章 33: Chapter 19: By Any Means 2
"Thank you, red is my natural hair color," Rosan responded, not even flinching as the woman got in his personal space. He was glad Meiko had helped him deal with people touching him because it seemed to happen too often for his liking. If he still had an aversion to being touched, there would be a lot of dead or severely injured people.
"And your eyes! They're so beautiful! It's like looking into a frozen painting!" she enthused, looking directly into his eyes.
That was a first. His lifeless gaze was being complimented? He wasn't sure how to respond to that. Most people couldn't stand looking at his eyes.
Too unnerving, they said and he agreed with them.
"Ah. That's a rare compliment," Rosan replied truthfully. "Thank you, I appreciate it."
"Such a gentleman too~," she crooned and the redhead excused himself at the call of someone else. No doubt, they also noticed the woman rubbing her assets up on him.
Ram sighed in disappointment. "Father, you're hot," she chastised and Mod growled.
"I thought I had more years! I thought puberty was going to come slowly for you! I didn't expect it to hit you so hard," she bemoaned miserably. He was nowhere near this tall when he was 13! Just last year, all the ships inhabitants, barring Demon, had stood above the boy and now he was the tallest one?! It was utter nonsense! S-She needed to get permission to modify his height!
"You two are the first to make those things sound insulting," Rosan remarked and he quickly went to his next customer. At least this one was a male... Though, if he kept glaring at him like that, he wasn't going to be recognized as a human. "And you are not modifying my physical appearance permanently."
"I hate you."
"You can use 4 year old me as a stuffed animal tonight."
"I love you."
Ram snorted.
This was how his time here normally went. Woman of all ages flirting with him, dealing with all sorts of aggressive patrons and Makino taking full advantage of his capabilities.
Rosan didn't really mind but the two living inside of him begged to differ.
"I distinctly remember you calling me possessive, Mod-chan," the redhead hummed and the woman gasped at his audacity.
"Don't you even dare imply that! I'm not anywhere near as bad as you!" Mod was definitely not whining at the moment.
"You don't gotta lie to yourself, Auntie! I'm super possessive of Father and I don't let him use any weapon but me!" Ram beamed at the shorter woman.
"You are unhinged," Mod said flatly.
"Thank you!"
The woman let out a miserable sigh and the ring cackled.
After a few hours, Rosan decided he was done for the day. The patrons had been sated (he had only had to beat up two idiots) and it was currently just him and Makino.
"Thank you again, Rosan," the bartender said warmly. "You're a machine! You make my life way easier when you work."
It was true. Rosan was incredibly efficient even with the woman constantly hounding him. The teen was swift and meticulous and he brought out drinks and food so quickly, it left Makino dizzy.
"Something like this is easy," was all the redhead said, preparing to leave the bar. It was nothing for him, maybe he could start finding more difficult ways to balance the trays when handing them out...
"Oh, wait! Could you give this to Luffy please?" the woman requested, handing him a plate of food. "I'm not sure he's eating healthy up there so get this to him?"
Rosan grabbed the plate and nodded. He could teleport to Luffy, but he felt like flying at the moment.
"I'm off then," the redhead told her and she waved goodbye.
Rosan quickly made his way into the forest, greeting anyone comfortable enough to greet him first, and summoned his wings. It was getting late and he would just retrieve Luffy from whatever mess he had gotten himself into.
He flew through the forest (it was annoying having to avoid all those trees) at a measured pace and raised a brow at the fact that he couldn't find Luffy anywhere.
Did he finally die?
"How morbid. Robin wore off on you," Mod said but she didn't seem too off put by Rosan's train of thought.
"As funny as that would be...," Ram began dryly "...I doubt he's dead. That little kid is tenacious! He probably finally made it to the other side of the forest."
"Ah," was all Rosan said and Ram sweatdropped.
"Hey, you have no emotions but why did that sound disappointed?"
"I'm not sure what you mean. My tone never changed."
"...Okay, Father."
Mod giggled at their interaction and Rosan angled himself in a direction that led him to the other side of the forest.
Rosan... was not fond of Gray Terminal. Due to his enhanced sense of smell, it was rather unbearable to be in and he had to numb his smelling more than once to remain there.
Not only that, there was nothing of value there. Just fools who thought it would be a good idea to rob the, admittedly, wealthy looking teen.
What? He was vain and Angel did not make it better. He wasn't going to alter the way he dressed just to avoid interactions. That was Reaper's job and the Shinigami was retired.
As he flew, two figures caught his eye. The boy tilted his head at the sight of his little brother and some boy wearing a top hat and he descended in front of them. They seemed rather panicked at the moment and seemed to be discussing something of importance.
That didn't bode well.
Rosan landed on a higher branch and his wings vanished from sight. The teen jumped off and landed in front of them with a thud, making the two boys jump and tense up in preparation for battle.
"Ace," the redhead nodded in greeting. "You seem panicked."
His freckled brother relaxed slightly at the sight of him and he glowered at the teen. "Don't just go sneaking up on people like that!" he growled and the 14 year old tilted his head.
"My apologies."
The top hat wearing boy regarded him wearily and this close, Rosan could see that he had blonde hair underneath the hat.
"Is this that Rosan you were talking about?" he questioned and the teen noted his missing tooth and scuff marks.
A fighter then. And one who seemed used to getting in altercations.
"Yeah," Ace confirmed and Sabo looked at the teen again.
He was unnerving. Sabo didn't like the look in his eyes because there was nothing there. If you took his eyes away, he'd probably end up looking the same and that thought was kind of creepy!
"W-we don't have time for this!" the blonde boy suddenly said, snapping himself out of the staring he had been doing, and Ace looked at him in confusion.
"What's the matter? Did they come back?!" the freckled boy asked and Sabo shook his head with nervous eyes.
"N-no! That Luffy, he still hasn't talked!"the top hat wearing boy yelled and Ace felt his heart drop at that declaration. The little idiot hadn't said anything yet?! Didn't he realize they were dealing with actual pirates right now? Wait... of course he didn't, the freckled boy hadn't told him anything... shit.
"Oh?" A voice called and they looked at Rosan, whose head was tilted. The faint glow in his eyes rooted them to their spot and Sabo felt a bead of sweat forming.
