Sabo hastily jumped over a swing and tried to retaliate with a downward swing but the figure was quick to react and their weapons collided as a result. He tried to overpower the offender but he wasn't strong enough and was launched back as a result.
He landed upright and yelped as another swing, this time from the left, came with unforgiving force towards him. The blonde tried to quickly throw up a defense but it wasn't enough to completely block the blow and he was sent flying until he landed on the floor with a tiny "oomph".
Before he could get up, the staff that had been attacking him, lay gently on his throat. A clear sign to surrender that Sabo had no choice but to take.
"You're way too strong," Sabo huffed, lying on the ground in defeat. In the corner of his eyes, he could see Luffy charging an attack for Ace and accidentally punching himself in the process.
The 10 year old brunette didn't appreciate that and immediately finished their fight up with an angry face.
The four boys were finishing up their 100 matches and Luffy was paired up with Ace, leaving Sabo to fight Rosan.
The redhead hadn't lost a single one of the matches today and he didn't even look winded in the process. Worst, he was holding back and he never used the same weapon twice in a row!
"This is supposed to be training so I will limit myself to just above your level to allow you to get maximum benefit from it," Rosan reasoned and Sabo grumbled at the logical answer.
There was no point in him finishing the fight in one hit. He gained nothing from it. Like this, he could train them while simultaneously deepening his understanding of the weapons he used. It also would add to their experience if they ever fought someone who wielded one of the many weapons he used.
"You're improving," Rosan commented to the resting boy and his bo staff transformed back into a ring. "I think you're the best of the three with that metal pipe," he said and Sabo grinned.
Ace was a physically stronger then him but Sabo was better at using their pipe so battles between them were usually really close. Today, Ace had managed to get two victories over him but there were days where he would get more victories.
Luffy never won any of his fights but that never deterred him. He was determined to catch up to the three who were much stronger than he was and it was admirable.
Battles with Rosan were only deceptively close due to his penchant of fighting just above their level.
He fought very slowly with Luffy in order to guide the young boy and if it were Sabo or Ace in the seven year old's position, they'd probably beat the redhead.
He didn't give the two 10 year old boys the same luxury. They were much stronger than Luffy was and he fought them accordingly with Ram (when they learned that his ring was the psycho Ram, their jaws had dropped to the floor).
"You think I'm the best with the pipe?" Sabo said thoughtfully and Rosan nodded.
"Luffy has no affinity with weapons and Ace relies more on brute force than technical skills. Those two are more similar then they probably want to admit," Rosan hummed and Sabo cackled at that. Ace and Luffy, if given the choice probably would just prefer to punch instead of using a pipe.
"I didn't expect you to be so good with a pipe," the blonde pointed and Rosan looked at Ram.
"I'm quite adept with multiple weapons. I don't use the staff too often, but it is one that I have practiced with," Rosan explained before transforming Ram into an array of weapons that left Sabo's eyes sparkling.
She even transformed into a sword! A real sword! When sparring with them, every weapon he used was of a wooden variety so as to not cause real injuries... which was funny because they still hurt like hell.
No wonder he hadn't been afraid of Porchemy! He probably saw real swords all the time!
"How did you even get Ram? Is she a Devil Fruit too?"
"I made her with my Devil Fruit... and some science," Rosan hummed. He idly wondered about making another Philosopher's Stone before discarding it. The redhead could only make the stone using Modification and because of that, it was only perfect for users of Modification. He had wanted to make one for Maro but it wouldn't have worked and the redhead didn't need to make another one for himself.
By now, the two brunettes had finished their argument and were listening in to the conversation as well.
"That's awesome! Mod-chan is a really useful Devil Fruit," Sabo praised. Man, some Devil Fruits were really cool! Rosan warned the boy not to compliment her too much because her ego would grow and he'd have to deal with it.
He then lightly grabbed his head for some reason.
"See? Your ability really is stupid," Ace mocked Luffy, much to the child's fury. "Rosan can do all these things and you turn into rubber. You're so useful."
"My Fruit is super cool! I've got plenty of unbeatable attacks! If they worked you wouldn't be saying that!" the boy scowled and Sabo sighed in exasperation.
"THEN THEY AREN'T UNBEATABLE, YOU DUMBASS!"
Here they go again. Those two argued about anything and everything no matter what it may be. It was up to Sabo to dissuade them from continuing because Rosan was always content to watch their squabbles (Mod-chan told him it was because Ram found it so funny.)
"You have a fat mouth for someone who lost every single match today! You couldn't even beat Rosan when he was fighting that bad!" Ace sneered.
"YOU CAN'T BEAT HIM EITHER AND HE'S APART OF MY CREW SO THAT MEANS I BEAT YOU!" Luffy roared and Sabo nearly choked on his laughter at the seven year old's logic.
