章 31: Chapter 18: King 2
Shanks went pale at the revelation and his mouth opened. A bead of sweat rolled down his head and he wasn't sure if the dizziness was only from the loss of blood.
This kid…was… What?
"Captain!" A voice called and Shanks forced himself to break eye contact at the sound of Makino making her way over.
Her eyes widened in horror at seeing his missing arm and she immediately began fussing over and questioning him.
"It seems that Luffy is safe and sound," Rosan told the woman, who flinched at the teen. "If that's all, I'll be going now."
Shanks watched the redhead depart but his mouth was too dry to say anything.
Rosan didn't bother looking back at him as Shanks crew started converging on the man.
"How did you find me?" Rosan asked softly. The night sky was gorgeous tonight and, as he stood on the top of a tree, he gazed up at the pale moon.
"What you told me earlier today... Was that true?" Shanks demanded. He had managed to break away from his crew to seek out the teen and it had brought him to the top of this rather tall tree.
"I am not a liar," was all Rosan said. "Though, he is not my biological father."
"Would you like me to explain?" The redhead asked, already knowing the answer.
"If I think you're lying…" Shanks warned with a dangerous gaze.
"If I were lying, you wouldn't be able to find me," the redhead replied truthfully, still staring up at the moon.
"When I was two years old, Gol D. Roger appeared on my home island, Baterilla and managed to woo my mother, Portgas D. Rouge."
Two years old? That would be 12 years ago if the boy really was 14… Right when the Roger Pirates disbanded.
Shanks felt a sense of vertigo at the fact that Rosan could very well be telling the truth.
"I don't remember him much because he got my mother pregnant and left. Unfortunately, Roger isn't a very subtle man, huh?" Rosan asked, finally turning to look Shanks in his eyes.
Shanks noted that the boys eyes were dimly glowing and wondered what that was about, but he answered, "Yeah… Captain wasn't a subtle man at all."
"I know. He let Mom suffer for two years because of it," Rosan said bluntly, making Shanks flinch slightly. "The Marines speculated Roger got someone on my home island pregnant because of how he acted there…"
The red haired captain's eyes widened at the implications.
"...So to prevent the Pirate King's bloodline from continuing, they began killing all children born around that time. For two years."
Captain was going to have a child? The Marines knew about it? So much was going on right now and Shanks didn't know how to properly react to the influx of information.
"Mom was one of the strongest people I knew," Rosan said blankly. "She held the fact that she was pregnant for two years and she lived everyday in pain because of it. When the time came for her to give birth, she couldn't handle the stress and I watched her die moments after."
Damn it, Captain. What the hell were you thinking?!
"…," Shanks couldn't think of anything to say to the teenager. What could you even say to a person that just admitted to watching their mother die. How could he even defend his Captain when it was so unfavorable against him?
It would only lead to negatives and he was quite sure Rosan didn't care how strong he was.
"You don't need to say anything. I've grown past that," Rosan told him and it was truly unnerving how his tone had not shifted even once since they had met.
Naturally, he wouldn't tell the red haired man anything about Ace, or anything about what he had done after that. He had no reason too because it had nothing to do with him. Only his connection with Roger had made the redhead tell the captain this information.
The redhead looked back up at the sky.
It really was a beautiful night. Maybe when Shanks left, he'd go for a fly.
Shanks was conflicted.
On one hand, he was looking at one of the few remaining connections to his late Captain. On the other, that one connection made it very clear that he wanted nothing to do with Roger.
At all.
Shanks respected Roger with all his heart and that would never change. If Rosan had emotion he'd probably not like him due to their vast difference in opinions on the Pirate King.
"Did captain's actual child survive? Where are they?" Shanks couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know."
It was clear he wasn't getting anything more relating to his past out of the teen and Shanks just sighed. So Rosan didn't even stay around his little sibling. Whether it was by choice or the child didn't survive, Shanks didn't know.
He really needed a drink.
"Your life must have been hard," the man commented to his fellow redhead. His demeanor, his eyes, and the way he fought… Shanks was curious about what happened in this kids life to have him end up like this.
"...Yes, I suppose it has," the 14 year old replied. The scarred man didn't even know the half of it.
"Everything about you screams lifeless but you still move with some sort of purpose... Why?" Shanks asked curiously and Rosan looked at Ram for a moment.
"I move so that I can find a reason to live."
"You're leaving, then?"
"Yeah. It was a long stay, but now we part ways. Bet you'll miss me huh?"
Shanks and Luffy were sharing one last conversation with each other, as the crew prepared to set sail. The seven year old had made sure to drag Rosan with him and the boy was sitting at the dock, looking out at the ocean.
Luffy smiled at the man and said "Well, yeah, but I won't ask you to take me anymore. I've decided to become a pirate on my own now!"
Shanks turned around and stuck his tongue out childishly. "I wasn't gonna take you anyways! You'll never be a pirate!"
