Descent

  Chapter 50: Return to Sabaody

  "Dear... Nami-san. You're a special pirate. The world today is dominated by barbarians who rely on their Devil Fruit power and brute strength! But you can outsmart them with your wits and resourcefulness. Nami-san, you're my hope! I hope you continue to have wonderful adventures!"

  A little girl smiled at her letter, before placing it gently in the envelope. In her room and on the wall, there was a bounty poster of every single one of the Straw Hat Pirates. The most obvious, was the plethora of pictures of the Sorceress, Nami with a few involving The Morning Star, Rosan.

  She grinned at a job well done and removed her glasses, squinting slightly at the blur but ignoring it for the most part. As she stood in the mirror, getting herself ready, the girl nodded at her appearance—

  "DELIVERY!"

  —And jumped at the sound of her mother bursting through the door.

  She gained a tick of annoyance at that. "I told you to knock before entering?!"

  Her mother ignored her. "Where are your glasses? You'll get hurt if you make deliveries without them!"

  The girl rolled her eyes and grabbed her letter. "I'm busy. I can't go."

  "Huh?" the mother blinked in confusion.

  She flashed her letter smugly. "I'm about to go on the adventure of a lifetime! Bye!"

  A vein of annoyance quickly formed, as her mother cut off her path to freedom.

  "Listen. People can't live alone. The brothers from the greengrocer's family give their parents money and even just got promoted!" she scolded, blocking her daughter from escaping the entire time.

  "I told you already that those bulls and I are completely different!"

  "Yeah, they're hard workers and you're—"

  Before the mother could even finish her sentence, she yelped in shock as her daughter sped right past her.

  "Why you... I heard they even played a big part in the Paramount War!"

  Flashback to the Paramount War

  Two brothers watched in horror, as lightning and sand dominated the battlefield, courtesy of an incredibly violent redhead and a vicious former warlord. They were doing everything in their power to avoid the catastrophe that was going to reduce them into pieces of the elements they were spewing out.

  "I want to quit this job," he said tiredly, nursing his injuries as the sandstorm and lightning worked around each other in impossible synergy.

  "You and me both, big bro," the Marine to his right sighed.

  How was any of them supposed to stop that monster? After all he was the one who survived two encounters with—

  "Hawkeye is the greatest swordsman alive!"

  "It's Vista."

  "No way! It's Roronoa Zoro!"

  Oni (he was getting tired of calling it just the bird... that's right) trilled in amusement on his shoulder, at the mention of his name and Zoro sighed in annoyance at it.

  "Shut up you," he grunted, taking a sip of his sake.

  The bird that Rosan had gifted him from two years ago, was still following him to this day. It was pretty useful. Somehow, it had learned how to repair his injuries and it was also hopelessly attached to Zoro.

  (Zoro refused to mention that the bird was the brains of the operation. He also refused to mention that he was attached to said bird as well)

  "I'm telling you guys, it's Roronoa!"

  "Right... is he even alive?!"

  "I'm sure he's alive. He's getting stronger somewhere in the world."

  One of the patrons, clearly having drank too much, said, with a spoon in his mouth, "Ohihihi!"

  The man across from him raised a brow. "What did you say?"

  "Onigiri!"

  They both broke out into laughter and Zoro's eyes twitched as the bird joined in.

  "Why does he put a sword in his mouth?!"

  "More is not always better!"

  Zoro began twitching even harder at that, Oni chirping repeatedly in joy.

  "Oss.."

  "What?"

  "Mosshead!"

  The laughing only got louder. The two men were in an uproar, curling into themselves as the hilarious situation overruled their drunk minds. The third patronage, the one who had been defending Zoro, watched with an exasperated expression...

  They just didn't understand. The one with the most potential was the strongest. Zoro was the swordsman with the most potential in the world to be the best!

  The laughter of the two drunks abruptly ended, as they were punched with enough force to embed their heads onto the table.

  "W-What's he so mad for?" they wheezed, lumps forming on their heads as their annoyed attacker marched out of the establishment.

  Oni chirped apologetically, lightly pecking Zoro's hair to show that they were remorseful for laughing at him.

  "Yeah yeah. Don't make it a habit," Zoro grunted, knowing the bird was going to do just that.

  That apology was fake. Oni wouldn't hesitate to laugh at him if he did something stupid.

  Annoying bird. She was lucky she guided him to this island.

  "The Straw Hat reunion? Who the hell organized this...? I'm the only one who would and I don't remember doing that..."

  "Your greed clouds your perfect memory. I didn't even think such a thing was possible."

  That was the only thing the little girl heard, before she crashed into the body of someone really strong. That leg felt like she'd break a hand trying to punch it!

  She blinked rapidly as she collapsed onto the floor, items flying everywhere. Her indignation at crashing into someone, vanished in favor of fear at seeing just how tall the person she hit was.

  "Hm?"

  The figure tilted their head, hoodie jostling slightly as a completely hidden face stared at her. Next to him, was one of the most beautiful woman that the little girl had seen.

  She was dressed in a sharp suit and there was a curious, albeit largely disinterested, look in her eyes and the little girl stammered, face burning at the smile she was given.

  Ah... so unfair. How could someone be so gorgeous?

  "What the hell?" the deep voice mused, snapping her attention back to the intimidating figure that she bumped into. "Mini Nami?"

  Her eyes instantly lit up at that and she nodded vigorously, pleased that someone noticed her inspiration.

  The figured chuckled at that, deep voice making her shudder slightly. She was honestly surprised that he wasn't upset at her for crashing into him.

  "Dressing up as her is cool and all, but you're your own person too," he advised, crouching slightly in front of her. "If you need to wear your glasses, you should. Add a little flair to your cosplay."

  "U-Um..." She blushed in embarrassment at his words and the man laughed again.

  He reached out with his hand and she flinched back, only to blink as he tapped a finger against her forehead.

  "Modify: Vision."

  A pressure built up in her eyes and the little girl shouted in surprise, blinking rapidly at the disorientation before her vision cleared...

  To an exceptional degree. The girl's eyes widened in astonishment as her eyesight cleared up completely.

  She saw an amused grin behind the hoodie, two eyes glowing brightly before they vanished behind the strange darkness.

  "There. Now be a little fan to your heart's content," he chuckled, standing up. He prepared to march off after the purple haired woman who was waiting ahead for him, but a shadowy figure stood over the two.

  The hooded man tilted his head, as a blonde Marine stood in their path, causing the little girl to take a shaky step back.

  "Oh dear," the purple haired woman sighed, pinching her nose for some reason.

  The blonde marine glared disappointedly at the two, malice in his eyes as a sneer formed.

  He prepared to open his mouth, only for his eyes to roll back. He went flying backwards, tumbling and crashing into a wall.

  "Outta my way Marine," the man said idly, not even registering his presence. He unclenched his fist and hummed, making his way to the woman watching.

  All the while, the little girl's mouth flapped uselessly at the casual act of power. S-She didn't even see what happened! What did he do?!

  "Did you really have to punch that man?" the woman whispered quietly. There was a displeased look on her pretty features that had the few people gazing at them swooning.

  The man snorted. "I didn't like the way he was looking at me... and he's a Marine. Trust me, he was going to say something really stupid and I was going to kill him."

  She simply shook her head at his antics. "Fair point but should you really be using your power so freely?" she murmured.

  The redhead laughed. "Why not? I thought her little costume was pretty cute. Besides, how can you even link that back to me?"

  The woman sighed. "I don't think it's a costume so you're being rude. I think she's modeling herself after Nami."

  "No idea why. Nami is a terrible role model."

  "And you're better?"

  "I don't see people modeling themself after me."

  "You'd be surprised but then again, I'm sure you're just being ignorant on purpose."

  The girl watched them go with wide eyes, jaw dropping more and more.

  "W-Was that?! Was that who I think it was?!" she whispered in awe, gazing rapidly between him and the unconscious Marine.

  Was that The Morning Star?! Rosan?! The Rosan? Who was that lady with him? She was as pretty as Nami!

  Her eyes glittered in awe and she began hastily reaching around for her letter.

  If she spoke to him, would he let her see Nami?!

  ...

  The girl rapidly began patting herself down, jaw dropping as she realized something important.

  "Where's my letter?!" she shouted in disbelief, losing sight of him in the same movement.

  Oh dammit! Just her luck!

  Shakky smiled brightly as two familiar figure entered her bar. She immediately placed her dishes down and grabbed both Mod and Rosan, pulling them in a tight hug.

  "If it isn't my aunt who's actually my grandma but I still call aunt," Rosan greeted, squeezing her and dragging her over the counter to make the hug more comfortable.

  The woman sighed at his antics. "You're always like this, Rosan. You need to be less troublesome like Demon."

  Rosan laughed and waved her off. "Nah I'm good. It's more enjoyable this way."

  "Of course it is," Shakky agreed. That's just how Rosan was. Selfish to the core and doing whatever made him happy.

  "Shakuyaku! How are you?" Mod smiled happily.

  "I'm great. I've missed you guys. The decision to come back to Sabaody wasn't an easy one," she admitted truthfully.

  Rosan chuckled. "I'll give you a Save Point then. I'd feel bad not being able to visit my dear grandma."

  Shakky sighed fondly. "You're the only person alive who speaks to me so disrespectfully you know?"

  Rosan sighed in return, reaching into her pockets and pulling out a pack of cigarettes... that he summarily burned to ashes. "You're the only one who never gets offended. I've never pissed you off once."

  It was impossible. Shakky was almost always all smiles for the entire duration they had trained together. Rosan was completely unable to irritate her. She just went along with everything he said!

  Even embarrassing her was impossible. What a brick wall of composure Shakky was.

  Shakky laughed at that. She hadn't actually smoked for two years. Maybe she was also slightly whipped for her family as well because all of Raisa, Hancock and Rosan disapproved of it greatly and she couldn't go disappointing them.

  That was why Oren didn't smoke anymore either. He said Dalia would make exaggerated dying noises every single time he tried.

  "You don't have to visit me too much. I'll call you when I miss the others though. Where's Ram?" she asked.

  "Yes ma'am and Ram's sleeping. She stayed up late reading books," he saluted, stepping back and turning towards Rayleigh. "Sup Gramps."

  Rayleigh was all smiles, leaning against his seat as he watched Shakky interact with her family.

  He was glad she left the bar to spend time with him. From what she mentioned, she had practically spent the whole time there!

  Good for her. Rayleigh had been surprised when he showed back up to Sabaody and there was no one here.

  "Rosan, it's been a while. I thought you would have been the first one here," Rayleigh pointed out, smiling at the man.

  Rosan hummed, running a hand through his hair. "Raisa kept me for as long as possible by using this lady here as an informant."

  Shakky smiled at the finger pointing accusedly at her and flashed her cube.

  "My selfish mother, kept calling Aunt Shakky here to make sure there were other members of the crew who hadn't shown up yet. As long as I wasn't the last one, it was fine in her eyes."

  Shakky held her hands up at being caught. "Guilty as charged. I tried to tell her not to be so clingy but it failed amazingly well. Raisa's just like you. Telling her not to do something, makes her worse," she laughed.

  The redhead snorted. "She wanted to keep me and Mod-chan. Greedy little Queen would have kept us long after setting sail if it were up to her... Especially Mod-chan."

  Mod huffed, black parts of her hair turning white in warning. "I would appreciate if you'd stop speaking about that."

  Rosan shrugged and completely ignored her. "Nah. I'm good."

  Shakky laughed again. She had practically spent the two years with her relatives over at Wisteria so seeing these two argue was nothing new. It was almost the norm actually. Mod and Rosan, for all their similarities, argued like a typical sibling duo.

  "You were the second to last to show up. Only your captain hasn't arrived as far as I'm aware," she explained.

  Rosan raised a brow and hummed at that. "Luffy? He's gotta be the closest to Sabaody though so why is he taking the longest... Who was first?"

  "Roronoa Zoro was, followed by the Cyborg Franky and Sorceress Nami," she smiled.

  Rosan's brow shot up even higher at that and his mouth opened slightly in his confusion.

  "Zoro first?" he asked in disbelief. "How is that possible?"

