Descent

  Chapter 49: A Lot More Slice of Life

  Rosan hummed a tune to himself, as he knocked gently on the door where his Aunt and Uncle were currently holing themselves in.

  The three truly had been on a depressive streak because Raisa hadn't even noticed they were still in her home. The woman's observation was nothing to scoff at either.

  "Y-Yes?" a quiet voice asked, pushing open the door an inch and yelping as Rosan pulled it all the way.

  Dalia stumbled from the unexpected move and the short girl crashed into the midsection of the offender, wondering who's muscular body this was because while strong, Raisa was not built like this.

  She hesitantly glanced up, only to freeze completely, at seeing just who was on the other side.

  "Hey, you alright?" Rosan asked curiously, steadying her somewhat and pushing her upright.

  Dalia said nothing, taking in Rosan's features with wide eyes.

  Rosan watched carefully as another figure hesitantly stepped into view. His broad uncle paused in disbelief, red rimmed eyes gazing at Rosan. The purple began glowing in confusion and Oren's mouth opened in shock.

  "Hey," Rosan said slowly, watching the two continue to stare at him.

  His attention was grabbed once more by the sound of sniffing and Rosan heard Dalia let out a tiny whimper, before the woman cracked.

  Rosan's aunt broke out into a sharp wail and tackled her nephew, squeezing him with her little body like he would disappear if she let go.

  The pirate sighed and effortlessly held his aunt up, rubbing her back as she sobbed horribly against his chest.

  Rosan grunted as he was suddenly hoisted into the air from the side by his uncle, tears falling from his eyes.

  "Rosan!" they both cried in unison, crushing him between them.

  He sighed as they sobbed against him.

  "I'm here. I'm here," Rosan explained softly, hugging them close.

  Dalia sniffed and gazed up at him, blue eyes glistening with tears.

  "We thought... I can't believe that you're still here," she whimpered.

  So they saw that... Rosan wasn't too surprised but Raisa had said she was the only one who had entered a coma.

  "I'm sorry about that, didn't expect to almost die. I wouldn't have shown you the footage otherwise," he murmured.

  Oren shuddered. "No... no it's fine. We learned so much about you from what you showed."

  Dalia whimpered. "We're so glad you're okay! We're so happy, Rosan!"

  Rosan stared at them, expression mostly shrouded.

  They all really did like him a lot. Rosan never thought about his blood relatives. There was never a reason. He didn't even know who his real mother and father were so thinking of other things like cousins, aunts and uncles, was really far out.

  It was pretty adorable.

  The redhead let them cry because they were incredibly pent up with tears.

  He had been absentmindedly rubbing Dalia's back, simply conversing with Ram and Mod the entire time as his aunt and uncle practically cuddled him.

  Finally, he grew tired and slowly began pushing himself up, grunting as the grips on his person tightened.

  "P-Please don't go yet!" Dalia said desperately.

  "Yeah! We just got you! We know you have to get back to your crew but... but could you stay a little longer?" Oren asked measuredly.

  The redhead scratched the back of his head and turned towards his desperate aunt and uncle.

  "I'm staying here for two years. We can get to know each other in the meantime," Rosan informed them.

  The two paused at that, gazing at their nephew with wide eyes.

  "REALLY?!" Dalia gaped with starry eyes, shooting up and leaping back onto him.

  Rosan nodded. "Raisa is going to be my teacher… I'm not strong enough for the New World so my crew and I are going to build our strength."

  The duo nodded and cheered, dragging the redhead into a group hug.

  Rosan let out a sigh of exasperation.

  His family was just as hug happy as him. How great.

  He just peacefully returned the hug and allowed them to snuggle him.

  "We aren't very strong but we'll help you as much as we can," Oren grinned, pleased that he'd be able to see his nephew.

  "Even the weakest person can teach someone something new," Rosan said fondly, smiling at a memory.

  "I can't wait to get to know more about you! What's your favorite color?" Dalia asked eagerly.

  "Red," Rosan replied easily.

  "That's such a good color! Mine is blue!" Dalia gushed, squeezing her fellow redhead.

  "Black for me," Oren smiled.

  "I'm a fan of black too," Rosan added, gesturing to his black and red shirt.

  "What about blue?!" Dalia asked excitedly, blue eyes sparkling in curiosity.

  "It's okay. Not the biggest fan but my student loves it," Rosan mused.

  Dalia's eyes widened. "Just "okay"? What do you mean okay?!"

  Rosan scratched his head. "Blue's not really my color. Never really wore anything blue!"

  His aunt let out a gasp of horror, big eyes gazing up at him in betrayal.

  "That just won't do, nephew! Oh I know! We can go clothes shopping! We'll need to update your wardrobe with some blue! Maybe some purple too since that's Raisa's favorite color!"

  "I already wear purple and please, I seriously seriously don't need more clothes," Rosan stressed.

  Dalia bulldozed over everything he said with a beaming and cute grin.

  It was pretty cute. Rosan knew she was used to getting her way.

  "She's the youngest out of the three of us. It wasn't as apparent when we were younger, but she's really spoiled," Oren said apologetically.

  Rosan let out a sigh of misery. "You really would love Angel…" he muttered.

  He should let them meet. They'd probably get along great.

  "Rosan, I'm planning on making breakfast. What do you prefer?" Raisa asked, knocking gently on the door.

  There was no answer and Raisa felt a surge of small panic at that, opening the door to her son's room.

  "Rosan are you okay—" Raisa cut herself off and nearly melted at the sight before her.

  Rosan was sleeping peacefully with a tiny child resting atop him. The silver haired girl snored happily atop the unconscious redhead, neck burrowed into his neck as her son quietly rested.

  Raisa put a hand over her heart and cooed, slowly approaching the duo of Ram and Rosan.

  They looked dreadfully cute.

  As Raisa stood over the sleeping duo, she let out a tiny yelp as a hand lashed out and grabbed her.

  Rosan's eyes blearily looked at her, mostly unfocused and Raisa watched as her son let out a small grumble, letting her go. He shut his eyes once more and released her, sighing as Ram adjusted herself slightly.

  Raisa considered waking him up... but Rosan deserved to rest a bit more. Dalia and Oren had practically hogged him all day, trying to know anything and everything about the youngest Iris.

  Rosan was someone that probably would not sleep until he got everything done... much like Raisa would.

  "Does he trust me? Is that why he went back to sleep?" Raisa thought, smiling giddily at that.

  He had looked at her and probably realized she was not a threat to him. To think he'd be willing to sleep in her presence...

  Raisa looked around and gained a thoughtful expression.

  Well, she was still a little tired herself... the doll that Rosan gave her of himself helped her sleep far easier.

  Surely her actual son would achieve the same results?

  Rosan was very very used to random presences of his family joining him in bed. He was used to it because Maro especially, loved doing such a thing.

  So he rarely woke up when they scooted in bed next to him, merely adjusting himself so that they could cuddle him how they wished.

  It was the curse of being the oldest. He would either wake up next to Angel, Maro, Demon or Luffy.

  Today it must have been Angel. He just saw a brief red hair, before falling back asleep.

  To no one's surprise, Angel slid into the bed next to him and his sleep induced nature just offered up his left arm, allowing the middle triplet to burrow deeper into him.

  He heard a sigh of content and just drifted back into sleep, making sure Ram was still comfortable.

  By the time he awoke, Rosan was practically completely smothered and he just huffed in some confusion.

  While he was used to being smothered by either Angel or Maro... or Luffy, this person didn't have either of his most clingy family members build... they were as blessed as Maro but Maro wasn't this tall and her hair hadn't reached the length needed to swamp him.

  It was more in line with Robin but Robin was not this clingy when she slept. It was normally Rosan that crushed her against him, while she adjusted to it.

  Robin also didn't have red hair.

  Ram yawned cutely, waking up at the exact same time as him. Her tired eyes blinked blearily.

  "Mornin, Father," she mumbled, head falling back against him.

  "Good morning, Rosan."

  "Mornin, Ram. Mornin Mod-chan," Rosan grunted.

  He craned his head to the left, due to the breath brushing against him and regarded who had decided to hog him today.

  The redhead blinked at seeing a bronze face sleeping peacefully, looking almost just like Angel's but with a few standout differences.

  One was that this face was very slightly older, the hair was almost completely smooth... and Angel wasn't as "blessed" as this woman.

  "Raisa?" Rosan blinked in confusion.

  His birth mother let out a tiny noise at that, looking completely peaceful as she burrowed into him and Rosan blinked harder.

  "What the hell is this?" Mod asked stonily, fury rising swiftly as she took in the scenery.

  "Down woman," Rosan said calmly, scratching his head.

  Ram snickered, sitting up and peering down at her grandma with curious eyes.

  Raisa yawned, opening her eyes slightly and being met with two sets of the strangest eyes she had still seen to date.

  Both were clearly entertained by this, from Ram's impish glee, to Rosan's laidback amusement.

  "Have a good night's rest?" Rosan asked curiously, watching the slight embarrassment making its way to her face.

  Raisa nodded mutely, face dusting red at the set of stares.

  "It was... the best sleep I've had in 24 years," she admitted quietly.

  Rosan's eyes softened at that and he sighed.

  "Don't you dare," Mod hissed.

  The redhead's mouth shut and he frowned slightly.

  "But Robin likes her Mod-chan. Besides, she's making an honest effort with training us and some good sleep isn't bad."

  "Grandma isn't all that bad, Auntie," Ram interjected, allowing Rosan to modify her outfit into her customary double breasted cloak.

  Mod scowled and said nothing.

  Raisa looked doubtful. "I'm... sorry if I intruded. I must have overstepped my boundaries," she mumbled, brushing herself off.

  She got up stiffly and bowed. "I was trying to figure out what you preferred for breakfast when I saw you and Ram sleeping peacefully... when I approached, you grabbed me but then let me go."

  Rosan tilted his head. "That means you don't trigger my danger senses. I'm a fairly light sleeper."

  Raisa smiled tentatively at that. "I don't trigger it? I'm glad... but I should still go," she said eventually.

  The woman turned and began heading out.

  Rosan sighed. "You're making breakfast right? Let me help. I eat a lot."

  Raisa lit up at that and nodded vigorously. "I'd love that! Dalia will most likely help as well. Does Ram have any preference?"

  "Metals or meat," Ram said bluntly, leaping off the bed without further prompting.

  "She'll eat anything," Rosan interjected with a roll of his eyes.

  Ram rounded on him with a glare. "Shut up Father!"

  Raisa watched the two argue with a small smile. They were so precious to her already.

  "If you're ever having difficulty sleeping... you can come here by the way. A good night's sleep is necessary," Rosan said, walking by her and opening the door.

  ...Or he attempted to before being strong-armed into a tight hug.

  "Thank you," Raisa whispered, heart swelling at his words.

  Rosan let out a tense sigh. "Think nothing of it."

  "Mod-chan, seriously."

  "Seriously?! What do you mean, seriously?!"

  "We are completely benefiting from her right now. I don't feel right being a dick to her."

  "I understand that, but must you actively try and get closer to her?"

  Rosan took a deep breath. Mod was being incredibly difficult as of late. They needed to talk soon about this.

  "Mod-chan, I understand your grievances, I really do. But if someone who I have no problems with is making the effort to connect with me... I won't just completely push them away. I'm trying to keep her at arms length because of you, but you're not even attempting to let her redeem herself. Aren't you being unfair?"

  Mod opened her mouth and shut it with a frown.

  Rosan sighed, smiling idly at the Raisa looking expectantly at him.

  "Do you know why I'm so willing to forgive her, Mod-chan?"

  "...Why?" Mod asked tentatively.

  "Because I know that she's the only reason that I have you. I don't care if my life would have been better. Without you, my life would be worse. I have all of you now. How could I hate Raisa for giving me the opportunity to meet you?"

  Mod was speechless at that.

  Rosan didn't scorn Raisa... because of her?

  The woman's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

  "Since when have you been so mature and wise?"

  "I've been taught by the wisest and most mature lady for 20 years. I picked up a thing or two."

  Her cheeks darkened at that and she ducked her head. "Okay... you're right. I'm not being fair at all. I'll... try to be better."

  "Just a bit of patience, Mod-chan. She's punished herself for 25 years. She's been miserable for 42. Let's give her two years of peace."

  Mod touched her heart at that. The genuine kindness that Rosan was now exhibiting... it was like night and day.

  She knew her little boy, the one who's heart was just so big, was always still there.

  "Okay. Alright, Rosan."

  He smiled.

  Ram snorted. "I'm pretty sure the person Father has most whipped on the planet, isn't Auntie Hancock or Grandma... it's you Auntie."

  Mod's smile vanished and a tick appeared on her head.

  "Watch your mouth young lady."

  Ram jumped at that, fear on her face as she immediately jumped into the confused Raisa's arms.

  Raisa cooed at the tiny child, holding and, unintentionally, shielding her from Mod.

  Rosan rolled his eyes in amusement.

  Rosan grunted, thudding against the floor unceremoniously. He groaned tiredly, watching as his wounds instantly shut.

  Ever since his stone had reignited, Rosan's body had evolved to adjust to... almost dying. The stone had far more endurance now, healing him much swifter than normal and taking far longer to get exhausted... in theory. No one wanted him to test it.

  "Stop fighting so recklessly," Raisa said, harsh expression falling in place of concern. She immediately closed the distance and propped the redhead up, placing his head on her lap.

