me?" Rosan mused and the purple haired woman let out a soft laugh.
"We've always been, ever since you were born someone has been overprotective of you."
He snorted quietly at that but didn't deny the statement.
"That reminds me, I don't have much goals but I do have one for when we enter the Grand Line," Rosan said to her and she raised a brow at that.
"Oh? What is it?" She asked.
Rosan hummed for a bit, as he looked at a picture on the wall.
"I want to find Nico Robin."
Bonus
Aiko is 30
Akemi is 29
Makino is 24
Rosan and the twins are 19
Maro is 18
Ace is 15
Luffy is 12
Turmoil between the leaders of Celadon - Part 2!
Two figures crashed into each other wielding different weapons. One was a giant wooden club, the other, a black and silver buster blade. Both pushed into each other with unyielding force before finally breaking off and leaping backwards in unison.
One of the figures opened their mouth and a massive gush of flames poured out, rushing towards their opponent, who quickly countered by summoning their own, blue, flames and firing it back.
An explosion ensued, masking the shorter of the two and they sprinted at amazing speeds towards the wary foe.
Grabbing the buster blade, Rosan angled it upwards and prepared to swing down at the defensive Maro. The Giant Dokkaebi was already preparing to block the attack but let out a roar of surprise as his blade immediately transformed into a set of gloves and he grabbed the club.
The redhead vaulted over it (and Maro too) and, facing her back now, placed a palm on her battle dress. The gloves began glowing and Maro was too slow to react in time before the attack flew.
"Retribution," he intoned, firing a point blank red explosion, that sent her flying in a heap with a squeal.
Maro groaned but pushed herself up, eager to continue. So it was no surprise that she felt disappointment, when Rosan held up a hand signifying the end of their duel.
"Aww what?! I haven't even transformed into my hybrid yet!" She exclaimed, glaring at the cheater. He just wanted to be the definitive winner again! He was such a dick sometimes!
Ace nodded in agreement. "Maro's capable of taking much more damage than that. Why'd you stop it so early?"
"Yeah! Why'd you stop it so early?!" Maro repeated, fixing those glowing orange eyes on him.
"You're off your game today. You've been getting hit by things you don't normally get hit by," Rosan immediately countered, causing her to wilt in surprise. "I did something, right? Why are you so nervous around me?" He asked softly, stepping up to the giant Dokkaebi and gazing directly into her glowing orange irises.
Maro immediately transformed back into her human form and gazed at her Master with a wide eyed look. "N-No you didn't do anything!" She tried to say, before coughing at the fact that she was stammering.
Curse him. Master was way too good at seeing through her. Nobody knew her like he did so she should have known he'd notice something was off with the mythical goblin.
"I just... well I am nervous because of you but that's not because of anything you did," Maro finished, taking a deep breath and daring a glance at her Master.
His head was tilted slightly, but he nodded in understanding. "You want to ask me something then."
She hated this guy. He was too good at what he did.
Well, no point in keeping it to herself anymore.
"Master..." Maro began, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "For my wedding, could you walk me down the aisle please?!" She blurted out so quickly, the words almost blurred together.
"It's just, well... you know I don't know my parents and well, there's no one else I could think of and I really don't have any other choices anyways and you're the best choice even if I did have other choices because you made me who I am and —"
"Maro."
"And you found me when I had nothing and gave me a purpose and even though you were really mean to me when we started off, it was all for my benefit and it worked out so well for me and I wouldn't have become a queen without you s-so you have to do it —"
"Maro."
"I mean, if you don't do it, who else can?! The more I think about it, the more it has to be you! Y-You even said I was like a daughter to you, didn't you?! That means you'll... please do it..."
A strong pair of arms scooped up the rambling queen, finally cutting her off and she placed desperate eyes on the redhead responsible for it. He was staring down at her with uncharacteristically soft eyes and she choked up at the sight of them.
"Maro, you're so stupid," Rosan chided her, flicking his student on the head gently. "Did you actually think that I'd ever turn you down? I'd be honored to walk you down the aisle and I'm touched that you see me as the only option," he said softly.
Despite what he had done to her when they first met, Maro still held him to such a high standard. He was touched.