  That couldn't have possibly been right. Zoro? Their swordsman? What had happened to him over the 2 years? Was he dead? Was this actually Zoro?

  "He had a bird with him that looked like one of yours," Shakky pointed out. "They seem to have been with each other the entirety of these two years. He always acts annoyed by it, but they're very close."

  "Oh!" Rosan slammed a fist against his palm in realization. "I can't believe he still has that gift I gave him! Good thing he does… I'm pretty sure that bird makes up all his current brain cells."

  Well if that were the case... then by default, Rosan technically got here first. His bird guided Zoro after all.

  Yup, he was taking that.

  Mod rolled her eyes at the childish redhead. "I'm glad he kept it. If it stayed with him for the entirety of the two years, I'm sure they have formed quite the bond. Knowing Zoro though, he won't admit it."

  "Oh just like how you won't admit the bond you formed with—"

  Rosan ducked under the hellish swing and tossed Mod over his shoulder, conjuring a hat for the both of them in the same movement and swapping his cloak out in favor of a coat that hung off his shoulders and showed the form fitting black tee underneath.

  "Best to swap outfits. Makes me stand out less," he mused, flicking the cowboy hat up with a suave smile.

  He pat Mod's bottom. "Come here often, pretty lady?" he called mockingly.

  Shakky laughed aloud at the shriek Mod let out.

  "Put me down you insufferable little boy! Oh when I get my hands on you you're dead" Mod snarled, face burning red. She began beating against his back with her hellish strength and resisted the urge to howl as he barely even flinched.

  "Wow, it was just a joke Mod-chan. I wasn't actually flirting with you. Lighten up a little," Rosan sighed.

  "Agh! Die!" Mod rasped in fury, wiggling fruitlessly.

  He effortlessly ignored her. "How did Luffy's training go?" Rosan asked Rayleigh.

  The old pirate laughed. "He already had most of his Haki figured out but I oversaw and helped with his training for 1 year and 6 months. These last 6 months, he's been training on his own."

  Rosan raised a brow. "I heard you banned him from training with Hancock. That would have been useful you know? Hancock is a monster."

  Rayleigh sighed and pinched his nose. "I'm not surprised she told you. You would think you're her older brother at this rate..." he muttered.

  "He probably is. Rosan's turned her into quite the menace," Shakky laughed.

  Rosan chuckled. "Luffy's been training but he probably lacks battle experience now..." he mused, grinning confidently. "He'll be so surprised when he sees me. Oh! He might even be more surprised when he sees how strong Maro got too!"

  He and Maro had been training nonstop with each other, both being students to Raisa over the years. That was the reason his Observation became usable because Maro had actually begun getting the edge on him when she decided dodging his attacks were vital to winning.

  Ah if Luffy saw them now, he'd get really mad!

  "You miss him," Mod pointed out with a small smile.

  Rosan sighed despondently. "Yeah I do. You raise a little boy up from nothing and you get attached. Sue me."

  Ugh, he missed Luffy. Picking him out on the island full of so much people, was highly aggravating. His observation had significantly improved but not enough to match Sabo's or Enel's.

  It wasn't at a level he was satisfied at. Sure he could feel everyone on the island but there was too much of them so it gave him a headache. Too many electrical sources and whatnot.

  "Luffy's gotten strong. I made sure of it," Rayleigh assured, smiling at the man.

  Rosan nodded at that, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Thank you for taking care of my brother. I still hate Roger but you're alright," he said simply.

  Rayleigh laughed. "It was nothing... and I don't blame you. What he did to you was unforgivable, but you're very mature for no longer allowing your anger to infect the world. Well done, Rosan."

  The redhead snorted, smiling at that. "No use expressing my anger on the world when the one I'm angry at, is dead. Besides, I now have a clear target to focus on so that's what I'll do... I won't let myself be clouded in the process."

  Shakky smiled. The redhead's improvements made her proud of him. He had grown into a lovely boy.

  "I'm gonna go now. See ya Aunt, don't be a stranger," Rosan announced, turning on a dime and allowing the hoisted over Mod to wave at them.

  "We'll see you at another time, Shakuyaku!" Mod grinned, waving at the duo.

  She snarled immediately after. "Rosan, put me down or I'll kill you!"

  "Visit when you can. I'll get upset if you don't," Shakky waved at the duo.

  "No you won't... but I'd still feel bad so you know I will," Rosan sighed, patting Mod's bottom again because he knew she hated it.

  "AGHH!" Mod let out a furious howl, sparking purple as she prepared to bring hell to Rosan.

  Rosan laughed easily and ignored her. The door to their bar shut without a noise as he tapped it, vanishing promptly.

  "I'm going to miss seeing them every day," Shakky smiled in amusement. "They're so entertaining. It's never boring without them."

  Rayleigh laughed. "It seems like you've formed quite the bond with them. Rosan strikes me as the type to go restless not visiting certain loved ones."

  "That's because he is. He's lovely once you get off his neutral side and on his good one." Shakky smiled fondly.

  Portgas D. Rosan. To think he had almost completely unified the bond between the Iris and the Kuja with just his presence... Both sides adored the redhead and he and Hancock were practically siblings now, solidifying their relationship even more.

  Raisa may have been onto something with her repeated gushing. He truly was the light of the Iris clan.

  Morning Star was quite the ironic and fitting title.

  "I told you idiots to pay for the books!" the store clerk shouted angrily at the children.

  "Afro's here! Afro's here! Let's get outta here!"

  They laughed at being caught and swiftly ran out of the store, leaving the book behind.

  She scoffed, bending down and grabbing the book they were reading.

  "Morning Star, Rosan... man or devil?" she murmured in confusion. The woman shrugged and opened the book to a random page.

  "Rocks D. Rosan, a man of many mysteries. No one knows where he came from but for years, he paraded the world as the infamous Reaper, Angel of Death. After going off grid, he showed up as a redhead by the name of Portgas D. Rosan... we've asked many reliable sources and have come to the conclusion that he is not human. As you can tell, humans can only eat one Devil Fruit but Rosan has shown at least 4 different ones! He is clearly a demon with shapeshifting... powers. He's once again disappeared and it's been two years now. We will now work hard to uncover which form he will appear in now— WHO THE HELL IS SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE THIS?!"

  The girl pinched her nose. "Who buys this crap? A man that handsome, can't be a demon anyways," she sighed, shutting the book and tossing it to the side.

  "You'd be surprised," Robin said idly, shutting her own book. She sighed and adjusted her shades.

  "Hm?" Afro turned towards her with a raised brow. "You're speaking from experience? A handsome man broke your heart?"

  Robin smiled in amusement. "Something like that."

  The store clerk shrugged. "Are you going to be buying that?" she pointed at the book the woman was holding...

  ...Which was conveniently the same one that she had just been reading.

  Robin mulled over her response. On one hand, this book was full of nonsense but on the other... she could read it aloud to Rosan and torture him the entire time.

  "I think I'll buy it. It seems like an interesting read despite the nonsense... and I feel as if you'd be quite upset if I didn't buy something," she said eventually, pulling out a coin from her bag.

  The clerk waved her off. "I only get annoyed with those brats because they read and never pay."

  Robin smiled dryly. "Maybe they're fans of the Morning Star."

  "Can you blame them? He isn't even the captain of the crew and he's one of the most popular pirates alive," she sighed.

  "I don't know why. He's really not all that impressive," Robin muttered with a shake of her head.

  "N-Not that impressive?! Didn't you hear about what he did?! Fought side by side with Whitebeard...! Despite losing the war, they said he was the most valuable person there! He's crazy strong!" the woman exclaimed.

  At least he was not here to hear this. How ridiculous. Even the average citizen seemed to know about Rosan's accomplishment. Admiration and fear ran rampant for these people.

  Robin was not nearly as impressed. Rosan was an idiot after all.

  She payed for the book and stored it in her bag, vowing to only read it when she was connected to Rosan.

  Though, she was honestly surprised he hadn't jumped her yet. Where was he?

  "Missing the hubby?" Raven crooned mockingly, pushing herself off the wall of the store Robin had just been in.

  Robin twitched minutely and regarded the clone who's hair was running freely down her head. It looked like how she used to style it two years ago but longer, while the tips were dipped in red.

  Why did her clones have to get under her skin so easily? And why did they so shamelessly boost Rosan's ego?

  "I thought you were supposed to be doing something?" Robin asked in annoyance.

  Raven popped the bubblegum she had been chewing, shades covering her eyes. It was rare for her scowl to be missing but usually when it was, it was replaced by an insufferable smirk that reminded her too much of the man she had just been thinking of.

  "Got bored. Decided bothering you would be more fun," Raven drawled, snatching the book out of her hand.

  Robin's angry clone raised a brow, moving her shades slightly up to regard what she was holding.

  "Why are you looking at me like that?" Robin asked defensively.

  Raven continued to stare at her, smirk on her face widening as she regarded the book.

  "Really now, boss woman? Reading made up books about him?" she teased.

  Why were her clones so annoying? 2/3 of them gave her a headache at all times... was this her punishment for something?

  Robin snatched the book out of her hand and stuffed it in her back with an annoyed expression.

  "I bought it for the sole purpose of annoying him, not because I was actually interested in the contents," she replied calmly, continuing her gait.

  "Sure," Raven snorted.

  "You are literally me, Raven."

  The clone shrugged. "It's been 6 months and we all miss him too. What were you thinking?"

  "...I was thinking that it would do us both good to have a bit more independence from each other. Our reliance on one another was unhealthy. Now, I'm sure we can both deal with not seeing the other," Robin explained patiently.

  Raven peered at her with an unimpressed expression. "Deal? You've been grumpy almost the entirety of the 6 months of us not seeing him. Seriously, we need to get lai—"

  Robin banished her before she could finish her sentence.

  "Don't come out for the rest of the day," she warned, shaking her head and continuing her walk.

  Utterly ridiculous. Her clones were all just big children. How they could say the things they said with her face?

  Robin would never understand. Were these her clones or Rosan's clones with her face...

  "Whitebeard is the strongest!"

  "Whitebeard isn't a swordsman! That's a Naginata, not a sword!"

  "I'm telling you already it's Mihawk! I saw him in person! He didn't get a single scratch you know!"

  "I'm telling you, it's Roronoa Zoro!"

  "He isn't even the best swordsman in his crew! The Morning Star is one too! I saw him fighting Mihawk!"

  "He uses more than one weapon. That doesn't count! They said he uses a scythe mostly!"

  The bar from earlier was getting rowdier and rowdier with the heat of the arguments. It had evolved from a debate between Mihawk, Zoro and Vista to any pirate with a weapon they could think of!

  "The strongest is Akainu!" the younger Marine of the greengrocer family announced.

  "HE'S NOT EVEN A SWORDSMAN!"

  The little girl listened with a scowl underneath the table, as they kept arguing with each other. That darn younger brother had her letter! Some nice man with a long nose told her about it and guided her to this bar over here!

  But getting it was a little difficult in all the chaos...

  "How can you talk about the Mosshead and the redhead but not Black Leg?" Sanji asked, acting as inconspicuous as possible. He was holding a bag of groceries behind the steadily growing crowd of people arguing.

  There was a brief silence at his question.

  Then, the bar burst into laughter.

  "BLACK LEG?! HE HAS A WAY LOWER BOUNTY THAN RORONOA ZORO! WE CAN'T EVEN COMPARE IT TO THE MORNING STAR!"

  "There's no way he's the world's strongest!"

  Sanji's eye twitched, expression hidden by the bags.

  As everyone continued to laugh at his expense, it abruptly ended as Sanji embedded all their faces onto the table.

  He grumbled to himself and left the bar.

  "Damn idiots," he muttered.

  "W-What's he so mad about?" they wheezed in pain.

  As Sanji opened the door to leave, another Marine stepped in right after, ignoring the chef and beelining it directly to the rowdy table.

  "Oh, hey big bro!" the younger marine called out, watching as the older marine joined.

  "You're supposed to be on the job. What are you doing here?"

  The younger brother waved him off. "The fate of the new weapon depends on me!" he announced, waving a little envelope around.

  The older brother's eye twitched. "That's confidential!"