"Could you explain the situation to me?" He asked quietly and the two 10 year old's, froze.
"W-we messed with some pirates and they took Luffy," Sabo began, not even thinking of messing around. He explained the entire Porchemy situation to Rosan and the boy just stood there.
Unmoving.
The top hat wearing boy panted slightly after his explanation and looked at the teen.
Ace told him that Rosan was Luffy's friend so he had been expecting some type of reaction at the knowledge of the boy being tortured.
But there was nothing there. Just that same, unfeeling gaze.
It felt wrong.
"Do you know where they are, blonde?" Rosan asked suddenly. "I'll deal with them."
"Y-you?" Sabo asked in disbelief. "We're talking about actual pirates! Porchemy has a real sword!"
"That means nothing to me," Rosan said simply, placing a plate of food down near a tree. "Tell me where they are and I will deal with them. I cannot let Luffy die just yet. He's interesting."
"Sabo just tell him," Ace said and the blonde looked at him in shock.
Did Ace really want to send him to his death? Just like that?! Were they both insane?
"Fine, follow me," Sabo muttered and he rushed off.
Rosan nodded and made to follow the boy. He could have used Save Point, but he didn't know how much people were watching and he'd rather not slaughter everyone in the vicinity for witnessing it.
"Why do you even wanna risk your life to save that kid?" Sabo asked curiously.
Rosan hummed and simply said, "He's my captain, I'd be a bad crewmate if I didn't save him when he was in trouble."
Ace couldn't hide the surprise on his face at Rosan's declaration.
Luffy was his captain? Really?
Did the seven year old even know who was on his crew right now?
Sabo raised a surprised brow at that. That Luffy kid was being serious about becoming a pirate? He sure worked fast if he already had a member. It sure was a unique one too.
Rosan had immediately used modification to lessen his sense of smell as they entered Gray Terminal. As they neared their destination, the redhead picked up the sound of flesh being struck.
"Luffy is made out of rubber… and I'm sure they figured that out by now," Mod said with increasing horror. Blunt objects didn't work on the little boy and plenty of pirates had little to no morals so that could only mean —
"They probably moved on to weapons," Ram finished her train of thought grimly. The idea of that small kid being struck by a weapon, didn't sit well with her at all.
Rosan focused on where the noise was and, in a burst of speed, he blew past Sabo, surprising the 10 year old greatly, so he could burst down the door.
He paused at what he saw.
Luffy, bloodied and beaten, was chanting "Won't tell," with tear streaks in his eyes that mixed with the blood dripping down his body. He was hanging off the ceiling, tied to a rope, and the amount of blood, was far too much for such a small seven year old to be leaking.
"Those… animals!" Mod snarled and her visage had darkened considerably. Her blood red eyes began glowing ominously and she clenched her fists.
"This is too far even for me," Ram growled glaring at them.
Rosan simply stared. Memories of a more unpleasant time came rushing to him, as he saw the sight of the bloodied boy hanging there helplessly. No way out, just the victim of someone else's sick and twisted whims...
Constant unending interrogation.
A steadfast silence.
Disapproval. Anger.
Needles.
Shock. Shock. Shock. Shock. Shock. Shock. Shock. So much shocks, why did it hurt so much? Why was he getting used to it?
Pain. So much pain. Too much pain to handle.
Blood. So much blood. Too much blood to handle.
What is your name? What is your name? What is your name? What is your nameeeee —
Rosan ignored the gazes of everyone there and calmly took a step towards Luffy, completely ignoring the massive man next to him.
"R-Rosan! A-Ace!" Luffy sobbed in relief and the redhead gazed at the slumped over boy with a neutral expression.
Ace and Sabo looked at Rosan like he had grown a second head. The two had come in, guns blazing, and he was just walking around without a care in the world.
Just who was this guy and what kinda balls did he have?
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Porchemy scowled, before making eye contact with Ace and Sabo and momentarily forgetting about the redhead.
"Ace! Thanks for saving me the trouble of findin —" the white haired man tried to say.
"Do you make a habit out of torturing children?" Rosan asked quietly, never taking his eyes off Luffy.
Porchemy growled at being interrupted and he focused his gaze back on the teen standing next to him.
Treating him like he wasn't a threat.
The pale pirate was clearly getting fed up with the events of the day, from getting his money stolen, to this little stupid brat not telling him a single thing! With a roar, he grabbed his sword and swung it at Rosan.
Ace and Sabo gaped in horror. Was Rosan seriously about to die like that? After talking so big?
"Treating you like you aren't a threat?" The redhead suddenly spoke up, making Porchemy's eyes go wide. He reached out and grabbed the saber in between his gloved hand and with a simple flex, it shattered into pieces everywhere. The pieces of metal clanged loudly on the floor before everything went dead silent.
Sabo's eyes bugged.
Ace gaped.
The two, who had gotten robbed by Ace, felt their jaw dropping.
Porchemy felt an immeasurable amount of dread pool up inside of him.
"I don't think you understand. You aren't a threat," Rosan finished and his glowing, heterochromatic, eyes landed on the pirate.
He cut down Luffy and slowly walked over to Sabo. Depositing the boy in his hands, the redhead said, "Take him and go. What's about to happen, shouldn't be viewed by children."
Ace shook his head with a dark look in his eyes. "I never run from a fight."
"This isn't a fight," Rosan countered immediately. He vanished from his spot, only to appear in front of Porchemy and delivered a heel kick to the man's chest.
The pirates eyes bugged at the force of the blow and his body flew backwards before crashing into a wall.
"This is purely stress relief."
Porchemy hacked and coughed up a glob of blood at being kicked so harshly in his sternum. He looked into the vacant gaze of the monster that delivered the blow and began doubting if even Captain Bluejam could beat him.
"You have zero problem torturing children," Rosan commented idly, not even seeming to care about the situation at hand.
"Unluckily for you, I have zero problem torturing adults."
A cold bead of sweat began dropping from Porchemy's head at the casualness of the statement and he quickly scrambled away.
Rosan watched with a tilted head, as he picked up a pair of bloody spiked gloves and shakily equipped them.