Luffy's face immediately shifted into one of childish indignation. "Oh yes I will! One day I'll have a ship and crew better than yours! And we'll have the biggest hoard of treasure in the world!"
"I'M GONNA BE KING OF PIRATES!" Luffy declared boldly to the world. Everyone watching, looked at the boy with fondness at the claim.
Rosan glanced back at the seven year old with a piercing gaze.
"Hmm… You're gonna be better than us, huh?" Shanks remarked with a smile on his face.
"Well then…," Shanks began softly, removing his straw hat from his head and placing it on the upset Luffy's head.
"Do me a favor, keep this hat safe for me?"
"?!" Luffy looked down as tears began streaming from his eyes. The implications of what Shanks was currently doing, were not lost on the boy and it began to overwhelm him with emotion.
"This hat means a lot to me. Promise that you'll give it back to me someday…when you've become a great pirate."
Shanks made his way over to Rosan as Luffy cried, clutching his hat tightly.
The redhead didn't even glance up as Shanks took a seat next to him.
"What are you gonna do now?" The captain asked.
"As if I'd answer that."
Shanks let out a chuckle and said, "I saw you staring at Luffy after he made his declaration. Are you mad that he wants to have the same title as Captain?"
Rosan momentarily looked at him. "I do not hate my father for his accolades, or his accomplishments. Being the son of the pirate king means nothing to me. I hate him because he was the reason the woman who raised me, died. That is a sin that I will never be able to forgive."
That was understandable.
"I won't ask you to forgive the Captain," Shanks said seriously. "But know he probably never wanted it to turn out like this."
"I didn't either but only one of us is alive to deal with the consequences."
A silence washed over them for a moment before, surprisingly, Rosan broke it.
"You asked why I stared at Luffy? It's because his dream will be a difficult one to achieve."
"You believe him?!"
"Who am I to doubt a person's convictions. I just hope the world doesn't tear him down before he gets to that point."
"Like it did...to you?"
"…"
Shanks smiled with a shake of his head. "Luffy is a strong kid and with you watching out for him, I'm sure he'll be able to do it."
"Who says I'll be watching over him?"
"Call it a hunch, he's a really interesting one and if you stay around him you might find that reason you're searching for."
"…" Rosan didn't say anything for a moment and Shanks was content to let him think. Eventually, the teen said,
"How unlikely."
"First, we're gonna need a musician," Luffy decided resolutely and Rosan glanced at him.
"We?" The teen asked curiously, looking at the much shorter boy.
"Yeah! You're apart of my crew now!"
"When did I agree to this?"
"Eh? Don't be stupid, Rosan! You agreed long ago!"
"I think he's talking about when you agreed to be his friend," Mod giggled.
Rosan thought about arguing, but he learned much about Luffy. There was no point in trying to disagree with the boy because things either went his way, or no way.
"Okay," the redhead replied simply and Luffy shot him a beaming grin. "But don't tell me what to do, I'm not fond of taking orders."
Luffy nodded happily.
"You agreed way too easily to being a pirate," Mod pointed out, but the woman was smiling.
"I hold no personal grudges against pirates, I just had no interest in being one."
"Great, you can be our musician!"
"I can play the piano, but I refuse to do so."
"Chef!"
"No."
"Navigator!"
"Too much decision making, no."
"What can you do?"
Rosan could do everything that Luffy asked him to, but he didn't want to. Still, he should at least be a little cooperative since he had been forced to join the crew.
"I can scout," he informed and Luffy beamed.
"Awesome! You do that then," the seven year old finished and Rosan nearly sighed.
He should have just disappeared.
It seemed like everyone always wanted to speak to him.
Today, it was the bartender girl, Makino.
"Stop hanging out with Luffy," the, normally kind, woman requested firmly.
He expected this.
"Did my fight against the bandits scare you?" Rosan asked softly, already knowing the answer. The 19 year old, or any of the villagers really, had barely been able to look at him.
"I'm not asking you," Makino threatened bravely, despite the fact that it was just her and this…monster.
She was not shaking.
Rosan could see right through her.
"I don't take threats lightly," Rosan told her politely. "They are the prelude to an attempt on my life, and an attempt on my life means I can't accomplish my goal. Anyone who wants to kill me, has to die themselves," he finished emptily and the woman flinched back, doubt on her face.
"Stop tormenting that woman," Mod chided. She didn't like that this Makino person was trying to impede on a potential way for Rosan to unlock his emotions, but antagonizing her would make it more difficult.
Killing her was out of the question too.
"I… I'm not threatening to kill you," Makino said meekly, unconsciously taking a step back. "It's just you're not a good influence for him."
"I'm not the one who gave him the dream of becoming Pirate King, which is the title of a criminal by the way. You should have had this talk with Shanks instead because he's the one who has fully influenced Luffy," Rosan reprimanded her and she flushed at being scolded by someone 5 years younger than her.
She was lost for words, unable to refute his argument and Rosan decided to throw her a bone.