  "Hey hey, who do you think is the strongest?" someone asked him.

  His younger brother laughed and pulled out a bounty poster. "I can tell you who his favorites are! It's that Straw Hat Luffy!"

  "Oh why is that?!" the crowd asked, grinning impishly.

  He snatched the poster out of his brother's hand and gazed evenly at the rowdy group.

  "Are you guys supporting pirates?" he asked calmly.

  They immediately began to panic at that and he took a deep breath, as his younger brother took the time to poke fun at him...

  Like always. Always making fun of him.

  "I don't like my younger brother."

  The older brother did like Straw Hat Luffy. He also didn't hate nor fear The Morning Star as much as his younger brother did.

  Why?

  Because at his lowest... near death. Those two had given him the strength needed to save his brother and survive.

  Crushed by the leg of a giant, leg broken, drowning... it was a miracle he was still alive after being woefully unprepared to face off against the monsters on both sides of that war.

  After freeing himself from the cold water below, he had been set to run away. He was in no condition to continue fighting in the war... so he was done.

  There were bigger people out there in the world, all too strong for someone random like him to deal with...

  With that knowledge, he had tucked his tail between his legs and limped away...

  Only to hear the desperate cry of his little brother... calling for him.

  "BIG BRO!" he wailed in agony, crushed by the debris of glacier.

  He had been about to abandon his younger brother then and there. He was trapped and there was nothing someone with a broken leg could do to save him...

  But right when he had been about to do that, he remembered the words of two people who he had no business actually listening too.

  But he did and it saved both their lives.

  "We're your brothers! We can't let you die here!" Luffy shouted fearlessly.

  "I already made a promise to myself that I'd never leave you behind again. Whether you're the son of the world's most dangerous pirate, a pirate apart of the world's strongest man's crew… or a criminal worth being executed for his crimes, you will always be my little brother first, Portgas D. Ace."

  They had appeared randomly the moment he took a single step away... freezing him in his tracks.

  If even a Devil could risk his life to save his younger brother, he could at least fight and make the attempt.

  In a move that contrasted everything they had been told about him, The Morning Star had even sacrificed himself in order to save his brother. A move that self sacrificial, shouldn't have been in the playbook of a Devil but that monster had shown a side of himself that no one from the Marines knew existed...

  It was funny. The same monster that filled him with terror, was the same person that filled him with the resolve to save his brother.

  The Morning Star, Rosan... what was a crazy guy like that up to right now?

  Rosan peeked into the rowdy bar after hearing the argument, before shrugging and deciding to go look for another.

  They were arguing about the strongest of something. Soon enough, there would be no debates of that type of nature. Rosan would be the resounding #1 in the world.

  "Good idea," Mod said happily, walking with him. She was just happy to not be slung over his shoulder again.

  The woman adjusted her hat idly, while fiddling with her tie.

  "Ram," the woman tested carefully.

  Nothing. Just happy snoring from the weapon.

  Mod sighed and shook her head.

  Despite her mannerisms and attitude, Ram was quite the good girl. She was surprisingly meticulous in her day to day activities, read her books diligently and slept when it was time to sleep.

  The girl was like Rosan in that regard but even then, she was better behaved than he was. Hyper intelligence hidden behind hyperactivity...

  Unfortunately, Dalia had turned her into quite the delinquent. Those two would steal Raisa's snacks from the pantry, hole themselves in the younger sister's room and giggle and talk about the books they were currently reading.

  Ram had even stopped sleeping with the two of them to instead sleep with her great-aunt, who she just called aunt for simplicity's sake.

  ...This was of course so the two little gremlins could stay up late, eat snacks, talk about everything and read cheesy romance stories until the sun came out and they were both properly punished by either her, Rosan or Raisa.

  Mod still didn't get how someone like Ram could adore romance so much. She used to think Ram was the least romantic person next to Luffy. Turns out, she was almost as hopelessly romantic as Meiko was.

  It had been hidden too, only revealing itself when Ram decided to take initiative to get Robin and Rosan together.

  What a funny thought. The reason she was still sleeping, was because had been up all night in her room reading the same book as Dalia, so that the two could talk about it next time they met.

  She was positive that the little girl was just using it as an excuse to not be forced to walk around Sabaody. She was a tried and true introvert who really hated when people looked at her.

  Ram was such a funny person. Both Rosan and Meiko were extroverts at their core, yet she was the ultimate introvert who'd hiss if you told her to go outside.

  Rosan hummed, eyes roving the archipelago with bright eyes hidden under a gray hat that was hiding more than it should. His gray coat swayed in time with the wind and he hummed a tune to himself.

  "Remind me why you want to find a bar again?" he asked.

  "Because you stress me out. I need a drink or two. Aiko showed me the beauty of drinking whenever Portgas D. Rosan is involved," Mod grunted.

  Rosan sighed wistfully. "She says I gave her a drinking problem with how much I stress her out. I think she actually means it because she's never once lied saying that."

  "You gave me a drinking problem too," she said soullessly.

  He blinked at the fact that he couldn't detect a lie from her.

  Huh... was he really that much of a problem?

  ...Nah.

  "Don't forget that you're a super lightweight Mod-chan. You better not turn your tolerance off. I'll still carry you once you inevitably knock yourself out... but I'd be pretty annoyed."

  Mod colored brightly at that, glaring at him with heinous eyes. "Don't you tell me what I am or what I can do! I can handle my liquor just fine, you!"

  "You got drunk after one cup then wouldn't let me go for the entire night, you ended up latched onto me in a different position every 10 minutes and don't forget when you started crying about your little boy growing up too fast... and then I had to hold your hair while you threw up the next day."

  She twitched at the amusement in his voice, rounding on him with a furious scowl and jostling her hat slightly.

  Rosan idly adjusted it atop her head, securing it easily. Mod-chan was very not used to wearing a hat so it was up to him to make sure she didn't compromise her appearance... not that she really cared if such a thing happened.

  She wasn't a wanted criminal after all... yet. But she didn't seem to care if she got a bounty.

  Heh, if Mod got a high bounty, would Rosan count that as both of theirs and add it to his own?

  "Why are you so annoying lately?" she hissed.

  He shrugged. "You're just easy to rile up right now. All because I mentioned Raisa. That set you off and now everything I say, pisses you off. Aiko has the same problem you know. One mention of how she's ridiculously attracted to me and I light a bomb under her ass."

  "No wonder she gets so mad at you so often. You can't possibly be human," Mod grit out.

  Rosan laughed. It was a deep and noticeable laugh, that normally would have had Mod smiling but right now, it only served to make her more upset.

  Before the two of them could begin a brawl in the middle of Sabaody, Rosan paused as he noticed a peculiar sight.

  It was a group of... cosplayers? A green haired man, a blonde man... a fox... and a short black haired woman.

  Rosan blinked slowly at the short black haired woman.

  Was that... surely that wasn't...

  A scowl formed on his face.

  Oh it fucking was.

  Fake Robin, Fake Sanji and Fake Zoro had no time to react, as a small explosion erupted in front of the sole woman there. She shouted in distress as she went tumbling and the woman couldn't hear the shouts of panic of the crowd due to the random explosion.

  "Why did you just do that?" Mod asked in shock, watching as Rosan inconspicuously set off a random explosion for no reason at all.

  Was her son just a terrorist? What on earth was wrong with him?!

  "I saw something that disturbed me. Some people operate in such bad faith," Rosan sighed, scratching his head as he leisurely walked past the group he just slightly blew up.

  Was he missing something? Why were there so many cosplayers today? Since when were the Straw Hats celebrated so much?

  Was that what this Straw Hat meetup thing was? A bunch of cosplayers celebrating them?

  "Rosan you cannot just commit random acts of terrorism! We're supposed to be keeping a low profile! You already assaulted a Marine because he looked at you!" Mod chastised him, keeping pace with her son. She was frowning disapprovingly at him and the redhead chanced a glance back at her.

  "If you saw someone defiling the image of Raisa, wouldn't you react negatively? That's your "woman" after all," he pointed out calmly, changing his coat from gray to black, while doing the same to his hat.

  Mod twitched as he made her hat gray. "WHAT ARE YOU EVEN TALKING ABOUT?!" she bellowed

  "What... just happened?" Fake Zoro wheezed.

  "Are you still mad at me?" Rosan asked in amusement, leaning in his seat. He idly fiddled with her hair, turning a single strand a variety of colors.

  Mod glared at him and moved his hand away from her hair, grumpily sitting in their booth as she downed another bottle of ale. Idly, she touched the strand and turned it purple once more.

  "You shouldn't be drinking ale. Way too rough for a refined woman like you," Rosan complimented, snatching the bottle out of her hand and finishing it for her.

  The snarl that met him, sounded worryingly dangerous. It was almost like she was substituting the guttural noise, with the words she truly wanted to say. That's how strangled it was.

  "You're stupid and I hate you and I'm going to kill you if you keep it up," she sneered, adjusting her hat to hide her purple hair and baring her teeth as his hand reached over again to grab it.

  "All because you wanna french kiss Raisa and I said no?" he raised a brow, ignoring all the warnings she was giving him and grasping the hair once more.

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  Mod's face colored at that, turning a deep shade of red at how... how crude he was! "I made no mention of wanting to do that! Stop saying such crude things!" she hissed at him.

  "So why are you mad at me then?" he asked knowingly.

  At this point he was just trying to see how riled up she could get. Mod was sure of it because this conversation was utterly insufferable and she was going to erupt.

  "Because you're my son! You don't get to tell me what I can or can't do!" she scowled.

  Rosan rolled his eyes. "We fought over it on the way here. 50% each. You lost."

  "You're a cheater! I'm sure that you were 51%! I'm sure of it!" Mod pressed.

  The redhead snorted. "Is this your way of coping? I could have given you 51% and you would have lost. You're not a fighter like me, Mod-chan. It was 50%," he chided.

  "Ugh! I can't stand you!" Mod huffed.

  Rosan smiled winningly. "If you don't want me to tell you what to do, you'll have to kick my ass properly. You're not dating on my watch."

  Mod spluttered at the underlying threat behind those words.

  She thought he had been mildly joking before but now she could see that this entire time, Rosan had been completely and utterly serious!

  The other members of her family wouldn't have objected to hearing she was going on a date with Raisa! Why was he the only one being such an ass about it?!

  "Y-You're completely unbelievable! I seriously will go on a date with Raisa if you don't stop!"

  Rosan shrugged. "I'd like to see you try—"

  The redhead let out a grunt of surprise as he was suddenly tackled and crushed against something... squishy.

  They were in a bar because Mod wanted to drink her anger at him away and Rosan was too amused to say no to it. The rather mediocre establishment was nothing special but it was a lot less annoying then that other bar, where a bunch of people were arguing who was the strongest.

  It was still decently loud, due to one group that Rosan wasn't quite paying attention to, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the other place.

  But maybe that would have been better than getting jumped so randomly because it only took him a second to realize his face was currently being crushed against a large set of boobs.

  "It hasn't even been that long. I haven't seen Robin yet and the first thing that's going to happen, is she kills me when I plead my case," Rosan sighed sadly… up until he realized who it was hugging him. It wasn't easy to tell because you know... his face was being covered but now he could!

  "Rosan!" Nami squealed, a giant grin on her face as she hugged him like her life depended on it.

  Rosan blinked, before a grin made its way to his face and he easily captured the navigator, squeezing her happily. The two hugged each other tightly, euphoria at not having seen one another in two years and they both began laughing.

  "Nami!" he grinned, tucking her easily into him with a pleased sigh.

  He grasped her long hair and laughed. "Look at you! You grew your hair out!"

  "And you put some dye in yours!" she teased, referring to the inky tips.

  Nami was practically buzzing with energy at seeing her older brother again, gazing at his expressive eyes with a soft gaze.

  He looked different in more than just appearance. His hair was slightly longer, dyed with black, his face was mostly hidden by a black hat, his clothes were less concealing, a black form fitting shirt that showed off his tattoo, and there was a black coat hanging off his seat.

  But the most different thing about him, was just his overall demeanor. Rosan looked at peace and that was something that moved Nami greatly. There was a relaxed smile on his face as he gazed up and down at her... before focusing on her middle.