  She tentatively grabbed a bottle of water and gave it to Rosan.

  Rosan greedily drank it and sighed at the cool beverage.

  "You fight with no regard for your wellbeing. Relying on your healing factor is good, but it would be even healthier if you could not sustain damage at any point in time," she instructed worriedly, raking a hand through his hair.

  "Mod-chan says the same thing," he grunted.

  "And you still do it..." Raisa sighed tiredly. "In that case, you must utilize more forms of defense. Your armament is good but your observation is severely lacking."

  Rosan pursed his lips at that. "I do need more defensive options to supplement my extreme offense. Maybe something that reacts independently from me..." he mused.

  He also needed to get his Armament even better. It could be the perfect shield he needed...

  "Raisa how is your Observation so good?" Rosan asked with a frown.

  "Meditation. Lots of meditation," Raisa replied automatically. "It was very difficult for me to use my Observation when I was younger. My mind was too active. I was too emotional. I needed to find a way to control myself."

  Her son hummed at that.

  "I need to regulate my emotions too. They're completely out of control," he informed her.

  Raisa nodded to herself. "That... is expected. The Iris are all born more emotional. It is tied to our eyes as well..." she explained.

  The woman pointed to her head. "We aren't too sure about the cause, but every Iris is born with complex neural activity. Our brains are wired... differently to say the least. It doesn't change too much in our lives, but our emotions are enhanced more than the normal human as a byproduct. The downside is that, by gaining an advantage in the mind, we lose some advantage in the body. The Iris were rather weak at first."

  Mod listened with pursed lips.

  Raisa continued as she noticed Rosan's attention.

  "We benefit from those changes rather greatly. Our minds are powerful after all. I have an excellent memory for example. I can recall things from even my childhood and envision it in my mind almost perfectly," she explained to him.

  "So that's why my imagination is so good," Rosan mused. He also had fairly good memory even before eating the Mod Mod no mi.

  Raisa nodded. "The Iris are powerful in the mind. It is one of our greatest strengths. Empress Allium granted future Iris the body of the amazons to complement their powerful mind," she explained softly.

  Rosan nodded along with what she was saying. "A good balance. The body of the primitive Kujas combined with the intelligence of the Iris. It was almost a perfect combination of genes."

  Raisa smiled at him. "Yes exactly... but those come with downsides as well. You see the Kuja are also... somewhat emotional but in a different way."

  "Love sickness," Rosan said immediately.

  She blinked, swelling up at that and nodding proudly.

  "Yes, lovesickness. Empress Allium's love sickness, caused a mutation inside of her descendants. More emotion, more... brain stuff that I simply did not care to research," Raisa explained with pinched brows.

  "You'd have to ask Oren. He's the one who knows most about it. But regardless, the added strength to our lineage, came packaged with even more emotion. I've heard accounts of some of our lineage killing themselves due to slight emotional distress," she explained.

  Rosan understood that. With how out of control his emotions were... if he had truly been by himself when all of it happened, it would have been bad for him.

  Raisa sighed and gestured to herself. "I was born with the best of what the Kuja and Iris had to offer. I am the pinnacle of our lineage and more. A freak mutation was what occurred with me... And you inherited it all. Not only that..."

  Rosan blew a breath out. "I probably inherited whatever Cutter has too," he finished.

  Raisa immediately shuddered at that, eyes narrowing into pinpricks.

  "So Cutter truly is free…?" she asked quietly.

  Rosan sighed and nodded. "Blackbeard freed him from Impel Down... that's not good. Blackbeard is... a pirate that's going to cause a lot of trouble in the future."

  Raisa had a look of distraught on her face, shuddering horribly at that information.

  She resisted the urge to curl into herself, as she heard his laughter ringing in the back of her mind. The psychotic laughter of a man that she thought she knew—

  "Hey," Rosan soothed, pulling the woman into a hug.

  Raisa grasped him immediately, unmindful of his sweaty body. She felt her terror nearly consume her and shook harshly against her son.

  "I-I saw you two conversing at Impel Down," she mentioned quietly.

  Rosan inclined. "We did. Hard not to notice such a presence."

  Raisa let loose a shaky breath. "Thank you, Rosan. Thank you for not giving that man the time of day. It's entirely my fault, but you truly have no idea how much such a thing matters to me," she whimpered, holding him tightly.

  The redhead glanced down at his birth mother and ran a hand against her back.

  "He was my best friend you know... or well, my only friend," Raisa whispered, sinking into him.

  "I felt so normal around him. He didn't treat me like a Princess. In our time together, I found out how to be someone besides Princess Raisa, the prodigy who will ascend to the throne and succeed her parents. I thought we built a genuine bond with each other..."

  Raisa shut her eyes. "But I was wrong. I was so wrong. He attacked so suddenly. He killed my mother and father with no hesitation. He betrayed me so quickly... I never knew he was so strong. We fought all day... all night and I lost," she said quietly.

  Mod's eyes softened at that.

  "He took the Devil Fruit I was intending to give my firstborn and consumed it. Then, he made sure the firstborn I gave birth to, would belong to him and left afterwards. I learned recently that he was captured by Garp the Hero and thrown into Impel Down for the last 25 years..."

  Rosan listened with a frown.

  "When I realized I was pregnant... I had a mental breakdown. I thought... he was going to come back for me. I thought he would have come back and taken you... It was such a stressful time for me and I know that it's not excuse for me at all but I couldn't think straight at all."

  He hummed at that. "It's okay I get it… I made a dumb decision as well under stress. Both of our situations were extreme."

  Raisa shook and held him tightly. He was too good to her. She didn't... she didn't deserve his kindness.

  "I don't think Cutter will come back here. I can tell at a glance."

  "I know he won't come back. Cutter doesn't care about me anymore… it's you he wants," Raisa mumbled.

  If Cutter got his hands on Rosan… if he touched her son, then what would happen?

  Raisa wouldn't let Cutter lay a hand on him. She couldn't. H-He nearly did it already and she hadn't even been close enough to stop it.

  She would go herself. Even if it meant fighting the entirety of this Blackbeard's crew... Raisa wouldn't let Cutter get his hands on Rosan.

  "She really does love me huh?" Rosan thought, feeling her terror clear as day.

  "She's super whipped. You could probably make her do anything, Father."

  "…" Mod said nothing.

  The redhead sighed. "Alright, come on. I wanna introduce you to some people. We'll discuss the Observation thing on our next session."

  Raisa perked up at that and gazed at her son in curiosity.

  They had just finished their training for the day and she had run him through the ringer. Raisa truly was a monster alright.

  Despite her intense desire not to, Rosan told her not to hold back anything and she didn't want to let her son down, so they had been training almost nonstop in his fascinating Pocket Dimension.

  Here, the mother and son could let loose and train completely without being bothered.

  It was incredible. Raisa had been rather rusty herself so she was getting back into the swing of things as well.

  "You need to bathe first," Raisa said sternly, gazing at her sweat riddled son.

  The redhead snorted. "You don't have to tell me. I'm not leaving without taking a bath regardless. You kicked my ass so I need to soak."

  Raisa bit her lip. "Was I too harsh? I could always tone down if you need me to?"

  The pirate stared his mother down with a deadpan expression.

  "Raisa, I'll be more pissed if you hold anything back. You're my teacher. I want to learn everything I can from you and I can't do that if you're holding out on me," he said firmly.

  Her eyes widened in horror and she nodded strongly.

  "I understand! I would feel bad if I hurt you... but I'd feel even worse sending you out into sea again with more training to be done," she agreed.

  Rosan smiled at that. "I can take it, trust me. I know you saw... bad things happen to me but just think that you being harsh, will prevent those from happening again."

  "Right. You're completely right," Raisa nodded with a fierce expression. "I'll be the harshest to you, so that everyone else pales in comparison!"

  Rosan pat her and began walking off. "That's the spirit!"

  With that, he headed straight to the bathhouse, modifying his outfit as he entered the room.

  The redhead sighed as he snapped a finger, eyes glowing slightly. At the same time, water began filling the bath.

  He hummed a tune to himself as he did so, a breeze flowing through the room that grabbed all his essentials.

  "Need to get a new bottle of shampoo," he muttered, shaking his empty bottle with a scowl.

  Damnit Robin. At least let him know when the shampoo was done!

  He opened the cabinet full of his shampoo and dragged one out, dumping the previous one in the trash while he was at it and making his way back to the tub.

  By now, steam had swiftly permeated the entire room and Rosan sighed as he sunk into the water, making sure not to go too low so as to avoid activating his weakness.

  He leaned back, grabbing a bucket to soak his hair in, only to stop as he felt a presence enter the room.

  The redhead ran a hand against his soaked face in order to peer to the left, freezing abruptly at seeing goddamn Raisa enter the bathroom.

  "W-What the hell?!" Mod's face turned scarlet as she stared at the woman and gaped.

  Ram whistled. "Jeez! Some people just have it all."

  "Raisa, what the hell are you doing?" Rosan grunted in surprise, seeing his birth mother enter without a care in the world…

  Without clothes on. His mother simply had a towel to her name right now.

  "I'd like to soak as well. It was quite the workout for me too," Raisa said bluntly, placing her towel to the side and folding it gently.

  "Here?!" Rosan raised a brow in confusion. "I have like 4 different baths in this castle. Why are you here?"

  "It's a good bonding experience for us. You are my son after all... and I didn't know how to work your baths," Raisa frowned, not seeing issue with what she was doing at all.

  Rosan heard Mod let out a strangled noise and sighed.

  "Raisa… seriously, warn a person when you're gonna do this," he sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes. "You're lucky we're related by blood."

  "It's not as if I would do such a thing with anyone. Hardly a soul has ever seen me naked," Raisa muttered, entering the bath and sighing in relief at the abnormally high temperatures.

  "This bath feels incredible… does it naturally reach such temperatures?" she asked curiously.

  Rosan nodded, slightly surprised by how much she liked it. Robin for natural reasons, couldn't stand when he ran the bath this hot and would absolutely rip into him if he did such a thing with her in it.

  He didn't realize someone else would enjoy these.

  "I normally have to manually heat it up myself," Raisa said, blowing out a puff of flames to show how she did so.

  "It's very nice. I began to enjoy it after unlocking my dragon form," Rosan explained easily.

  Raisa perked up, seeing this as an opportunity to learn more about her son.

  "So… you modified yourself to become a dragon?" Raisa asked curiously.

  Rosan nodded.

  "It was my goal for a long time. I managed to achieve it when I was 9 and I've been using it ever since," he informed her.

  "I guess the Iris truly are obsessed with reptiles… I chose my Devil Fruit when I was a baby. My parents put me in a room of them and I chose this one. They then waited for me to be of age, before allowing me to consume it," she told him.

  "Go figure. You flew me to Baterilla right?" Rosan mused.

  Raisa nodded. "I did. I flew you over and stood above the island until a person without a malicious aura picked you up."

  Rosan hummed. "So if the person who took me was malicious?"

  "I'd have killed them and taken you back. It was... a test for myself and the person. Portgas D. Rouge passed with flying colors."

  Rosan had a thoughtful expression. "You know... all things considered, you made some fairly decent decisions in your stupid ass plan."

  Raisa flinched at that, ducking her head. "It was such an idiotic decision made by me. The Iris pride themselves on their intelligence and I did the complete opposite."

  Rosan snorted, grabbing his shampoo and dumping some in her hair.

  The woman yelped at that, before relaxing at the incredible sensation of someone scrubbing her hair.

  "We've gone through this already. Stop dwelling on that when talking to me. I already told you I prefered your decision over you keeping me so there's nothing to feel terrible about," he murmured.

  His birth mother gazed at her reflection in the water. "What did I do to deserve your kindness?"

  "Take accountability for your actions. You're trying really hard to make amends with me and I appreciate that," he smiled softly, washing her hair clean.

  Raisa gazed in wonder at her fellow redhead, idly grasping her hair.

  That felt good...

  She stood up. "Let me wash your back."

  Rosan rolled his eyes. "You know Mod-chan can see you naked too right? Ram says nice body by the way," he replied.

  Raisa blinked slowly, before her cheeks turned red in mortification. That red spread to the entirety of her face and the woman let out a strangled noise.

  "W-W-What?! Why didn't you mention anything?!" she hissed, sinking so deeply into the water that Rosan had to reach and pull her up before she began drowning.

  "She is literally apart of me. She's been stunned since the moment you walked in," Rosan said in amusement, noting that both his mothers had combusted in unison.

  "Oh… I forgot about that..."

  "I hate you. So... so much..."

  "Now I know where Father got his body from."

  Raisa once again tried to drown herself and Rosan sighed.

  His family was full of idiots.

  "Hey Aiko."

  Aiko jumped high into the air at that, whirling around to glare at Rosan for being an annoying fucking pest...

  Before the words died on her lips.

  "That technique is so fascinating," Raisa muttered, dusting herself off as Rosan held her up.

  "I'm sooo dizzy," Dalia slurred, grasping Rosan with both hands to prevent from falling over.

  Oren held his head, blinking the stars away at seeing sunlight once more. His nephew idly held him up with one hand, seemingly expecting the two of them to be impaired by that.

  "What a jarring technique. How the hell are you two acting so normal?" he groaned.

  "Dunno. Even when I first started doing this, it never bothered me much," Rosan replied easily.

  Raisa nodded in agreement. "It is a fine technique. Slightly jarring but otherwise, I'm perfectly fine."