"DON'T THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME!" Porchemy roared in fury. A fluke! That's what it had been! His sword wasn't of high quality and he used it often. That's why it had broken. It had to be!
"Would you like to know something?" Rosan asked politely and Porchemy gaped, as the redhead's own gloves turned into spiked gauntlets.
"I much prefer when my opponents act like this," he admitted and everyone there tilted their heads in confusion.
"When they delude themselves into thinking that everything I've done was not 100% intentional. It's far more entertaining to fight someone who thinks I'm just a fluke, then fighting an opponent who's already accepted defeat... It's quite sadistic of me but I can't help some things. I've always been a malicious child," the 14 year old told him.
"So in your last moments, I want you to dance for me Porchemy. I want you to dance to my tune. Do your best to follow my movement. It may be a bit difficult but you have my word…" Rosan whispered and Porchemy realized at that moment that Bluejam had nothing on this demon in human flesh.
"... That I will turn this into a performance you won't forget. Even in death."
The last of the giant man's patience was gone, if the numerous veins on his head were an indication. With a roar of deluded fury he charged Rosan.
"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU SUNNOVA BITCH!"
"That's what all my opponents say before they die. Especially the pirates. I swear, you are all taking the exact same lessons as each other."
"Make him suffer," Mod commanded.
Rosan ducked under a wild blow and instantly modified his sensitivity. He clenched his spiked fist and casually punched upward, connecting solidly with the man's gut.
The howl of pain he let out, was music to Ram's ear.
"Okay," Rosan acquiesced, leaning back the perfect distance to avoid grabbing palms. Porchemy's reward, was for the redhead to duck back into his guard to deliver a 3 punch combo to his chest. The same chest where he had planted that devastating heel kick to.
Needless to say, the pirate didn't appreciate that very much. Rosan was honestly surprised he hadn't ruined his voice box yet.
Porchemy didn't understand why it hurt so fucking much! W-what were his spikes made of?! This pain... it was unlike anything he ever felt! This wasn't normal... the demonic redhead had done something to his body.
Rosan was dead silent but his eyes had never left Porchemy. Now that the battle had begun, the pirate had his undivided attention.
This was his stage and he would not have anyone show him up.
Ace watched this all with wide eyes. His brother's claim to be Reaper was looking to be more and more true based on what he was seeing with his battle.
To be blunt, Rosan was dancing around Porchemy's attacks.
Effortlessly.
The redhead sidestepped an attack and spun behind his tall target to deliver a returning blow on his lower back. Porchemy swung wildly behind him but Rosan calmly pivoted the fist to the side with a slight push of his hand.
He then broke that arm with a completely vertical swing of his long legs.
They all winced at the noise of bone breaking, Porchemy's inhuman howling and how awkwardly his arm bent.
This wasn't even a fight. True to his words, Porchemy was being forced to respond to Rosan's movements and whenever he did, the teen was already onto the next one.
It truly did look like a captivating performance. It was a fucked up performance, but still a performance. One that Rosan was completely in control of.
His brother was a scary person.
Porchemy didn't even know when he stopped thinking. Maybe it was after the fourth hit to his head, or the stomp that had broken one of his legs, maybe it was the multiple holes in his body leaking blood from those spiked gauntlets. He wasn't really sure, but his body had just been reacting at this point, desperate to get a hit on the teen.
Nothing worked.
Ram loved this. Loved when her Father fought like this. Loved when he used her to dismantle his foes. Loved watching the fight leave their body, the hope draining from their frame at the overwhelming force displayed by the redhead.
It was intoxicating having such power over someone. The ring had a psychotic grin on her face at the show of dominance.
Mod hated seeing children get abused by adults. It reminded her of the times when she was utterly helpless to save Rosan from the same treatment. Months and months of torture and she couldn't even whisper words of assurance to her lovable charge. She was unconscious while Rosan screamed and begged for anyone to save him until he realized that he needed to save himself and changed accordingly.
Seeing Luffy, a boy who reminded her so much of how Rosan used to be, in this state, sickened her to the core and so she would relieve herself the only way she knew how.
"Overwhelm him," Mod said coldly and Rosan immediately moved to finish the fight. He had been prolonging it to make the man suffer but Mod-chan got what Mod-chan wanted.
"Okay."
The redhead dug his spiked gauntlets in Porchemy's gut, making the man wail, and hoisted the man up with no effort.
Everyone's eyes bugged at watching Rosan lift someone twice his height.
Rosan dislodged the spikes and the action left him airborne, perfectly horizontal. He tensed his muscles —
"Let's see if you can handle a taste of your own medicine," Rosan hummed, clenching his fists.
—Then the teen began swinging.
Punch after spiked punch connected to Porchemy's floating body. The force of the onslaught kept his body airborne, as Rosan rained blow after blow on the man.
Thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk.
That was all they heard, as Porchemy's flesh was tenderized at the staggeringly fast blows of the demonic redhead. He was staring directly up at the pale pirate with that blank expression on his face as he brutalized him.
And then he stopped.
His gauntlets transformed back into gloves and the boy took a single step back, acting as if he had not just tortured a grown man and glancing neutrally at his opponent. Porchemy's body suddenly remembered what gravity was and crashed onto the floor with a final thud, right in front of his executioner.
"Do you see what I was talking about now? Pirates always spout the same spiel while doing the least impressive things. You should really look to get better classes," Rosan's deepening voice came out blandly, turning away from the still man.
"Thank you for joining me for this dance, Porchemy. I hope this was a performance you'll never forget," the redhead whispered gently.
"I'm not very fond of lying after all."
Captain Bluejam stared at Porchemy's body with disdain on his face.
"I heard what happened Porchemy, did you honestly get beaten by some kids?" Bluejam grunted, looking at the living bruise that was his crewmate.
The damage done to his body was extreme and it was a testament to his will, that he was still even alive.
That wasn't the reason though. Rosan wanted him to bleed out from injuries. Killing him right then and there would be too easy for such scum and he didn't want the other children to see it.
"Boss... Run... Demon," Porchemy tried to gasp out. He tried to look up, but the damage was too much and he lay there in the dirt.
"Don't even speak to me, useless dumbass," Bluejam sneered, holding up his gun and shooting the man repeatedly.