  It didn't take Nami very long to see what he was staring at. She would have smashed him on the head for such a thing, if she wasn't sure Rosan was staring for another reason.

  "What the hell are you wearing?" Rosan raised a brow, looking at her attire with a disapproving glare.

  Nami gazed down at her bikini top and then looked back at him with a sheepish expression. "It was hot?" she tried.

  Rosan continued to stare at her with an unimpressed expression.

  "Two years and you're judging what I'm wearing?" she teased.

  "Of course. When you hugged me, I thought you were an escort. I was getting ready to sign my deathbed because Robin was going to kill me if I told her what you did and didn't specify who did it," he said shamelessly.

  Nami spluttered at that. "There's better ways to say that, Rosan! Watch it!" she warned.

  Rosan rolled his eyes and tapped her, immediately placing a comfortable and loose top over her body.

  Nami pouted at the oversized shirt and Rosan chuckled in amusement.

  "I like the witch hat though. It's a nice addition, Sorceress," he praised, flicking her drooping hat.

  "Stop trying to band aid compliment me... but yes, I've been fascinated in leaning into my Sorceress moniker. I wanted your help with it but since we got separated... I decided to work on it a bit myself," she grumbled.

  Rosan chuckled and sat her next to him. "I'll help of course. Gotta make sure you live up to your name."

  "Still trying to butter me up, huh?" she muttered, before lighting up at the amusement radiating off him.

  Rosan grunted as he was pulled into a tight hug by his navigator.

  "I'm so glad you're okay. I read the news two years ago," she murmured shakily.

  Her pseudo big brother laughed lightly, looking so much more at ease and dare Nami say… wiser.

  "I'm fine now. I'm sorry for worrying you. I'll tell you guys everything once we've settled down. It... was hectic for sure," he murmured right back.

  "I'll hold you to that. I'm just glad you're okay now," Nami sighed in relief.

  The two continued to hug, before Nami heard a very familiar voice going, "Ahem. I'd like if you didn't disregard me."

  The navigator turned to face the noise and her jaw dropped at seeing a familiar purple haired woman.

  "N-No way! Mod-chan?! Is that really you?!" Nami gaped, looking rapidly between Mod and Rosan with wide eyes.

  Did their scout actually achieve his goal of splitting the two of them up? How did he manage to do that?!

  Her eyes lit up in joy and she squealed, leaping on the slightly taller woman next. "I'm sorry! I actually thought you were a girl flirting with Rosan so I showed up to discourage you!"

  "Oh that's why you crushed me into your boobs," Rosan murmured.

  "Don't worry Nami! I'm proud of you for taking those steps actually. Rosan's incredibly oblivious to those things," Mod smiled, capturing the navigator in a deep hug.

  She laughed as Nami nuzzled her in awe. The navigator was pinching her soft cheeks and experimentally touching every part of her body.

  Nami awed at the fact that everything felt so organic. "Wow Mod-chan! You look a little older now! And your hair looks amazing! I guess the both of you wanted some black huh?"

  "Why yes. I decided to work on myself a bit during the years. It would be no good if Rosan and Ram were the only one changing. I have to change myself too." The Devil Fruit smiled, showing her full hair for a brief moment before covering it back up.

  She added the black highlights to show her support of Rosan's new addition to his own hair. Not only that, she did look slightly older, appearing the same age as Rosan... and she made herself slightly taller for no particular reason.

  (The Devil Fruit attempted to make herself 6'6 but Rosan had soundly shut it down... so now she was just 5'10)

  "Not only that, a new outfit?" Nami wiggled her brows, looking at the purple button up shirt, the black tie, along with the smooth black slacks. She noticed a black suit jacket resting neatly on the booth seat behind her and whistled.

  A woman in a suit? Nami had no idea Mod could pull it off so well!

  "Wearing a suit in a place like this is brave, Mod-chan. You'll get it dirty," Nami pointed out.

  "Better my suit than my dress," she mumbled, blushing at the perverted whistle Nami let out.

  Over the two years, she had been forced by Dalia, Raisa and Oren to go clothes shopping. While she still had her dress, they had demanded she expand her closet. Obviously, the outfits Robin had gotten for her weren't enough in their eyes... and Mod found herself most attracted to the suits.

  (Coincidentally, they were Raisa's favorite outfit of her as well)

  She was also more inclined to wear different colored suits so Rosan couldn't make fun of her! T-They were conservative as well... so long as she had her jacket on.

  Unlike now. It was no wonder Nami couldn't tell it was her. Rosan was almost murderously blocking her from being seen.

  Ugh, he was so ridiculous!

  The trio continued to converse with one another, Nami taking a seat and accepting the drinks being given to them.

  "I guess we'll share more when we all meet up and are sailing?" Nami mused.

  Rosan nodded. "I had an eventful two years... there's also the war to talk about. I'd rather not repeat it multiple times and I bet if you read the news, everyone else probably did."

  "You're giving them too much credit," Nami said flatly, smiling fondly at the idea of meeting the rest of her crew.

  "How about Clima? How's my little creation doing?" Rosan asked curiously.

  "Most wonderful, Master Rosan. I must say it has been a blast working together with Nami!"

  Nami beamed, cheeks rosy. "He still drives me crazy but the two of us have improved a lot!"

  "I tried to tell her to put on a shirt but she threatened to have me slathered in oil. I was just cleaned, I'd prefer if that did not happen. I apologize for being so weak-minded."

  Nami laughed nervously at the unimpressed glare on Rosan's face.

  They were just chatting and drinking, catching up a little and not paying any attention.

  Unfortunately, they didn't realize how much attention they were grabbing.

  "Don't you think you're being a little greedy with two girls all by yourself? Why not come join the fun?" a voice asked cockily.

  Conversation at their little table halted and Rosan raised a brow. He turned towards the voice who said that and huffed in amusement.

  The large and obese figure was grinning at his group… with a pretty familiar looking getup.

  "Being greedy is like one of my core personality traits," Rosan pointed out, dragging Nami and Mod closer to him just to stress his point. He even went as far as to wrap an arm around the two to prove it further.

  "He's so unhinged," they both sighed, gazing at the voices with a disinterested gaze and just allowing the redhead hold them.

  Rosan truly didn't care what rumors were spread about him and they were well aware that at this point, if they broke apart from him, he'd get even worse.

  Nothing to do but just go along with it.

  He was lucky it was him and he was utterly devoted to someone already.

  Rosan smiled and pinched their cheeks idly, getting grumbles of annoyance out of them. There was a distinctly smug look in his eyes as he stared the group down, not that they could see it.

  "That's a nice cosplay by the way. The Straw Hats? I heard they're a good crew with a super cool and hot guy in it," he mused.

  Even more cosplays? Seriously, what the hell was going on?

  "He's so shameless," Nami and Mod thought once more, holding their heads in exasperation.

  The cosplayer twitched in annoyance at Rosan's comments. "Cosplay? Do you know who I am? I'm Straw Hat Luffy, the son of Dragon the Revolutionary!"

  Rosan raised a brow. This was his little brother? Wow, Luffy was taller than him now!

  "Weird. I coulda sworn you were Demalo Black…" Rosan mused to himself, cupping his chin curiously.

  The Luffy cosplayer flinched at that, expression going very pale at his casual observation…

  H-How did he know that? Was this guy some type of wizard?

  Fake Luffy began sweating, as the disguised man continued to stare at him...

  ...Only for Rosan to shrug helplessly. "I guess I must be seeing things though. Well, whatever. You can go sit back down, son of Dragon the Revolutionary," he grinned lazily, leaning back and drinking his ale.

  Mod abruptly snatched it out of his hand and downed it instantly, glaring at him all the while with a smug sneer.

  Rosan's eyes narrowed and he dragged Mod close by the tie, glaring at her all the while.

  "You got a problem, woman?" he sneered.

  Mod gazed fearlessly at him. "Whatever do you mean? Judging by the grip on my tie, I'd assume you're the one with the problem!"

  Nami sweatdropped. Now that she had a body, everyone got to hear how much these two argued. They weren't even paying attention to the "Straw Hats" anymore, snarling at each other warningly.

  By now, their heads were banging against one another and Nami was sure that at this rate, elements would start flying very soon.

  Footsteps alerted her to the fact that someone was getting closer and Nami looked up, before a vein of annoyance formed on her face. Normally she wouldn't be annoyed but...

  "Why don't you three come drink with us?" a woman asked, smiling coyly at Rosan.

  Rosan and Mod continued arguing, completely ignoring the voice. Nami thought for a second she was in the clear... but nope. People seriously had a death wish.

  Why did no one ever stay away from Rosan?! Was she the only one that could see the death aura hanging off of him?! This had to be insanity at its finest!

  "Ahem! I said, why don't you come drink with us?!" the woman repeated, louder this time. There was a thinly veiled annoyance on her face but it vanished as she took another look at Rosan.

  The two ceased their argument at that and the redhead in question, looked over at who said that.

  "You're still here...?" Rosan trailed off, taking a long look at the one who was inviting them over for drinks.

  "Of course I'm still here!" she barked in annoyance.

  Mod winced, shooting Nami an apologetic stare.

  Rosan stared dumbfounded at the woman. His face was carefully blank as he looked her up and down... before sneaking a quick look at his navigator.

  Just from the way he had done it, Nami was well aware that it was supposed to be sneaky but Rosan had done it in a way for her to notice... because he was a dick.

  Nami felt a headache forming, as a tiny snicker left Rosan's mouth. He quickly stifled the noise with an as measured of an expression as possible.

  The scout took a deep breath, and resisted the urge to begin laughing again.

  The navigator saw it all. She was already gearing up to kill him at this point because Rosan was so so annoying.

  The group of pirates, now had Rosan's whole attention and that didn't bode well for anyone.

  It didn't bode well for Nami and Mod because they were meant to keep a low profile until every one of them were here.

  It didn't bode well for the bar because they'd probably get caught up in the collateral.

  And of course, it didn't bode well for the Fake Straw Hats because they had Rosan's undivided attention... and that was never ever a good thing, whether it be positive or negative.

  "I guess you're the Sorceress Nami?" Rosan asked the cosplayer. He rested his head lazily against a fist, expression schooled as he stared a hole into the impostor.

  "I am, handsome," she smiled coyly. "We're having drinks over there, why don't you join me while these two join the captain?"

  Rosan said nothing for a long while. To the observer, it looked like he had been mulling over her request.

  But to Mod and Nami, they knew it was because he was trying very hard to say what he was about to say with a straight face.

  "You… look exactly like how I envisioned the Sorceress to look," he said seriously.

  The fake Nami smiled at what she perceived to be a compliment, only for it to vanish as the real Nami immediately lunged at Rosan out, teeth serrated in her fury.

  "TWO YEARS! I THOUGHT YOU MATURED A LITTLE BUT YOU'RE STILL THE SAME ANNOYING LITTLE SHIT!" she howled furiously, wrapping her arms around his neck to strangle the life out of him..

  Rosan cackled shamelessly, even as she choked him out. His deep voice reverberated through the entire bar and everyone watched with wide and terrified eyes at how fearless these fools were.

  Didn't they understand just who they were provoking right now? Straw Hat had just shot someone not even 10 minutes ago! Why would they laugh at him?!

  The citizens began praying, some attempting to sneak out of the exit but finding themselves paralyzed.

  "Kahahaha! I missed you too, little sis!" Rosan laughed, patting her on the head.

  "STOP PATTING ME! I'LL KILL YOU!"

  Mod pinched her nose at that. "Sorry, we're not interested in sharing drinks with you all. In fact, we were just about to leave," she said diplomatically.

  Fake Luffy's expression turned into a scowl. "You said no? Maybe you didn't hear what I said."

  Fake Nami placed a gun near Mod, a menacing smile on her face. "We're giving you two choices here. You three come drink with us, or you die."

  Mod blinked, nonplussed by the gun being pointed at her. "Why am I the one being held at gunpoint? I was the most diplomatic here was I not?" she wondered, placing a hand against her cheek.

  She couldn't have possibly embarrassed them more than Rosan and Nami were right now. The two were still going at it in their tiny booth, completely ignoring what the Fake Straw Hats were saying.