  "Weee," Dalia cheered dizzily, climbing her tall as hell nephew and holding onto him.

  Rosan didn't even flinch at her antics. "How's it going?" he asked Aiko.

  Aiko's eyes were wide as she looked at Rosan's company.

  From the hunking and handsome black haired man, to the short and gorgeous curly haired woman... and finally the tall and downright stunning redhead who was just Rosan in female form.

  "This seriously isn't fair," Aiko thought in disbelief, looking at the four hotties with wide eyes.

  Rosan approached his surrogate older sister and dragged her into a tight hug.

  "What's up?" he murmured, watching as she snapped out of her daze.

  Aiko felt her fondness swell, clutching the redhead and returning the hug easily.

  "I'm good. Less worried now that you're accounted for," she muttered, sinking into him.

  "Where's Akemi?" he asked curiously.

  "With her therapist. She made more appointments due to recent events," Aiko explained with a frown.

  Rosan flinched. "Shit... I'm sorry. I didn't wanna send her back to therapy."

  "Back?" Raisa thought in concern.

  "Don't blame yourself, Rosan. How's Ace?" Aiko asked.

  "Still unconscious. I really don't know when he's going to wake up," the redhead sighed, brow furrowing.

  "It better be soon. I didn't watch you almost die just for him to stay in a coma," Aiko scowled fiercely, hiding her worry behind the anger.

  Rosan sighed. "Ace is a coward like me... he doesn't want to face you guys after what happened. He'll wake up though."

  Aiko saw the slight stress on his face and hugged the redhead tightly, placing her hands on his cheeks. "Make sure you take care of yourself."

  The redhead smiled down at her. "Since when are you showing your concern so freely?"

  "Since you almost died without me being able to even say goodbye."

  Rosan winced back. "Sorry."

  "Don't be. I just miss Akemi a bit," she sighed.

  "I know," he soothed, running a hand through her hair.

  "Who is this, Rosan?"

  Aiko perked up at that question and gazed into a set of beautiful glowing eyes, shining blue with curiosity.

  The woman was perched on Rosan's back, staring down at the leader of Fregate.

  "Seriously, how are they all so hot?" Aiko thought in disbelief, gazing at the woman that looked related to Rosan... but not as much as the tall woman in the back.

  "This is Aiko. She's the leader of Fregate Island and one of my closest friends. Aiko, this is Dalia. She's my auntie."

  "Nice to meetcha!" Dalia grinned, landing on the floor and walking up to Aiko.

  The woman lost her balance and stumbled forward, falling right into Aiko.

  "Woops! Sorry!" Dalia said sheepishly, looking up at the slightly taller woman. "I've got a bit of a weak body so when weird things happen to me, they stay for a little longer."

  "Oh don't worry about it," Aiko said automatically, flashing her a small smile. "It's nothing at all."

  A small breeze brushed against the leaders cheek and she looked up, meeting the knowing smirk of Rosan.

  "Did he push her into me?!" Aiko thought in disbelief.

  "You know, Aunt Dalia... it strikes me as weird that you're single. We're family after all so that means you have my good looks."

  Rosan was... the ultimate wingman. Aiko seriously needed to reward her little brother one of these days. He was just too awesome.

  "Oren banned me from dating after I killed my last boyfriend for cheating on me!" Dalia chirped.

  "It's for her own good. Dalia can't spot a good man from a mile away so they end up taking advantage of her," Oren sighed.

  Raisa scoffed. "Gullible girl. I've already warned you that such a thing is expected, Dalia."

  Dalia spluttered at her older siblings. "Now's not the time to talk about my love life! We're meeting a new person dammit!"

  Aiko raised a brow. "You're telling me someone cheated on you? What, are they blind?" she asked in confusion.

  Dalia nodded eagerly. "And stupid too!"

  The woman peered at Aiko with a curious gaze. "You're single too? Really? How is a big leader like you single?" she asked.

  "Me," Rosan interjected easily. "People get really insecure when they see the two of us."

  Aiko nodded with a helpless shrug. "Something about a hot redhead being able to teleport in my home whenever he wants, doesn't sit right with them."

  Dalia giggled at that. "You're funny! I like you! Aiko was it? Let's be friends!" she said bluntly, grinning ear to ear.

  "She's as blunt as Rosan too," Aiko thought, noting that the woman was still leaning on her.

  "Sure, I think we'll get along great!"

  Rosan snorted at that. "This is my uncle, Oren."

  Oren held out a hand and Aiko strained her neck to look at the broad and tall man, catching his hand with her positively tiny one in comparison.

  "Pleasure to meet you, Aiko. I'm Iris D. Oren," Oren said, deep voice coursing through her bones.

  "Likewise," Aiko greeted, smiling at the relaxed man who was built like a tank.

  "How long have you and Rosan known each other for?" Oren asked curiously.

  Aiko scratched her head at that question, pondering it for a while. "Almost 16 years now? I've known him since he was a little squirt of a 9 year old. I still remember being a head taller than him..." she muttered.

  Oren snorted. "Sudden growth spurt, right? Happens to all of us except for Dalia."

  "H-HEY!" Dalia shouted, glaring at Oren.

  "Sudden is one way of putting it. One second he was at my nose, the next I was breaking my neck to look up at him," Aiko sighed despondently.

  Rosan ruffled her gray hair with an insufferable smirk and Aiko nearly batted it away on instinct... before remembering what he had done.

  "You've known him for that long?" Raisa decided to ask, eyes slightly wide. "You are the leader of Fregate, yes? What is your relationship with Rosan exactly?"

  "She's my sugar mama," Rosan said with a thumbs up.

  Aiko immediately began spluttering at that, heinous glare making its way to her face. "Don't say it like that!"

  "Why? You've been giving me money for 15 years. You're also 11 years older than me. I think you meet all the qualifications."

  Her eye twitched at the amused look in his eyes.

  "Sugar... mama?" Raisa tilted her head in confusion. "Dalia, what is a sugar mama?"

  "I don't like that you automatically expect me to know the answer to that," Dalia deadpanned.

  "..." Raisa stared at her.

  Dalia stared back. "...A sugar mama is an older lady who gives a younger man money... usually for... favors."

  Raisa blinked, before turning a terrifying glare towards Aiko.

  "Woah woah!" Rosan interjected immediately, stepping in front of the raging Raisa. "Down woman. I was kidding. Aiko's my older sister."

  The aura of death that washed over Aiko vanished and the woman sighed in some relief.

  "I'm guessing this is your birth mother?" she asked, peeking over Rosan's shoulder at the tall woman.

  "Yeah. Iris D. Raisa," Rosan greeted, placing both hands on Raisa's shoulder. "Calm down. Aiko and I joke around all the time."

  The redhead's eyes suddenly shifted red. "Not that you would know," Mod grumbled.

  Raisa flinched back harshly at the feminine voice.

  "My... apologies," she mumbled.

  Mod twitched slightly. "No... that comment was unnecessary," she said stiffly, giving control back to Rosan.

  Aiko whistled. Mod seriously did hate this woman.

  Rosan pinched his nose as he regained control once more. "Aiko, my Raid Suit was destroyed. I wanna new one... though I probably won't use it that much anyways so maybe I don't."

  Aiko shook her head strongly. "No. I don't care. We're repairing it. Now is not the time for you to start neglecting yourself," she hissed, dragging him out of the room.

  "I wanna get strong enough so that I don't have to rely on it. Then it'll become overkill," Rosan said, allowing her to push him out of the room.

  "Whatever you say, silver tongue! Let's go!" she barked.

  "Yes sir. Just let me change my appearance a bit."

  "SIR?!"

  Dalia giggled. "I really like her!" she exclaimed.

  "She seems like a good balance to Rosan's insanity. I'm glad he had such a logical voice for all these years."

  "More than one by the looks of it," Raisa commented, watching as Rosan laughed while being pushed out.

  "You know, all things considered, I expected you to be more terrified of Raisa," Dalia commented.

  Aiko raised a brow and gazed at the woman in question.

  It wasn't hard to see why Raisa would be intimidating. She was a tall woman who cut an imposing figure, wrapped in a tight dress that allowed for ease of movement. Her eyes were sharp and with how they were narrowed, it always seemed like she was dissecting you with a gaze.

  Aiko would compare it to a top predator mulling over whether you were worthy of being eaten or not.

  But regardless of those details...

  "No offense at all to her, but Rosan is way more terrifying. I've seen what that guy could do since he was a kid so it's not even close," she chuckled.

  Dalia put a finger to her lip at that. "Really?"

  "You've known him for a long time... what was he like?" Raisa jumped in curiously.

  Aiko leaned back into her seat and let out an exhale.

  "A demon that's what. You guys are meeting one of the nicest versions of Rosan we've ever had," she said bluntly.

  "Demon?" Oren mused.

  She nodded without hesitation. "When he was Reaper, Rosan was probably the worst version of himself yet. If it wasn't his murderous tendencies, it was the complete lack of emotions," Aiko murmured, thinking back to that version and letting out a sigh of relief at seeing how much he had improved.

  Raisa froze. "No... emotions?"

  Both Oren and Dalia froze as well, staring at Aiko with wide eyes.

  Aiko went stiff at that, peering at the three with searching eyes.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "That's not my place to tell at all. Rosan's not very forthcoming with information and I respect his privacy. Ask him when you think he trusts you enough... maybe he'll tell you. I still feel like he doesn't tell me things."

  The three nodded slowly at that.

  An Iris without their emotions... such a thing sounded unheard of. They were so saturated in their feelings, that losing them would be no different than dying.

  Though, with how Aiko spoke of him, perhaps Rosan had been "dead" for a while.

  "What are you talking about, Aiko? I tell you just about everything. If I don't, Maro definitely will because I tell her just about everything too."

  Aiko rolled her eyes at his voice and turned towards him, mouth opening and abruptly shutting at seeing Akemi hanging defeatedly off his shoulder.

  "Don't ask. I forgot just how spoiled Rosan is," Akemi grumbled.

  Rosan smiled winningly. "You were at your therapist for long enough. I understand why you need it but I don't like being the reason."

  "Well maybe you shouldn't make my heart burst out my chest!" she cried out.

  "I'll try not to do it again," he said.

  "Sound more genuine!" she complained.

  The dainty woman pat herself down as Rosan placed her on the floor, glaring up at the tall redhead with puffed up cheeks.

  Rosan smiled and pat her neat gray her, running a hand through the long locks and fixing the few mussed up pieces.

  "You three want to know why I had no emotions?" he asked, turning towards them with a tilted head. His brows were furrowed but there was a peaceful air to the redhead.

  "Only if you're comfortable telling us," Raisa said immediately, not wanting to pressure him for anything.

  Rosan smiled softly. "I've made my peace with it. Making my peace, is actually helping me become a better person so I don't mind telling you."

  Made his... peace with it.

  Something truly terrible had happened to the youngest Iris.

  "When I was 12, my girlfriend at the time, Meiko, was fatally injured. She died in my hands," Rosan said truthfully, idly messing with the ring on his finger.

  Raisa felt her heart drop at that.

  Rosan sighed. "We were soulmates. Unreal compatibility. I could read her mind, she could read mine. We just had it naturally," he smiled faintly.

  "But she's gone now. I had already been dealing with a lot of mental stress and that one was the last straw. In order to protect myself, I sealed my emotions away and lost them for 12 years."

  There was a tense silence at that and Akemi pulled Rosan into a tight embrace.

  "I'm so proud of you, Rosan," she murmured.

  "Thank you," he said earnestly.

  The redhead let out a grunt of surprise, as he was pulled into a strong hug.

  Raisa shivered harshly against him, tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Rosan. What a truly awful thing you were forced to experience."

  Mod bit her tongue at that.

  Rosan smiled. "That's okay. It took me a while but I'm better now."

  Dalia sobbed loudly and Oren wiped his eyes, before the two joined the squeeze session.

  Rosan smiled and pat them all. "Hey, I know you guys are seeping in regret and I know you guys wish you could protect me back then but what's done is done."

  "I should have protected you," Raisa whispered in despair. "When you were weak and defenseless, I should have been the one guarding you. I have no equal in the South Blue... I could have kept you safe."

  He stared down at her with a tilted head. "Like I said. What's done is done. Don't stress about it."

  "No!" Raisa shouted, staring up at him with teary and horrified eyes. "You don't understand, Rosan. I feel so terrible because it truly is my fault!"

  Rosan raised a brow and said nothing.

  "I didn't have to be completely uninvolved... with me, none of these terrible things would ever have happened to you. You wouldn't have been enslaved... you wouldn't have had to kill so many people and... you wouldn't have had to become such a notorious bounty hunter," she whispered.

  "Ah, I forgot the world knows I'm Reaper now."

  "All these things... Rosan, I'm sorry for failing you. You keep downplaying my actions but Mod is completely right. I don't deserve to be forgiven so easily," Raisa whimpered.

  "..." Rosan tilted his head then pat her on the head.

  "Raisa, you and I aren't so different at all. Even right now, you're punishing yourself in a way that's eerily similar to me."

  Mod's gaze wavered at that and she shut her eyes.

  "Look. No one is as self critical of their self, as I am. My family has been trying to help me view myself better for years. I take everything and I blow it out of proportion. Something I had to learn over the years, is that I can't do everything," he murmured.

  Raisa wavered at the wistful smile on his face.