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE," Ace roared back and he tackled the boy, fed up with his antics. "DON'T BE SO COCKY JUST BECAUSE YOU MANAGED TO FORCE ROSAN INTO YOUR CREW! IF ANY OF US ASKED FIRST, HE WOULD HAVE SAID YES!"
"BUT I ASKED FIRST AND NOW HE'S MINE," Luffy replied and the two were off.
"Luffy did not ask. He just demanded I join and I didn't care enough to say no," Rosan told Sabo and the blonde snorted in response. That sounded exactly like what Luffy would do, the boy was extremely demanding.
The two watched the Ace and Luffy brawl in a comfortable silence before Sabo decided to speak up.
"Who would you have picked to join out of the three of us?" Sabo asked curiously. Maybe Ace since that was his little brother? It made the most sense and Rosan did come here for the freckled boy in the first place.
"You. You're the least problematic and the most resourceful. Ace has no tact and will try to fight every single person we see and Luffy doesn't think... which doesn't bode well for me in the future. Though, Luffy's nature would probably give the most exciting adventure," Rosan commented without hesitation and Sabo beamed at the honest answer.
The redhead paused for a moment. "Don't tell them I told you that."
Sabo laughed loudly.
----------------------------------------
"Luffy made some friends," Rosan said and Makino looked at him with wide eyes. Really? Her little Luffy had made some new friends?!
"Don't worry, they are problematic but not as much as me," he assured and the 19 year old rolled her eyes.
"That makes me feel so much better," she replied dryly, handing him a plate of food that he accepted with ease. It was quickly becoming a routine between the two that Makino was beginning to enjoy.
He was helping her out again while the three kids did whatever it is that they did. Rosan agreed with the notion that he was too much of a handicap currently, so he chose to stay out of their business unless they asked him to come with.
When he did that, he would leave them to their own devices and visit people.
Most of the time, he was helping Makino in her bar. He didn't want to visit Maro and Co. too much for obvious reasons.
"I'm surprised you're willing to help me," Makino said happily. "Do you need the money? Is that why?"
"Money?" Rosan tilted his head at the woman and she gushed. "No, I don't need money. To be honest, I won't be lacking money for a long time," he replied and she raised a brow in curiosity at the redhead's statement.
Looking at the way he dressed, it made sense that he would have money… But did he really have that much?
"I have earned a lot of money over the years. I could reliably pass off as one of those high end nobles in the Goa Kingdom," Rosan informed her and the young adults mouth opened in surprise.
He was loaded! The teen probably never had to work again!
"So why do you come here then?" The woman asked, genuinely curious at what his response would be. If he didn't need the money then there was really no reason for him to show up and help her. Was it to get in her good graces since she had practically raised Luffy?
Rosan hummed and Makino wondered if he could sing. He had a very nice voice and even though puberty was causing it to change in pitch (he really was 14!) it still sounded good.
"This village is boring," the teen said bluntly, causing the green haired to protest a bit. I-It wasn't that bad! The quaintness of the town was rather endearing once you got used to it!
"There are not much people close to your age and I'm sure the Red Haired pirates added a spark of interest to your otherwise mundane lifestyle."
"You really don't have to be so rude about it, Rosan," Makino grumbled, sulking at his harsh assessment on her life. He had a tendency to say mean things in the most neutral voice ever and she seriously didn't know if it was intentional or not.
"You hang out with the mayor the most and that man is one of the most uninteresting individuals I've ever met."
That made Makino giggle. "Mayor Woop Slap isn't that bad!" She tried defending his honor. He was a worry wart and pretty boring but to call him the most uninteresting individual, was just him being rude!
"If you insist. If his company is enough to keep you sated, I will stop visiting," Rosan told her and she shook her head rapidly in denial.
She wouldn't defend him that much. The redhead visiting was the best part of her day! Not only was he nice to talk too, he kept the rowdy customers, man and woman, at bay! He was a blessing in disguise.
"So you visit to keep me company?" Makino asked, causing Rosan to nod. She flushed in appreciation and gave him a quick hug that he didn't return, but didn't reject.
"That's surprisingly sweet of you!" She beamed. He may have been rude and brutal, but if you looked past that, he was actually a decent person!
"Thank you," he replied, finishing off his plate and getting up to go wash it. Before he could do so, Makino took it out of his hand to do it herself and he blinked at her but conceded.
Makino looked at him with an assessing gaze for a moment, deep in thought. "You're too young right now but maybe in a couple years…" she muttered. He was already a looker now and it was likely he still had a couple more years to grow... The constant influx of woman constantly hounding him made it hard to miss his good looks.
Rosan glanced up and caught her searching gaze. "I'm not attracted to you," was all he said.