  They had brushed against Mod more than once, jostling the woman periodically. Right now Rosan had the panicked girl in an impossible to escape hug, ruining her hair with gusto.

  "I just had this done this morning you bastard!" she snarled.

  "I couldn't tell! Don't worry, I'll actually make it look good! I used to do Maro and Angel's hair all the time!" Rosan retorted easily, grinning as she roared.

  "Clima zap him to death!"

  "I cannot do that. Not only is he my creator... he is mostly impervious to taking damage from electricity."

  "BURN HIM!"

  "Master Nami, please listen to the words I am saying."

  Mod ignored them and sighed at the dilemma of being held at gunpoint.

  If only Ram were awake… her little ring would never let such an injustice befall her auntie. Seriously, a gun to her face? How absurd!

  "Captain, just let me deal with them," an emotionless voice said.

  Mod paused as she felt a pulse of genuine terror coarse through the entirety of the bar. The woman looked up and her eye twitched as she realized why that was.

  "Oh no," someone whispered in horror.

  "Look what they've done! They made him active!"

  "What are we supposed to do with that Devil on the loose now?!"

  "Oh, Morning Star Rosan! You want to do the honors eh?" Fake Luffy asked, grinning wildly as his right hand stepped up.

  "Morning Star Rosan?"

  "Morning Star Rosan?!"

  Rosan and Nami both paused at that, thinking the same things with varying levels of excitement.

  Mod didn't know if she was torn between being outraged that someone would dare mock her son, or utter amusement because she was still very annoyed at Rosan.

  Fake Rosan was a skinny and tall man, covered head to toe in a black cloak, with a scythe in his right hand (Rosan was left handed… well ambidextrous but you get the point) and two wings lying on his back… that looked glued to his outfit. The smugness in his voice, was layered by the "lack of emotions" he had and the fact his face was barely hidden, played a part in hiding said smugness.

  "No one disrespects the captain, or they have to deal with me, the Morning Star," Fake Rosan said, brandishing his scythe. He aimed it threateningly at the table and Mod exhaled in amusement.

  "I think he's dead. Actually, his death might be very drawn out," she mused.

  Rosan and Nami gazed at the Fake Rosan with two very different expressions. The redhead's expression was unreadable while there was a completely delighted expression on Nami's.

  "No fucking way," Rosan refused immediately, vanishing from his spot and closing the distance between the fake version of him.

  "So fast!" Nami thought in shock, gazing at the spot her annoying brother had just been. She hadn't even seen him move!

  Fake Rosan jolted at that, eyes going wide under the hoodie at seeing the man suddenly appear in front of him. He nearly took a step back but something rooted him to his spot.

  Rosan's eyes glowed slightly and he began tutting in disappointment, inspecting the man from head to toe.

  The patrons remained rooted to their seats, eyes bugging out of their heads at how fearless the fool was to step up to the Morning Star of all people.

  Didn't they know who that was? That was the man who had shifted the tides at the Paramount War! A Devil posing as human! He was so dangerous, that even after two years of radio silence, he still managed to show up with such a dreadful aura!

  Even now, they could barely breathe!

  The crowd didn't realize that was the doing of the real Rosan.

  "You've got it all wrong, friend," Rosan chastised, eyes glowing slightly brighter. "The coat's way too short. It's actually supposed to be a cloak that covers the entire body. You don't stop at above the knees, it's above the boots. I can still see your face underneath the hoodie too."

  "Is he really doing this?" Nami whispered to Mod.

  Mod nodded with a tired exhale. "I think he is."

  The redhead ended up behind him with pursed lips, no one noticing the swift movement.

  The Fake Straw Hats began sweating at the casual show of speed.

  "What did you make these wings out of? Paper? They're terrible. Those are real authentic feathers you know?" Rosan asked, pinching one of the wings and testing the material. "Yep. Definitely paper mache. This must have taken you a while to make... and it's still so mediocre. How long? 17 hours?"

  Fake Rosan stared dumbfounded at the breakdown (it actually had taken him that long), before his hoodie was summarily pulled off his head. His wide eyes were shown to the world and he let out a strangled gasp, attempting to reach for the hoodie and finding that he could not move his arms.

  "Look at the red hair too. Dyed?! It's not dyed at all! Who the hell told you it was dyed?!"

  This was what seemed to offend Rosan the most. He clearly did not mess around when it came to his hair.

  "What color is this? Carmine? It's supposed to be blood red! You cannot just pick any random shade of red and color it that," Rosan huffed, clearly outraged.

  "I actually can't believe someone can be this self centered," Nami whispered to Mod. There was a look of disbelief on her face, as she watched Rosan completely dissect the appearance of his impostor.

  Mod nodded and leaned over. "He really is. Rosan is incredibly incredibly vain."

  That was not something Raisa had nurtured. She certainly had made her biological son acknowledge his royalty... but that might have just made him even more egoistical.

  "Don't get me started on the eyes. The right one is purple, the left one is red. Not the other way around. And the shade is all wrong. It's supposed to be royal purple and blood red," Rosan said, rolling said aforementioned eyes... not that they knew.

  No one noticed that they lit up even more.

  "And last but almost certainly not least… you're way too ugly. The little girl who was cosplaying Nami, was pretty damn accurate. She was a little too adorable for Nami but my point still stands."

  Mod reluctantly held back the Nami very slowly rising out of her seat in order to kill Rosan.

  Rosan ignored the movement, sighing sadly.

  "But this? Shameful. I can't believe you'd have the confidence to try and impersonate such a handsome person," he sighed.

  "Shameless," Nami and Mod thought, holding their heads in both their palms.

  "U-Ugly?!" Fake Rosan spluttered, finally managing to say something. His raspy voice was suspended in disbelief, not really able to come up with a proper reaction to what was currently happening to him.

  "Yeah. You've got a face not even a mother could love. I feel bad for her. She had to push you out," Rosan said truthfully.

  "WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS GUY?!" Everyone thought in terror. There was poking the bear and there was stabbing it in the eye! This guy was currently shooting it in the chest!

  "That's enough!" Fake Luffy, who was also in disbelief at the turn of events, shouted. "Who do you think you are-"

  Rosan ignored him effortlessly, dragging his fan over to a young lady sitting in a corner. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking at the move, looking everywhere but at them.

  Fake Rosan fruitlessly struggled in his grasp, finding that it was utterly unyielding. He was beginning to realize that whoever this random person was, was not someone he should have trifled with.

  He bit off way more than he could chew.

  "Hey who do you think's better looking?" Rosan asked the young lady. There was a very obvious amusement in his voice, as if he already knew the answer to the question.

  The girl shook in terror, expression faltering as she stared at Rosan. She was very clearly not happy that he brought attention to her but the redhead didn't seem to notice or care...

  It was probably the second option.

  Rosan tilted his head. "Oh. I'm still pretty hidden hm?"

  The redhead took a finger and moved his hat up an inch, magically revealing more of his face in the process. He flashed a wolfish grin towards the girl, amusement in those bright eyes that continued to get brighter.

  "Well?"

  The girl blinked at that, taking a good look at Rosan and blushing deeply. She said nothing before eventually looking away.

  "See? There's a fundamental difference. If you can't even look better than me, you stand no chance against the Morning Star. Maybe try Sanji next time," Rosan mused.

  "Did he just insult himself to compliment himself?" Nami asked Mod quietly.

  "Don't ever try to understand what goes on in Rosan's head. As someone who knows everything he's thinking, it's not worth it," Mod replied sagely.

  Rosan ignored the clicking of a gun and the scythe being brandished.

  "You've got a lot of nerve. Who do you think you're talking to like that?" Fake Rosan asked, a scowl on his face as he awkwardly held the scythe.

  "I'm the one with a lot of nerve?" Rosan raised a brow, pursing his lips as he thought about that statement.

  He shrugged. "I thought I was being pretty helpful. The Morning Star wouldn't have given you such good advice. He'd kill you before you even managed to say anything. Me? I'm giving good advice before I kill you!" he chimed, clapping both of his hands.

  A dreadful force slammed into everyone there and the real Rosan grinned sardonically. He finally allowed them to see just how bright his eyes were glowing and red sparks began slowly tracing his body.

  "One more word of advice. Rosan hates when people mimic him so tastelessly. There's only one of him after all."

  "W-Who is this guy?! What's going on!"

  "This pressure is unlike anything I've ever felt!"

  Nami pinched her nose in annoyance. "Mod-chan, stop him! We're supposed to be incognito until everyone's here dammit!"

  Mod shrugged helplessly, grabbing another drink and downing it. "Nothing I can do about it. Rosan's vanity, trumps my logic."

  "AT LEAST TRY!" Nami shouted, balking at the shameless woman who had given up far too easily.

  Wasn't she supposed to be his logic?!

  "You've got a lot of balls trying to ruin my return by making people think I look like this," he mused to himself, friendly smile on his face turning sharp.

  The Fake Straw Hats attempted to step back but were rooted to their spots. The beads of sweat forming on their faces, only grew in intensity as the strange redhead raised a brow.

  "What are the odds, that these Straw Hats show up and start recruiting exactly two years later. This is way too convenient. Is this a setup?" Rosan snorted, eyes glowing as he prepared to smite them where they stood.

  "Well, I guess it doesn't matter all that much. Say your prayers because you can all just di-"

  Rosan blinked owlishly, as a giant plant monster suddenly appeared, grasping and incapacitating all the Fake Straw Hats.

  "I can't believe you're already trying to cause a scene, Rosan!"

  The redhead blinked again at the familiar voice and turned towards the source.

  What he saw, made both his brows shoot up.

  "Fake Usopp?" Rosan asked in surprise, gauging the grinning and muscular man.

  Usopp felt a tick form at that. "YOU KNOW IT'S ME!" he roared with serrated teeth.

  Rosan snickered, energy dying down as he inspected Usopp's new plants. "New moves huh? You sure are a weird sniper."

  Usopp puffed up, casually hanging the hammer off his shoulder. "It's called Pop Green! I got them from the island I landed on! I can grow more too so it's a great supply!"

  Rosan whistled at that. "You look different too. Did you actually train these past two years?" he asked.

  The sniper looked far more built. It was a far cry from the steady muscles he had been building under Rosan's tutelage. Not to mention, he was carrying that hammer around like it weighed nothing...

  Usopp pointed a finger at himself easily. "I'm stronger now! I'm no longer apart of that weakling trio! I'm in the big leagues- WOAH!"

  Rosan tapped the hammer and watched in satisfaction, as it dragged Usopp to the ground, getting a shout of surprise out of him.

  "Nice job. With how strong you look, I'll skip 3 and go straight to level 4 now," he praised.

  "I... hate you so much," Usopp rasped, pulling himself up with herculean effort.

  "I got new stuff from my island too!" Nami beamed, dragging the amused Mod out of her seat so that they could all rush out of the establishment.

  The navigator twirled her staff slightly. "Clima, if you would."

  "But of course!"

  Rosan watched in curiosity as bubbles began floating out of Clima and through the air, clouds inside of them, before they darkened dramatically over the enraged fake Straw Hats.

  His eyes lit up and he clapped, as the bubbles lit up with energy, before lightning crashed against the impostors. The shouts of agony were music to his ears and he laughed to himself.

  "Wow," Rosan mused, stepping out of the building with an impressed expression. "You two actually got stronger? Say it ain't so."

  "I was on a Sky Island! It was really interesting," Nami explained, twirling Clima and watching as clouds converged all over it, making it look like a floating piece of cotton.

  Her expression soured. "And a certain weapon refused to let me skimp out on training."

  "Nice job, Clima. I actually saw a bit of muscle there before I dressed you," Rosan praised, squeezing Nami's skinny arms to prove his point.

  She growled and snatched it away, taking a seat on the cloud and patting the available spot for Mod to sit on.

  The Devil Fruit smiled happily and took a seat, sighing in bliss at the divine feeling.

  "Good, right?" Nami preened.

  "It's delightful! I feel as if I could fall asleep on it!" Mod gushed.

  "You can!"

  The sniper gazed at Mod in awe, turning towards her and Rosan with wide eyes.