  "I grew up thinking I had to be perfect... and I bet as Queen, you grew up thinking you had to be perfect too."

  Dalia and Oren sniffed at the sight of Raisa nodding with wide eyes.

  Rosan sighed and slapped both of Raisa's cheeks with his palms, something he used to do to himself all the time as a child.

  Raisa yelped at that and gazed at her son with glistening eyes.

  "We're not perfect, Raisa. I abandoned a newborn too. We make stressful decisions in the heat of the moment and you and I? We're really emotional people and being self critical makes it even worse..."

  "That's why you have to rely on people," Raisa whispered, clutching him tightly.

  Rosan grinned. "The same person I made the choice to abandon... grew up and forgave me without ever needing to."

  "A-And you grew up and forgave me too," she whimpered.

  The redhead pat his fellow redhead gently. "I don't beat on dead horses. You want to get better? I won't stop you from getting better. How you choose to get better is up to you."

  Raisa's lips wobbled and she tackled her son to the floor.

  "T-That's why I'm relying on you! My son has become so wise and caring!" she sobbed happily.

  Rosan laughed and rubbed her back. "Yeah yeah. We need to go soon anyways. I want you to meet more people," he said.

  She nodded and sniffed repeatedly.

  "Aiko, Akemi... I'll visit again soon," he mentioned standing up and beckoning his relatives over.

  "Sure thing," Aiko nodded. "I'd like to get to know your family better too."

  Dalia grinned and waved eagerly. "It was nice to meetcha, Aiko! You too Akemi! I wanna speak to the both of you more!"

  Aiko smirked. "Sure? How about over dinner? I'll treat you to whatever you want."

  "Sure! I love seafood and I eat a lot," Dalia grinned innocently.

  "It's a date." The leader of Fregate nodded.

  Oren raised a brow and shot a look towards Rosan.

  "Are you trying to set them up?" He whispered to his nephew.

  "I'm just planting the seeds. Dalia seems pretty open and Aiko needs to hurry up and settle down," he smirked.

  Oren pursed his lips and nodded. "Alright. I'll trust your judgement then."

  Rosan nodded with a smile, adjusting Raisa slightly as she continued squeezing him.

  Akemi waved eagerly, stars in her eyes as she looked repeatedly between Aiko and Dalia.

  "I'm sorry for not being here earlier! I'm glad to have met you guys! You have to visit again!"

  Dalia beamed. "We so will! You two are awesome already!"

  "See ya," Rosan waved, vanishing with a small smile.

  "So?" Akemi pressed immediately.

  Aiko huffed. "So what?"

  "So what's with you and Dalia-san?!" she asked excitedly.

  The leader of Fregate rolled her eyes. "Rosan thought it'd be a good idea to subtly hook me up with his aunt. He must have seen me checking her out and decided it was a good idea to push her into me."

  "And?" Akemi pressed.

  "...And I think she's really cute," Aiko mumbled.

  Akemi squealed. "You see how possessive Rosan is, right? If you do something wrong to that girl, you might disappear."

  "She already mentioned killing her last boyfriend and her teeth are naturally sharp as hell, so I'm pretty sure she's got a Devil Fruit..."

  Her little sister beamed. "But you won't hurt her! Rosan's trusting you obviously!"

  "Yeah yeah. I have no intention of messing whatever happens up," she sighed.

  "Good! This is probably the closest to dating a version of Rosan anyways! Raisa-san looks untouchable!" Akemi grinned.

  Aiko felt a vein of annoyance form. "What is with you thinking I'm obsessed with Rosan's appearance?!"

  Akemi giggled and began removing her suit. "So you just happen to like redheads?"

  "Get out. We haven't physically fought in years but I'm more than willing to bring it back."

  Her little sister laughed loudly. "You wouldn't fight me! I'd cry to Rosan and then he'd fight you in my stead!"

  Aiko balked at the shameless Akemi.

  "Terrible. I knew that damn demon influenced you too much."

  "Are we talking about Rosan or the actual Demon?"

  "Please shut the hell up."

  Raisa stared at the trio of Rosan, Angel and Demon with an unreadable expression.

  "Oh my Kami," Dalia gasped, putting a hand over her mouth as she gazed at them.

  "The resemblance is uncanny," Oren chuckled in disbelief, eyes wide as he stared at the triplets.

  They were all similar heights, though Rosan was noticeably taller than the other two, with similar features and a few differences that made them different from each other.

  While the purple haired man, who they knew was Demon, looked exactly like Rosan, his features were softer and his color pallet was inverted, donning purple hair and red eyes.

  Whereas Rosan had a cocky and wild air to him, smiling or smirking confidently, Demon looked gentle in comparison. There was a kind smile on his face, though it vanished slightly as he gazed upon the three of them.

  On the contrary, the redheaded girl, who they knew was Angel, looked every bit as fierce as Rosan had whenever he was in action. She was scowling slightly at them, glare turning truly heinous as she made eye contact with Raisa, before shifting into slight confusion at the sight of Oren and Dalia.

  Dalia was about to leap forward, but Oren tugged her back.

  "Let them handle this first," he whispered to her.

  "But I wanna glomp my nephews and nieces!" she hissed in return.

  "The girl might kill you."

  "She's adorable! That's a risk I'm willing to take!"

  The two stopped arguing, as a beautiful blue haired woman approached them.

  "Nice to meet you two. I'm Queen Maro of Celadon," Maro greeted with a polite smile.

  Dalia's eyes lit up and she vigorously shook Maro's hand.

  "It's nice to meet you! You're married to Angel right?!" she asked excitedly.

  Maro grinned and nodded eagerly. "We've been married almost 6 years now! We love each other very much," she said demurely.

  Dalia squealed happily. "That's so cute! We're Rosan's aunt and uncle. I hope we can get along!"

  "A queen... he sure does have his connections," Oren laughed.

  "Well, he's the reason I am a queen!"

  Their eyes widened.

  "What?" Oren muttered.

  "We need to hear the story behind that!" Dalia gaped.

  "Sure! Let's go this way and let these four deal with their thing," Maro smiled, dragging the two out of the room.

  Raisa took a deep breath, as she watched Queen Maro guide her siblings away.

  Some moral support would have been nice. She felt like she were being left in a lion den right now.

  But perhaps doing this alone, was what she needed. Raisa needed to be brave and handle her mistakes by herself.

  The woman slapped both her cheeks and a look of determination made its way to her face.

  Demon's eyes softened at the very Rosan-esque move.

  Angel was not so easily swayed.

  Rosan was content to stay silent. Much like with Robin back at Water 7, Angel and Demon were free to make their own decisions based on what Raisa said without his influence.

  It was up to the queen of Wisteria to win them over.

  "It is... a pleasure to meet you two, Angel... and Demon," she greeted slowly, not wanting to mess this up in anyway.

  The girl's glare deepened. "So you're Raisa?" Angel mused.

  She hugged the amused Rosan tightly, dragging him away and out of sight from the Queen.

  Raisa's hand faltered at seeing Rosan dragged away from her but she noted Angel's glare and settled for a stiff nod.

  Angel was holding Rosan rather protectively... as if protecting the oldest triplet from her.

  "I-I'm sorry," Raisa said abruptly, bowing lowly to them.

  "You're sorry?" Angel asked frostily, eyes narrowed. She bared her teeth warningly but Raisa didn't see it.

  "I made a mistake. I should have never abandoned Rosan... and I should have never been out of his life for so long. Nothing I say or do will ever truly make up for what I did... but I'm still going to try," Raisa said firmly.

  "Sometimes trying isn't enough," Angel interjected coldly.

  "You're right... but I'll continue to try regardless. Even if my efforts go unappreciated until the end of time, I will still continue to try because Rosan helped me when he was the last person on the planet who needed to do so," Raisa said passionately, holding a hand over her heart.

  The resolve in her eyes were clear as day. Raisa truly did plan on fighting even if her efforts may have never been acknowledged.

  Demon sighed and walked up to the bowing queen. "It's nice… to meet you, Raisa," he said gently, holding out a hand for her to shake.

  "To be honest, I don't really like you very much. You abandoned an infant in a forest. Even after one day, that could have proven to be a fatal mistake..."

  Raisa wilted at that, head ducking at his disapproving frown.

  "But... if Master is able to forgive you for such a thing, I suppose I can only be slightly upset on his behalf. He's going to be staying with you for two years which means we'll be seeing and hearing about you quite a bit. I'm not one to hold animosity towards someone for such a long time…" he sighed, pulling her up.

  She gazed into his compassionate eyes and wavered slightly.

  "Besides, Postpartum Depression is a very real and very dangerous thing. To have to deal with the amount of things you likely did... on top of the fact you were raped, I'd be heartless to not understand why you made the decision you did... I just wish you handed him over directly to Rouge."

  Raisa looked stunned at that, gazing at Demon with wide eyes. Tears sprung in her eyes and she nodded strongly.

  "I was being very stupid," she whimpered, wiping her eyes as she gazed at the kind Demon. "I wanted him to remain unaware of his heritage so he could be free of such a life."

  "I understand... you believed that if someone saw you, they'd eventually be able to make connections that you were the queen of Wisteria," Demon muttered.

  She nodded and Demon sighed.

  "You were under extreme duress. One that you probably had to mask, seeing as you are a queen. It was practically impossible for you to make a sound decision. In fact, I believe you probably wouldn't have been able to raise Master correctly in the first place, so giving him up for adoption was the only logical decision. As a doctor, I know you must have been going through something excruciating and I'd be cruel to fault you."

  Raisa sniffed at that, tears falling as she gazed at Demon. He was smiling sympathetically at her and at the sight of her tears, the doctor gently wiped them away.

  "You're making the effort and I'm much nicer than Master is. It'd be a bad look if he forgave you and I couldn't attempt to."

  "Hey," Rosan said flatly.

  Angel looked at her little brother incredulously, then gazed at Raisa… then gazed at Rosan.

  Rosan caught her gaze and smiled slightly.

  "Do whatever you want. You're your own person now," he mouthed.

  She gazed down at her body. The one given to her by Master and gazed at her older brother with a small smile.

  Finally, the middle triplet took a deep breath and nodded to herself.

  Angel turned to Raisa in one smooth motion and slapped her right across the cheek with thunderous force.

  SMACK.

  "I expected that," Raisa sighed, head turning at the action as a bruise formed on her cheek.

  While not as strong as Mod, she had left her guard down in complete acceptance for what was about to occur.

  "I don't like you. At all," Angel said flatly.

  Raisa nodded, not too surprised by that.

  "I hold Master in the highest regards. He's my big brother after all... and you abandoned him. Good reason this, stress that. I'm not logical like Demon is, so even after hearing all that I still don't really like you at all..."

  Angel sighed. "But I can relate to people and I really hate that sometimes."

  "I want to call you a complete dumbass and take a stance about being better than you. But... I've also made stupid decisions under distress and I lost way more from that decision than yours," she said, eyes shutting as she remembered the day everything went wrong.

  Raisa saw the way her eyes shut and tentatively placed a hand on Angel's shoulder.

  Angel jolted and stared at it, before stepping away from Raisa with a wary look in her eyes.

  "You'll have to do a lot to earn my forgiveness… but I'm willing to let bygones be bygones. You should thank my amazing brothers for that... and you should thank my wife for accepting me despite all my faults. I'll return the good fortune."

  Raisa nodded eagerly. "I'll do anything to make it up to my children and that involves you two as well. Whatever you need from me, I'll do my best," she assured.

  "C-Children?!" Angel gaped, eyes going wide.

  "Wow, not only do you have kids… you have triplets!" Dalia squealed happily, clapping as the earlier group of three watched the exchange.

  "I guess it's to make up for the fact we don't have kids," Oren mused.

  "Triplets… I have triplets?" Raisa whispered to herself.

  She did didn't she? They all looked just like her too! Rosan, Angel and Demon... her three children.

  Triplets! Her!

  Her eyes shone and the queen summarily yanked the three into a tight hug.

  "I have triplets!" she beamed.

  The triplets let out different noises, from Rosan's accepting sigh, Demon's confused amusement and Angel's strangled yelp.

  "W-What the hell are you talking about?!" Angel gaped.

  "Her ignorance reminds me of you and Master," Demon laughed.

  "You get used to it," Rosan chuckled, squeezing the three of them.

  "I'll earn all of your respect. I promise," Raisa said, determination in her eyes as she gazed at them all. "I have many ways to help you all. You must all come visit Wisteria. I will gladly show you all around."

  "I'd like to see it," Demon said, ignoring Angel's glare.

  "I think it'll be fun! We're both queens so we can set things up between our islands," Maro smiled gleefully, steadfastly ignoring Angel's heinous growl.

  "You're squeezing too hard!" Angel complained, struggling fruitlessly.

  "So that's why Master loves hugs," Demon laughed, returning it.

  Maro smiled gleefully, hugging the ecstatic Dalia.

  "So you are Rosan's student?" Raisa asked curiously, chopping a carrot swiftly.

  Maro watched her with an impressed eye, nodding at the question.

  "He's been my teacher for 12 years now! He taught me everything I know!" Maro beamed.

  Raisa hummed pleasantly at that, dumping the carrots in a bowl. "You don't... have a problem with me?" she asked tentatively.

  "Of course I do!" Maro laughed. "I used to think you were a bitch!"

  Raisa's mouth opened in shock at that, not expecting her fellow queen to say that word so freely.