"I take back what I said about you being sweet," she grumbled at the bluntness of the boy.
"Ah, I wasn't intending to be rude. You are attractive but I'm not attracted to you," he clarified and she rolled her eyes.
"Not making me feel any better, Rosan," Makino sighed in exasperation. Honestly, he was the strangest boy ever. He wasn't the only one who patrons flirted with. She had her fair share of people who tried their luck with her but apparently his lack of interest in the opposite sex, extended to everyone.
Unknown to the green haired woman, a certain purple haired woman was death staring her so hard, it was a miracle she hadn't turned into dust yet.
"You know Auntie, Father is surely going to do the deed when he's older," Ram pointed out with a cheeky grin on her bronze face. "What will you do when that time comes? Stop him? I don't think that's very fair!"
"I-I won't stop him... I'll just cry in a corner at the thought of my boy finally reaching adulthood," Mod growled and Ram merely shook her head in amusement.
"So you won't mind if he's an adult?" Ram was surely playing with fire right now but the girl wasn't the wisest when it came to these things. Sometimes, Rosan thought she was a masochist because of how frequently she went out of her way to agitate Mod-chan.
"…" Mod grit her teeth and mechanically turned her head towards the cheeky weapon. "If... Rosan decides he wants to indulge himself in the future, I won't stop him because that is... a natural occurrence. But... he needs to be of age, otherwise I won't allow it."
Saying that sentence seemed to physically hurt her and Ram practically signed her death wish with the next statement.
"Auntie Mod, Father is good looking and hardly ever rejects anyone. If a woman makes an advance on him, isn't he just going to say yes to her? How many women do you think he'll attract? Just look at what's happening at this bar!"
"…"
"We'll probably have to cut the connection too. I for one, do not want to see Father having you know what. I'm sure you want to see it less then I do."
"…"
"Auntie Mod? Are you ther — Ow! Stawp, pleash!" Ram suddenly whined and it was clear that her cheek was being mauled by Mod's delicate hands.
"Stop trying to anger me, child!" Mod barked and Ram nodded rapidly, still pleading for the woman to let her go.
Why did it hurt so much?! It was only her cheek getting grabbed?! Why could she never break out of it no matter what she did? Auntie Mod had a freakish amount of strength!
Rosan wisely said nothing. He just sipped on his tea with a calm expression on his face.
He learned early on not to interfere with their talks. It never went well for him.
----------------------------------------
"You know...," Rosan began expressionlessly, looking at… whatever this was supposed to be. "...I can just use my Devil Fruit to disguise you three, right?"
He was currently looking at a "disguise" of the 3 boys and that disguise, was just the 3 of them piled on top of each other, with a long cloak covering them completely.
"Eh?" A voice from the middle called. "You can?"
"Yes Luffy, I can," Rosan confirmed slowly and, as if to prove it to them, his hair turned blonde and his eyes turned electric blue. "Look."
The cloak opened and Mod rolled her eyes in amusement. Ace was at the top, Luffy was in the middle and Sabo was at the bottom. Rosan couldn't join them because he was too tall and they would stick out even more then they already did.
"Huh, that would have been good to know," Ace muttered, looking at his, now blonde, brother. "But we've already committed to this so we'll do it next time! That'll make it even easier in the future when this trick gets discovered."
Rosan merely nodded his head at that and allowed them to close their cloaks. If it worked, it worked. Who was he to doubt their plans... His own had been rather eccentric as a child.
"Idiots," Ram laughed cheerfully.
"So if you can disguise yourself…" Sabo mused. "You can modify your height right?"
"That's right," Rosan confirmed.
"Alright! Do that and get in here!" The blonde beamed and Mod groaned in disbelief. Were they really about to add Rosan into the mix? She felt rather embarrassed to be doing something like this.
"Okay," Rosan agreed and his eyes began glowing.
"Modify Age: 10," Rosan intoned and his body shrunk rapidly, while his features softened. Soon, he looked much closer in age to the three boys and Rosan paused.
"You three are far shorter than I expected," Rosan said. He had thought he was small for his age but the three misfits were positively tiny in comparison.
"See! I told you it was natural to be so short, Rosan," Mod grinned. He had caused such a fuss as a child and now look!
"You look way younger," Ace remarked and the other 2 nodded in agreement.
"My growth spurt was very sudden and recent," Rosan told them. He stared at the disguise in contemplation before quickly coming to a decision.
"I'll get on the bottom," the redhead said and they nodded in agreement. After a short struggle (Luffy forgot where he was supposed to go), the tower of four dragged the crocodile corpse into the city.
"How stupid are these people for this to be working?" Ram gaped in confusion. Seriously? No one was doubting them? No one had decided to stop them even once?! She knew there were tall people in the world but c'mon! They had such a suspicious cloak on!