Ah shit, Ace and Ram were totally gonna make fun of her if she started bawling her eyes out right now but she really couldn't help it.
"It's so funny to see the supremely confident goblin, so doubtful for something that should have been expected," Mod giggled.
"I can't believe my best friend is so stupid sometimes," Ram sighed in fond annoyance.
"You really thought he'd say no? This big sap?" Ace cackled, pointing a finger at his older brother with a teasing grin. "Rosan couldn't say no to any of us even if he tried!"
Luffy nodded with a beaming grin. "Yep! Maro sure is stupid for thinking he'd say no!" The rubber boy exclaimed.
"I'll show you both how much I appreciate your words after this," Rosan said idly, staring at his brothers with a blank expression.
Ace and Luffy paled a bit at that, before turning tail and sprinting off to go find somewhere to hide. Last time they had irritated Rosan... he had used Modification to stress why it was a bad idea.
Ace did not want to be a girl again. The experience was downright terrible and hearing Ram cackle for nearly an hour straight, was something he could go without.
"As if that will help them," Rosan muttered, still holding onto the shell shocked Maro. "But they are right you know? I would have never said no to you with something like this."
Maro's gaze wavered as she looked at her beloved Master and the queen sniffed like the actual sap she was. She slowly buried her head on Rosan's chest and clutched him tight. "T-Thank you so much, Master."
For everything. Without him, Maro wouldn't have made it to 18. She'd have been dead so much sooner but he had saved her. No one else saw anything in her except for him... E-Even after she had stolen from him, even after their first mission together had been such a massive failure.
When she had failed to show her use as Grim... Rosan hadn't even planned on kicking her off the ship! If she truly didn't want to continue, he'd have let her stay there regardless and that was so touching...
But that wouldn't be enough for her. Maro couldn't go back to a life of just surviving. She had... no she needed to prove her own worth. No longer could she be weak. She had to become strong enough to take what she wanted and live on her own merit.
And she did. She did because of the man holding her. The first person to show a semblance of care for her and the first person to truly acknowledge her.
"I love you, Master," Maro sobbed, holding him with all her might.
Rosan knew that thank you wasn't just for agreeing to walk her down the aisle. She was recalling every single thing he did for her and, as he felt the queen holding him, his eyes went soft.
It was never his intention to get so close to her. He wanted to use her for his own gains and see if that momentary interest in her would have evoked something. Rosan thought it was going to fail and though she didn't unlock his emotions, she did the next best thing.
Maro made him care for her. He really did care for his student and would do anything for her because she had proven she was a person worth caring for.
"You'll find out very soon how much I will matter."
Memories of a younger Maro grinning confidently at him surfaced in his mind and the redhead smiled softly at his prized student.
"I love you too, Maro," Rosan replied, squeezing her.
Demon and Angel were currently having their weekly sibling hangout with just the two of them. The redhead drank down her banana smoothie and sighed at the wonderful taste.
"Thank you," she said.
The chef's jaw dropped, at being thanked by the terrifying clone and he hesitantly saluted at her. "O-Of course, Princess Angel! If you'll excuse me, I have to make sure everything in the kitchen is in working order!"
Without any hesitation, the man turned and bolted, much to the amusement of Demon and the confusion of Angel.
"He must think hell is freezing over since you actually thanked him," the purple haired man snickered, enjoying his latte with a calm smile.
Angel stamped down her annoyance at that, considering it was her fault in the first place. "Ah... everyone must have a really bad perception of me... I know they're aware of Maro and I being together, but what if I ruin their perception of her when it's revealed that we're getting married?!" She panicked, eyes going wide.
She didn't care how people viewed her (though she was starting to work on being more tolerable for Maro's sake) but if they began to dislike Maro because she went out of her way to marry her...
"Don't be stupid," Demon snorted, biting into his slice of cake and humming. "You underestimate how much our citizens love Maro and as long as she's happy, they're happy. Besides, you are scary to them but you also rarely interact with the people too. They don't see you all that often."
"That's true..." Angel sighed. Ugh, being considerate was annoying but she'd do it because she loved Maro and Maro loved these people. She was going to be their queen soon so she should at least put some effort into not being a piece of shit.