  "I don't think a single soul in our family doesn't have a problem with you, besides Master of course. I just don't feel the need to act out on those issues," Maro shrugged.

  The blue haired goblin gazed at Raisa with a kind smile.

  "You don't need to be punished by me. You've gotten punished enough... besides, you're the reason I have Master. Without you abandoning him, he probably never finds me and I die instead," she said bluntly.

  Raisa blinked in horror at that. "I... see. So he saved your life?"

  Maro nodded eagerly. "I was homeless before I met him. No parents to be seen. I didn't even have a name!"

  That made Raisa truly jolt. "Homeless? No name? Truly?!" she asked in disbelief.

  She gazed at the woman carefully. "Does that mean... Rosan named you?"

  "Mhm. Master literally gave me everything. My name, my Devil Fruit, my role in this world... my life as queen."

  Maro smiled and gazed at Angel, prompting the redhead to look up.

  Raisa watched her daughter's cheeks burn red and felt her heart swell.

  "I feel terrible for leaving him behind... but I realize now that he has met so much people, that it was actually better for me to do so," she whispered.

  "Call me selfish but I agree. At least this way, Master gets the best of both worlds. Us and you!" Maro beamed.

  Raisa never saw it like that... but Maro was completely right.

  The woman placed her knife down and pulled Maro into a tight hug.

  "You're a wonderful person, Maro," Raisa murmured.

  Maro lit up at that, cheeks a bright red.

  "You're not a bitch, Raisa!" Maro replied easily, returning the hug.

  "If you ever have any advice, from one queen to another, I'd be glad to help you," Raisa replied kindly.

  The Dokkaebi's eyes lit up. "Actually, since you'll be training Master for two years, I'd like to join too! You can teach me queen stuff at the same time!"

  Raisa hummed and nodded. "Very well. I have no problem training you either. You mentioned a Devil Fruit?"

  Maro grinned. "I ate a Mythical Zoan! I'm a Dokkaebi!"

  "Rosan sure does seem to find quite the Devil Fruits," Raisa murmured, finishing up the meal.

  "Yeah he does!" Maro cackled.

  "Enough buttering up my wife!" Angel barked, marching up to the two conversing with a slight glare. "The food is ready right? Get it on the table!"

  Maro saluted and began placing the assortment of dishes on the table.

  Angel huffed and only began helping because she didn't want Maro moving back and forth too much.

  Raisa made alot of food. It honestly looked delicious... not that Angel would ever say it aloud.

  "I'm not sure what you all prefer, so I just made an assortment of different dishes," Raisa said, fidgeting slightly as she took a seat next to Rosan.

  Her oldest son smiled slightly and held out a hand, before the ring on his finger transformed into Ram.

  "Ram!" Angel squealed, rubbing her cheeks against the girl.

  Ram hissed but accepted it all the same. "Stop that! I'm happy to see you guys but don't go doing these things! It's childish!"

  Maro coughed at that and got a heinous glare from her best friend.

  "I'm sorry, Ram! I can't help it... your cheeks are so squishy," Angel sighed. She idly pinched the girls cheek and Ram growled warningly.

  "Father! Stop her before I cause a scene!"

  Rosan sighed. He had been quietly conversing with Demon while they caused their chaos but it was expected for him to eventually get dragged into it.

  He grabbed Ram and sat the short girl next to him, making his seat larger because Ram would throw a fit if everyone saw her sitting on his knees.

  Ram accepted the fork and idly bit it, chewing the metal like it were candy and glaring as Rosan snatched it out of her hand.

  The redhead's eyes flashed and he repaired the fork, handing it back to Ram with an amused smile.

  "I'll give you some actual steel later. Don't eat Raisa's forks," he grunted.

  "But Grandma doesn't have a problem with it!" Ram scowled at him.

  Raisa nodded in agreement. "I don't. I was concerned at first, but seeing as Ram doesn't get affected by it, it's fine by me," she smiled.

  "Stop spoiling her," Rosan and Mod said flatly, voice mixing with each other.

  Ram grinned and shot Raisa a thumbs up, causing the woman to smile.

  "This... is surprisingly delicious," Demon said, taking a bite out of his food. His eyes were wide as he dug into his meal.

  "Seriously! It's delicious!" Maro exclaimed.

  Raisa's cheeks dusted and she glanced at the table. "I um... I used to be rather terrible at cooking."

  "Really?" Demon asked, eyes twinkling as he shot a look towards the utterly unamused Rosan.

  Raisa nodded, missing the look. "My parents refused to let me cook. Unbefitting for a queen. They... forced Dalia to cook instead. They used to say if she can't even fight, she may as well learn how to do something," she said quietly.

  Demon's smile vanished at that, a small frown on his face.

  Dalia in question, was at Fregate with Aiko, Akemi and Oren so it was just Raisa and her children (yes, her children!).

  "Your parents suck?" Maro asked.

  "They were awful. They mistreated Oren and Dalia very much," she muttered.

  "Not you?" Angel pressed with a frown.

  Raisa shook her head. "My parents loved me. I was everything they wanted in a child and more. I was the light of the Iris family, the greatest prospect since they first combined their lineage with the Kuja."

  There was a tinge of bitterness in her voice at that and the queen shook her head.

  "My parents tainted my relationship with my siblings but that is for another time. You wanted to know why I know how to cook yes?"

  They nodded, noting that Raisa would have preferred to not speak about this.

  "I learned somewhat how to cook during my travels through the sea. I wasn't the best but it was adequate enough... but sometime after Wisteria was... attacked, I had to fully teach myself how to cook properly. Every other meal I had created for me, was laced in some type of poison by wouldbe assassins. While I'm mostly immune to poison, it does sour the taste of the meal... and I did not want Rosan, who I was still pregnant with at the time, to have anything wrong happen to him," Rasia explained patiently.

  There was a tense silence at that.

  "You were dealing with assassins while pregnant?" Demon asked slowly.

  Raisa nodded, an exhausted look taking over. "A single man managed to destroy countless parts of my island and got away. Not only that, the previous rulers were killed in the action. I had just become Queen when this happened to me. The people were not used to me at all. I was 18, I had just become Queen and the first thing my subjects learned about me, was that I wasn't strong enough to protect them from one man."

  "Holy shit," Maro thought in horror. Losing the trust of her subjects so early into her reign... all while pregnant.

  Raisa sighed. "I'm not here to garner pity with any of you. I've already made my mistakes and I'm ready to make amends for them," she said firmly.

  Demon frowned sadly. "The more you tell us, the more I empathize with you. You were truly in a horrific situation."

  "I would honestly feel like an asshole if I still hated you," Maro muttered, a sad expression overtaking her. "I dealt with assassins too when I first took the throne. I couldn't imagine dealing with them while pregnant."

  "...It was difficult. Not a day went by where I wasn't stressed," Raisa agreed, cutting a piece of steak and delicately eating it.

  "Pregnancy is a terrible thing when you have to deal with it alone," Rosan murmured, eyes glossing over with memories. "That's why I don't fault you. I was a firsthand witness to a pregnant person. Being pregnant and in charge?"

  Raisa wavered at that. "Thank you for being more understanding than me, Rosan," she whispered.

  Angel stared at the woman who looked exactly like her and frowned, before digging into the plate.

  "I want you to teach me how to cook. It's a decent meal and since Maro loves it so much, I'll make it accessible for her," Angel said bluntly.

  Raisa blinked at that, before a smile threatened to overtake her features.

  "I'd love to teach you. It could be a good bonding experience," Raisa said softly.

  Angel's eye twitched. "S-Shut up! I just wanna learn how to cook! Don't make it weird!"

  Demon chuckled. "There Angel goes again."

  Rosan rolled his eyes in amusement. "She should be more honest with herself."

  "Auntie Angel is like that! She refuses to because it's embarrassing!" Ram cackled, wildly eating a steak.

  "Guys. Please... I'm going to have to deal with her eruption later because of things you said," Maro said miserably.

  Angel twitched harshly. "I'll kill all of you," she said calmly, purple sparks running through her body.

  Rosan blinked and smoothly moved Ram in front of him, much to the rings horror.

  "Have fun," he said easily, chewing his chicken easily.

  "G-GET ME OFF YOUR LAP!" Ram roared.

  "You need to be more honest with yourself too," Rosan chuckled, patting her head.

  "I'LL KILL YOU FATHER!"

  Raisa watched the chaos going on and... the queen felt a laugh leave her body.

  "He...hehehe," Raisa giggled, feeling her body lighten as she laughed for the first time in who knows how long.

  The Queen's eyes were shut in joy, so she missed the sight of everyone gazing at her.

  "You have a cute laugh," Rosan snorted.

  Raisa heard that, and a blush of mortification appeared on her face at the eyes on her person.

  "I-It's been a while since I've laughed... you guys have just, made my life a lot brighter," she mumbled in embarrassment.

  Angel had to do everything in her power to not coo at that. She was already reluctantly sympathizing with the queen... but she needed to make her work for it.

  Mod watched it all, completely silent. Her brows were furrowed and she bit her lip before sighing to herself.

  Raisa's eyes snapped open as the body she was squeezing, shifted enough to jostle her.

  "Did Rosan's body get... softer?" Raisa thought, horror beginning to fill her as she felt the very feminine body.

  "You're squeezing me too hard," Mod said quietly, red eyes glowing in the night.

  Raisa realized where her hands were resting and felt a blush of mortification forming. She hastily yanked her arm from across what used to be Rosan's chest and gazed at the unimpressed Mod with a look of horror.

  "I-I'm so sorry. I had no idea you were going to take over."

  Mod rolled her eyes, a slight red on her cheek. "It's fine."

  Raisa didn't really hear her clearly. "If I had known, I wouldn't have place my hand over Rosan's chest!"

  "It's. Fine!" Mod said forcefully, adjusting the sleeveless gray tee slightly. Her face was burning now and she huffed.

  "Why are... you awake?" Raisa asked carefully. She was gazing warily at the Devil Fruit, eyes slightly drawn to the sight of the woman adjusting the oversized tee.

  "I wanted to talk to you. One on one," Mod said firmly.

  The Queen looked slightly nervous at that.

  One on one...? Without Rosan to mediate?

  That... wasn't very good for her.

  "She's terrified of me," Mod thought, shutting her eyes and letting out a heavy sigh.

  Raisa truly believed, that Mod was going to destroy the slight happiness she found.

  She wasn't used to someone being terrified of her... it reminded her of how terrified she had been of Rosan.

  ...

  "For as long as I could, I've hated you. I didn't think there was anything you could say to make me ever feel anything but hatred for you," Mod whispered, staring at Raisa with a frown.

  Raisa ducked her head in guilt at that.

  "I hate that my family is accepting you so easily. They are so kind and loving and I don't think you deserve that," Mod said coldly.

  "..." Raisa nervously wrung her hands at that. She was looking everywhere but at Mod.

  Mod sighed, frosty expression melting somewhat.

  "I don't think you fully understand how much I love Rosan," Mod said quietly, standing up and grasping the woman's arms tightly.

  "You don't know the full extent of what we've gone through... so I'm going to show you. I'm going to show you why I'm willing to die for him," she muttered.

  Raisa shuddered at that. "You'll show me?" she asked carefully.

  "Yes. Come. I'm going to show you. I'm not mad at you any longer... but I want you to understand what we've gone through. If my family will forgive you, then I will too. But if you truly want to earn my forgiveness, you will watch it," Mod said firmly.

  The queen let out a rattled breath, gazing down at the woman with a disturbed gaze... before it transformed into one of determination.

  "I'll do anything to earn your forgiveness, Mod. Please allow me," Raisa said passionately.

  Mod merely looked grim. "Very well then. You may sleep here from now on while we do this. Feel free to back out at anytime."

  Raisa took a deep breath and adjusted her robe. "Okay. I'm ready."

  "That's what you think," Mod muttered, grabbing her and activating the link.

  Raisa had never been in Rosan's mindscape before. She knew it existed because her son had mentioned it... but she wasn't willing to step into Mod's domain ever really.

  Mod was in a robe, that she tightened idly. The woman gazed at the sleeping Rosan and sighed with a fond smile. He was by himself for once, Ram sleeping in another room to get used to it.

  ...Mod wasn't as mature as Ram unfortunately. She still preferred to sleep with either her or Rosan.

  The Devil Fruit crouched slightly and kissed Rosan on his forehead, running a hand through his hair before pushing herself up.

  Raisa wanted to do the same but she imagined Mod wouldn't be very happy about that, so the woman just followed after her son's Devil Fruit.

  As Mod exited the homey building, she was greeted to the sight of a steady downpour brushing against her skin.

  "Beautiful," Raisa whispered, gazing at the forest with wide eyes.

  "It didn't used to look like this," Mod said softly. "It used to be a frozen wasteland. Cold and lifeless."

  Raisa shuddered at the tone of the woman.

  "We can go back inside. I just wanted to show you the scenery," Mod muttered, turning on a heel.

  "...Right," Raisa replied softly, trailing after the woman.

  They went below, heading to the basement of the home and Raisa watched Mod open a door, guiding her into a large room.

  There was a bed there, facing a giant screen that looked as if it could be turned on.

  Mod waved her hand and the bed abruptly changed into a row of seats. She immediately took a seat in the front row and Raisa followed suit, warily sitting next to the purple haired woman.

  The Devil Fruit let out a rattled breath. She didn't want to watch this at all, but Raisa should truly understand what Rosan had gone through. Words weren't enough this time. Not for Mod. She was a woman of action... something she got from her son.