Rosan mentally shrugged. Despite the few odd looks, they had managed to make it into Edge Town, a place where thugs stayed, with only one person stopping them, that person being the guard.
After showing them the crocodile, the scared guard had quickly let the very tall man through.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
As they walked, a group of thugs surrounded the four.
"Hey pops! You should leave your package here," a man smiled smugly at the "lone" individual.
Ace, who was at the top, said nothing which only served to aggravate the group of men.
"Hey, why don't you say something?!"
"Shut the hell up, punk," Ace finally replied before Sabo slammed a pipe on his leg and tripped him up.
The man let out a yell of surprise and the boys finally decided to reveal themselves.
"When you mug somebody, be careful who you pick!" Ace declared, pulling the cloak off and revealing the four hiding underneath it.
The three local menaces were immediately recognized, though Rosan was sure they were trying to figure out just who he was.
What followed next, was a beat down on the idiots who tried to rob them. Rosan, with his smaller body, fought like he used to which involved maneuvering around his opponents and crushing them with momentum and flexibility.
"The animals are more of a challenge," Rosan muttered at the broken bodies before him.
"This is why we tell you to stay out of the fights," Ace tsked, but he was impressed at how quickly Rosan changed his style to fit his smaller body.
Was that how he fought when he was younger? It was an ideal fighting style for someone his size but he would still need some power behind his blows... Not that he was lacking any.
"My apologies," Rosan commented, already getting ready to get back into their disguise. "They would have no benefit to you all growing stronger so I chose speed over experience."
"Yeah, yeah, let's just sell this damn thing," Ace grumbled jumping to the top and wrapping the cloak around their body again.
It didn't take long for them to enter High Town and find someone that was willing to buy the crocodile skin. After some choice words from Rosan, they got even more money then was offered!
"I'm glad they paid so much for the skin! Rosan, who knew you were so good at haggling?!" Sabo exclaimed in awe. The redhead had been relentless, adding information that had managed to sway the greedy merchants and showing a clear willingness to sell to someone who would be more interested.
It had worked like a charm!
"Rich people don't often pay attention to how much money they are spending. Spin a tale and they will be eager to pay for it."
"I'm hungry!" Luffy whined like the glutton he was.
"Just a little longer. We'll have great ramen noodles!" Ace assured.
"I am quite fond of ramen," Rosan said suddenly and Sabo raised a brow at that. "They are not as good as pasta, but they are very good and I learned how to make them a while ago."
"I don't know what ramen is but if Rosan speaks highly of them, then it must be good!" The blonde exclaimed. "You can make it too?! If it's really good you can cook it for us when we want some!"
"You can cook?" Ace asked curiously. That explained why he never ate with the bandits.
"I can," Rosan confirmed. "I can show you all one of these days on my ship. I have many ingredients in stasis."
"...You have a SHIP?!" Sabo eyes bugged in surprise.
"I do. Her name is the White Rose and she has been my ship since I was 4."
They were about to grill him more but Luffy's stomach grumbled loudly.
"I'll show you it after we eat," Rosan finished and they voiced their agreement.
They arrived to the restaurant and entered without haste, only to be stopped by one of the employees.
He made a hassle about how they weren't supposed to be there and Sabo showed him some gold medallion that had them immediately identified as nobles. They were then escorted into the VIP room and given 4 servings of ramen to indulge themselves in.
"So this is ramen?!" Sabo asked in excitement, popping his head out of the cloak.
"It looks good!" Luffy drooled, popping his head out of the other side.
"Try it!" Ace grinned and the three dug in.
Rosan watched them for a moment before taking a bite of his own. It was good, but he had better. They didn't have to come back here, the redhead would make them ramen whenever they wanted some.
Ram snorted as the boys asked for more and more plates, heedless of the poor lady that was being run ragged due to their demands.
The redhead wasn't even remotely surprised that it was Luffy that blew their cover. He watched the youngest idiot stretch his arms out to grab a plate out of the ladies hand and she screeched in disbelief, collapsing on the floor before running off to, no doubt, inform someone of the situation.
"We're gonna have company soon," Rosan said, as he did a quick Scan and sensed multiple people heading to their direction.
The door burst open and the head chef came through in a rush. "Sir, we need to talk!" He said and the 3 other boy's eyes widened.
"Damn, they found out!" Ace yelled.
"Let's go!" Sabo yelled back.
Rosan watched the three idiots burst through the window that was very high up and shook his head. After a moment, he dashed after them and neatly jumped through the created hole.
"Thank you for the meal," the redhead told them, before gravity did it's job and dropped him.
"Someone catch them! They didn't pay!" A voice screamed and the four children took off.
"You know, I could have paid for that," Rosan commented idly, as he stayed behind the boys to ward off potential danger. "Surely it would have been easier then this."