"I've already agreed to join Luffy's crew and I'm not a liar," the redhead informed the green haired woman. "But, if you can convince him to remove me, I'll stop hanging around him. I don't care either way," he replied truthfully.
"I respect your concern for him but something tells me you took too long to take action."
Makino stared into his eyes and nodded.
Rosan watched her resolution with a tilted head. She would try to convince Luffy and she would fail. The boy marched to the beat of his own drum and once he decided on something, it was next to impossible to change his mind.
"Sounds familiar."
"Indeed it does."
Nothing Makino attempted, changed Luffy's mind. He was absolutely set on Rosan being his first friend and crewmate and there was nothing she could do about it. The woman had actually been taken aback by how strongly the rubber boy had rejected her.
"It was a good effort," Rosan told the woman, while drinking a cup of tea. "There's no point being upset about it. Rid yourself of that animosity or you'll go gray early."
She glared at him before releasing a resigned sigh. "I guess you're right," the 19 year old muttered and the 14 year old decided to ease her worries.
"I am not fond of hurting children unless they plan on harming me and Luffy has made it clear that all he wants is a friend. You are worried that I will hurt him but if I wanted to, I'd have already done so," he explained bluntly and she nodded at that.
He had a point, Luffy dragged the teen off everywhere (sometimes with her not even there to oversee) and he had always come back in the same condition...mostly but when he was hurt, it was never Rosan's fault.
"You're right…," Makino sighed. "I'm sorry for being so harsh to you but, I worry about Luffy. He's so…"
"Trusting?" Rosan offered and she nodded rapidly.
"Yes! I don't want him to be taken advantage of due to his nature," she said softly and Rosan rubbed her on the shoulder, making her relax.
"I understand how you feel, he's a good child in a cruel world and that makes you worry."
She nodded and Rosan hummed.
"I respect you. You just want what's best for Luffy and what makes him happy," Rosan eventually said. The seven year old was currently sleeping so he was not here to hear the words.
Makino felt herself relax even further at his words. She smiled gently at the younger teen and said "I was wrong about you. You're not as bad as I thought you were."
"I'm far worse," Rosan thought to himself, looking at the woman he had easily manipulated.
She was important to these people. With her easing up on him, it would allow him to move more freely.
"I'm glad, I thought I was going to have to sick Luffy's grandpa on you," Makino said, with a small smile on her face.
Rosan simply blinked.
"His grandpa?"
"Oh," Mod said in clear surprise.
Rosan, as he stared into a set of eyes that very clearly recognized him, couldn't blame her.
Luffy didn't tell him that his grandpa was Garp the Hero.
Garp looked at the teen in front of him with clear surprise. Was this who he thought it was? After all this time he had just appeared on his own?
"What's your name boy?" Garp asked bluntly and Rosan contemplated lying to him.
"That's Rosan!" Luffy replied obliviously, grinning. "He's the first member of my pirate crew!"
"Okay, maybe the comparison between you two was a bit harsh," A sweatdropping Mod said.
"He is such an idiot," Ram sighed.
"I should not have given him my real name," Rosan thought blandly. There was no way Garp wouldn't know who he was now.
"Rosan…" The Hero of the Marines said gruffly, scratching his beard. "Where did you go that day, 10 years ago?"
Makino looked at the two in confusion. Did they know each other? She wondered what their connection was...
"I ran away," the redhead replied truthfully.
"Where?"
"Out to sea. Where is my brother?" Rosan asked in return. He had no interest in playing 20 questions with the Hero of the Marines.
Any doubts Garp had about who this person was, were instantly wiped away at that question.
He raised a brow at the redhead, not quite believing that he was sailing the seas alone and lived to show for it, but the look in his eyes showed that he did go through something.
"I was about to take Luffy here to him right now but your coming to stay too," the old man decided and Rosan gazed at him.
"Past the surprise, he is utterly unfazed at seeing me again," the 14 year old thought blandly, wondering if this is where Luffy got his eccentricities from.
"It's true, you'd think his reaction would be worse than Shanks considering he knows about your existence… Perhaps he's hiding it very well?"
"Everyone always hides something. Even then, there is always a reaction to gauge outwards."
Even if he was hiding something, he wasn't as bothered as he should be.
Oh well.
"Garp-san?" Makino said, sounding unsure but Garp ignored her.
He looked towards his grandson and grabbed him by his cheek harshly. "What was it you just said about being a pirate?!" Garp barked and Luffy yelped.
The Marine's eyes bugged as Luffy's cheek stretched out farther then it had any right to.
"WHAT?!" Garp roared in disbelief at the sight. "Luffy, did you eat a Devil Fruit?!" The man asked in shock.
"Yep!" Luffy chirped. "I ate the Gomu Gomu no mi and now I'm a rubber boy!"
The man showed more reaction to his grandson eating a Devil Fruit then to practically seeing a ghost. This was definitely who Luffy inherited his oddities from.