  "I'm beginning now. We can't watch it all immediately so I will bring you in here at my own discretion," Mod informed her.

  Raisa nodded. "What about Rosan?" she asked carefully.

  "I won't hide anything from Rosan. I will tell him of course... but he doesn't have to be here. This is between you and I," Mod said firmly.

  "I see... alright then. I understand," Raisa replied eventually.

  "Good."

  With that, Mod waved her hand and began the first memories... the one detailing the very beginning of Rosan's childhood with Rouge.

  Mod let out a yelp as Raisa grasped her tightly. She struggled in the woman's hold but stopped at hearing the strangled sob.

  "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Raisa said repeatedly, tears spilling down her eyes as Rosan's wails pierced the screen.

  Her little baby boy. The shining beacon of a child... and he was forced to watch his mother die.

  "I'm sorry!" Raisa wailed. "If I knew she was suffering through pregnancy, I would have flown over. I could have made the delivery smooth! She didn't have to wait 20 months... Oh Kami, 20 months? 9 months was hell for me, I can't even imagine what she was going through!"

  Mod saw Raisa sobbing with an unreadable expression, the raw emotion pouring over her easily.

  "I'm so sorry to you Mod... You weren't ready for such a tall task but you did it anyways. You were practically shoved into the role of Rosan's mother when you weren't ready for such a thing!" Raisa exclaimed, fat tears spilling onto the woman below her.

  "...!" Mod's eyes widened at that.

  No one had... ever quite mentioned that Mod was woefully unprepared to be Rosan's mother. It wasn't something Mod herself thought too much about.

  Her son needed someone and she was there for him, guiding her woefully unprepared emotions to a place that could help nurture Rosan.

  Raisa shut her eyes in agony, even as Rosan's cries died off and the redhead fell asleep.

  "This... is just the beginning?" she asked quietly.

  "...That's right," Mod sighed, wiping her own tears.

  Raisa bit her lip. "Should you really be watching this again? This must be torture for you... You've already been through so much."

  "And you care?" The purple haired woman asked in annoyance.

  "Of course I care. I don't hate you, Mod... I think you're well within your right to hold so much animosity towards me," Raisa said truthfully, shutting her eyes.

  "You more than anyone, are well within their right to despise me. I have committed the worst crime to your son... that's why I want to earn your forgiveness. I'll do anything to make you think even a little better of me."

  Mod grit her teeth at the earnest tone and then sighed in defeat.

  "For your own sake, there's no need to watch anymore," she said blandly.

  The Devil Fruit didn't even know what she was hoping to accomplish by showing Raisa these memories.

  Mod stood and dusted herself off.

  "Get ready. I'm going to kick you out now," she said bluntly, only to pause at feeling a hand gripping her arm.

  "Mod... if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm all ears," Raisa said softly, gazing directly into the woman's eyes.

  "...Raisa, I'm trying so hard to treat you fairly," Mod replied, looking at the hand holding her arm.

  "But it's not possible," the queen finished for her. "I understand, Mod."

  Raisa took a deep breath and tentatively pulled the woman into a tight hug.

  "I know you hate my guts, but please feel free to use me as you see fit if you need anything. It's the least I could do for the person who stepped up and took my place."

  Mod said nothing for a long while.

  "You're crushing me with your breast," she finally said, annoyance rolling off of her.

  Raisa leapt back at that.

  "Sorry! I'm not... good at this stuff," she murmured in embarrassment.

  Mod sighed and pinched her nose. "Just... go to sleep."

  "You're touchy today," Rosan mentioned idly. He had just taken a seat and Raisa had taken it upon herself to begin squeezing the life out of him.

  Raisa said nothing, burrowing deeper into him.

  The redhead tilted his head at his fellow redhead's antics.

  Why was she so moody?

  "You saw my memories?" he asked randomly.

  The silence told him what he needed to know.

  "No wonder you don't wanna train today," he frowned. "Mod-chan."

  "I don't know why I did it. I only showed her up to the memory of Rouge's passing."

  He sighed tiredly.

  "Mod-chan... weaponizing my memories is not cool at all. You know how damaging they can be."

  Mod looked away in guilt at that. "I know... I just wanted to get a win over her. It wasn't even worth it because she didn't have the reaction I expected her."

  Rosan huffed. "I understand... but I'm still going to punish you."

  "W-What?!" Mod spluttered. "You do not get to punish me! I'm your mother!"

  "Raisa, I'm punishing you and Mod for viewing my memories without my permission," Rosan said bluntly, patting her on the head.

  Raisa blinked in disbelief, mouth dropping as his words registered. "Punish us? You are not allowed to punish us! We're your mothers!" she retorted angrily.

  "Huh, funny. Mod-chan said the same thing," Rosan smiled, ignoring her too.

  Raisa spluttered in disbelief at being completely disregarded by him.

  "You can't muster up the resolve to hit me today... so we won't train today. I've got things I wanna do anyways. In the meantime, you and Mod-chan will be spending more time together soon."

  Mod blinked in horror. "What? Rosan surely you aren't serious?"

  "I am," Rosan smiled.

  "I'm being punished by my own son...?" Raisa mumbled, contemplating disengaging from her rude child and deciding against it.

  "Get used to it," Rosan grunted, scratching his head as he ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry for Mod-chan. You shouldn't have seen my memories. At least you saw the tamest one," he sighed.

  Of the three major events that broke him, Rouge's death was the least traumatizing to witness... which said something.

  Raisa shuddered, somehow managing to burrow even deeper into him.

  "You considered that... tame?" she whispered, sorrow lacing her tone.

  "For your sake, you don't want to see the bad ones," Rosan soothed, pushing himself up.

  "I've got some visits to make. In the meantime..."

  The redhead's eyes began glowing brightly and he grunted, sclera turning back momentarily.

  He began forming a figure with his prowess and the redhead huffed, sweat pouring off his features.

  Ice and Modification... it allowed Rosan to do some wonderful things.

  Not done yet, Rosan's nails turned into claws and he dug into his skin, getting a startled yell out of Raisa as a pool of blood began pouring on the statue.

  Rosan's eyes glowed and he touched the ice, modifying it in the process and transforming it into a perfect copy of himself.

  At the same time, the blood began spreading over it and Raisa watched with a stunned gaze as the former ice sculpture, surged to life.

  "Modification: Copy and Paste," Rosan intoned, watching in delight as the perfect copy of him began twitching slightly.

  "Well, it worked," Rosan and the clone said at the exact same time.

  "W-What...?" Raisa mumbled in confusion, watching as Rosan shook his own hand.

  "Tada!" Both her sons said in unison, expressions completely matching. "I figured the technique out!"

  Raisa felt herself getting a little dizzy at seeing two Rosans, who said the exact same things.

  "Okay, controlling two bodies is getting taxing," they said at the same time, eyes glowing once more.

  The Rosan on the right went dormant, as the original one placed a palm against it.

  "Modification: Transfer Files."

  Mod yelped in shock as she felt a tug on her body and the woman let out a squeal, that emitted from the dormant Rosan's mouth.

  Her eyes snapped open and she took in a deep breath, hands roaming over her own body in disbelief.

  "What...?!" Mod said in confusion, realizing she was in Rosan's body.

  "You alright?" A familiar voice asked... right next to her.

  Mod looked up shakily at that, meeting the familiar gaze of... of Rosan.

  Rosan smiled. "I finally figured it out... after seeing that my body had been split in two for 12 years. If Modification can split my soul without me knowing, I'm pretty sure I could just split myself."

  Mod felt tears forming in her eyes as Rosan beckoned her and the Devil Fruit hesitantly modified the body granted to her.

  Rosan watched with a wide grin, as slowly but surely the clone of himself turned into a perfect copy of Mod-chan.

  Almost as soon as she finished, Mod let out shaky breath as she was abruptly pulled into a tight hug.

  "It's been way too long. Of all the promises I made to myself... I can't believe getting you your own body took the longest," he sighed, squeezing her gently.

  Mod sniffed at that, before the woman broke out into a loud sob.

  "Rosan!" she wailed, hugging him tightly. "You... the first thing you do after giving me my body... is hugging me? You're so sweet!" she sobbed.

  "Kahaha!" Rosan laughed, holding the woman. "You really thought I'd forget that? C'mon Mod. You know I owed you of all people a hug."

  Mod whimpered.

  What an incredibly kind person Rosan was. To think this goal was so important for him... when Mod hadn't even thought about it too much herself.

  She held her precious son like her life depended on it, letting out another cry as Ram cheered happily and hugged her in real life.

  "You did it Father! Now I can bother Auntie in real life too!"

  "And you can't run away from me anymore!" Mod laughed prettily.

  Ram stopped laughing at that, going pale in horror as she backed away from Mod.

  Rosan chuckled. "This is a weird technique. I basically make a copy of myself and then allocate a percentage of my power to paste abilities in it," he explained to her.

  Mod's eyes widened and she experimentally tapped into her abilities.

  "So how much power do I have? I assume you take from yourself to add it to me?" she asked worriedly.

  "That's right. Since we aren't really fighting or anything, I gave you 30%. Enough for you to defend yourself and use all our abilities," Rosan explained.

  "So you're only at 70% strength?" Mod asked in fascination.

  The redhead nodded with a small smile. "I can allocate as much power as needed. I can even make you have the majority of the power if you want."

  Mod mulled that over. "This technique feels very impractical. Splitting your power against significantly stronger foes would make us lose even faster."

  Rosan cackled. "This isn't a technique for combat, Mod-chan. This is a technique for you," he murmured, tucking her into his frame easily.

  Mod felt her tears renew at that and she clutched the redhead. "You're so lovely, Rosan. It's no wonder I'm so helplessly whipped."

  "It's cause I'm awesome," he beamed. "Now, you get to spend some time with Raisa. You're still under punishment."

  Mod blinked, horror on her features as Rosan hoisted her up and planted her right next to Raisa.

  "Try not to kill each other when I'm gone. I'll be really sad," Rosan smiled. "Ram, you coming with me or staying here?"

  "I'll stay! I'll make sure Auntie doesn't kill anyone!" Ram grinned, jumping into the yelping Mod's arms.

  "Don't use Save Point Mod-chan... I'll be able to tell," Rosan waved. He approached them and planted a kiss on Ram and Mod's foreheads... before turning to Raisa and doing the same.

  Raisa's mouth instantly shut at that and her cheeks turned rosy.

  "I'll do my best to make sure we get along!" she said fiercely, grabbing Rosan and returning the kiss on his forehead.

  "Whipped," Mod and Ram thought in unison.

  Rosan simply smiled and waved, vanishing from his spot.

  "...Is there anything you guys would like to do?" Raisa asked awkwardly.

  Mod shut her eyes and sighed. "I'm so happy that Rosan gave me a body... that I don't feel the need to antagonize you or myself. I want to thank him somehow... so could you teach me how to cook?" she asked.

  Raisa's eyes lit up at the request and she completely missed the way Ram was subtly trying to tell her no.

  "I'd love to!" Raisa exclaimed eagerly, standing up immediately. "Come! You can tell me all of Rosan's favorite meals and we'll get started on them immediately!"

  "U-Um! I'm gonna go find Aunt Dalia!" Ram said suddenly, dashing off before they could say anything.

  Mod had a look of determination on her face.

  Surely with her own body, learning how to cook was possible now?

  "What's the occasion?" Aiko asked, filing her nails idly.

  Rosan hummed, idly sprouting a tail and tipping her over.

  The leader of Fregate let out a startled shout at that, hissing and flailing as she fell to the ground.

  "Huh... Demon normally catches you. Where is he?" Rosan asked curiously, ignoring the snarling like it didn't even exist.

  "He's on a date with Mikita," Angel informed him, giggling slightly.

  "He's finally breaking out of his shell!" Maro exclaimed happily, helping Aiko up.

  As soon as she was put on her two feet, she lunged at Rosan with blood in her eyes.

  Rosan raised a brow. "You want a hug?" he asked ignorantly, pulling the rabid woman into one.

  "I'll kill you in your sleep," she hissed violently.

  "We'll be sleeping in the same place? I guess that means you finally scored with Dalia," Rosan mused.

  He barely flinched at seeing teeth fail to even put a dent to his skin.

  "Anyways. I called you all here because I've got a gift to give you."

  Aiko stopped gnawing unsuccessfully at that and gazed up in confusion at that.

  "A gift?!" Maro asked in excitement, moving her long hair behind her head to regard the redhead fully.

  Master always had the coolest gifts! Last time Maro got a gift, it was a ship!

  Rosan waved his hand and before Maro and Aiko's eyes, Bartholomew Kuma appeared before them.

  The two felt their mouths open at that, eyes going wide.

  Were these what they thought they were?! They forgot he managed to get some!

  "Here. They're called the Pacifista. We encountered them at the war and honestly, they're stronger than any soldier you currently have," he said truthfully, gauging the staunch and huge robots.

  "Seriously?" Maro thought in disbelief. Master had dealt with them so easily, she hadn't been shown their true strength!

  "They're good weapons… but I dunno if they're reproducible without the right materials. Seems like Vegapunk was the one who created them," Rosan explained, patting one of the Kuma's easily.

  Angel's eyes glowed at that and she eagerly began circling the idle Pacifista, tapping them experimentally.

  "How'd you get it on your side?" Aiko asked warily, watching as the Robots stood prone in their spots.