Boom, boom, boom, was the only sound heard in the night and the pirates that had come with their captain, flinched at his brutality.
As Bluejam departed the scene, he snorted to himself. Allowing some kids to scare him? He didn't know what he had ever seen in Porchemy.
"Demon? That demon better have my damn money."
Sabo watched as Rosan appeared from wherever he had went, with a plate of food in his hand.
Luffy was sobbing like mad and it looked like Ace was finally fed up with the younger child.
"SHUT UP!" The freckled boy roared with razor sharp teeth. "STOP CRYING ALREADY! IT'S ANNOYING! I HATE COWARDS AND CRYBABY'S AND YOUR BOTH!" he yelled and Luffy immediately shut up to appease the freckled boy.
"You two might actually be brothers," Mod teased, anger sated. She was stroking a content Ram's hair and the silver haired girl sighed cathartically, head in her lap, after a job well done.
Maro definitely picked up her bad habits from the weapon. Those two becoming best friends, was a mistake.
"Crying is a sign of weakness but Luffy is only seven, so it's fine," Rosan hummed. He bent down and placed the plate in the child's laps.
"From Makino," Rosan said softly. "I didn't realize you were in trouble. I'm sorry I couldn't be there faster."
"Th-thank you!" Luffy said suddenly, bowing his head and silencing the 3 there. "Y-you saved me hic," the boy sobbed and Ace grew even more annoyed.
"Why you little…"
"Hey now, he's just saying thanks," Sabo placated, as he held the freckled boy back.
Ace sighed and looked at the boy. "Why didn't you just cough it up in the first place? Those pirates are the kind of people who'd kill women or kids without hesitation!"
Rosan hummed to himself. He had stubbornly refused to give Doc any information for quite the long time too. If the man was as impatient as Porchemy had been or the redhead had been as stubborn as Luffy… he'd probably be dead.
He couldn't fault Luffy because that would make him a hypocrite.
"I thought if I said anything… you wouldn't be my friend!" Luffy said through shaky breaths.
"He is just the sweetest little kid!" Mod cooed at how dumb and adorable Luffy was and Ram rolled her eyes at the Devil Fruit's gushing.
"So what?! It's better than dying!" Ace exclaimed with a frown on his freckled face. "Why do you want to be friends with me so bad anyways?! Don't you remember what I did to you?!"
"BECAUSE IT'S LONELY!" Luffy screamed with tears in his eyes.
"Rude," Ram said. Father was right there!
"…" Rosan didn't really care so he said nothing. He wouldn't get offended over the truth. The redhead was not a person you could hang out with. Especially not a person like Luffy.
He was far too empty to make another person feel whole.
"I can't go back to Foosha and I hate bandits and Rosan's my friend b-but he acts more like an adult and he's not really all there too..."
Rosan's sharp gaze instantly landed on Luffy as he heard that.
"...If I don't follow you, I'll be alone and I don't want to be alone! I hate it more than being hurt!" The straw hat wearing boy finished.
"Where are your parents?" Ace asked, taken aback. He hadn't expected to hear that from the seven year old boy and it had taken him by surprise.
"Grandpa is all I have," he responded bluntly.
"So you feel better when you're around me?"
A nod.
"You… you need me?"
Another nod.
"Do you… want me to live?" Ace asked hesitantly.
"Of course I do!" Luffy exclaimed and that put Ace in deep thought.
"Luffy, what did you mean by that? When you said I'm not all there," Rosan suddenly asked. His eyes were locked onto his future captain but they were not threatening.
There was just a slight interest there.
Ace regarded his older brother's interest in curiosity. Did he not tell Luffy about locking his emotions away? Did the seven year old just make the observation on his own?
"Huh?" Luffy replied in confusion, almost like Rosan's question was incredibly dumb. "You're not all there! A big piece of you is missing, stupid," he said bluntly and the redhead paused.
A big part of him missing... How did Luffy know that?
"He's surprisingly perceptive," Mod said suspiciously.
Luffy saying that, brought the attention onto Rosan and they all remembered the fight against Porchemy.
He was suddenly subject to the eyes of everyone there.
"Ace, you didn't tell me your older brother was so strong," Sabo said warily, remembering the ease at which he defeated the pirate.
He broke his sword by clenching his fist!
"I had a lot on my mind when it came to him," Ace muttered in annoyance. "Telling you how strong he was, wasn't really high on my list."
"Wait… YOU'RE ACE'S BROTHER?" Luffy screamed in shock and the two 10 year old's face planted.
"Yes," Rosan answered, nonplussed. "That's why I came to this island, I was looking for him to explain myself."
"Huh, okay," Luffy said, picking his nose and dropping the topic immediately. His eyes lit up as he remembered the food and he eagerly dug in, sighing happily at the taste of Makino's cooking.
Sabo and Ace exchanged a look and after a short moment, the blonde walked up to him and extended his hand.
"Nice to meet you," the blonde introduced. "I'm Sabo! Ace's best friend and I wanna be a pirate!"
"He's polite," Rosan thought to himself, shaking the hand. "Portgas D. Rosan. I'm the scout of Luffy's future pirate crew. Thank you for watching over Ace."
Sabo blushed bashfully and Ace glowered in embarrassment.
"How did you get so strong?" The top hat wearing boy asked in curiosity. "Ace told me you were only four years older than us!"
"Ah, I've been fighting since I was four," Rosan answered and their eyes bugged at the revelation. "Most pirates in the Blue Seas are nothing serious, my first fight was against a pirate crew."
Did he just say he fought a pirate crew at four years old?!
"Ace, your brother is a monster," Sabo whispered in slight fear.
"I should have known after seeing him put up a fight against Gramps," Ace whispered back.
"I'm sorry for beating Porchemy so brutally in front of you all... I am not fond of children being tortured," Rosan apologized calmly.
"I-it's fine," Sabo waved him off. It was rather brutal but Porchemy had it coming.
The redhead was still pretty scary though.
"Oh, I have a bit of a problem," Sabo suddenly said. "I've been living in this forest near their cove for my whole life but after this, all four of us are gonna be hunted by those pirates."
