"Rosan… what are you doing?"

Rosan slowly opened his eyes, glowing gaze roaming over his crew, Franky and Usop- Sogeking.

"I'm meditating," he said simply. "Right now, I have little to no control over my emotions and I'm trying my hardest to not let this anger at Robin get the best of me again."

They flinched at the reminder.

Right… They remembered the words of Rosan right after he exited that strange transformation…

Upset with Robin was a nice way of putting it and they doubted things would suddenly get better after getting her back…

Speaking of which.

"What was that, Rosan?" Luffy asked bluntly, brows furrowed. "First you had a horse then you transformed into something else… I didn't know you could do that."

Everyone nodded. If even Luffy didn't know what that was, it was rather alarming because the brothers had been together for 10 years!

Rosan sighed and closed his normal eyes.

"That… is a problem that has been persisting within me for a long while," Rosan said quietly. "The virus. It is a parasite that has latched itself onto Mod-chan and as a result, me. It is the reason for many of my mental issues."

"Mmm you're too sweet~ If you want, I'll latch onto you too," Pestilence hummed, letting out a pleased sigh.

"Virus…?" Chopper asked in concern.

"Telling them about me so soon? My oh my, I feel so special! This is even faster than precious little Mod!"

Rosan bit back a snarl that he failed miserably to hide, which caused his crew to flinch.

Lately, Rosan had been making far more expressive faces... but watching the once neutral scout scowl and sneer was still foreign to them.

"I don't really feel comfortable revealing anymore information but I will tell you all once this debacle is finished. No offense but I don't really trust everyone on this train," he grunted, trying hard to quell his temper.

"How long until I get Modification fully?"

"I don't have a timer in my head. But it should be soon. What? Not liking my company? I thought we made a pretty good team, Little Rose," Pestilence mocked sadly, sounding exactly like his mother in that moment.

"All this has done, is spare you from my wrath for a moment longer."

"Aww, is this the moment where we swap from haters to lovers and then raise 10 kids? You flatter me, but I don't feel like being the answer to your mommy issues. You're hot but I'm not that easy."

Everyone gained a worried look as Rosan grit his teeth and clenched his fist.

"I hope you remain this fucking confident when we finally meet face to face."

"Mmm, if that's really what you want, then I'll have to do the opposite! Nothing fills me with more bliss than pissing you off. You don't have to worry though, once Mod wakes up, I'll be out your hair sadly."

So the virus was avoiding Mod-chan…

Whatever.

"Let's discuss," Rosan muttered with stormy eyes.

His voice made them all straighten and the group began listening to the tumultuous scout.

"Our mission is to retrieve Nico Robin. To do that, we must fight an enormous amount of World Government agents. Standing at the top of those agents, are CP9 a group of assassins," he began calmly.

"These are the guys who tried to kill Iceburg?" Franky asked curiously, getting a noise of confirmation out of Rosan. "You said they were people infiltrating Water 7 undercover?"

Rosan nodded and began listing off their names. "The ones we know of are, Izumi, Rob Lucci, Kalifa, Kaku and Blueno—,"

"BLUENO?! THAT GUY?!" Franky shouted in shock. Even Kokoro looked stunned by that statement.

The bartender?! He was an agent too?!

Rosan sneered, eyes going dark as he thought about the man with the threatening Devil Fruit. "Yeah. He had a troublesome fruit."

"Why did you let him escape then? I know you said you dealt with it… but how? Is he poisoned?" Sanji pointed out in confusion. Rosan had him right where he wanted him but had let him go in favor of ripping into Robin instead.

"Escape?" Rosan repeated quietly. "No one escapes from me."

Everyone shuddered at that simple and quiet statement.

"Blueno is dead. That I can assure you. What's left of his body, is probably still cooling at Water 7 because those agents were most likely too afraid to touch him," he explained coldly.

"Rosan's really scary right now!" they all thought in horror.

"You don't mess around huh, Red?" Franky asked with wide eyes.

"I will crush all of them beneath my heel by the end of this," Rosan promised.

Kokoro, who had been frowning after Rosan named the agents, suddenly spoke up. "You said someone named Izumi was posing as well? That name doesn't ring a bell. What about you, Franky? I recognized every name except for hers."

The cyborg shook his head. "I didn't recognize that name either. There was no one notable named Izumi on that island and I super knew just about everyone."

Rosan pursed his lips at that. There could be many explanations for that. After all, Izumi could control illusions but for her to not be even slightly known, when all the other agents didn't even bother hiding their names…

She was here for him only then.

Obsessed freak.

"Luffy. You probably don't remember their names, but tell me which one was the strongest."

The rubber boy blinked at the request before nodding.

"Pigeon guy was the strongest," he said eventually.

Rosan nodded. So Rob Lucci was the strongest…

"You can fight Rob Lucci then, Captain," he said simply, gazing at his brother with a serious look in his eyes.

Luffy nodded, just as serious.

"I don't know who will fight who but leave that Rob Lucci to Luffy," Rosan told them all, eyes narrowed. "And you may leave Izumi to me. I have to repay her back for all she's done."

The way he said that, didn't sound reassuring at all.