  "It's a machine with no will. Controlling it was almost too easy. I've been tampering with them a bit to make sure they don't go off the rails," Rosan replied confidently.

  "Have them. I stole four so you guys can have three of them. I wanna mess around with one a bit. I have an idea for it that could be cool."

  The Pacifista were very strong. They practically took no damage and could annihilate waves of pirates easily. The average pirate group would be demolished by them...

  Which meant Fregate and Celadon having some would make them practically impossible to invade.

  Well, Celadon already was but Fregate could use a bit of help too.

  Maro nodded eagerly. "That's so awesome Master! Look how happy Angel looks!"

  "You're the best brother ever!" Angel gushed, beaming up at him with an excited glimmer.

  "I think Demon's better than me… but I agree out of principle," Rosan grinned.

  "I'm taking one to experiment on! Ugh, I wish Franky were here so we could talk about it! I'll figure out how to reverse engineer this thing! Oh a make sure you change the appearance of them! Kuma is a scary guy!"

  Maro and Aiko nodded in agreement.

  "Make mine an ogre!" Maro grinned.

  "Just make mine not a Warlord," Aiko sighed.

  Rosan chuckled and tapped Maro's not reducing the size but transforming it completely into an ogre like she wanted.

  As for Aiko, he just reduced the size of it, making it taller than her by a slight amount. Then he changed the appearance to that of a handsome, unassuming man.

  "I was always bothered by the fact that you walk around so unguarded... your own personal bodyguard should be good," Rosan mused.

  Aiko looked at her bodyguard in question and nodded in approval.

  "Well, I suppose a bodyguard stronger than basically all of the pirates of the directional seas, would be pretty useful. Thanks, Rosan," she grunted.

  He pat her head with a small smile. "Of course. I need you all to be safe of course."

  "Now if you'll excuse me, I still got more visits to make," he sighed despondently.

  "Kay!" Angel beamed, waving him off.

  The redhead waved and right before he vanished, he said, "Oh right. I've got Mod-chan her own body now. I'll have to show you guys later."

  There was a tense silence as he disappeared from his spot.

  "WHAT?!" They all shouted in disbelief.

  "Why didn't he start off with that?!" Maro shouted angrily.

  "Master Mod is free?! Why didn't he tell us?!" Angel practically screeched.

  Aiko rolled her eyes. "Come on bodyguard. Let's let them rant."

  "Izumi."

  Izumi froze at that deep and calm voice, a shudder ripping its way through her body as she hastily whirled around to regard Rosan.

  "R-Rosan!" she stammered, saluting shakily at the expressionless redhead.

  Everyone on the ship tensed up at that, gazing at the redhead with black streaks going through his hair.

  News of what happened to Rosan, spread like a wildfire. It was all the world was talking about, so naturally CP9 was aware that the tyrant ruling over them was a man who had joined a war between the World Government and Whitebeard... coming out alive in the process.

  With an extraordinarily higher bounty.

  And once more he wasn't with Nico Robin.

  Izumi heard Kalifa let out a rattled breath, only for it to die immediately as Rosan's eyes shifted over to her.

  The blonde nearly bit her tongue at the stare and Rosan tilted his head.

  "U-Um... we raided three Marine Bases for everything they had. We're almost completely stocked on supplies... and we've been hunting bounties and turning them in. There's been a surge of pirates so we've gotten a comfortable amount of money."

  "..." Rosan stared at her and hummed.

  "I have no interest in any of you anymore," he said bluntly, turning on a dime.

  Izumi froze at that. "...What?" she asked quietly, confusion roiling off of her.

  "This deal between us... it's tiring. I'll be going off the grid for a long time so do whatever you want," Rosan informed them.

  "...You're freeing us?" Kaku asked incredulously.

  "Sure. There's no benefit to our partnership. I don't need you all anymore," Rosan said coolly, putting his foot on the railing in preparation to fly off.

  "Feel free to do whatever you want. For your sakes, let this be the last time we ever meet."

  Every single CP9 agent let out a deep breath of relief at that, thanking whatever miracle managed to come their way.

  "But... why?" Izumi asked in horror.

  The CP9 agents froze at that, turning incredulous stares towards the woman.

  After all, they just needed to shut up and Rosan would fly off. Talking back to him was not the way to freedom.

  "Why? Why don't I desire a partnership anymore?" Rosan asked, turning around to regard her.

  The redhead hummed at that and approached the girl, before gripping her by the chin.

  Izumi was forced to hold his gaze and shuddered at the slight glow in them.

  "You and I have history, Izumi. We've taken everything from each other," Rosan muttered.

  "But I'm over that. The past can't chain me down anymore... so I want to actually sever whatever this is," he said peacefully, raking a hand through his hair.

  "This dance between us? It's over for good. Whatever resentment I have for you is gone... so just live your life in peace. I won't torment you anymore," he said softly, releasing his grip on her.

  Izumi was stunned. "But you don't understand... it's not..."

  "Easy? I know. But you'll have to do it if you want to find your own peace," he said firmly.

  The redhead gazed at them all. "CP9... I really want you guys dead but you get to survive this time. If we ever encounter each other again though... then you were just born under the wrong star. "

  With that, Rosan vanished.

  Izumi watched him go with wide eyes, a twitch surging through her body that turned progressively violent.

  Why didn't he understand? She couldn't just... there was no moving on from him! He couldn't say all this fairy tale bullshit and expect people to just agree with him!

  Izumi began digging her nails into her palm, drawing blood, as she just stared at the spot Rosan was just at. She began trembling, pupils dilating.

  She couldn't... live without him. Izumi would see him again. She would see him again.

  Footsteps snapped her out of her daze and Izumi saw Rob Lucci standing next to her.

  "You do not wish for it to end here, do you?" he asked knowingly, nails sharpening as he stared in cold fury at the spot.

  "Good. Neither do I. The Straw Hats made a mockery of us... I refuse to acknowledge them. We will gain our revenge."

  Izumi trembled and nodded tightly.

  The other three agents looked at the two strongest in clear trepidation, all thinking the same thing.

  "Should they really anger the Devil who had set them free?"

  "If it isn't my favorite pet Crocodile."

  Crocodile tensed up at that and a snarl formed on his face.

  Everyone else varied just as negatively, though Crocodile was the only one who was angry.

  The others just felt terror.

  How boring.

  "Red Devil," Crocodile sneered, watching the redhead sitting on his ship rail with an amused smile.

  "Morning Star now. I got an upgrade... I still miss Angel of Death though," Rosan sighed.

  Alvida felt a shudder of terror rip through her at that reminder. She gazed nervously at the lax redhead, taking note of the black streaks running through his red hair.

  "Angel of Death..." Crocodile muttered darkly, remembering well what the supposed Angel of Death had done to him...

  "Tell me something, redhead. Why?"

  Rosan raised a brow. "What the fuck is with you people asking me why? I'm not a philosopher. Why what?" he asked curiously.

  "Don't joke with me," Crocodile snarled, sand seeping off his body. "You know what I'm talking about!"

  The redhead snorted and it broke out into a malicious laugh. "Yeah you're right. I do. You wanna know just why I didn't end your miserable existence back at Alabasta?"

  Shrieks rang out as two black wings burst from Rosan's back, streaks of white seeping into his hair and replacing the black.

  "You want to know why Reaper of all people was traveling around with someone as silly as Straw Hat?" Rosan asked curiously.

  "I've been wondering that since we met at the first time!" Alvida blurted, before her eyes widened in terror and she stepped back.

  Rosan turned towards her and tilted his head.

  "Oh you mean your secret base," he mused.

  The redhead shrugged. "Kahaha! Luffy is my spoiled little brother. A lot of people look down on him so I have to be there as insurance to make sure they don't take advantage of my cute little brother."

  ...He missed Luffy. Rosan sighed miserably.

  Crocodile clenched his fist tightly. "That's why you let him beat me."

  Rosan smiled. "You wanna know the funny thing about your defeat. It's your realization that you lost to Luffy. People hate losing to me but they can accept the reasoning behind me winning... but losing to Luffy? That's gotta sting."

  A vein appeared on Crocodile's head at that but Rosan continued unabashed.

  "Do you want to know why you're so hung up on me being Reaper? Do you want to know why you hate me so much?" Rosan asked rhetorically, a knowing smile on his face.

  "It's because I wasn't the one who defeated you, Luffy did."

  Crocodile grit his teeth at the sardonic grin on Rosan's face.

  "Despite the fact that I'm way stronger than you thought. Knowing that I'm Reaper... it hurts all the more that you lost to a no name pirate. Luffy wasn't established like I was. You would have accepted the loss to me with the knowledge you have now but now you're sitting here realizing, I let my baby brother beat the shit outta you."

  Rosan flew out of the way of the wave of sand trying to crush him, eyes lit up in amusement.

  "Knowing that you lost to the one you didn't even deem worthy... ouch," he said finally, soaring through the air to avoid the crescent blades of sand.

  Rosan chuckled at the furious look on Crocodile's face. "I'm not here to fight you know," he mentioned idly, floating away from the bullets of sand.

  Didn't seem like Crocodile was intent on listening...

  Well then.

  Rosan sighed, floating idly as a serpentine dragon began forming around him. It curled around his body, head draping off his shoulder, with freezing air permeating through the two.

  "Let's relax Crocodile. You're in the middle of the ocean with quite the large crew. It'd be a shame to become a pillar of ice for the rest of your days."

  To stress his point, Rosan's dragon roared challengingly, a beam of ice forming in its maw.

  "Shut your mouth," Crocodile snarled, sand seeping off his body. "You talk too big. I don't give a damn if you're Reaper, talking that recklessly is a death sentence."

  "Yeah?" Rosan asked curiously, rolling his eyes.

  The ice dragon opened its mouth and fired without hesitation. A thin beam of ice nearly collided with the ship, only to be met with a wall of sand.

  Crocodile's look of hatred never vanished and Rosan sighed.

  "Okay. Block this. Good luck protecting your ship."

  The dragon roared once more, looping around his arm and stopping at his outstretched hand.

  In unison, the duo began charging their attack and Crocodile hissed at seeing both fire and ice being formed by Rosan and the dragon respectively.

  Panic ensued on the ship as everyone saw the attack, terror seeping off the bodies.

  "W-We came to the war like you demanded though! You're still gonna kill us?!" someone shouted in horror.

  Rosan tilted his head. "My reason for coming here wasn't to kill you, no. But, your boss has an ego too big for his own good. I wanna see if his skills match it."

  Crocodile grit his teeth at the attack forming from Rosan, knowing he probably couldn't defend from the no doubt massive attack.

  "Then why are you here? Bragging about getting a hole punched through your chest while I sustained nothing lasting?" Crocodile sneered.

  Rosan twitched slightly. "Wanna see if you'll come back from getting a hole punched in your chest?" he asked warningly.

  Crocodile sneered, no fear at all on his face despite the disadvantage he was at.

  But... there was no point in throwing his life away here and now.

  "What do you want redhead?" he asked eventually, banishing his sand.

  Rosan's attack died down and the redhead hummed, landing back on the railing.

  "I'm going off the grid," Rosan said bluntly. "You're free for now. Whatever happens when I come back... I don't know. But don't think about me."

  Crocodile raised a brow. "Off the grid? What do you mean by that."

  "Exactly what I said. I'm disappearing for a while. You won't see me for a long time," Rosan said bluntly, running a hand through his hair.

  The former warlord scowled at that. "Running away?" he asked darkly.

  "Shut your mouth. I'm not the one who camped out in a country for over a decade, only for all my plans of glory to get flushed down the drain by a rubber boy who doesn't think."

  Crocodile lunged, hook meeting Rosan's claw and the two glared at each other darkly.

  The crowd took in another breath of terror at that. Rosan and Crocodile did terrible things to their blood pressure and calling it stressful was putting it nicely.

  Eventually, they sighed in relief as the two disengaged.

  "So you're disappearing for a while," Crocodile grunted in disinterest. "What do you want from me?"

  "Nothing," Rosan replied bluntly. "Like I said, you won't hear from me. Do whatever you want to do. This should be a great time for you to train up to kill me."

  "Hmph. Whatever. Get out of my sight if that's all. Next time I see you, you'll die."

  Rosan snorted, leering at Crocodile with a knowing gaze.

  "If I were a human, I'd almost miss the fact that you seem almost relieved at seeing me? Why's that?" Rosan taunted.

  A vein of annoyance formed and Crocodile grit his cigar, eyes murderous.

  "Watch your mouth, redhead."

  "Oh! I get it!" Rosan cackled. "You weren't a fan of me the last time we spoke? What was it you said? You wouldn't resist killing me if I were stuck like that?"

  The redhead smirked. "My pet crocodile has grown attached. How sweet. You did good at the war, at this rate you might even reach your prime."

  A wave of sand crashed into the spot he was just at and Rosan let out a mocking laugh, floating once more.

  "See ya Crocodile. Next time we meet, try not to be too behind, yeah?" he sneered.

  With that, the redhead vanished.

  Crocodile snarled to himself, watching the spot the redhead was at with a dark glare.

  "I'm going to kill him," he swore. "No one is killing that redhead but me."

  If he had any doubts earlier, Crocodile had none anymore.

  He was headed to the New World. The Grand Line could not offer him anything else.

  And then, he would encounter that damned redhead and he'd kill him once and for all.