"Yeah, but this is more fun!" Ace commented with a wild grin, sliding between the legs of a guard.
"You do have a point, it is more exciting," the teen replied, conceding.
Rosan made note of every person they ran past, in case they tried something and so he caught a wealthy looking man's eyes widening in recognition.
Oh?
"Sabo!" The black haired man called, making the blonde look back in surprise. Rosan didn't miss the look of horror and recognition that crossed his features before he wiped it from his face.
"Sabo! Wait! You're alive! Come back home!" He demanded but Sabo kept running.
Ah, so that was his secret.
Interesting.
"Sabo! He's calling you," Ace noted.
"Who is that guy?!" Luffy asked with his mouth still full of noodles.
"He must have mistaken me for someone else! Let's go!" Sabo replied, trying to appear dismissive and they kept running at his words.
Rosan slowed down to look the man directly in his eyes and he was seemingly satisfied to see him avert his gaze.
Then, he turned around and kept running, deftly dodging anyone that stepped in his way.
----------------------------------------
"What? I'm not hiding anything!"
"Really?"
"Of course he is, Luffy! Tell us, Sabo!"
Rosan remained silent.
Sabo looked at the three other with a nervous gaze. Ace and Luffy were hounding him while Rosan just stared with a blank, knowing gaze.
"We can't have secrets among us!" Ace declared and Rosan looked at him for a moment.
"We can't?" He asked with a tilted head. He didn't know about that rule... Was he next?
"Shut up for a second, Rosan," Ace grunted before turning back to Sabo.
"Okay," he replied and Sabo could have sworn he saw Ram glow for a second. Knowing the weapon, she probably didn't appreciate Ace telling Rosan to shut up... but she wasn't that crazy...
Yeah, it must have been nothing.
"Who does he think he is!" Ram barked, eager to show the little brat how much she appreciated him telling her Father to shut up.
"It's not a big deal, Ram. You can be calm," Rosan instructed, banishing the glow from his ring. Honestly, why was his weapon so unhinged all the time?
"Fine," she grumbled. Ace was in for a world of it when he got into the mindscape.
"Tell us," Ace and Luffy demanded at the same time.
Sabo was content to remain silent and Ace took that as a sign to step up his interrogation.
He, along with Luffy, grabbed the blonde boy and began violently throttling him. "Tell us, you bastard! Or I'll beat it out of you!" Ace demanded with a scowl and Sabo tried to desperately fight them off before giving up that plan.
"Agh! I'll talk! I'll talk," the choked boy said, tapping out.
"Such a violent way to get answers!" Mod mock gasped.
"I like it!" Ram beamed.
"Of course you do."
"...Why does that sound like an insult?"
Rosan would rather they not get this violent with him. All they needed to do was ask and he'd probably tell them. He trusted the three.
Not Luffy though. Luffy had no clue how to keep a secret.
"The son of a noble?!" Ace said in confusion.
"Who is it?" Ace and Luffy asked at the same time.
"Bless their dumb souls," Mod said fondly.
"I am!" Sabo exclaimed in annoyance and he watched in disbelief as the two stuck their fingers in their nose and said, "And?"
He felt his annoyance spike and roared, "YOU TWO ARE THE ONES WHO MADE ME TELL!"
"Luffy and Ace are way too similar," Rosan hummed and his two companions snorted in agreement.
"The truth is, both of my parents are alive. So I'm not an orphan and I didn't grow up in the Gray Terminal," Sabo began in a somber tone. "The man who called me today... was my father."
Ace's eyes widened in surprise at that.
"I was lying to you guys. I'm sorry."
"He apologized so it's okay with me! I forgive you," Luffy said simply and the boy smiled, anger forgotten... if it was even there in the first place.
Rosan had plenty of his own secrets so he didn't harbor anything. This only seemed personal to Ace and so he'd let the freckled boy dictate the conversation.
"I don't get it," the freckled boy said suddenly, facing away from them all. "Why would you do it? Why would a noble run off to live at Gray Terminal?" The 10 year old wondered. He was living a life of wealth and would never have to worry about being ridiculed or going hungry... so why?
Sabo's eyes wavered a bit and Rosan was sure he was reliving some memories, because that's how he used to look when he was younger.
"All they care about is wealth and status. They don't give a damn about me," Sabo began with a grave voice.
"If I can't marry a girl from the royal family, I'm no better than trash. So they forced me to study and take lessons every single day. Then they'd fight if I couldn't learn fast enough… I was just a nuisance in that house," the blonde muttered. Living with his parents, was its own kind of hell and Sabo would replace it with anything else, so long as he got to make his own choices.
"It seems that whenever I meet someone of royal heritage, their life is anything but good. Being born with royal blood doesn't always equal a pleasant life," Rosan said quietly, thinking back to Sanji.