Garp looked fed up with the boy and began dragging him away. "I knew leaving you in this peaceful village was a bad idea," the old man grumbled, recovering amazingly.
He was so strange.
"WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?!" Luffy demanded and Garp merely pinched his cheek harder. The boy actually squeaked in pain. "But I'm made out of rubber, why does it hurt?!" He whined.
Why did it hurt? Rosan was reminded on how Maro was able to feel pain on her left side from Judge.
"You two are moving! This village is too soft," Garp said bluntly and with that, he dragged the flailing seven year old away.
"You and Garp-san have history?" Makino asked questioningly and Rosan nodded to the shorter woman.
"I saw him when I was 4 but this is his first time meeting me," he said softly and Makino's eyes widened in horror.
Didn't he say he went out to sea? W-why was he traveling the sea at only 4 years old?
"Brat," Garp called, referring to Rosan. "Come on," he said gruffly and Rosan merely stared at his back.
"It seems that's my cue to leave," the redhead said softly and he regarded Makino with a nod. "Bye, Makino," the teen waved and he walked off, behind the man.
"Bye, Rosan!" A confused Makino waved. She would have tried harder to stop Garp from doing whatever it was he was doing, but she couldn't stop the old man.
At least Rosan was there to support Luffy.
She hoped.
Rosan was surprised to see a house in Mt. Colubo but in hindsight, it made sense to hide Ace here.
He would need to be as hidden as possible so people didn't make any type of connections.
Garp had dragged Luffy the entire way and Rosan had to give it to the stubborn boy, he had not stopped spouting about being Pirate King even once. Even with the clear aggravation blooming on Garp's face.
Rosan shot the Vice Admiral a glance at hearing him mention Ace needing to become a Marine.
He wanted his little brother, the actual son of the Pirate King, to become a Marine? Not only that, he wanted Rosan to become one too.
Garp was hopelessly optimistic. Rosan wondered how he'd react if he knew that the redhead already had a bounty.
The Hero of the Marines banged on the front door of the lone house and yelled "DADAN! GET OUT HERE!"
Luffy had began running around the clearing and Rosan kept one eye on him. The teen was leaned against a tree, red and purple eyes staring holes into the house.
10 years. It had been 10 years since Rosan had seen his little brother and now the time was finally about to come where they'd meet face to face.
"I hope it goes well," Mod said, voice filled with a little dread. If Ace hated Rosan, all the negative reinforcement the boy had given himself would come to the forefront again and she wouldn't be able to talk him out of it.
Ram gave the shorter woman a hug and said "It'll be okay, Auntie Mod!"
She forced herself to calm down and hugged the teen back. "Thank you Ram, I needed that."
"Of course!"
The door to the house opened and out came a tall, overweight, middle aged woman with long, orange, curly hair and a big, masculine face. Behind her were a group of people all holding weapons.
Rosan identified her immediately from her bounty. Curly Dadan. Bounty of 7,800,000 and leader of the Dadan Family.
A group of mountain bandits.
Why was Ace with mountain bandits?
"…," Mod could feel the impending doom already.
"Stop it! Whoever you are, do you really wanna get killed?" The woman roared, and the cigarette in her mouth jostled.
"It's me," Garp said bluntly and it was like a flip had been switched in the lady.
The woman's eyes widened in horror and she practically flew back as she said, "Garp-san!" and the other bandits squeaked at her declaration.
"You're looking good," The Marine said conversationally but Dadan wasn't having it.
"Garp-san you gotta give us a break!" The woman begged. "Ace is already 10 years old!"
"He's already more than we can handle! Can't you take him off our hands?" Dogra pleaded.
Ace was a problem child? He really was his little brother.
It was then that Dadan noticed little Luffy shooting around the clearing.
"What the… Who's that kid?" The mountain bandit asked and she noticed another person leaning against the tree.
He was much taller then the first boy, with a striking shade of red hair, bronze skin, and the most unnerving set of heterochromatic eyes she had seen. His dead gaze bored into her own and she flinched at the empty expression on his face.
"This is Luffy, my grandson," Garp said, grabbing the boy with one hand. "Say hi, Luffy, they'll be watching you now."
"Yo."
"YOUR GRANDSON? WATCH HIM? WHAT?!" Dadan gaped in shock.
"That's Rosan, he's the one I told you about 10 years ago," The Marine informed her .
"Greetings," the redhead said politely, with a short nod, still eyeing the leader of the mountain bandits.
Dadan recalled the conversation they had when she was first tasked with watching Ace and her eyes widened. "This is the 4 year old boy that went missing?! Your telling me he's only 14?!"
"Yea, you'll be watching him too," Garp said and the woman's eyes bugged.
"Don't worry, I've been taking care of myself for years now," the 14 year old said softly. He noticed something move out of the corner of his eyes, and finally took his gaze off the bandits.
"We can't!" They denied in unison and Garp grunted.
"Alright then, here's your choice. Do you wanna spend all your life in prison or raise them?" He asked with his arms crossed.