"Franky, what can you do?" The redhead asked suddenly. "How strong are you?"

The Cyborg grinned. "I'M SUUUUPER STRONG!" The man exclaimed.

Rosan glanced at Luffy and the two exchanged a quick conversation with each other before he nodded.

"Okay. Depending on how many CP9 agents they have, you may need to fight one," he grunted. "Chopper, can you replace my bandages?"

The reindeer jumped at that but nodded, rushing over to the redhead and removing his shirt to pick at his bandage.

None could keep the wince out of their eyes, at the severe damage of Rosan's midsection and they had to wonder how he could even act so calm right now.

Actually, how was he even able to move? It was almost as if he didn't register the wounds on his midsection and that level of pain tolerance was too unnatural, even for their demonic scout.

Had... Rosan been tortured before?

"Are you planning on fighting like that?" Nami asked in visible concern, gazing at his body with wide eyes.

"Of course," he grunted, watching as the red matted bandages piled up.

"What the hell happened to you?!" Franky asked in shock.

"I was tortured on Water 7 by Izumi quite brutally," the redhead replied blandly. "It's why I will handle her. She is obsessed with me and will only target me. It's for the best if she does that because an assassin who can control illusions, will kill you before you noticed you were in one. You guys aren't good at dealing with tricks."

"And you?" Zoro asked with a raised brow.

"She won't kill me regardless of if I win or not," Rosan frowned. "She plans on capturing me and making me her slave, while you all die. I'm very sure she plans on raping and branding me as well."

They froze in horror at that, gaping at the casual way he stated it.

Usopp felt even more guilt at that. So right after Rosan got tortured that brutally… he had to deal with the sniper blowing up on him.

He was the worst...

"Rosan, you shouldn't be fighting!" Chopper begged, eyes pleading with him.

Rosan shook his head in refusal. "You are not strong enough to be worrying about me over yourself; Nothing you say will stop me so just focus on winning your own battle. As long as Robin is in their hands, I will not be satisfied and I will not be able to rest."

His body was still recovering. Modification was coming back slowly but until he was fully functional, the Philosophers Stone would activate in time, but with all these injuries, he would be somewhat drained.

The redhead sighed. He'd be going against Izumi without being fully healed.

How fortunate for her.

"You really care about her don't you?" Franky asked curiously. "You're super pissed at her but you're also risking your life for your woman."

Rosan huffed as his gaze turned murderous. "Regardless of how I'm acting... I'm way more worried then I am pissed but when I'm worried, I get pissed. Every time I think about her, I just think about how big of a hypocrite she is… but I'm also thinking about how I can possibly continue if she dies?"

The redhead closed his eyes and his expression melted away… For a second, for just a split second, they saw a vulnerable redhead with fear on his features.

Fear that they would never associate with Rosan... it was heartbreaking to witness.

"I've been broken once and I'm slowly rebuilding myself. Doesn't she understand that this will break me beyond repair?" he whispered to himself.

The crew looked at his doubtful stance, eyes softening at how conflicted their infallible scout currently was.

Then the anger came roaring back with a vengeance.

"Well if she doesn't understand, that just brings a whole other issue to the table," Rosan snarled, eyes positively glowing. "She didn't tell me a damn thing. She didn't tell me her issues. She just up and fucking LEFT! AND ALL SHE DID WAS LEAVE ME A NOTE LIKE I'D ACCEPT THAT!"

Everyone jumped at the shift in volume and inched away from the furious redhead.

"After everything we said to each other… after I spilled my heart out for her… she tries to make these decisions on her own? I. Won't. Allow. It. Nico Robin is in more trouble then she ever believed," Rosan growled, closing his eyes and forcing himself back into the meditative stance.

"Once I get my powers back, just follow me. I will be leading and I will make my statement. Afterwards, we will split off. If you can avoid a fight and run straight to Robin that would be ideal but I doubt that."

Everyone nodded, stunned that Rosan himself was voluntarily taking charge.

"She'll be cuffed most likely," Franky pointed out.

"I will deal with it… I just need my powers back," he growled.

He felt completely helpless without Modification right now. He was still plenty strong physically but without his ability, it was difficult to do what he wished to do.

Rosan focused and was satisfied to see it was slowly booting up. Better then being completely deactivated.

"Don't hold anything back. Mark my words... by the end of the day Enies Lobby will see that I'm far more dangerous then a Devil," the redhead assured.

"We'll help in anyway we can… Robin's our crewmate too," Nami nodded in determination.

"I've got a bone to pick with the World Government myself so when you say things like that, you get me super pumped!" Franky grinned eagerly.

He liked this redhead. Franky would have done the exact same things if he had the power to save Tom so to see someone going against the very same World Government… it lit a fire under him.

"You might get a bounty for this Franky… is that really okay with you?" Rosan grunted curiously.

The cyborg paused at that question, not considering that outcome at all, before shrugging.

"I'll figure it out afterwards. The World Government really pisses me off so it was bound to happen one day," the cyborg explained.

Rosan shrugged and accepted that answer.

"That reminds me… why exactly did Iceburg want your help? I heard that you dismantled ships, not repair them," Sanji frowned at the cyborg.