  Rosan twitched slightly, expression turning wary as he flew silently through the air.

  The silence was so loud without anyone to speak to. He actually felt himself going a little mad.

  It wasn't often that he was separated from Mod-chan... and it sucked. He was heavily attached to Robin but his attachment to Mod-chan, was on another level.

  They truly were conjoined to the hip basically. Without her... Rosan felt his anxiety spiking.

  But he could handle it. Rosan was getting better with being alone. He needed to be. It was such a crippling fear of his, that he needed to deal with it before making it back to his crew.

  So the redhead flew in his solitude, practicing with his Observation and finding that it really was easier by himself.

  The best way to improve his observation, was likely to practice it alone and then apply that to after he combined with Mod-chan again.

  At least there was a benefit to this. He could actually train his worst Haki now.

  It still sucked since it didn't negate the getting overwhelmed thing, but Rosan was just going to have to overpower it like Sabo had managed to do.

  ...

  "Oh it seems like I'm here," Rosan said aloud.

  Naturally, he did not get a response and the redhead sucked his teeth in aggravation.

  No Mod, no Ram... and Robin didn't want to see him for a while.

  Just great. There was easing into things and there was the stupid shit Rosan decided to do.

  He soared downwards and landed on the floor with a soft exhale.

  Not wasting anytime, he marched towards the designated location with a small yawn, watching as people fell on the ground at his presence.

  Rosan stopped walking, as he saw a flag flying at the very top of the village's tallest building.

  "Ah, Garp was here," he murmured, not even needing to reach out with his Observation to verify that the Marine wasn't on the island.

  Good, Rosan wasn't really intending on fighting Garp right now. He wanted nothing to do with him but he was also at 70% power right now as his maximum.

  Well, whatever. Garp was dead to him. No point thinking about him.

  Rosan approached the nice looking restaurant and kicked the door open without any hesitation, idly repairing it as he walked through.

  "Sup," he greeted, watching as all the people in there jumped high.

  Makino's look of fright vanished in favor of pure elation and the woman resisted the urge to scream in joy. Tears sprung up in her eyes and she put a hand over her mouth.

  Rosan caught her gaze and smiled slightly, before his attention was drawn to the gun being aimed at his head.

  "This spots reserved," a voice said gruffly.

  Rosan turned towards the black haired man, gauging the unassuming figure in curiosity.

  "Pirates?" he asked curiously. "You reserve restaurants now? How fancy."

  "Funny guy," the pirate said, unamused as he pressed the gun against Rosan's temple. "Turn back and get the fuck out before I blow your brains out."

  Rosan ignored him. "These dudes bothering you?" he asked curiously, turning towards Makino.

  His eyes narrowed slightly at the proximity to her and Rosan noted that her normally neat clothes, were slightly ruffled.

  Makino nodded shortly, discomfort clear on her features.

  "Right. Well, I can't have you guys harassing my friend now can I? Especially when she's been in so much distress?" he asked.

  The pirate's eye twitched and he opened his mouth. "Didn't you fucking hear me?! Get the hell outta here before we teach you a lesson, pretty bo— HGRHK!"

  Rosan's arm lashed out and gripped the pirate by his neck. The redhead rolled his eyes and squeezed tightly, hoisting him off the floor with far too much ease.

  "Learn when to shut up, minion. I wasn't talking to you."

  "W-Wait! I'm s-sorry!" the pirate struggled harshly, terror in his eyes.

  "They're always sorry the moment the consequences of their actions show up," Rosan sighed.

  "Drain," he said boredly.

  Everyone watched in terror, as the body began withering in his grasp. The man tried clawing helplessly but Rosan was unyielding, eyes half lidded as they roved over the petrified pirates there.

  "W-Wait a damn second," someone muttered in horror, realization making its way onto their face. "THAT'S THE MORNING STAR!"

  The screech made every single pirate in the bar go pale.

  "Y-You're kidding me... the Morning Star?! What's he doing in the East Blue?!"

  Rosan dropped the body and hummed. "Here to visit a friend, before I realized some funny little upstarts were bothering her."

  A dangerous aura washed over the entire bar and Makino shuddered at that, eyes wide as a bead of sweat formed.

  "Get on your little ship and get the fuck off the island. You have 5 minutes."

  Rosan didn't even glance at the pirates rushing out of the door, simply watching as Makino's expression contorted, lips wobbling as a sob escaped her.

  "Gotta hand it to them, they sure did start calling me Morning Star pretty quick... guess it's better than Red Devil," he sighed.

  They sure did put a lot of thought into this one at least. It kinda fit as well... despite the fact that they were now calling Rosan, Satan himself.

  Makino's expression cracked as soon as she heard his voice and the woman let out a sharp wail, rushing him and crashing against the redhead.

  "Rosan!" she wailed, tears spilling against him as he caught her. "I saw the news! I thought... I thought you died but then the news said you were brought back to life and I'm so confused! I just knew that you weren't okay and I was so worried!"

  "I know," he soothed knowingly, running a hand through her hair. "Things have been hectic. Figuring stuff out but I'm here now."

  Makino clutched him, sobbing against his frame. "A-Are you and Luffy alright?"

  The redhead sighed. "We're fine. The two of us haven't seen each other in a while though. We're training separately for a while."

  She shuddered. "And Ace...? There was news saying he's dead but... I don't know what's going on anymore."

  "Ace... is alive. But he's in a coma," Rosan sighed, running a hand through his hair.

  Makino trembled at the wariness in his voice. She wasn't used to Rosan sounding anything besides composed.

  Rosan glanced down at the short woman and reached in his pocket, pulling out a cube that was a dark green in nature.

  The bartender sniffed, gazing at the cube in confusion.

  "Here, it's a way to communicate with everyone," he murmured. "I'll explain it to you but we'll go to Dadan first."

  Makino nodded in concern. "She... she beat up Garp. She thought he left you for dead. It's been hard for you until that newspaper showed up..."

  Rosan sighed and summarily hoisted Makino up, getting a startled shriek out of her.

  "We'll go see her now then. Come on," he grunted, wings sprouting out of his back as he left the restaurant.

  "Wait, Rosan! I need to close the restaurant!" Makino exclaimed, realizing the futility of struggling in his hold.

  Rosan was really quite strong. Makino knew this very well.

  "Oh right," Rosan said, snapping his fingers and watching as every light shut off.

  "W-What?! You can do that?!" Makino asked in shock, mouth opening at the effortless way.

  "Of course. I'm the one who created this for you after all. I'll give you a remote that can do the same."

  "Y-You're totally missing the point! Why are you just now giving me one?!"

  Rosan hummed and his brows furrowed. "You're also getting bothered a lot..." he murmured, ignoring her.

  Makino watched the redhead concentrate, before an abnormally large wolf formed.

  It was jet black, eyes pulsing red and Rosan watched as the wolf, that was reaching his chest growled politely, nuzzling its maw against the petrified Makino.

  "Here you go. This is your guard dog. It's equipped with ice, fire and lightning to protect you from anyone who tries to grope you inappropriately. Not a single East Blue pirate will be able to fight it."

  Makino listened to his explanation with wide eyes, turning towards the wolf in awe and watching as it barked in affirmative. The giant dog marched off deeper into her restaurant and the bartender watched it go.

  "You've... been holding back so much information," she said flatly.

  "Tell me about it. I was doing such a good job," he drawled, making his way out.

  There was a crowd of citizens watching with wide eyes and Rosan blinked, realizing that he was carrying Makino bridal style.

  "We're not getting married," he said bluntly.

  "THAT'S THE LAST THING WE WERE THINKING!" they roared.

  Makino burned red and shut her eyes in embarrassment.

  "Rosan is that you?!" A voice shouted.

  "What are you doing back in Foosha?!"

  "Were you the ones that scared those pirates away?!"

  "Yes. Visiting. Yes," Rosan answered, tilting his head. "They took 6 minutes to get back on the ship. Pity. I calculated it too. They definitely could have made it in 5," he muttered.

  "...Well, not like I was going to let them survive anyways."

  Makino let out a scream of surprise, as Rosan's wings flexed and he took off into the sky.

  She applied a death grip to his neck that the redhead didn't even notice.

  "Those pirates groped you, right?" he asked darkly, gazing at the sailing ship with a lethal gaze.

  "A-A bit," Makino admitted warily.

  Rosan grunted. "Close your eyes. There's been too big a surge of pirates since the war."

  She blinked, before a look of realization hit her and she shut her eyes...

  ...Only to open them because the curiosity was killing her. What was Rosan going to do? Makino could admit, she had gravely underestimated just how much strength he had.

  After all, the redhead didn't really make it a point to be violent around her—

  Rosan's arm was held above his head and Makino watched in awe and terror, as true to his namesake, the redhead began forming a giant orb eerily reminiscent to a star.

  The molten red orb gleamed ominously and Rosan casually lobbed it towards the pirates.

  "Nova Bomb."

  Makino watched in horror and fascination, as it soared through the air at breakneck speeds, colliding with the ship in a glorious explosion.

  "O-Oh..." she stammered.

  A-At least this wasn't like when she first met Rosan and he brutalized the pirates...

  "Alright, let's go," Rosan said gruffly.

  "Y-Yeah," Makino agreed, clutching him tighter as the explosion settled down.

  He was... still as scary as ever.

  Rosan was so used to being forced into a hug lately, that he didn't even flinch as Dadan strong armed him into a fierce embrace.

  He did grunt though as about 20 bandits tackled them to the ground.

  The redhead struggled somewhat, huffing in amusement at the cacophony of his name.

  "Since when do all of you like me? I thought it was just Dadan," Rosan pointed out, completely trapped beneath them.

  They didn't answer, all just crying in relief and the redhead sweatdropped.

  He just let them be, glaring at the giggling Makino who had stepped away from the crowd.

  "We read the news... Are you okay?" Dadan asked, not even pretending to not care.

  Rosan let the woman hold him with a small smile. "I'm fine now. Went through some trials, currently going through some more... but I'm alive and well."

  Dadan sighed in relief at that. "I always knew you were reckless but this is too much for me."

  The redhead nodded in agreement. "Everyone agrees with you. I'm... going to try to get better."

  "You better brat!" Dadan shouted, before her demeanor softened and she hugged him. "Thank you. I don't know the details... but I know you're the one who saved Ace's life."

  Rosan said nothing at that and sighed. "Yeah... the reason everyone thought I died, was because I took an attack that was going to kill Ace."

  Dadan froze at that and shut her eyes. "That's... what I suspected. Ace has always been too reckless... he refused to run away didn't he?"

  "Got it in one," Rosan confirmed. "He attempted to fight an Admiral... it didn't go well. His injuries were already pretty serious so he never would have lived."

  Everyone listened to the redhead with a frown.

  "How is he?" Dadan asked. "Ace is reckless... but he would never forgive himself if his recklessness caused one of you to get hurt."

  Rosan sighed. "You really are a good mother, Dadan. You're right again. Ace is in a coma."

  There was a tense silence at that. Makino put both hands over her mouth and tears formed in her eyes at the information.

  The redhead sighed. "It'll be okay guys. He'll wake up. I know he will," he assured, smiling at them.

  They looked at the redhead's foreign smile in shock. It was surreal to see Rosan as anything but cruel and emotionless.

  It was... nice to see such a kind smile on his face. Or to see how his eyes glowed strangely.

  Makino imagined if she had been acquainted with this version of Rosan for the 10 years he had been here... well, perhaps she shouldn't continue that train of thought.

  "Alright, Makino I'm going to teach you how to use that Cube, c'mere," Rosan murmured. "If you or Dadan ever wanna talk to me, just click my name right here..."

  Makino listened with rapt attention, eyes wide at the advanced intricacies of Rosan's device.

  "Oh! So if I wanted to talk to Maro here... I'd just click her name!" she exclaimed.

  "Yeah exactly," Rosan nodded.

  What an incredible device! This was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen!

  Makino scrolled through it with an excited glimmer, taking note of all the different names and beaming when she recognized them.

  Some of these names were Rosan's crewmates! Zoro, Nami, Sanji... wow!

  "Who is Raisa?" Makino asked in confusion.

  Rosan rolled his eyes. "My birth mother... once she saw I had these Cubes, she demanded I make her one."

  He was getting significantly faster at making them. He had finished just about all of them for his crew too. Next time he saw them, he'd give them all one.

  ...On that note, he should get ready to go back to Wisteria. He just needed to visit one more person but that wouldn't take too long.

  "Try giving Akemi a call when you get the chance. She misses you," Rosan said, standing up.

  "You're leaving?" Makino asked with a frown.

  He nodded. "Call me whenever. I would have brought Luffy but... we're training separately," he sighed morosely.

  The bartender nodded and pulled him into a crushing hug.

  "Thank you, Rosan," she murmured.

  "No problem," he replied easily, dragging Dadan into the hug. "Take care of yourselves. Don't be afraid to use that dog I gave you. I know you're a pussy so he can just freeze anyone annoying insteading of mauling them to death."

  Makino flushed. "T-Thank you for your consideration. I'll take good care of him."

  Rosan smiled and crushed Dadan next. "I'll visit when I can. I'll be busy with training but you deserve a few visits."

  Dadan immediately burst into tears. "Go back to being a heartless bastard, brat! Be careful out there!"

  He laughed slightly and pat the taller woman. "I will. I'll be much more careful, alright?" he murmured gently.

  Rosan flashed them another smile, before he waved and vanished.