She was really jealous of Demon sometimes. He made being nice to them look so effortless and it worked out fantastic for him. She was pretty sure her twin brother had unknowingly amassed a cult of fans.
Well, he deserved to be so loved. Demon was awesome.
Which reminded her...
"Demon," she said abruptly.
"Hm?" He replied, locking red eyes onto her purple.
"I want... I want you to walk me down the aisle for the wedding," Angel requested softly.
Demon's eyes went wide at that and he dropped his fork in disbelief.
"Me? Why not Master?" Demon asked in confusion. Surely their oldest brother was the best choice... he created them after all and he was their former leader. He could honestly think of no better choice of who would get that honor.
His older sister looked at him like he were stupid and crossed her arms at him petulantly.
"You serious?! Demon, you're my twin brother for Kami's sake!" Angel exclaimed angrily, actually looking upset with him. "Since the moment we were created and Master Mod gave us emotions, you've been there with me through thick and thin! You were the first person I told about my real gender, you were the first person I hugged when I could feel, you were the first to see me cry! We've never been separated for long and no one knows me like you do... besides Master but this isn't about him right now and he's some type of wizard!"
Demon's eyes softened at the heartfelt look in her eyes and he exhaled fondly.
"We really have been through a lot, haven't we?" He replied softly.
"When we both thought Master was going to destroy me... you stepped in the way and risked his wrath, Demon. I wouldn't want anyone else but you to do it. You'd always be my first choice," Angel said strongly, pushing herself up and hugging her slightly taller twin.
"You know how much I appreciate you, Demon. You help me keep my head on straight when I'm being stupid. I love you, little bro," she murmured, squeezing him lightly.
His eyes turned a little foggy at that and he wrapped her in a hug as well.
"I love you too and I'd be honored to walk you down the aisle, big sis." he replied.
Angel grinned brightly at him and he smiled back.
"H-How do I look?" Maro said, turning and presenting her selected wedding attire to her onlookers. Maybe she should have worn a suit...? There was no way Angel wasn't going to wear like a dress or something... those had the most potential to be the most stylish attire...
Her outfit was a simple, pure white Kimono that covered Maro's entire frame and gave her a modest appearance. Her signature tiara was resting neatly on her head and her blue and white hair, was tied into a bun behind her instead of flowing free.
"Beautiful," Mod smiled.
"Gorgeous," Rosan responded.
"Hot," Aiko chimed.
"Stupid," Ram, who was out for the wedding, grumbled.
"Like Maro!" Luffy beamed.
The queen blushed rosily at the first three statements before it transformed into a sweatdrop at the last two.
Ram really didn't appreciate being forced into different attire. The woman sure did love the color black... and not having to wear dresses but, watching Auntie Mod have to wrestle the taller woman (Maro seriously had no idea how the Devil Fruit was so strong) into a white dress of all things, really drove that home.
"You look beautiful as well, Ram. Stop throwing such a fuss at having to wear a dress and support two of our family members in their times of happiness," Mod advised wisely, smiling calmly.
"No," she replied stubbornly, making the woman sweatdrop.
Honestly, she had no idea why Ram hated looking so good. The silver haired ring had acquired all of Meiko's looks and was stunning as a result but had gained none of the vanity that either of her parents seemed to wield. All she wore was that same double-breasted coat and she was absolutely faithful in it.
That must have been because she only wore that black dress... Mod couldn't help it though, it was a really nice dress.
They were all getting prepared for the wedding and the chattering of the excited citizens outside could be heard by them all.
When Maro had revealed to them all that she was getting married, the overwhelming support they had given her had brought the queen to tears.
"IT'S ABOUT TIME THEY TIED THE KNOT!"
"THEY'RE SUCH A CUTE POWER COUPLE!"
"HONESTLY, I'M JEALOUS THEY FOUND EACH OTHER FIRST! THOSE TWO ARE KNOCKOUTS!"
"THIS CALLS FOR CELEBRATION!"
The entirety of Celadon had brought gifts for the two to celebrate the momentous occasion and Angel's jaw had dropped at their unconditional support. S-She thought they hated her! It's not like she did anything to be liked... In fact, she did the complete opposite and totally deserved to be hated!
But they were happy for the both of them...