  "So you and Mod-chan can both be out and about?" Usopp wondered, grinning at the woman happily and exchanging a hug with her.

  "Yeah," Rosan nodded with a small smile. "I lose some things but it's worth it."

  "It's a worthy trade off. Now I get to be out and about freely!" Mod grinned, fondness swelling at the idea that Rosan truly made this technique just for her.

  She laughed prettily. "It does have quite the incredible benefit too! We can learn at twice the speed!"

  "Mhm. My dear mother refused to let this technique have no practical uses outside of having a body," Rosan nodded, smirking at that.

  Mod puffed her cheeks in indignation. "Of course!" she said proudly.

  The two awed at that, wondering just how much stronger Rosan had gotten over the two years.

  Being able to see both Mod and Rosan at the same time, was totally surreal! Now they could speak to the both of them whenever they wanted! That was crazy to think about!

  "Where did you go anyways?" Nami wondered.

  "My birth mothers island," Rosan explained with a wistful smile.

  The two blinked in shock before the words registered to them.

  "You mean the Queen birth mother?" they hissed in unison.

  He nodded. "That's the only birth mother I have, yeah. She's a lovely person, I'll introduce you guys to her soon."

  Both Nami and Usopp had blatant looks of curiosity at that. To think Rosan had been sent to the island where his mother ruled over...

  That sounded like a fun story! How did those two make up with each other? Did Raisa apologize to him? Rosan spoke of her quite fondly so she had to have!

  "You'll love her. She's the reason Mod-chan is so mad at me though. Wanted to french kiss her or something."

  Mod's smile vanished and ice began dangerously seeping off her body. Her fingers began sparking dangerously and she nearly lunged out of her seat.

  "Kahahaha! Clearly Mod-chan needs to cool off so I'm gonna go ahead and disappear. I've bugged her enough for today," Rosan waved, turning on a dime.

  "Good. Leave my sight before we really cause a scene!" Mod barked, ponytail bobbing with her fury.

  "Yeah yeah. I'm so terrified of you," he sighed, vanishing just in time to avoid a flurry of icicles.

  Mod panted, glaring at the spot he was at. She ignored the yelping of the crowd at her display of violence, before directing her glare at them.

  They wisely turned away, whistling nervously so as to avoid her wrath.

  "That boy makes me so darn angry," she muttered to herself, blowing out a cold breath.

  Nami pat her soothingly. Rosan had been terrorizing her all day by the looks of it.

  "Wait, you two can be apart from each other?!" Usopp's eyes bugged.

  Mod nodded. "We can."

  Nami's eyes widened in interest. "How far? Is there a limit to it?"

  The woman shook her head. "There's no limit. When he first did this technique, Rosan went to the Grand Line, East Blue and North Blue while I remained in the South. Nothing terrible happened to me."

  Besides her mental breakdown but that wasn't due to the technique.

  "Woah," Usopp muttered, walking next to the two (he was ignoring the injustice) floating on the cloud.

  "You're telling me Rosan thought of this technique just for you?" Nami asked, smiling at how adorable the dork of a redhead was.

  Mod was smiling the same smile. She had a hand on her heart and exhaled at how lovely he could be.

  No matter how much he made her blood want to burst, Rosan was still her Rosan.

  "It's a wonderful technique but the two of us… are still rather attached to each other," she explained to them.

  "Well that's a given. You two are practically one and the same," Usopp mused, nodding like it were obvious.

  Nami nodded in agreement. "It's expected that you two would still be attached."

  Mod laughed at that. "It's much better than the first time. I had a mental breakdown at not being able to see him. I couldn't even go 5 minutes without at least checking on him through our link. I still sleep with him more often than not."

  The early days of getting used to being a bit more independent, were genuine hell for her. Raisa had truly been a blessing in disguise, giving Mod a moderate amount of distraction up until she ended up latched to Rosan once more. She was always shuddering and sighing in relief as she desperately held him.

  She had no idea how Rosan could keep himself so composed during those times. He would just smile gently and hold her, humming soothingly to the woman until she calmed down or fell asleep.

  Mod wondered just when he became to wise...

  It was only when days were truly bad, did she see a glimpse of how much he missed her presence. He was just better at dealing with it than she was.

  Even now, Mod didn't like being very far from Rosan at all. Despite her anger at him, it was only a matter of time before she sought her son out to combine with him again. Being out in the world for so long, truly wasn't her style. She loved the peace and quiet of the mindscape. It was her little sanctuary after all.

  They were definitely getting better but these things took a lot of time. Rosan especially, had made strides in not overly relying on any of them… it almost seemed like they were relying on him more.

  But he was still quite possessive and even the ever growing patient redhead, had his limits. Mod knew exactly where he had went.

  "We've spotted Nico Robin."

  Robin was leaned against a wall, listening to the people targeting her, in a hidden alley. Her brows were slightly furrowed as she listened in, relaying information with Canary in the process.

  "Keep distracting them," she murmured.

  "Sure thing boss woman! Where's the brute of a clone?" Canary chimed.

  "Punishment. She said things that were unacceptable," Robin retorted shortly.

  "Oh so she mentioned the hubby. Okay!"

  Robin twitched in annoyance and took a deep breath.

  "Just continue doing what you're doing."

  "Aye aye!"

  The archaeologist shook her head and focused on the task at hand.

  How did the World Government even know she was going to show up? This was an oddly specific time to be searching for her.

  The woman went stiff, as a figure suddenly appeared in front of her, with speeds she couldn't comprehend. Two arms slammed on the wall she was leaning on, each on either side of her head, effectively trapping her between it and the person. She unwittingly took a sharp breath at how close the person was to her.

  Her slight alarm at someone being so fast, only lasted a moment as she took in the unnaturally warm presence. The figure had appeared so suddenly, that her Observation took a bit to pick up on who it was.

  Combined with her paranoia at being tracked down...

  Rosan looked down at her, eyes glowing brightly as he no doubt sensed her intent to harm him. There was a smug grin on his face and she huffed at him.

  "Who are we hiding from?" Rosan asked, leaning in close and whispering in her ear.

  Robin shivered at the cool breath brushing against her and unintentionally let out a sigh.

  "Not you, if that's what you're about to imply, Rosan," Robin muttered, taking in his presence greedily.

  "Six months of not being able to see you. Are you outta your mind? We agree to get married and this is what you do to me?" Rosan asked, staring her down with a scowl.

  She knew he was going to be like this... and why was he saying eerily similar things to Raven?

  This was absurd!

  Robin sighed and leaned in, capturing his lips easily and melting his anger with almost no effort needed.

  She was pleased to see, that he was decidedly less outraged. Clearly he had been starving in affection because the redhead was an affectionate little demon who would throw temper tantrums if denied.

  "This wasn't easy for me either, Rosan… but I just thought in the last six months, we should surprise each other with what we learned. I've changed a lot since you've last seen me," she explained, leaning back and watching the dissatisfaction on Rosan's face at that simple action.

  Rosan huffed and dragged her back in, making her roll her eyes in acceptance.

  "Six months was still too much. You better have made good changes to justify it," he said gruffly, hugging her tenderly despite the annoyance in his voice.

  Robin couldn't believe how much of a brat he was. Two years and he was still as spoiled as ever. She feared she was going to have to spoil him more, else he'd pull out the "6 months" card and make her feel guilty.

  A smile formed on her face and she hugged Rosan deeply, pushing the both of them away from the wall.

  "You weren't the only one being tortured by our separation. I missed you quite a lot too, Rosan. The clones did too," she murmured in relief.

  He squeezed her and sighed fondly. "Yeah I know. But I'm not the one who made the stupid rule. Why would you even make that? All that, just for us to still be attached to the hip through this journey."

  Robin rolled her eyes. "To build a little more independence. I don't want our future children thinking we can't do anything without the other. We're far too codependent on each other and it wasn't good... but now we're doing better."

  To her delight, a dust of red covered his cheeks and the redhead sighed in defeat.

  "Right... okay. If our kids saw us, they'd probably feel the need to find someone to permanently latch onto as well. Codependency isn't good... that's what I learned with Mod-chan," he muttered. The redhead was nodding at her logic, red dusting his cheek more and more.

  It was so easy to embarrass him. He was a trip alright.

  She laughed at how adorable he was, before a clone formed right next to her.

  Rosan tilted his head and smiled as this Robin tackled him to the floor with a delighted expression. Her hair was tied into a bun that left the front strands of her hair free and she had a set of glasses on.

  "Rosan!" Crow beamed happily, nuzzling the redhead shamelessly.

  Robin rubbed her forehead at the smug grin on Rosan's face.

  "Crow! You look different! Look at how cute you look in your glasses!" he praised, pinching her cheeks and getting a pleased cheer out of her.

  "Seriously, Crow? You're supposed to be the sensible one," Robin pointed out calmly.

  "W-What?! I missed him!" she retorted, allowing Rosan to dote on her with no preservation whatsoever.

  "Missed him? Did you find Rosan?!" Canary cut in.

  Robin exhaled. Somehow, her clones were even more whipped than she was when it came to this insufferable redhead.

  "You have a mission to focus on Canary. Later."

  "Booo you're no fun! Kiss him for the both of us Crow!"

  "O-Okay!"

  Robin actually groaned in annoyance. This was what she was talking about. How were her clones so ridiculous?!

  Rosan chuckled as he stood up, patting Crow on the head.

  "Alright, who's tracking you? I'll deal with them," he said decisively, a wild glint in his eyes.

  Robin immediately grasped him with a wary look, thanking the stars that Crow at least had the common sense to do the same.

  Now was not the time for him to be acting. Rosan, when he wasn't being a professional assassin, had all the subtlety of Luffy, which was none at all. His definition of dealing with them right now, was in fact not silently apprehending the people targeting her.

  It was explosions. Lots of explosions. Rosan was chaos incarnate after all. It was up to her to regulate him.

  "There's no need for that. Canary is currently distracting them," she said hastily.

  "She's got it covered," Crow agreed.

  Rosan nodded, a contemplative expression on his face. "Was she the one who just got captured?" he asked randomly.

  Robin tilted her head at the strange question. "No. She's currently reading a newspaper and leading them on a chase. Why?"

  Rosan shrugged. "Must have been the fake you… though if those Marines actually confused you for that fake version, I might just have to kill them all," he muttered.

  "Fake… me?" The Devil Child asked.

  "There's fake versions of us? A-Are you replacing us, leader?!" Crow asked in distress.

  "No I'm not replacing you. You three are irreplaceable," Robin said, attempting to placate her jumpiest clone. She shot Rosan an exasperated look and he tilted his head in confusion.

  He absentmindedly ran a hand through Crow's hair and hummed. "I'm not messing around. There was a girl dressed like you. She had the little purple dress you used to wear as a kid. Same hairstyle as younger you too. Not the same face... definitely not the same face. I blew her up. Not enough to kill."

  Robin mulled over that description, sweating a bit at hearing that Rosan blew her supposed impostor up.

  She supposed she should be flattered... somewhat at that.

  "I encountered a fake version of me too. The audacity of some people I tell you."

  Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh so that must be who's doing this Straw Hat recruitment!" she exclaimed.

  Rosan scratched his head. "What is going on? I seriously hate this place. It's way too convenient that some Fake Straw Hats show up and start doing this stupid shit when we're ready to meet up again."

  Robin giggled. Just hearing Rosan's voice, banished the slight stress she had been feeling.

  It was hard to feel stressed when he had yet to let her go. Could she even escape? The redhead felt unreasonably strong right now.

  "Since you're so keen on protecting me, why don't we just go together? I've been wanting to find the Sunny," Robin smiled, leaning into him.

  Rosan scoffed. "You say that like I was letting you leave. 6 months," he said flatly.

  Crow nodded rapidly.

  "You're all so unreasonable," Robin sighed, letting him tug her away lest the guilt consume her completely.

  Why was she being treated like the villain here? Rosan even agreed with her!

  "I'm mostly teasing. I can feel just how relieved you are to be with me again," Rosan chuckled, dragging her into a carry.

  Robin rolled her eyes. "Where's Mod-chan? Ram?"

  "Mad at me so I left her with Nami. Sleeping after staying up all night reading." he listed easily.