"You realize how many of your countless crimes I'm turning a blind eye to?!" The man laughed boisterously.
"Well I don't want to go to jail, but sometimes I think I'd be better off!" Dadan moaned sadly.
"We already have our hands full with Ace! Now you want to throw your grandson and this other kid into the mix?! I bet they're probably monsters too!"
"Crappy shack," Luffy muttered.
"You wanna fight?!" Dadan yelled but Luffy just ran off without a care in the world.
"H-he's not listening to me!" The leader of the mountain bandit face-planted at the lack of attention Luffy gave her.
Rosan said nothing. The boy was currently rooted to his spot while Mod and Ram tried to whisper soothing words to him.
Luffy kept running and then a glob of spit connected to his cheek. "Agh! Spit?! Yuck!" The boy squeaked as he grabbed his cheek.
"Hey! Who are you!?" Luffy demanded, running up to another child.
"Oh, that's Ace!" Garp said.
It was a short boy with curly black hair and freckles on his face.
Freckles like Mom.
He wore a plain red t-shirt, black shorts, and brown sandals and the sheer anger in his eyes, was enough to stagger even Rosan.
This… was Ace? His little brother? Why… Why did he have that look in his eyes?!
The only reason Rosan had so confidently left his little brother in the care of the Marine, was in order to keep him safe and so that he could grow up with a semi-decent life. The risk of traveling with a four year old on the dangerous seas was just too risky.
"Rosan, it's okay!" Mod tried to soothe. It really wasn't but she didn't want Rosan to do something stupid. It was clear that he really didn't care who you were and the Devil Fruit didn't want him to fight this man.
"I'm sure there's an explanation for this," Ram said nervously. Even she understood that this was bad and the battle hungry ring was trying to assuage him.
It was not okay.
If Rosan knew Ace was going to end up like this without him, he would have fought tooth and nail to get his little brother back.
"Luffy, this is Ace. He's three years older than you. You're gonna live here with them from today," Garp said and Rosan mechanically turned his head towards the Marine.
Mountain bandits were one thing, Rosan had only adopted a similar look in his eyes after being tortured for six months straight. For his little brother to have it now, meant that leaving him behind... was the wrong choice.
It was as if every decision he had made, was being spat back in his face, as he looked at his angry little brother. Why did he even leave him behind if this was the end result? Why had he been forced to make such a difficult decision at just four… and that decision ended up being wrong?
Mom made a mistake trusting this scum of a Marine. At the end of the day, none of the people in the organization that had killed her, were trustworthy.
Garp needed to die.
Rosan's eyes glowed brightly, as Ram transformed into into a pair of black gloves —
— And all hell broke loose.
One second, everyone was watching Garp introduce Ace and Luffy, and the next, a massive blast of red energy forced the man to jump back. It crashed into a tree and reduced it to nothing.
Garp looked towards the source and was surprise to see that it was Rosan who attacked him.
"Rosan, what's the matter?!" Luffy asked in surprise at seeing his first crewmate attack his Grandpa. That was outta nowhere!
Everyone watched with a surprised expression at how bold the redhead was to attack the monster that was Garp. They felt a bead of sweat as they looked at the smoky area that used to be a tree.
D-Did they really have to raise another monster?!
Ace watched with wide eyes at the power behind that attack. The boy was preparing to walk away, but curiosity dictated that he see how this ended.
"What are you doing?" Garp asked with a raised brow and for the first time in a long time, there was an emotion in Rosan's eyes.
Pure hot rage.
"I'm going to rip you to shreds," the teen snarled and Mod's eyes went wide at his tone.
So they had been right, a powerful enough emotion was able to seep through the castle and into Rosan.
She had to wonder how angry he would actually have been if the castle wasn't there.
Probably enough to raze this entire island to the ground.
Rosan bent his knees and cracked the floor beneath him, as he flew towards the Hero of the Marines. He crashed into nothing as Garp jumped over him but he rebounded admirably.
"Boost x2," Rosan thought immediately and he looked up at the still floating Garp.
The ground beneath the teen crumbled as he jumped to reach him and Garp raised a brow, impressed by his power. He was currently using Geppo to stay afloat and the boy had managed to reach him with one push.
The Marine blocked a punch to his solar plexus and nodded at the strength behind the blow. He held the fist in his hand but Rosan would not be deterred.
In an impressive display of flexibility, the boy twisted himself and delivered a kick that would have forced Garp to release him but the man used Haki to tank the blow.
Rosan grunted as Garp launched him to the floor with an abnormal amount of strength. The boy momentarily lost his breath at the force of the landing but he immediately recovered to continue his onslaught.
Garp landed in front of him and said "What's the matter with you, brat?"
Rosan spat out a small amount of blood and stood up without a hint of pain.
"He's made of tough stuff," Garp thought.
"You… I should never have trusted you," Rosan said lowly, dual eyes glowing and Garp's eyes widened in surprise. "I didn't leave Ace in your care so he could end up with that look in his eyes. I left him with you because I thought you'd be a much better choice than me. A safer choice."