"Our citizens are so fucking cute," Angel mumbled, embarrassingly burying her head in Maro's chest.
"Aren't they?!" Maro beamed, laughing all the while.
The queen smiled at the memory and idly adjusted her kimono. She was used to them being fitted for combat but this one was exclusively for her wedding and it was a little uncomfortable as a result, not that she minded because she was so giddy!
Speaking of which, Angel was currently in another room also getting fitted with Demon, Akemi, Makino and Ace! Maro was so excited to see how she was dressed because her soon to be wife, always looked stunning.
Soon to be wife... Maro still couldn't believe Angel actually wanted to marry her...
"W-What if I'm not good enough?!" The queen suddenly exclaimed a nervous expression on her face. "Oh my Kami, w-what if I'm the worst wife ever and she immediately dumps me in favor of some other dude?! Would I still be queen for committing murder on their pour soul?!"
Aiko sweatdropped at the panicking Dokkaebi and let out a fond sigh. She was as much of an idiot as ever.
"For one, Angel's in love with you and she naturally dislikes people. There's no way she'd leave you for someone else, dumbass," Ram snorted. Anyone with a working brain, could see how head over heels in love the redhead was with the idiot goblin.
"I agree with Ram," Aiko snorted. "You two are super cute together and I don't actually think anyone else can handle her in a relationship besides you. I don't think you realize how much she appreciates that little detail."
Maro seemed to still think Angel was a bit out of her league and it was adorable, especially considering the fact that the Dokkaebi was incredibly beautiful in her own right. She didn't have multiple suitors trying to form alliances just to marry her for no reason after all. The queen seriously thought it was purely political and it was hilarious.
"Yeah, you guys are right!" Maro nodded determinedly, slapping her cheeks in order to stop psyching herself out. "I need this wedding to get started before I faint of anxiety! I'm so excited and nervous and eager! Oh Kami... I have to kiss her in front of all those people! W-What if I mess up and do something really stupid?!"
They all sighed in unison.
"I wonder if I should have worn a suit?" Angel mused, looking down at her white dress with a contemplating expression. There was no way Maro was going to wear one... Her soon to be wife was in love with kimonos and Angel was the more stylish of the two.
It was a long, flowy, sleeveless dress with straps on it that had a floral motif, a plunging v-neck and a ball gown silhouette.
"Why? You look absolutely stunning! I think this is perfectly fine," Makino gushed, helping adjust the dress a bit along with Akemi.
The younger sister of Aiko nodded rapidly in agreement. "I'm so jealous of you and Maro! Anyone would be lucky to marry either one of you!" The woman beamed, causing a light dusting of red to cover the bronze girl's cheek.
"Y-You think I'm good enough to marry Maro...?" She asked, uncharacteristically timid. "She's an amazing and patient person b-but what if she finds someone not as stressful as me and leaves me for them?! W-Would I be in the wrong for asking Master and Demon to murder them?!"
Demon sweatdropped at that. "I'm a doctor, Angel... Even though I'd definitely do it if you asked, I'd rather not," he replied.
Everyone sweatdropped at his response.
Demon would always support his sister's decisions... no matter how questionable they were.
"You have nothing to worry about," Ace snorted, waving off her concerns. "You should see how much she talks about you when the four of us are sparring. She can't go a second without mentioning your name," he sighed. It was extremely annoying honestly, but he couldn't blame the woman too much because Ace was sure he'd be bragging about Luffy and Rosan nonstop after he became a pirate.
Akemi nodded rapidly. "It's the same with us during our meetings! Aiko once taped her mouth to get her to shut up and focus! She's been raving about you since she was 12, you know!" The woman exclaimed.
The light dusting of red deepened further on the woman's cheek and she looked away from all of them. "You guys are right! If Maro got tired of me... she would have broken up with me ages ago! We've been dating for five years now!"
Five years and Angel was just as in love with her as ever... she wouldn't be able to replace Maro with anyone even if she tried. She was hopelessly smitten with the Goblin Princess.
It was a good thing they were getting married... Now Maro couldn't get rid of her even if she tried! They were stuck together until death! Yeah, that's right, once they kissed each other, it was official!