Rosan didn't think weak people were qualified to hunt, but these three weren't as strong as he was yet.
"That could be problematic for you," Rosan muttered. "They could find you while your sleeping, then you'd definitely die."
Ace and Luffy, who had gotten into an argument while Rosan spoke to Sabo, agreed.
"Right? That's why I need your help," the blonde requested.
Rosan immediately opened his eyes, at the feeling of another person entering the room.
The light sleeper sat up and made eye contact with the completely surprised bandits.
Since taking residence in the room, the redhead had made numerous changes to enhance his comfort. The most obvious, was the giant bed that all four of them slept in now.
He knew Dadan wanted one but she needed to stop being so embarrassed about every little thing and just ask him herself. Maybe he'd give her a hint one of these days that he was willing to do so and she'd muster up the courage to ask him.
The bandits were looking at the pile in disbelief and the redhead followed their gaze. Ah, that would explain why they were in here. There were four people now instead of three.
The bandits dissolved into panic at the sight of Sabo and immediately called Dadan to the room.
The redhead got up, sleep forgotten as Dadan screamed, "What's going on here?!"
"Rosan, who is that?! What's another kid doing here?!" The bandit leader asked the only awake boy there.
"That's Sabo. He lives here now," Rosan answered and the blonde in question woke up from all the screaming.
He rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn before making eye contact with Dadan. "Hey! You're Dadan right?! I'm Sabo! Thanks for letting me stay here," he beamed, shaking the dumbfounded lady's hand.
She slapped it out of her grasp and said, "Sabo?! I know that name! I heard you're a dirty little troublemaker!"
Sabo just laughed at that. "Oh, I heard you're a nasty old hag!" he replied cheekily.
Rosan, already knowing where the conversation was headed, began to check on Luffy's bandages. The boy was careless at the worst of times and he sometimes didn't register that he was injured until the pain kicked in.
Dadan was a pushover, she wouldn't refuse Sabo's request.
"She's nice in her own way," Mod commented.
"Some people just gotta be honest with themselves!" Ram grinned.
"It's a rather difficult thing for some people to come to terms with," Rosan said.
As a former menace, Rosan could confidently say that Ace, Sabo and Luffy were menaces.
"Former?" Mod asked in amusement.
"That's what I just said, isn't it? Is old age making you hard of hearing, Mod-chan?"
"You should be worried when you enter the Mindscape tonight."
"..."
"It's far too late, Rosan. I'll see you tonight!" Mod smiled gently and Ram took a step back in fear.
"Good luck, Father."
"I'll find a way."
Rosan watched his little brothers empty their pockets from all the jewelry they had stolen with a nod of his head.
Whatever trouble the boys could get into, they did. And if it didn't involve fighting, they dragged Rosan with them.
"You're too strong. We won't be challenged if you fight too," Ace had explained and the redhead nodded.
"Okay, I will not interfere in your battles. I understand the need to challenge yourself. It's good for your growth."
While Rosan was not allowed to fight with them, they certainly had no qualms abusing his abilities for other things.
"How did you even get this much stuff?" Sabo awed, looking at the giant stash of jewelry that was Rosan's pile.
"Pickpocketing those unaware nobles, is simple if they are not suspicious of you. It's only slightly harder if they are," the boy stated. He had successfully stolen much more difficult things. This was child's play in comparison. Nobles were far too unaware of their surroundings to be able to notice what he was doing anyways.
"W-Where'd you even fit all of it?" The blonde asked dumbly. Rosan wasn't equipped to carry all of the things he got!
"My pockets," the teen said simply and Sabo face planted.
The redhead had gotten so much things! With him, their pirate stash would grow at a massive rate in no time! But they would probably need to increase the size of the area they kept their stash.
"There's not enough room," Rosan commented, sizing up their hiding spot. "One second."
He crouched down and palmed the inside of the hole in the tree before muttering, "Modify: Dimension."
Sabo watched with wide eyes, as the inside of the hole seemed to grow! The stash of money that was already in there, suddenly didn't looked cramped and Rosan easily placed his stash in there.
"That should be better," he hummed and at Sabo's wide eyed glance, he came to the conclusion that the boy did not know about Modification.
"You didn't tell him?" Rosan asked softly, tilting his head at his younger brother.
"I wanted to, but your ability is a secret," Ace replied bluntly and the redhead smiled a small smile.
"I appreciate that."
Ace blushed bashfully and looked away after muttering a, "Whatever."
Seeing as Sabo was now living with them and he was Ace's most trusted friend, Rosan didn't see an issue in divulging his Devil Fruit to him. The teen informed the blonde of the importance of keeping it a secret.
That brought them to another moment, when Sabo heard he brought Ace to the mindscape.
"I never attempted bringing more than one person into my mindscape," Rosan mused, grabbing a wandering Luffy by the scruff of his neck.
The clones couldn't enter his mindscape and he normally only brought one person (Robin, Meiko, Maro). An opportunity to bring multiple people, was rather rare. He didn't trust many people after all.
If he could bring multiple people into his mindscape, maybe he could link with multiple on the outside too simultaneously?
It was a thought for later.
"I-it's cold," Sabo stammered, clutching his shaking arms. He let out a sigh of relief, as a large blue jacket materialized on his frame and thanked the teen responsible for it.
A similar orange and red jacket materialized on Ace and Luffy respectively and the three followed after the woefully underdressed Rosan.
"I can regulate my body temperature," Rosan explained. "I don't feel to hot or too cold most of the times so I can dress how I please."
His Devil Fruit was awesome.
"Thank you," a kind voice called out, catching their attention. "I seem to get that a lot. It makes me feel good inside to know people think so highly of me," the purple haired woman smiled softly.
Sabo liked Mod! She was polite to the boys and didn't mind their wild mannerisms, despite reminding him of nobles with how proper she was! On the contrary, she watched the three interact with a fond smile on her face.
"Rosan was quite a wild child so I really have gotten used to it. It brings back memories," she sighed in reminiscence and Sabo couldn't help but raise a brow in disbelief at that.
Rosan? Wild? The same redhead that was almost unnaturally calm at all times?