Ace froze as he heard that. What the hell was this guy talking about? Left him behind? Who the hell was he?
"I was wrong," Rosan finished coldly and the ground erupted as soon as he finished his sentence.
Only Garp's Haki was able to prepare him for the surprise of the fact that Rosan had a Devil Fruit. He deftly dodged the sudden spikes that used to be the ground and ducked under another blast of energy from the redhead.
"Woah! Rosan, you have a Devil Fruit too?!" Luffy asked in awe. He had never seen anyone take it to his Grandpa like this and his eyes sparkled in excitement.
He was so strong!
Ace was surprised for another reason. Was this teen… related to him somehow? What did he mean left him with Garp?
Was this…his brother?
He desperately needed answers.
Garp could have ended the match instantly, but a strange guilt was holding him back due to the impact of Rosan's words.
He had been able to instantly spot the troubled look in his younger brother's eyes and he was rightfully upset. Ace's life had not been an easy one.
"He might not have been as safe with a 4 year old..." Rosan began and his armband transformed into his default Raid Suit. The long, black and red coat was left open to show the red shirt underneath and his baggy black pants were tucked into his red sneakers.
"...But at least he would have been loved," the 14 year old snarled. "I'd rather be in danger and loved, then safe and unloved," Rosan finished with barely restrained fury.
With that, he was off.
Luffy was wondering just what Rosan's Devil Fruit was. He had been hanging out with his crewmate for weeks and he didn't know he even had one!
Ace was practically petrified at the blunt declaration that someone would have loved him of all people. He couldn't believe his ears. He had a brother? A brother that willingly left him in the care of someone else so he could be safe?
He couldn't wrap his head around this at all!
The Dadan Family looked at the redhead with a terrified gaze. They didn't think anyone would be crazy enough to attack Garp but this kid didn't care at all!
Worst of all, he was strong. Did Garp expect them to be able to watch a monster like this? If he got annoyed with them, they would all die!
Mod was worried. Rosan was throwing out all subtlety in his quest to kill Garp and the teen was out for his blood. He had been preparing for Ace to hate him but this was far worse.
What are you supposed to feel, when you entrust someone with something dear and they fail. Completely.
Ram had to constantly soothe the Devil Fruit nonstop because of her worry.
The brat — Rosan's words affected Garp more than he would have liked to admit. In the eyes of the 14 year old, The Hero of the Marines had failed spectacularly in raising his baby brother and Garp couldn't even fully refute it.
Besides keeping Ace safe from the eyes of the Marine, Garp really hadn't done anything else to make his life easier. That's why Rosan's statement felt so true.
Would he have enjoyed his life more if he was with the more endangered redhead?
Probably.
"I'm sorry," Garp said suddenly, grunting as he tanked a punch right to his gut.
Rosan would not see reason.
"I'll forgive you in 10 years, after you die today," the redhead promised and he leapt back to charge a truly gigantic beam of energy. One of his hands were outstretched and the red laser-like attack began to charge rapidly.
Nothing against Garp was working. Rosan couldn't modify him for some reason and that reduced his options by a lot.
Garp had to wonder just what his Devil Fruit was. The old man sighed wearily and decided to end the battle here.
That attacked looked dangerous for the surrounding area and so he couldn't let it be released, lest someone (it wouldn't be him) got hurt.
Rosan couldn't react in time, as Garp vanished and appeared directly in front of him with a fist reared back.
The Mod Mod no mi user was momentarily knocked unconscious as the blow connected to his face and he soared through the air. The only thing that managed to snap him awake, was his raw hatred for the World Government.
Garp had watched Rosan's eyes roll to the back of his head. So he was surprised to see the boy suddenly right himself in midair and skid to a stop.
The Vice Admiral was surprised at just how resilient the boy was. He had put a sufficient amount of force in the blow to knock him unconscious but the boy woke himself back up.
The teen spat out a tooth and everyone watched in awe as another one grew back into place immediately.
...What.
Just what was this brat?!
Rosan snapped his nose back into place and his body handled the rest. It was times like this, that he was grateful for consuming the Philosopher's Stone.
The teen, in a last ditch effort, let loose a massive amount of Pressure on the Marine, hoping to at least slow him down so that he could properly charge his attack.
Garp was having none of that however. His eyes had widened in recognition at the pressure washing over him but it didn't affect him at all. The old man vanished again and Rosan tried to react, but he was too slow.
"What a monster of a man," Rosan thought as another fist connected firmly with his skull.
The teen finally fell over, knocked unconscious from the attack.
He did not get back up.
Garp hadn't felt this tired in a long time and he didn't mean physically. The mental drain of today was staggering and the guilt he felt was a rare feeling.
"Put him to sleep in one of the rooms," Garp instructed to the terrified Dadan and she nodded shakily, instructing some of her bandits to go pick the tall teen up.
He was a complete monster, the fact that he was only 14, was terrifying.