"Alright! I'm ready to kiss my woman on the lips!" Angel grinned eagerly. There was a fired up look in her eyes at the realization she came to and everyone sweatdropped at her sudden switch in mood.
It was best not to dwell on her thoughts. Angel's thought process could be just as unhinged as Rosan's.
Maro underestimated just how popular she was. There were so much people here for her wedding and the reception hall couldn't hope to fit them all. That didn't deter them because a large group were standing outside, watching a big screen (Courtesy of Rosan's Modification technique, Stream) that showed the inside of the wedding room.
As Rosan walked her down the aisle, she felt a burst of nervousness at seeing just the official up there. Angel would be the second one up and so it was just her and Rosan.
"Nervous?" Rosan asked softly, squeezing her arm reassuringly. He was dressed in an all black suit that Maro thought he was rocking very well, in her humble opinion, and his hair was let down for once (Angel demanded it for her wedding).
The free red spikes flowed downward to his shoulder and made him look damn good (Focus Maro, you're getting married!). Makino had offered to be his date so that the woman eyeing him (like right now) wouldn't make a move and he accepted without much complaint.
"A little," she admitted. "I... what should I do?"
"Why should you be anything but confident? You fought with blood, sweat and tears to get here so why should you ever be nervous? You earned this moment so hold your head up high," Rosan assured, making the woman stand up a bit straighter.
He was right! The people were here because they loved her as their queen and wanted to support the woman who had helped save their island. She was getting married to the girl that she loved and dammit, she'd be happy!
"You're the best Master!" She beamed, looking much more confident then before.
"Of course, this is a special day for you and being nervous won't do you any good."
Rosan finished escorting her and took his seat near Makino and Ram on a table in the front row. The rest of the seats were filled with her other family and one was empty for Demon to sit in. All of them were dressed professionally and she was surprised Luffy had managed to dress up! He didn't even have his straw hat on his head right now!
She figured that next to Ram, he'd be the most difficult to dress but Rosan mentioned that Luffy was normally dressed up by either him or Ace! The rubber boy had terrible fashion sense so they decided his outfits most of the days.
Ugh, why was little Luffy so damn adorable! He was currently grinning up at her cheerfully, unbothered by everything around him.
She should take some notes from him. Maro took a deep breath and stood tall, looking at the entrance where her fiancée would soon show up with a measured expression.
That measured expression, quickly melted away at the sight of Angel.
"Ah, I'm so lucky," Maro sighed, smiling goofily at the redhead in the long white dress being escorted by her twin brother.
Angel met her eyes and blushed scarlet at the goofy smile on Maro's face, averting her gaze but gaining a smile of her own.
The gorgeous redhead finally made it just across from Maro and the two gazed at each other, lost in the others gaze. Burnt orange stared into royal purple with unconditional love and Angel felt herself getting a bit lightheaded at those tender eyes, cheeks dusting red as she threatened to start swooning.
Was this... was this how Master and Meiko felt about each other? The way Maro was gazing at her, it was... it was the exact same way those two stared at each other... and someone was staring at her like that? Her! A clone!
This super strong and adorable goblin was genuinely in love with her despite all her faults and here they were, getting married for the entire island to see. Hell, Celadon was so famous, a majority of North Blue would know they were tying the knot!
All those damn marriage proposals could finally fucking stop because Maro was hers! She refused to share this lovable Goblin with anyone else so they could shove it!
So distracted was she, Angel didn't actually here the official begin the ceremony and only Maro's plump lips saying, "I do," made her realize that she was probably next and the woman blushed at zoning out.
When asked if she would take this woman as her wife, protecting her and being there for as long as they lived, Angel smiled without hesitation and confidently said, "I do!"
If possible, Maro's grin widened and the Dokkaebi's cheeks turned a rosy red at the confident reply.
The ringbearer (Kanna) presented both rings to the duo and they picked up the respective rings they bought. Maro grabbed the sapphire ring and after being prompted, slid it gently on Angel's right ring finger, securing it neatly.
Angel grabbed her own ruby ring, and slid it gently on Maro's own right finger, smiling in an uncharacteristically soft manner.
Before the official could fully seal the deal, Maro suddenly said, "U-Um, wait just a moment please!"
He blinked in confusion but nodded, acquiescing with the queen's request.