"…" Mod had an unreadable look in her eyes as Rosan said that and if he had seen it, he would have questioned her.
Ram did see it, however.
"Auntie, what's with that look in your eyes?"
"It's… I'm just thinking about the past," Mod said vaguely and Ram just nodded in acceptance.
Rosan was very perceptive though. He always was when it came to his Devil Fruit. "I wonder Mod-chan, are you thinking about your past… or are you thinking about mine?"
"…"
"Hm," Rosan hummed but dropped it. He didn't care enough to delve deeper and if Mod wanted to tell him, she would tell him. If it was important, she would not hide it from him. His surrogate mother would not go out of her way to endanger him.
Besides, he didn't particularly care about his birth parents so he wanted nothing to do with them. If she knew about them, she could keep it to herself. As far as he was concerned, his mother died giving birth to his younger brother and his father was the dumbest man on the planet.
"If…" Mod began hesitantly. "If it's of significance, I will always tell you. But I don't think you would care about this information so I didn't bother mentioning it."
"I'll leave it up to your discretion. Whether you tell me or not, is completely up to you. I trust you," Rosan replied bluntly, ending the conversation between the two.
Mod frowned slightly at that and bit her lip in contemplation. Maybe she should tell him what she knew?
"I may not be an orphan, but I've always been alone," he said sadly.
"Nobles have a low opinion of the Gray Terminal but it's better than the stifling High Town where your life has been arranged for years to come."
"I'd rather be in danger and loved, then safe and unloved." The words he declared to Garp, whispered in his ears at Sabo's declaration.
"So that's how it was," Ace mumbled in thought.
"I think you made the right decision," Rosan said softly.
Unlike him.
"Ace! Luffy! Rosan!" Sabo suddenly stood up and pointed out to the expansive blue ocean. "We gotta set out to sea someday! Let's get out of this country and live freely!" The boy exclaimed in excitement and his eyes were full of wonder, as he gazed at the beautiful sea.
"I wanna see the world out there and write a book about it! Let's become stronger and become pirates someday!" He yelled to the heavens and he pumped both fists into the air at the prospect.
Ace and Luffy grinned.
"I'm gonna become one — you don't have to tell me to!" Ace declared with a confident grin. "I'm gonna become a pirate and defeat others and become infamous! It'll be the only proof of my life!" the freckled boy exclaimed, looking up at the sky.
"It doesn't matter if all the people in the world reject me or despise me, I'll become a great pirate and show them what I can do! I won't run from anybody or lose to anyone! Because I'm feared or hated or whatever, my name will be known all over!" The boy finished and Rosan stared at his brother.
He cursed Roger for placing such a burden onto Ace but at least the boy was taking matters into his own hand. His little brother shouldn't have to feel like his existence was worth proving, but everyone else had hammered that idea into him and this was the result.
Hopefully, he achieved his goal. Rosan would be rooting for him the entire time.
"I got it! Alright then…!" Luffy said excitedly running up to Ace. The 7 year old took a deep breath before he screamed to the world "I WANT TO BE…!"
Ace and Sabo gawked at his declaration and even Rosan raised a brow at it. This was why he believed that Luffy would do everything in his power to become King. Because he genuinely believed it.
To the boy, it may as well have been a statement for the future.
Ace scratched his head in exasperation. "You fool… I was wondering what you'd have to say…" he sighed and Sabo laughed heartily at the youngest boy's antics.
"You're funny, Luffy! I can't wait to see how you turn out in the future!"
"You all have good dreams," Rosan said softly, looking up at the sky. "Don't ever forget them. Sometimes when things get hard, that will be the only thing pushing you forward."
"What about you, Rosan?!" Luffy asked his scout curiously. "What's your dream?!"
Ace and Sabo looked at the mysterious redhead with equal amounts of curiosity. Come to think of it, Rosan had never actually shown interest in anything! They knew he had come here to find Ace and ended up joining Luffy's crew, but his ambitions were lost to the three boys. He was more than strong enough to set sail already but he seemed content to watch, and sometimes join, their antics.
They wondered why...
The redhead blinked at them, dead eyes glowing dimly. "Me? I have no dreams anymore," he said quietly, much to their surprise. "I just want to find a reason to live now."
Rosan was no dreamer. His dreams had died with Meiko.
The three looked at Rosan rather somberly and he sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the mood," he apologized. This was why he had opted to remain quiet. His bland nature gave him quite the serious air and it could dampen the mood sometimes.
"Tell us what your goal was and why you don't have it anymore!" Ace demanded. His brother had been making an effort and the freckled boy could begrudgingly admit that he was beginning to appreciate it, so he wanted to know more about the enigmatic redhead.