Garp looked at his sleeping face and let loose a sigh. Despite the anger he fought with earlier, he looked almost peaceful. If his eyes were open, it would be a far different looking reaction but right now, the boy seemed like he was actually sleeping.
He didn't think Rosan had some variation of conquerors haki, but that pressure was unmistakable.
Luffy followed after Rosan, worried for his friend and Ace remained rooted to his spot, overwhelmed by the events of today.
"That's all from me," Garp rumbled, getting ready to depart. "I'll come visit when I have the chance."
No one said anything, too surprised by what just transpired and Garp vanished into the forest.
"All things considered, I expected that to be way worse," Mod sighed, relieved that it was over.
"That punch was strong, Father will be out for a while," Ram remarked, thinking about the fight that just took place. Currently, the weapon and Devil Fruit were sitting in their home.
"We don't lose often but that man is a monster."
"We'll be stronger than all of them one day and when that time comes…" Ram muttered with a deep frown.
"...We'll make all of the World Government pay," Mod finished coldly.
Misadventures of Robin and Rosan – 11
Robin and Rosan are nine and five respectively.
Robin tries to think of a birthday gift for Rosan.
When Robin really thought about it, she wasn't sure what type of gift Rosan would really like.
The boy's birthday was fast approaching and Robin had no clue what to get him!
The recently turned nine year old had never given anyone a gift before and Rosan was the first person to ever give her a gift.
Robin wanted to return the favor because the thoughtful gesture had brought her to tears and she had hugged the younger boy for dear life.
But the brunette was stumped.
Rosan didn't show an explicit interest in anything! Everything was fascinating to the little boy but there wasn't that one definitive thing he seemed to want above all.
Robin wanted to get him the best possible gift so she needed to consult an expert.
That's what brought her to the mindscape sitting across from Mod herself.
The purple haired woman was looking at Robin with a curious gaze, as Rosan trained some ways away.
"I saw that you wanted to talk to me, so I sent Rosan far enough that he can't hear," Mod said softly, voice a near whisper.
"Thank you, Mod-chan." Robin smiled at the thoughtful woman. She didn't even need to tell her anything and the Devil Fruit knew something was up!
"So what do you want to talk about? Are you feeling well? Nightmares acting up? Is your body changing in ways you don't understand?" Mod asked and Robin blushed.
"N-No!" She stammered in embarrassment. "I wanted to talk about Rosan's birthday! I don't know what to get him as a gift," the nine year old said, feigning a calm air but actually being more than a little nervous.
"I don't know what the best gift for him would be! What if he hates it…? I've never had to do anything like this and I don't wanna mess up!"
"Robin."
The child froze at Mod's tone. It was gentle but firm and it helped calm the panicking girl down.
"You're overthinking it," Mod informed her with a small smile on her face. The woman shook her head and said "Rosan doesn't want anything specific unless you've got a way to give him a Dragon."
Robin sweatdropped at that. That sounded about right. "So...what should I get him? What if it's not good enough for him? I don't wanna let him down…" she whispered.
"Oh Robin you have nothing to worry about. Rosan doesn't care about that! Just the fact that someone he loves is willing to give him a gift is enough for him," Mod assured her and Robin blushed at the casual dropping of the word love.
"You think so?" The Hana Hana no mi user asked, sounding unsure.
"I know so! He won't get mad at you, I promise," Mod said soothingly and the little girl smiled up at her, feeling a bit more confident.
"Okay! I'll think of something," Robin said with a determined gaze.
"Roooobin-nee," Rosan's voice called and Robin looked at the bronze boy curiously.
"Let's go play! I'm done training," Rosan beamed and she let out a small laugh.
"Are you really done?" Mod asked with narrowed eyes and the child shrunk a bit at her crimson gaze.
"Y-yes Mod-chan! I did everything you wanted me to do! I'm not gonna avoid getting stronger!" The boy whined, glaring at Mod.
"Sorry, sorry, Rosan," Mod placated with a smile, scooping the boy up and patting him on the head. The effects were immediate and he began purring in content.
"Didn't you want to play?" Robin asked in amusement.
"In a minute," Rosan sighed, burying himself in the older woman's bust.
Robin and Mod laughed at the pleased boy.
Rosan really was silly.
Rosan hummed a jaunty tune as he made his way into the island they had docked by. Robin had sent him off the ship, due to having something important to do, and the boy had agreed easily enough.
She told him to come back after a couple of hours so that's what he would do!
Mod-chan was radio silent too and that meant she was doing somethin, so the boy wouldn't bother her!
It was just him and his… his thoughts.
Oh, that wasn't very good at all.
Rosan hated being left alone with his thoughts.
The boy's cheerful mood immediately plummeted at the revelation and he tried hard to bounce back.
Today was his birthday! He couldn't feel sad on his special day! He was five now and that meant he was getting much closer to being an adult!