Angel's nervous expression only lasted a moment, due to Maro reaching into her gorgeous and simple kimono (it was so her) to pull out the object of her desire.
It was a pristine blue daisy and Maro presented it to her demurely.
"I... it's a daisy that I personally grew for this moment," Maro admitted. "Master and I put a little magic on it so that it could be used as a permanent accessory... You don't have to worry about it withering or deteriorating, as long as I'm with you!"
Maro really loved Modification, it made difficult gifts much easier to attain.
The crowd cooed at the actions of the sappy queen and some of the woman in the crowd, were glaring at their husbands for being unable to obtain such an impossible gift.
Tears formed in Angel's eyes and she slightly tilted her head forward so that Maro could place the daisy in her hair. The blue contrasted greatly with the red but that just made it more obvious to anyone looking, that she was Maro's woman and no one else's.
The middle triplet was barely holding herself together, as she stood straight again and Maro nodded towards the official, allowing him to finally end the ceremony.
Not sure who to refer too, he simply hoped one of them would take initiative and said, "You may now kiss the —"
Angel rushed forward, unable to hold herself back any longer and slammed her lips straight onto Maro's own with such fervor, the crowd gaped.
Maro's eyes widened at the feeling before she melted into the kiss and returned it back with equal fervor.
Ugh, leave it to her wife to always take the initiative when Maro was intending to. It was so her.
Aiko grunted in annoyance and handed Makino a wad of cash, which she accepted easily.
The two had made a bet to see which one was going to initiate the kiss first. Aiko had bet on Maro and Makino had bet on Angel.
"I didn't think Angel was such an eager bee," she groaned and the bartender grinned at her, pleased with the results.
"Maro's such a hopeless romantic but Angel is super forward!" Akemi laughed at her sister. "Even if Maro intended to kiss her first, there's no way she'd be able to go quicker than Angel. That girl is a woman who knows exactly what she wants."
"Angel's almost always initiating things first between them. She's a go getter," Demon nodded sagely. He knew that without a doubt, Angel would be the one to initiate the kiss and had opted to not make easy money for the sake of integrity.
"They need to get a room. They're going to suck all the oxygen out of this one by the time they break up the kiss," Ram complained, rolling her eyes at the married couple with a fond smile. She was happy for them. They deserved each other.
She'd never forgive them for forcing her into a dress though. There were too many eyes that weren't her father eyeing the beauty and she was half a second away, from stomping their skulls into the pavement.
"Ace, I'm hungry! Let's eat!" Luffy moaned. He had been waiting forever and he could practically smell the feast that was going to happen after this celebration.
"Yeah yeah, let's go fix ourselves a plate," Ace smiled, dragging his younger brother off to do that.
Rosan stared at the duo with an unreadable look in his eyes.
"Thinking about what could have been?" Mod asked quietly. It was just the two of them currently, which didn't happen often these days and she found herself missing this feeling a bit.
"How could I not? If Meiko were here... she would have made me cave and propose myself, heedless of if I was the strongest or not," Rosan replied.
He would have accepted it without complaint. Of course he would. Rosan had always been incredibly emotional and seeing the genuine joy on his student and sister's face, would have made him want to feel the exact same thing with Meiko. Though they were practically already married, a ceremony would have truly drove it home.
"Do you think... you'd resent them if you could feel?" She asked another question hesitantly, knowing he'd answer truthfully but not knowing what it would be.
"..." Rosan hummed a bit. "I'd feel a little bitter, I won't lie. But resent? No. Maro and Angel deserve each other and I wouldn't let some unknown future drag down the happiness I feel for them. I will never resent anything that makes my family happy."
Mod smiled gently at that, relief all over her pretty features. "I hope one day, you can find someone worth proposing to. You truly do deserve it."
Rosan watched the two break their kiss and glance over at their family, twin blushes of embarrassment on their face at the realization of what they were doing. Despite that, they never let each other go and gazed at each other in a way that reminded him of how he used to look at Meiko and vice versa...
He smiled at the duo, getting them to grin brightly and the two wives began approaching the group.
"I hope so too because if a day like that ever comes, I'd have succeeded in everything I'd ever desired and I'll finally be able to let Meiko rest in peace."
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