"Yeah! You said we would exchange secrets and since I've told mine, it's time for you to pay up!" Sabo grinned cheekily.
"Tell us since I'm your captain!" Luffy declared childishly, beaming happily.
"Seems like you can't deny them," Mod said fondly.
"They've got you cornered, Father," Ram laughed.
"They do. I'm completely trapped."
Rosan trusted them. They were good kids and far too honest to ever betray him.
"When I first met Mod-chan, she told me about how much people were going to come after me to get their hands on her, so I wanted to be the strongest in the world," Rosan began softly, grabbing their undivided attention.
Even Luffy was serious!
Rosan remembered the day vividly. He had been only four when he made up his mind to do everything in his power to protect Mod-chan. If it meant becoming the strongest, then well he'd just have to do it. There had been no doubt in his mind and it had remained that way for a long time.
"If I became the strongest, no one would ever think about messing with my loved ones and I'd be able to keep them safe from harm. I wouldn't be able to feel the pain of losing them because that's a pain I can't handle," he admitted and the boys could sense that something had gone terribly wrong.
"But, even after all my years of training... I wasn't able to keep the one I loved most, safe and she died in my arms because of it, while I was utterly helpless to stop it. I was supposed to be strong for the both of us because she couldn't be strong but in that moment, I felt like the weakest person on the planet."
Desperate tears landing on the face of the person he loved. A soft, loving smile meant just for him. How that love had not wavered for even a second in her last moments. How even with her dying breath, she was still able to keep firm in her beliefs.
How she could so confidently say, "I love you," to a failure.
Meiko was weak, but she was so much stronger than him.
Sabo gasped in horror at the knowledge and regarded the teen in a new light. That explained the lack of emotions and the blonde couldn't even blame Rosan for becoming like this. He felt a well of pain surging inside of him at the agony Rosan must have been put through and he admired the redhead for still being able to continue.
Ace already knew this but to hear Rosan go into detail, made it sting all the more. His older brother had been dealt a terrible hand and this was the result.
"When my lover Meiko, died in my arms, a big piece of me died with her. It sapped me of all of my ambition and right now, I'm no different then a ghost hanging on to one last thread. Her last thread. Her last wish for me, was for me to live for the both of us until I could find a new reason to live and so, that is what I will attempt to do until I die," he told them, voice a near whisper.
For Meiko's sake, for Mod-chan, for all the people who relied on him...
"That's no way to live…" Sabo whispered sadly. It was torturous. Rosan wasn't even properly living! He was just passing the days by right now! "Are you okay?" He couldn't help but ask.
Rosan closed his eyes momentarily. "I have not been okay for a long time."
"I'll help you," a tiny voice declared and Rosan looked at the source. Luffy's hat was being hidden by his, too large, straw hat but he looked up at the redhead with pure determination. "I'll help you, Rosan!"
"We'll go on the biggest, best adventure ever and I'll make you say you found a new reason to live! You'll become the strongest, just watch!" Luffy declared with the utmost confidence and the three just stared at the boy with varying reactions.
"That's going to be hard to accomplish," Rosan informed the boy. "I've been trying for two years with little to no success."
"I don't care! I'll do it because you're my nakama and I'm your captain and we're friends!" The boy said simply, leaving zero room for argument. Rosan was apart of his crew so Rosan was his responsibility until their journey was finished!
"Well if you put it that way, I guess I have to help too," Ace grinned. His brother may have left him in the past, but it had been with good intentions. He just wanted the infant to be safe and that was not something he could guarantee him. It hadn't worked out, but his brother had been four, there was no way he could have predicted this outcome.
"Alright! Count me in! I'll help you get better because I like you, Rosan!" Sabo joined in and the redhead looked at them all with his dead eyes. It used to bother Sabo how expressionless they were, but after learning about his past, it only filled him with determination.
Rosan stared at the three, digesting their declarations before bowing his head (he never bowed) and saying, "Thank you all, I appreciate it. I'll put my full trust in you all."
Before they could say anything else, they watched with dropped jaws, as Rosan's hair turned purple and he gender swapped into his Devil Fruit!
They didn't even know he could do that! What the hell?!
Mod stared at the three with tears brimming in her eyes and she scooped the boys up into a bone crushing hug. "You three have no idea how much I appreciate your words," the woman choked out. She had been about to burst into tears when Rosan had told them of his former dream but she actually did when the three showed their unconditional support.
She loved these little menaces! They were all so kind!
Ace and Sabo flushed at the proximity. T-They had not been expecting to be in such close proximity to the purple haired woman... ever!
"G-Get the hell away from me! Y-you're crushing me in your huge boobs," Ace said crudely, struggling to get out of the deceptively strong woman's grasp. She looked dainty, why was she so strong?!