Mod also seemed to have a playful side because she had immediately attacked Rosan when he entered the mindscape! The redhead seemed to have been anticipating this and he had caught the woman in her attempt and threw her over his shoulder with zero effort before placing her on their large bed and sitting on her until she conceded with a childish grumble.
"I really do hate how tall you are," Mod whined in defeat.
"Consider this justice for all the times you made fun of my height," Rosan countered softly, patting the woman's, who he was still sitting on, hair in reassurance. She glared at the cackling Ram and was satisfied to at least shut her up.
Mod may have looked a noble with her attire and demeanor, but she was much more enjoyable to be around and way more chill!
Ace was almost constantly on edge around her though… He wondered what that was about but he wouldn't pester his friend about it because it would just make him clam up or attack the blonde.
Ram was… crazy. That was the best way to describe the unique teen.
She didn't show much interest in anyone that wasn't Mod or Rosan (especially Rosan… why exactly did she call him Father?! They looked nothing alike!) and she was very clearly not right in the head. The heterochromatic weapon, craved violence like no other and they quickly learned that she was not pleased with them for excluding the oldest of the four from their battles.
She was so displeased, that she almost attacked the boys right then and there if not for Rosan grabbing her and patting her on the head. The psycho immediately curled up in his grasp and was clearly content to stay there forever.
She got along well with Luffy (Sabo was pretty sure she regarded him more like a small puppy then as a human) and, surprisingly, Ace and she easily fit Sabo into the equation too.
The three boys had taken to frequenting his Mindscape while they were all sleeping because it was way cooler in here and none of the inhabitants seemed to mind.
They even slept in here at night sometimes! It was pretty awesome actually!
But it was really cold outside.
"It used to be a tropical forest and then a rainforest," Rosan said softly, inspecting the ice blue trees.
"Unfortunately, my state of mind is not very good right now so we have to settle for this. At least it's beautiful to look at," the redhead commented and Sabo looked at him in curiosity.
It was no secret that Rosan was lacking in the emotional department but Sabo had just chalked it up to that being his character. He never stopped to think that maybe the older boy hadn't always been like this.
Mod's words about him being a wild child, gave more support to this too.
"I never asked for the life I was given but it was one I was forced to adapt to," Rosan admitted to the blonde, watching Ace and Luffy get into another argument. Ram was egging them on like the troublemaker she was and Mod was shaking her head at the silver haired teen's antics.
"I can understand that," Sabo said truthfully, thinking back to his parents and his life as a noble. He hated the very idea that he was born with that heritage and would do anything to wash himself of it.
Rosan glanced at him and nodded, understanding what he meant. "Sometimes, I think about how different everything would be if I just stayed with Ace… but even though I hate the fact that I left him behind, I don't regret the people I've met on the sea."
"How is it? The sea I mean," Sabo asked excitedly, storing away a bit of what Rosan said for later.
"It's… great," Rosan said. "As beautiful as it is dangerous and when your on a ship, with the wind brushing against your face, it's liberating," he explained to the starstruck boy.
"Would you like to hear of some of my adventures?" Rosan asked softly. "Some of it is confidential but in the future, we can exchange our secrets," he told the blonde and Sabo stared at him for a minute with a scrutinizing gaze.
Did he have a clue already?
"I'd like that," Sabo decided with a grin and Mod joined the two, pinching a struggling Ram.
He had been more than a bit wary of Rosan and after his display to Porchemy, he was actually a little scared of him.
But Rosan was a cool person and Sabo liked him! Luffy was lucky that he managed to recruit the redhead first because Sabo definitely would have tried his hand.
"Thank you," the redhead said and he had a small smile on his face.
"Let me tell you about the time I got in my first fight…"
"I'm sorry."
Ace stared at Mod warily, as the woman suddenly apologized to him. She had pulled him aside to speak one on one and the 10 year old decided to hear her out despite how their first meeting had turned out.
"You're sorry?" The freckled boy asked and the woman nodded with a guilty frown on her face.
"Yes… I shouldn't have threatened you like that," Mod said softly and she let out a deep sigh. "Just one look at you and I can tell you've gone through so much and yet, I still went out of my way to try and make your life more difficult. I'm sorry for that and I hope you can forgive me."
"...Did you tell Rosan about our meeting? Did he tell you to do this?" Ace asked skeptically.
"No and no, but he did figure out on his own," the Devil Fruit told him. "Nothing I do ever gets past him so I'm not even surprised but he hardly reprimands me. This is me deciding to apologize on my own," she explained truthfully.
"What I did was immature and unbefitting of me, but please try and understand where I'm coming from and why I did this," Mod requested and Ace merely stared at her.
"Rosan, no matter how infallible he seems, is fragile. Mentally, he's one of the strongest people I know, but all that strength goes out of the window, when it comes to his loved ones," the woman explained sadly. His loved ones were his weakness, it's why he hadn't wanted to bond with Meiko in the first place before throwing caution to the wind. He would do anything to avoid the pain of losing someone he loved again.
"I-I've been raising him since he was 4 years old and he's gone through so much," she whispered and her voice cracked at all the memories. "He's probably never going to tell you this, but, Rosan was captured at only 8 years old and tortured for 6 months so that he could be molded into the perfect weapon by a cruel and wicked scientist."
Ace stared in horror at the words of the Devil Fruit. "Tortured?! For... For 6 months? Was he really…?"
She shakily nodded her head. "Everyday, they put him through so much pain and the entire time, he was being restrained by Seastone so I couldn't even be there for him! It was one of the worst period of his life and it shattered the way he viewed the world too... That's why he did that to Porchemy."
Ace recalled the brutal beat down he had inflicted on the man that tortured Luffy and nodded at that. It made sense that he would react so violently if what Mod was telling him was true.
So... his older brother had been tortured too?! Ace couldn't keep the concern off his face at that revelation. For that long... Was that why he always covered every inch of his skin? Not once, had he seen the redhead wearing something slightly revealing. It's not like he had any scars but then again, he did heal very fast.
And not all scars were physical...
"I blame myself for so much of the things that went wrong in Rosan's life," Mod whispered and there were tears brimming in her eyes. "All I want now, is for him to be happy and it led me to threatening you because you might have the most potential to affect his emotions."
The 10 year old flinched at that revelation.