  "Where's Raven?" the redhead asked in return.

  "Punishment."

  "Ah... I won't question it."

  "Smart."

  He idly stared at her long skirt and transformed it into a set of pants, before placing the woman on his back. He caught Crow's pleading gaze and carried her, rolling his eyes.

  "This isn't attention grabbing at all," Rosan mentioned, walking towards the ship despite his sarcasm.

  "You're the one who put me on your back," Robin chastised.

  The redhead shrugged shamelessly. "I wasn't expecting Crow to be so affectionate."

  "It's been 6 months! All of us missed you!" Crow retorted.

  "See?!" Rosan exclaimed.

  "You are all so annoying," Robin finally said.

  "We love you too!" he cackled.

  Robin just held onto him and allowed him to do as he pleased. There was no point in arguing with him when he was like this because he'd spin it every time to the timeframe where they hadn't seen each other.

  Six months without seeing each other… Robin really did miss him. She understood that they should be more independent from each other (and they were!), but these six months had truly been difficult for the both of them.

  "I missed you, Rosan. I'm glad we aren't doing this separation thing anymore. We just have to make sure we're capable of handling issues without the other around," she murmured, showing him the ring he bought her.

  She smiled at the swell of elation radiating off of him.

  The redhead laughed easily. "Yeah, no more separating, you maniac. Project: Retire on a Nice Island, is in full effect starting now so let's achieve our goals."

  She laughed abruptly at that. "6 months and you're still a hopeless idiot," Robin sighed fondly.

  "Maybe it's because I'm hopelessly in love," he sighed in return.

  Robin shook her head at that, warming up immensely at his words.

  He was such a dork.

  "I've packed everything you need in that bag, Luffy-kun!" Hancock swooned happily. She made sure his disguise was on right, fiddling with the cloak with a fond smile.

  500 changes of clothes, 2,000 lunches (1000 for Luffy, the other 1000 for Rosan!), 5 year supply of handkerchiefs, tissues, towels, 3 year supply of drinking water and snacks, silver cutlery, and of course a 3 year supply of toothbrushes, soap and bug bite ointment.

  "Cousin is going to kill you for overpreparing like that, big sis," Marigold mused, an amused smile on her face.

  "All those chops to the head and she still hasn't learned a bit," Sandersonia shrugged helplessly.

  Luffy grinned happily at that, adjusting his massive bag easily. The rubber boy grinned happily at them, getting Hancock to immediately begin gushing once more.

  "Oh please tell cousin to visit me!" Hancock pleaded.

  "Shishishi okay! You know Rosan will visit you without me though! He really likes you!" Luffy laughed.

  Hancock's cheeks dusted darkly at that and she squealed happily. "And you? Do you like me?!"

  Nyan slapped a palm to her head. Hancock was a shameless idiot.

  Luffy nodded with no hesitation. "Of course I do!"

  Hancock swooned and put a palm to her forehead. "So why won't you say goodbye to me?!" she asked in some outrage.

  Luffy blinked and tilted his head. "I never say bye to people because I always plan on seeing them again!" he explained happily.

  The Empress' heart jolted at that. "He wants to see me again?! Does that mean we're getting married?!" she wondered in shock.

  Luffy didn't notice her internal thoughts, merely turning on a dime. "I'll tell Rosan you wanna see him! I wanna see him too!"

  With that, the rubber boy took off to renew the journey he had put on hold. He leisurely walked through Sabaody, a happy grin on his face, as he effortlessly ignored all the shouts of distress at the people forced to move out of the way of his abnormally sized bag.

  He didn't even notice that he had bulldozed someone with his bag, too excited to see the entirety of his crew again.

  Were they all here? How much stronger did they get?! He missed Rosan! He wanted to see his older brother again!

  "H-Hey!" someone shouted in outrage.

  Luffy barely paused for more than a second. "Hm? Did I hit you? My bad!" was all he offered as an apology, continuing his merry way. He didn't even register the appearance of the person he hit... not that it would have mattered.

  Fake Luffy felt his eye twitch furiously at that. He was already pissed that he had been embarrassed in the tavern by those strange people and now there were people running him over?!

  The crowd began stepping back nervously at that, watching as Straw Hat Luffy turned to regard the strange man with the large bag.

  "That guys pissed off Straw Hat!"

  "What does he think he's doing?!"

  "He's a dead man!"

  "I can't watch what's about to happen!"

  "Stop right there!" Fake Luffy shouted furiously.

  Luffy paused in confusion. "Huh?" he asked, turning towards them.

  Fake Luffy approached him with a furious scowl. "You bumped into me on purpose! And you embarrassed me! Don't you know who I am?! Making a fool out of me in public? Are you crazy?!"

  Luffy grunted in annoyance as a gun was pressed against his cheek forcefully.

  "I'm an elite pirate with a bounty of 500 million! Get down on your knees and beg for your life!" Fake Luffy demanded.

  There was a tense silent at that, the crowd watching nervously.

  "Just do it! Your life isn't worth some pride," someone whispered in terror.

  Luffy stared at them with a frown of confusion.

  "Just a minute ago, two men and two woman really pissed off the captain and embarrassed us. Hurry up and apologize if you know what's good for you," Fake Sogeking explained.

  "One wrong move, and you'll be crow food," Fake Nami warned, still reeling at how she had gotten completely blown off by that strange man.

  "I'm really not in the mood. I'll cut you in half," Fake Rosan rasped, eyes smoldering in his rage.

  Luffy sighed, ignoring the palpable concern from the citizens. "I don't have time for this," he said simply.

  "Sorry," the rubber boy said... right before he turned on a heel and bumped into them once again.

  Everyone's jaw dropped as he nearly bowled over Straw Hat with that giant bag of his. They knew what that mean and the citizens were already looking away in horror at what was going to be a gruesome sight.

  "That's it, you're dead!" he snarled, taking his gun and aiming it at Luffy. With no hesitation, he fired it.

  Luffy inclined his head slightly, effortlessly weaving the bullet and watching as it sailed past him. He gazed at his impostor (not that he knew) and glared at him.

  He casually continued his gait, all whilst the crowd watched in horror, as each one of the Straw Hats fainted simultaneously.

  "W-WHAT DID HE JUST DO?!"

  Rosan hummed, accepting the affectionate tackle of an injured wolf. There was a smile on his face as it barked excitedly and he pat it on the head.

  "Look at you, you took quite a beating over the years huh?" Rosan asked gently, watching as more of the wolves appeared to crowd him, Crow and Robin.

  Crow lit up and began patting one of the wolves with gusto, getting it to let out an excited whine.

  Robin smiled in delight as one of the wolves nuzzled against her. They looked so realistic! The fur even felt real! She began fussing over the wolf that seemed to have chosen her and rubbed its cheeks.

  "So these super wolves are for you?!"

  The duo looked up at that, both blinking in unison.

  Franky grinned down at them, before hitting his signature pose. "WOAH! YOU TWO LOOK SUPER!"

  "Hey Franky," Rosan greeted.

  "You haven't changed a bit!" Robin smiled happily.

  Franky balked at their words. "Like hell I haven't! Look at me! My body is the stuff of dreams!"

  Their shipwright's body, had gone through a ridiculous set of changes. Of all the Straw Hats they had encountered, Rosan could confidently say Franky was the one who had gone through the most changes.

  He was huge for one. Franky had always been a built and bulky guy but right now it was borderline cartoonish.

  To be honest, Rosan thought he looked completely ridiculous. He looked like a toy.

  "Stay away from Ram and Mod-chan," Rosan said calmly, looking at the cyborg up and down. "If you don't, I'm turning you into a woman for the rest of this journey."

  "You will not be coming close to my daughter dressed like that," Robin agreed.

  Franky gaped at the utterly serious look on both their faces, before Rosan chuckled.

  "Kidding... mostly. If Ram says the word, I'll probably do it," their scout shrugged.

  "You're still a demon," Franky muttered to himself, taking a step back.

  Rosan laughed loudly and Franky recovered quickly.

  "Are you doing alright, Red?" he asked seriously.

  The redhead smiled gently. "I'm better than ever Franky. I'll explain everything to you guys, when we all meet up."

  The Cyborg nodded, pleased to see how relaxed their scout was. His entire demeanor had shifted, baggage that he was carrying seeming to no longer exist.

  "You went to Shakky's bar, right? What number were you guys? I was second!"

  "Eighth," Robin answered.

  "Ninth," Rosan replied.

  "I would have expected you two to be the first ones here..." Franky mused.

  Rosan sighed. "I was being held hostage until the very last minute. My family is very greedy."

  "I decided to arrive on my own, without Rosan's assistance. It would be no good if I relied on him for everything."

  "6 months."

  Robin's smile twitched slightly. "Rosan. You're making me feel so guilty right now," she said slowly.

  "It's probably not even a fraction of how much agony I'm in, at being abandoned by you for 6 months," Rosan retorted dryly.

  "It hurt me a lot too!" Crow whined.

  Rosan pat her on the head. "I'm not mad at you Crow. Only your cruel leader," he said with a pained expression.

  Robin sighed in exhaustion. This was going to be held over her for quite a while, she could tell.

  Franky laughed at the three. He missed his little crewmates!

  "Sanji and Usopp dropped by already. They went shopping for fuel and food," he explained.

  "I ran into Nami earlier at a bar," Rosan told him.

  Robin took out a poster as they began talking about.

  "Do you two have any idea about this? Soul King Brook?" she asked in confusion.

  Rosan and Franky both nodded.

  "He's become quite the superstar," Rosan praised, amused smile on his face.

  "They sell his TD's everywhere. Having traversed the dark seas of despair, he's emerged a dazzling star who stands on a stage being cheered by an army of fans!" Franky exclaimed, gulping down a giant bottle of cola.

  The redhead snorted. "With fame like that, I wonder if he'd even want to come back to the crew," he mused.

  Robin tilted her head. "Food for thought. I wonder what he'll do."

  Franky shrugged. "Whatever happens, happens. He doesn't have long to decide."

  Rosan nodded in agreement. "Luffy already landed on the island. I can feel him so that means it's almost time for us to head out... so I'm gonna go have a little fun."

  Robin immediately exhaled and stood up. "I'm coming with you."

  "Are you stupid? Of course you are," Rosan rolled his eyes.

  The Devil Child twitched at that and took a deep breath.

  6 months. Don't let him rile you up so easily, Robin.

  Rosan was contemplating doing just that... but he didn't want to make her blow up just yet.

  "I'll stay here!" Crow exclaimed, leaning against one of the wolves with a sigh of contentment.

  Robin nodded.

  "Let's go check out that Straw Hat recruitment. I wanna meet our new members," Rosan smiled peacefully.

  Robin and Franky both shuddered at that.

  Franky heard the sound of more people approaching and looked over the railing. His excitement at seeing Nami, vanished in favor of confusion, at seeing a familiar purple haired woman.

  "Mod-chan?" he raised a brow.

  Rosan hadn't left for very long at all... what was he doing back? Did he manage to piss off their archaeologist that easily and now he was fleeing her wrath?

  "Hi Mod-chan!" Crow waved timidly.

  "Hello Franky! Hello Crow!" Mod waved cheerfully, noting his confusion. "What's the matter? Not happy to see me?"

  Franky shook his head. "Of course not! I'm super glad to see you... but Rosan just told me he'd turn me into a girl if I got close to you... and then he shows up as you. This feels like a trap," he muttered fearfully.

  That moment was still very traumatizing. Franky would prefer it if that never happened again.

  Mod blinked in some confusion before realizing what happened. "Oh! Rosan and I are separated right now! Whatever he told you, I played no part in. He isn't here right now," she explained.

  Franky blinked owlishly, jaw dropping as realization hit him. "Ow ow ow! You two figured out how to split bodies?!"

  Mod nodded happily, leaping onto the ship in a single bound. She hoisted Crow up with a bright grin and began squeezing the timid version of Robin.

  "I'm so happy to see you, Crow! Look at how pretty you are!" she gushed.

  Nami nodded in agreement. "Robin with a bun and glasses... what a sight," she mused.