Since it was his birthday, he would have to celebrate it with Robin-nee when she was done with her business! Normally, he celebrated his birthday with his… with his…
Ah dammit, there went his mood.
"I really hope this makes him happy," Mod said worriedly and Robin quirked a brow at the woman.
It was just the two of them communicating (Robin did not know Mod could do that!) and so the words caught her a bit off guard.
"What's the matter? Is Rosan okay?" Robin asked, looking inside of the oven momentarily before getting up and using her Devil Fruit to tidy up the area.
"No, he's sad right now," the Devil Fruit informed her and the nine year old frowned at that.
"You should speak to him, I think I'm good here," Robin said. She had never baked a cake before, but the cookbook was straightforward enough that she could do it.
"...No, I'll stay here," Mod said, surprising the brunette greatly.
It was no secret that Mod was protective of Rosan. She was practically in charge of raising the boy and she took that job very seriously. For her to deny helping him, was a much different outcome than Robin expected.
"?"
"Don't misunderstand, I'm worried sick for him but I think what your doing will help him more than what I can say," Mod explained and Robin was suddenly unsure of herself again.
"Do you really think so?" She asked quietly.
"I know so."
No matter what Rosan tried, once he began thinking of his mother, it was impossible to stop.
The boy had since secluded himself in an isolated area and he was curled in on himself now. It was taking everything for him to not burst out crying and as such, the birthday boy had been rooted to this spot for a while now.
After what felt like hours (it was nighttime now), the boy was snapped out of his daze by a familiar voice.
"Rosan…?" Mod called quietly.
"…" Rosan didn't reply, his head was currently resting in his knees and he was acting rather unresponsive.
Mod sighed.
"I'm taking control of your body and bringing you back to the ship, once we get on, I'll give you control so you can find Robin, okay?" She instructed and Rosan shuffled a bit.
"...Okay."
The boy didn't resist and soon, the red eyed five year old made his way to the White Rose.
"It's quiet," Rosan thought, as Mod gave him control of his body again.
The boy blinked a bit and realized he was really hungry.
Some way to celebrate his birthday huh? He was really pathetic...
Robin probably made something for him to eat and went to sleep. He would go eat and then check up on her to make sure she was okay and to let her know that he was okay.
Decision made, the five year old made his way to the kitchen —
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
—And yelped at the lights suddenly being switched on.
Rosan's jaw dropped in surprise at Robin's cheer.
"H-happy wha —," the redhead gaped, sadness gone in favor shock.
The dining area had been decorated with party supplies and there was a large cake along with other assortments of food.
The boy's eyes widened in awe at the purple ROSAN on the strawberry cake and he felt an emotion welling up in his chest.
His lips began wobbling as Robin said, "I heard you were a bit sad today...so I hope this cheers you up! I don't know what flavor of cake you like so I just made strawberry!"
Rosan tore his eyes off the cake and turned to regard his travel companion. "You did this all by yourself…?" The five year old asked quietly and Robin nodded rapidly.
"Yes I did, with some help from Mod-chan… What's the matter? Are you okay?" The 9 year old asked worriedly, noticing the shaky lips of the child. "Did I do something wrong?" The girl asked quietly.
Maybe this wasn't a great idea. Mod-chan should have just went to soothe him because the boy was definitely about to cry right now. Ah… Robin was beginning to feel really bad —
The boy crashed into Robin, startling her and it took her a moment to realize he was hugging her.
"Thank you so much!" Rosan sobbed into the girl. "I-I was having a really bad day and I was about to c-cry sad tears and I hate crying sad tears because t-they make me think of how weak I am b-but, now you're making me cry happy tears a-and that's way better then crying sad tears!"
Robin's eyes went soft as the boy blabbered into her body and she immediately hugged him back.
"You like it…?" The nine year old asked softly and Rosan nodded feverishly.
"I love it!" Rosan squealed, hugging her tighter. The boy stepped back in excitement and kissed Robin right on her cheek.
"You're the best, Robin-nee!" The redhead exclaimed and the sheer emotion in his teary eyes, floored the Devil Child.
Robin touched her cheek in surprise and stared at the source. Rosan was wiping his eyes with the largest grin on his face and he stared at her with pure adoration in his glowing purple eyes.
It felt...nice.
Robin decided she liked how he looked at her with those eyes.
"C'mon Robin-nee! I wanna eat the cake! Is it strawberry? I love strawberry!" Rosan said, dragging the older girl to the table.
"Wait Rosan we can't eat dessert first! I made you your favorite pasta as well," Robin informed and the birthday boy cheered loudly.
"You seriously are the best, Robin!"
She liked it a lot.
Age Sheet!
Monkey D. Garp – 66
Mod – ? (Appears 18)
Shanks – 27
Aiko – 25
Akemi - 24
Makino – 19
Nico Robin - 18
Portgas D. Rosan – 14
Angel and Demon – 14
Ram – 14
Maro – 13
Portgas D. Ace – 10
Monkey D. Luffy – 7
週次パワーステータス
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