"I'll do anything for Rosan because Rosan would do anything for me… that's why I threatened you, but please know I didn't do it out of hate for you, I did it out of my love for him," she finished and the regal woman bowed.
"But I should never have done that in the first place so I'm sorry, Ace."
"I get it, I get it," Ace grumbled. He didn't feel comfortable watching the noble looking woman bow to him. It was odd and didn't fit her.
Her words put a lot of light on the situation and Ace could begrudgingly see why she had tried to rile him up so much.
Mod didn't want anymore stress to fall on Rosan's shoulders. Even Ace could understand why she acted the way she did to him and went out of her way to redirect his ire.
"Stop apologizing, I ain't mad at you anymore," the 10 year old said and Mod raised her head in hope at his declaration.
"You aren't?" She asked quietly.
"I understand why you did it so you can stop now," the freckled boy retorted.
"I — thank you, Ace," the woman said and she engulfed the boy in a hug.
Ace blushed at the close proximity between him and the woman and forced himself out of her grasp.
"I'm goin to sleep," the freckled boy grumbled, walking off and Mod watched him go.
When he vanished, Mod let out a deep sigh and the tiny smile was removed from her face.
"I wonder, am I evil?" Mod said to herself, looking at her delicate, bronze, hand.
Maybe she was. After all, she had just manipulated little Ace into sympathizing with Rosan without a care in the world. He was justifiably angry at his older brother and deserved to feel all the rage he felt. It wasn't her right to manipulate how he felt towards her child.
But, she would do it. She would do it because it was for Rosan.
Did that mean she wasn't evil? After all, her only purpose in doing this, was for another person and not herself. She was doing this for the 14 year teen inside the house who had been suffering since he was four.
No, she was not evil. She just wanted to save Rosan. She just wanted him to be happy. The only way she could truly be happy, was if he were.
If that meant threatening someone to do it, she would do it.
If that meant manipulating people, she would do it.
If that meant using anyone and everyone that could potentially help Rosan, she would do it.
Angel, Demon, Maro, Luffy, Ace… even Robin... Without Meiko, breaking through to Rosan was harder than ever so Mod would use everything at her disposal.
Helping Rosan get better, meant everything to her. All other things were secondary in her eyes. She loved them all but she loved Rosan more. That's how it had always been and that was probably how it would always be.
Since the moment they met... Since the moment that adorable little boy had extended his hand towards her so that they could be friends... Since the moment he had chosen her over his own brother, Rosan had become her everything.
Rosan had given her life, so she would return his.
By any means necessary.
Misadventures of Robin and Rosan - 12
Robin and Rosan are 11 and 7 respectively.
Rosan is kept awake from nightmares.
"My little Rose," a familiar voice called in the darkness and Rosan glanced around in wild confusion at the sound.
He couldn't see anything but he was sure he just heard his Mama call him!
"Mama?" He called back hopefully. Where was she? Why couldn't he see her?
It was so dark… What was Mama doing in a place like this? Was she okay?! Oh no... What if she needed his help?!
Suddenly, a blinding white light overtook the area and he was no longer in the all consuming darkness. He inadvertently let out a sigh of relief as the invisible pressure abated and turned around.
He found that he would have much preferred that pressure over what he was currently seeing right now.
It was the hospital where he had watched Mama's last moments… and she was right there, on the bed, with blank, bleeding eyes and horrific, disfigured, skin. She was clearly a corpse but... t-this wasn't how she was supposed to look!
His Mama hadn't been killed in a way for her to look like this. It was s-simply childbirth? Childbirth didn't do this to someone…
R-Right?
She was staring at him. There was no honey brown, just a piercing white gaze that was bleeding disturbingly. It was unnerving to look at but Rosan couldn't tear his gaze away.
This was a bad dream. He needed to wake up now. If he didn't wake up, t-then it could get really bad. He didn't want it to get really bad...
But he couldn't. He couldn't wake up right now and that fact scared him more than anything. It was just him and... and his M-Mama?
"My little Rose," his mother repeated and he watched in pure horror, as the imitation of his Mama got up and began walking towards him.
"Do you hate me?" She asked and the boy began to rapidly back away from her.
"N-no Mama! I could never hate you!" Rosan stammered and as if to prove his point, he stopped moving, allowing the woman to reach him.
That was a mistake.
"So why?" She asked softly.
"W-why?" he asked confusedly. What was Mama talking about? W-What had he done?! W-Was he trouble?!
"Why didn't you listen to my last wish?!" She suddenly snarled and seeing his Mama make that face was so foreign to the boy, that he couldn't properly fathom it.
She picked him up by his collar harshly and asked, "Why aren't you helping Ace grow like I asked you? Why Rosan? Why did you abandon Ace?"
"I-I had no choice, Mama!" Rosan tried to explain himself but she wasn't having it.
"But didn't you? You chose to leave my baby boy behind!" the imitation of Rouge growled and tears sprung in Rosan's eyes. He didn't want to leave Ace behind b-but couldn't she see that he just couldn't go with that Marine? How could he ever travel with him?!
"Mama… you're hurting me…" he whispered. Why was she doing this to him? His Mama would never hurt him! S-She wouldn't hurt him... B-But maybe she would for abandoning his little brother.
"Good. You deserve it."
She said it so coldly, so sadistically, that the tears began falling freely down his face.
"After everything I've done for you, you abandoned my real child when all I asked was for you to help him," she said harshly and the grip on Rosan tightened at the same time his tears began to fall harder.
"Raising you was a mistake. I hate you," she finished and the seven year old let out a heart wrenching sob at that declaration.
It didn't matter if this wasn't his Mama, it still felt so real and to hear that come from her mouth, hurt him more than he could ever imagine. It grasped at his heart in an unforgiving grip and squeezed until he felt like he couldn't breathe anymore.
"I-I'm sorry Mama!" The boy sobbed. "I d-didn't want to, b-but I had to keep Mod-chan s-safe," he choked out. He had promised her that he'd keep her safe and going with the Marine's, wasn't safe for her!
"It's too late for apologies. You need to be punished, my little Rose," she said simply and Rosan just resigned himself to it.
Rouge raised her hand in a slapping motion and swung with full force at the boy —
Only for him to wake up from the nightmare.