  Crow lit up at that, cheeks turning rosy. "All three of us sisters changed our appearance over the two years. Gives us a bit of individuality. We look more like quadruplets now!" she explained happily.

  "Oh I can't wait to see Canary and Raven then!" Mod laughed.

  "Canary is running around Sabaody right now... Raven is in trouble," Crow explained.

  The woman tilted her head. "Was it because of Rosan?" she asked.

  Crow nodded sagely.

  The woman laughed at that, before glancing back and forth warily. Seeing that the coast was temporarily clear, she hastily hugged the surprised Franky.

  "While I heavily disapprove of your outfit, I do love my hugs and we've never hugged before!" she exclaimed, stepping back.

  "She's way too adorable," everyone thought with sweatdrops.

  "Don't inform Rosan I just hugged you. Lately, I've come to the startling realization, that he is truly psychotic. He may actually make good on his threat," she whispered in concern.

  Franky nodded in a mixture of bewilderment and amusement.

  "Where'd Rosan go anyways?" Usopp asked curiously.

  The Cyborg shrugged. "He mentioned something about a Straw Hat recruitment."

  Crow nodded her head. "He and Leader went to the location of where impostor Straw Hats were planning on recruiting members for their crew!" she explained.

  Usopp and Nami blinked, before a horrified expression crossed their features.

  "The thing in Grove 46?!" Usopp questioned, jaw dropping.

  "Ah shit," Nami sighed, holding her head.

  "Oh dammit. It hasn't even been a day yet and he's trying to cause chaos!" Mod shouted, stamping her feet on the ground.

  Everyone backed away from the furious woman, matching nervous expressions as she hissed in her anger.

  The woman let out a snarl of irritation. "I'll go combine with him once more because when I'm not there speaking in his head, it appears my son doesn't have a conscious that tells him when to calm down! Don't wait for me!"

  The three watched her go with sweatdrops. White wings burst out of Mod's back and she flapped once, before taking off through the air.

  "Not a step missed with those two," Nami sighed in amusement.

  It was a miracle Mod-chan hadn't gone gray yet.

  "Hey Fisherman! How's the catch today? Wanna sell me something cheap?"

  Sanji's smile vanished in favor of confusion, as the fisherman shouted in distress.

  "W-Where did he go? The green-haired swordsman! He's gone!"

  Sanji raised a brow at the familiar description. "Green-haired swordsman? What happened?" he asked in some interest.

  The fisherman turned towards him with a concerned expression. "There was a fellow with three swords. He was bored and wanted to go fishing so I told him he could come with me if he wanted..."

  "Green hair and three swords? Was he wearing a sash?" the chef questioned.

  The fisherman nodded rapidly. "He had a twig in his mouth and a bird on his shoulder! Not to mention, he only had one eye! Do you know him?"

  Sanji mulled that over, pulling out a bounty poster. "Is this the guy?"

  The man's eyes bugged out of his head at seeing Dead or Alive under the man's picture. "That's him! Are you his friend?"

  "I wouldn't say that... but what happened to him?" Sanji asked, feeling a small headache forming already.

  "I told him to go aboard my fishing boat! I'm sure of it... but when I got here, I saw him sleeping on a pirate ship that was right next to it! I got scared and yelled "NOT THAT SHIP!" but it was too late! The ship was coated already and it went underwater! It's probably on its way to Fishman Island!"

  As he told his tale, Sanji's eyes began twitching... no, his entire body began twitching.

  What a goddamn moron.

  "I thought it was strange that he got here first. That bird can't keep him out of all that trouble," he sighed.

  "B-But it's a pirate ship! They'll kill him!" the fisherman shouted.

  Sanji waved him off. "That thing will be fine. He isn't easy to kill so I guess we'll just meet him at Fishman Island. I'll tell the others when they wonder. You got any fish for me?"

  The Fisherman spluttered at how casually the swordsman's friend was treating all of this.

  What was wrong with this psycho?!

  "Hey! Look in the water! Something's surfacing!" someone shouted.

  "IT'S GIGANTIC! WHAT IS THAT?!"

  Sanji perked up at that, gazing out at the sea.

  Whatever was surfacing, was huge. A large shadow appeared, speaking of a creature of untold sizes and the people who had crowded around the edge of the sea, began backing away in terror...

  Only for their jaws to drop, as a Galleon broke through the surface...

  And it was cut in half.

  "THAT HUGE PIRATE SHIP'S BEEN CUT IN HALF!"

  "Did it break under the water pressure because of a bad coating job?!"

  "Did a sea king hit it?!"

  "It looks like it was sliced in two by a gigantic blade!"

  "Don't talk crazy! How could anyone do something like that!"

  As the citizens argued about what could have caused this, the pirates who manned the ship were all sprawled across their destroyed vessel. There was an air of defeat to the crew, as they whimpered and groaned.

  One of them rasped weakly, soaked to the bone. "You... ruined our dreams for the New World!"

  "We don't even know you! What did we do to you?!" the captain shouted in fury.

  Zoro sighed, slowly sheathing his blade as he cradled Oni to his chest.

  The bird was squawking furiously, drenched in water. It's angry and incessant chirps filled the air and the swordsman spat out his soaked twig, patting the little thing to try and get her to calm down.

  "Fate's a fickle thing. Consider that your payment for kidnapping me."

  "K-KIDNAP?! YOU'RE A STOWAWAY! WE DON'T KNOW YOU!"

  Zoro grunted in displeasure. "You got my bird wet. Now I have to hear her complaints over and over until she's dry."

  Oni shrieked loudly, still furious at the impromptu bath. She was getting ready to throw a tantrum of epic regards at this rate.

  "Yeah yeah. You only like being told 5 minutes in advance when you're gonna bathe. My bad," Zoro groaned.

  "I didn't realize I got on the wrong boat. I'll make it up to you."

  "Stupid, immature, brat," Mod scowled, crossing her arms as she soared through the air. She ignored the shouts of disbelief and panic at her wings, just continuing on her path to Grove 46.

  Not even an hour without her, and he was off trying to sew chaos! What was wrong with him?! Why couldn't Rosan just be normal for one day?!

  The woman slowed her flight and took a deep breath, doing her best to compose herself.

  ...She was not thinking straight. Mod's anger was getting incredibly irrational at the moment. It was a side effect of being apart from Rosan for too long. Her emotions heightened and she felt things... stronger to put it nicely.

  For all intents and purposes, Mod was an Iris at the moment. Her and Rosan shared the same body so it stood to reason that she would inherit his overwhelming emotions.

  That's why she seemed so upset.

  It was also because Rosan was a teasing jerk! Why wouldn't he just leave her alone?!

  "M-Mod-chan?! Is that you?!"

  Mod paused at the familiar and squeaky voice. She looked up and immediately squealed in happiness, at seeing a teary eyed reindeer.

  "Chopper, is that you?! Oh dear what's the matter?" the woman asked in surprise, eyes widening at seeing how...

  How fluffy he was!

  Mod squealed and immediately tackled the panicking reindeer. "Look at you! You're so much fluffier!"

  Chopper sniffed and cried happily, transforming into his default form and letting Mod squeeze him with renewed giddiness.

  "Mod-chan! I'm so glad someone is normal! I ran into the rest of them and t-they were different! None of them cared that Robin got kidnapped! Not even Rosan!"

  He had encountered his crew earlier but they had been acting so weird! After hearing that Robin got kidnapped, Chopper had attempted to tell them that they needed to save her but Rosan had just brandished his scythe and told him to piss off!

  That had reduced him to tears and he ran off, vowing to do it on his own.

  Mod blinked owlishly at that. "Robin was kidnapped? Rosan didn't care...?" she mused, scratching her head at that.

  Neither of those sentences made sense to her. Not only could Mod not believe that Robin got kidnapped, she was positive that on the off chance she did, Rosan would make it the entire island's problem.

  He'd even go back to 100% just to make his statement... Sabaody probably wouldn't exist anymore if Robin truly did get kidnapped.

  "Oh! You must have run into the impostors!" Mod exclaimed in realization.

  Chopper blinked. "Huh?"

  As Mod explained to him, his jaw dropped in disbelief.

  "IMPOSTORS?!" he screeched, even as Mod continued flying through the air. "They're copying us?!"

  "I can't believe it! They'll pay for impersonating us! Doing such a thing... it's like... like we're famous!" he gushed, swooning at the thought.

  Mod began sweating at that. "Don't be so happy about that. We're about to go meet them after all."

  Chopper blinked. "We are?"

  "Yes, Rosan is there. If my hunches are correct, and they always are, Luffy will probably be there too."

  Chopper blinked rapidly, before a horrified expression made its way to his face. "R-ROSAN AND LUFFY?! I'M NOT READY FOR THAT CHAOS YET, MOD-CHAN!"

  Mod laughed at the expression on his face. "I'll keep you safe. Don't worry, Chopper."

  He nodded shakily.

  "Wait... Rosan's there? Then how are you here?!"

  Mod laughed again. "No wonder Rosan is waiting for us all to meet up again before explaining. I can see how he'd get tired explaining it."

  Chopper shuddered as he realized Rosan and Luffy were about to be in the same place. "This sounds like something chaotic is going to happen... Take me back to the ship please so we can be ready to go! The less people there, the better! I'll leave it to you!"

  The woman tilted her head. "I have to make it to Rosan... but oh alright you do make a good point. The less people to account for, the smoother things will go," she mused.

  Mod stopped abruptly and turned around, holding him all the while. "Brace yourself, Chopper. It won't hurt so long as you trust me!"

  Chopper blinked. "Eh?"

  The Devil Fruit didn't say anything else. She simply tensed up, before the woman launched Chopper through the air with a ludicrous amount of strength that belied her slender figure.

  The reindeer blinked again, before it finally registered what was happening to him.

  "EHHHHH?!" he squealed in horror.

  "Don't worry! You'll be fine! I've calculated the angle so you'll be right at the Sunny!" Mod shouted, patting her arms confidently. She didn't seem to notice the people gaping at her, jaws on the floor at her actions.

  "THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM! YOU'RE CRAZY TOO!" Chopper howled in terror.

  The woman blinked, tilting her head and adjusting her suit slightly. "Crazy? Nonsense. Rosan is crazy," she waved off, continuing her flight towards Grove 46.

  Shakky blinked, glancing upwards. She and Rayleigh were currently explaining to the Straw Hats how to operate a coated ship, before she felt something peculiar.

  "Sniper King," she called suddenly, making the sniper jump.

  "What's up?" he asked quizzically.

  Shakky brought out a finger, pointing at a spot. "Walk right there please."

  The Straw Hats blinked at that and Usopp nodded slowly, walking right where she requested.

  "Perfect, now hold out your arms like this," Shakky smiled, holding her arms like she were cradling something.

  Usopp was only growing more confused, slowly following her orders... before his observation began blaring loudly.

  His eyes bugged out of his head as a speeding missile crashed into his arms, sending him flying backwards.

  "W-What the?!" he groaned, holding the shivering missile with a confused expression.

  What the hell just happened?

  "Crazy... she's crazy too. Didn't know she was so crazy," Chopper slurred, eyes spinning as he foamed at the mouth.

  "C-Chopper?!" the crew shouted in confusion.

  Shakky laughed. "I guess Mod-chan did this to him. That poor woman has no idea what normal is and swears she embodies it."

  It was impossible being normal, when you were the consciousness of a boy as unhinged as Rosan. She just thought that because she didn't even come close to him on the insanity scale, all while regulating his tendencies, it made her far more normal.

  That was Demon. Demon was the normal one. He was only mildly unhinged but compared to the rest of his family, it was significantly closer to normal!

  "You know Mod-chan?" Franky asked curiously.

  Shakky nodded in a pleased manner. "I do. I helped train Rosan these past two years. It's the least I could do for my grandson."

  They blinked owlishly, before their jaws dropped.

  "Oh yeah! You two are cousins! I forgot about that!" Nami slammed a fist against her palm.

  "WHAT?!"

  Hi hi! We're back and the timeskip has officially commenced! Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will be Fishman Island so look forward to it!

  If you wanna chat or ask questions that'll be answered in a timely fashion (maybe) feel free to join the discord! Code is discord.gg/BFFtXAXFU7