Sabo was too embarrassed to say anything and decided that staying frozen, was the best course of action.
Luffy… hugged the woman back as best as he could, completely unbothered by the proximity. "Modi!" He squealed before freezing as a realization seemed to hit him.
"DID YOU KILL ROSAN?! WHERE IS HE?!" Luffy screamed in horror. That realization made the panicking boy struggle even harder than Ace currently was.
The purple haired woman sweatdropped at the sheer panic on the seven year old's face and the two ten year old's wanted to slap their heads at his antics.
Ram looked at Luffy with a nervous expression on her bronze face.
Was this idiot really gonna be the one to save her Father?
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"I just realized that all of us want to be Captains," Sabo muttered.
"I wasn't expecting that," Ace said truthfully. "Sabo, I thought you'd wanna be navigator on my ship."
"If not for my shift in personality, I'd likely be a Captain too," Rosan hummed. "I can't stand taking orders from people and it leads me to doing my own things when I disagree with them."
"I guess it's a good thing you joined Luffy's crew, I don't think he has a brain to give out orders," Ace mocked with a grin and Rosan nodded in agreement.
"You can all just join my crew!" The boy in question declared happily, not even realizing he was being insulted.
"NO THANKS!" Ace and Sabo immediately roared to the younger boy.
"Huh?!" The boy gawked in disbelief before stomping around. "I said you can join so you have to join!" He complained. Didn't they know they'd be sailing with the Pirate King? Rosan knew! Ace and Sabo were so stupid!
"That'll never happen, idiot!"
"Yep, never!"
"What did you just say?!… But that's okay. I already have Rosan!"
"You gave up way easier on them then you would have on me."
"Eh? You asked to join!"
"...Don't just make things up, Luffy. You didn't give me a choice."
The two ten year old's laughed at Luffy's confusion.
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"Well, let's just leave it until the time comes," Ace remarked, as he walked up with a bottle of sake. "Maybe we'll go our separate ways."
"Oh, you stole that from Dadan!" Luffy pointed at the bottle in recognition.
"Aren't you all a bit too young to be drinking sake?" Mod remarked, though she made no effort to stop it. There was probably a good reason for this so she'd let them indulge themselves. She was still beaming with happiness at their willingness to help Rosan, so she'd let them get away with it.
"Did you guys know?! We can become brothers if we exchange this cup of sake!" The freckled boy grinned, removing the top from the bottle.
"Brothers? Really?!" Luffy beamed in excitement.
"When we become pirates, we might not be on the same ship but our brotherhood will always be with us!" Ace explained.
"There's four cups," Rosan pointed out and the three looked at him like he was stupid.
"There's four of us," Luffy explained slowly and Rosan was honestly surprised he could count.
"You're including me?" The teen wondered, tilting his head to the side. The question seemed like it was for everyone but the redhead was staring intently at Ace.
The other two followed suit and Ace was subjected to the gaze of three people. He shuffled a bit at the attention before coughing lightly.
"I meant it when I said I don't consider you my brother," Ace said bluntly and Rosan nodded at the reminder of their conversation. "But… we can become proper brothers now."
"You... mean that?" The redhead asked softly.
"...Yeah, I wouldn't offer to help you if I didn't," Ace replied with a shrug.
"And you two? Do you also think I should be apart of this?" Rosan asked the other two boys.
"Of course!" Sabo exclaimed.
"Duh, stupid," Luffy beamed.
Rosan paused for a moment before a burst of warmth flooded his body.
Mod and Ram gasped in wonder at the sensation.
The three boys watched with wide eyes, as Rosan flashed the largest smile they had seen on him yet. It was nothing impressive, not even showing teeth, but it was completely visible.
"That… makes me happy," he eventually said and as quick as it came, it was gone again, leaving Rosan empty. He idly touched his heart at the feeling vanishing, before letting his arm hang limp.
"You smiled!" Luffy cheered and the two other boys grinned.
Mod felt tears well up at the sensation and she couldn't stop herself from letting out a happy sob.
Ram wasn't even hiding her tears. She had never met her Father with emotions after all.
"Maybe it's not as impossible as I thought it was," Rosan said blandly, thinking of that feeling. It felt... nice. He had forgotten what it was like to be happy. He wouldn't mind feeling like that all the time...
He wondered how he was able to feel momentary bursts of his emotion with the castle sealed so shut. Maybe the chains weren't as tight as they appeared.
Maybe the problem was that he needed to be willing to accept all his emotions. Even the negative ones.
"Alright! Let's drink already!" Luffy said impatiently and the four boys grabbed their cups.
"Wherever, whatever, we'll always be bonded together!" Ace said happily, grinning ear to ear.
"So from now on, we're brothers!" He declared and they all toasted their cups together to solidify it.