Rosan sobbed loudly as he shot up and Robin instantly woke up at the noise of distress her companion let out.
"Rosan, what's wrong?! Are you alright?" The 11 year old asked worriedly. They were in his room and he was currently crying his heart out in the dark of night.
The small redhead tried to answer but another sob tore through his body and he wailed his pain to the world instead, tears falling in troves from his eyes. He curled into himself at the pain of the nightmare and shuddered in grief.
Robin's eyes furrowed in concern. She had never seen Rosan react so negatively to something and it was heartbreaking to witness. She had seen him cry of course, the boy was very emotional, but this was something else!
Right now, he just looked so sad.
The brunette quickly scooted over to the crying child and wrapped him in a delicate hug. Right now, he just needed someone to be there for him and she would be that someone.
"It's okay, Rosan," the lone survivor of Ohara soothed, gently raking a hand through his soft spikes. "I'm here for you, just let it out," she whispered and the boy desperately clutched her back.
"M-Mama hates me!" Rosan sobbed in defeat and Robin's eyes widened in surprise at his heartbreaking declaration.
Where did he even get that from?
She tried goading an answer out of him, but he couldn't muster up the courage to speak and so, she carried him to the kitchen instead.
As Robin did that, she felt their link form naturally and asked Mod-chan about the situation.
"I think he had a particularly vicious nightmare," the Devil Fruit explained and she was biting her lip in worry at the distraught child. Rosan hadn't cried like this in a long time and it was concerning her.
Robin sat down with Rosan close to her and stared whispering sweet nothings to him. She utilized her Devil Fruit to make a clone of herself (Rosan had once wondered if she could make one and after plenty of experimentation, she found that she could!) and had her fix them both a plate of food and milk.
All the while, she rubbed his hair and helped calm him down.
Eventually, Rosan had been reduced to just sniffing repeatedly and Robin looked at the child with sorrow due to his pain. He was tucked tightly into her side and she paid no mind to the fact that he had soaked her nightwear with his tears.
She was happier than she liked to admit that he trusted her on the same level as Mod. Normally, the computer boy would have instantly gone to the woman so that she could comfort him but he had decided to stay here with her!
She wouldn't let him down.
Robin carefully placed the milk to his lips and was satisfied to see him scrunch his face slightly.
Rosan was not a fan of milk.
Regardless, he drank it all and Robin placed the empty cup down. She contemplated feeding him but she wasn't sure he would be able to properly eat like this.
She would try to probe him for some information then.
"What happened?" Robin asked softly but to the point. Her redhead companion was a blunt individual and she found that this was the best way to approach things with him.
He wasn't one to half-ass his words and it had caused her to become a lot more blunt as a result.
Rosan sniffed a bit and wiped his eyes. "I-I had a really bad dream… I tried to wake up from it b-but I couldn't," he told her and his voice was heavy with sadness.
The small redhead told her about his nightmare in full detail and Robin's eyes softened in sympathy.
She knew a thing or two about those kind of nightmares. In fact, it was a nightmare like that, which made her and Rosan get so close.
Robin would be here for him this time.
"Rosan, there's no way your mom hates you," the 11 year old said reassuringly.
"I-I know b-but it felt so real and it hurts so bad," Rosan's voice cracked as he said that and Robin hugged him again.
"It's okay Rosan, nightmares are supposed to hurt you but they aren't real. You know that wasn't your real Mom, right?"
A nod.
"You know your mom would never say something like that, right?"
Another nod.
"You know your mom loves you right?"
…
Nothing.
Robin sighed sadly at the doubtful look on his face. He was being a dummy right now and she needed to set him straight.
"Look at me, Rosan," Robin demanded and his gorgeous purple eyes, hesitantly stared into her mesmerizing blue eyes.
"I don't think you realize just how amazing of a person you are," she said truthfully. "You can't just go hating yourself because of what you think, when all facts point to something else!"
"Portgas D. Rouge loved you with all her heart and nothing will change that," Robin said firmly and Rosan looked at her in wonder.
"How can you say that so confidently?" Rosan asked curiously.
"Because you managed to make me love you with all of mine," Robin replied simply and Rosan froze in surprise. The redhead's eyes went wide at her declaration
The brunette never said she loved him first! She was far too unaccustomed to positive reinforcements and whenever Rosan said he loved her she would blush, stammer, and hide her face from him before hesitantly saying it back.
This was a first!
"Rosan…you saved me from a life of loneliness. I was already committed to never trusting a single soul again after Ohara, but you broke through all of my walls in such a short time," Robin admitted with a teary smile.
"You are such a lovable kid and that's why I trust you so much and I refuse to let you think anyone who already loved you, would suddenly stop."
Robin took a deep breath. "Even on the slim chance that someone does hate you, it doesn't matter because Mod and I will always love you and that's all that matters."
She wasn't as good at speeches as Rosan but she had been around him long enough to know a thing or two.
You just had to say what you really meant!
"You mean it…?" Rosan asked quietly, stunned by her words. "As long as you two love me… That's all that matters?"
"Yes," Robin said without hesitation.
"Of course," Mod said confidently.
"Even if the whole world is against you, the two of us will always be on your side," Robin finished with a large smile.
Her words resonated deeply with him and Rosan felt tears welling up at the care.
"P-Promise?" He asked with wobbling lips.
"Promise!" She declared and that was all he needed.
With a loud sob, Rosan crashed into Robin, which had the effect of knocking her out of their seat, and sobbed into her body.
"O-okay!" Rosan wept happily. "You're right! M-Mama would never hate me a-and I was being silly. Even then, I have you guys and that's all that matters!"
Robin rolled her eyes at the overly affectionate boy and hugged him back. "Of course, you big dummy!"
He cried into her chest until he fell asleep and Robin picked the light boy up so that they could go back to sleep.
"Thank you, Robin," Mod said lovingly and Robin blushed.
"It was nothing Mod-chan. Rosan would do the same for me and I meant everything I said!"
"I know and that's why I'm thanking you. You're as good for Rosan as he is for you."
Robin stammered a bit with a red face.
"Can we just go back to sleep please?"
"Of course of course!"
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