Franky puffed up with pride. "I was the student of the best damn Shipwright on the planet with that Iceburg. My skills in crafting are second to none! I even created this super cyborg body of mine by myself!"

Rosan glanced up at him and the crew could just tell his gears were turning at that.

"You're a shipwright?!" Luffy asked excitedly.

"You're a master inventor?" Rosan asked calmly.

"Yup! I'm super good at them but I haven't built anything in a long while..." Franky nodded.

The redhead's gaze looked calculating at that.

By the way Luffy's eyes were sparkling, it was clear what the two were thinking and they couldn't believe it.

They totally wanted to recruit Franky.

But in a move that surprised them all. The two brothers just nodded and let it go.

"You're skills would go well with my abilities," Rosan commented offhandedly, closing his eyes and beginning to meditate again. "We could create inventions on the level of Vegapunk if your claims are true."

Franky's eyes widened at that bold statement and he regarded the focused redhead with a clearly interested eye.

"Just what is your ability?" He asked.

They could reach Vegapunk? What an absurd but confident thing to say! Franky really liked Red already.

Rosan simply inhaled and exhaled quietly.

"If you contribute in saving Robin, I'll tell you. After I deal with her, you will have my attention so you'll find out anyways."

Luffy nodded excitedly. "Yup, but Robin comes first!" The rubber boy chirped.

Everyone shuddered at that statement, Franky included.

"That's… super ominous," Franky said.

"You have our condolences," the crew, barring Luffy told him.

Looks like they better get used to the idea of Franky being apart of their crew. Those psychotic brothers both had their eyes on him.

Franky simply backed away from the suddenly super scary brothers.

----------------------------------------

"Let's talk, Robin-chan."

Robin's eyes narrowed at that voice and she turned away from the window to gaze at Izumi.

"No one should be visiting me. I thought you all made that rule," Robin said icily.

Izumi didn't even flinch. There was a wild, albeit hidden, look in her eyes as she gazed piercingly at Ohara's Devil.

"They don't know I'm in here. All of them have fallen under my spell," she said simply, before taking a seat next to the clearly uncomfortable woman. "Tell me about Rosan's Devil Fruit."

Robin's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "I have nothing to say to someone who won't keep their word."

Izumi raised a brow. "You're talking about what I did to him? Let me ask you something Nico Robin. You saw exactly what he was able to do after what I did. What did you think was going to happen if I didn't incapacitate him?"

Robin said nothing.

"I put a hole in every part of his abdomen, I tied him up with seastone and I even shot him with seastone nails… but he somehow still showed up and killed Blueno in the process. Can you imagine what would have happened if he wasn't injured? Your entire crew would be burned alive by the Buster Call," Izumi hissed, successfully making Robin flinch back.

"I did you a favor by incapacitating him… and he still almost ruined everything," Izumi tutted. "I envy you Nico Robin. Our sweet boyfriend managed to completely fool you."

The Devil Child went still, eyes furrowed in confusion.

"Confused? I don't know why you are," Izumi shrugged. "Can I ask you another question? If Meiko was alive, do you think Rosan would ever give you the time of day?"

Robin knew what her game was. She knew what Izumi was trying to do… but a small part of her had to wonder, would Rosan give her the time of day if Meiko was still alive?

After all, while Robin was in love with Rosan… the redhead didn't show any of the same signs… but he realized he was in love with Meiko after looking at her…

"You see don't you!" Izumi purred. "He's turned you into a loyal slave and you don't even realize it. If it were up to him, he'd discard everything just for a chance to see Meiko again and I'm going to show you that…"

The woman sighed and leaned in close, planting a chaste kiss on the edge of Robin's lips and making the Devil Child reel back with wide eyes.

"You and I? We're not so different you know. We're both loyal to a man that won't appreciate us fully even though we love him but you know what? It doesn't have to be like that," Izumi whispered.

Robin shuddered at the woman talking to her right now, doubt on her face.

"To be honest, I like you Nico Robin. I don't want you to die and I won't let you die," she announced, making Robin's eyes widen in confusion.

"What?" the Devil Child asked in shock.

Izumi smiled gently. "I've already killed someone who was completely innocent in this war between Rosan and I... I would hate myself even more if I killed you too," she admitted truthfully.

The illusionist gazed at her hands. "Every single day, I am reminded that everything in my life went wrong because I killed the most gorgeous and innocent girl I'd ever laid eyes on. That day, Meiko was the last person who deserved to die, yet she did and it was at my hands," Izumi said quietly, dead teal eyes staring directly into her soul.

"Yet here I am, alive with no other purpose but to chase the back of the person who turned me into this."

With her words... with her eyes, Robin distantly thought that Izumi and Rosan were very similar.

"You're just another victim in this battle and I'm tired of hurting victims. You could join me and the both of us could share Rosan. I don't mind since we already are," Izumi said simply.

Robin couldn't understand anything going on in Izumi's mind. The twisted girl had been the one who made her give up and now she was saying she didn't want her dead?

Join her? Was she mad?

"You're thinking why would I even extend the offer when my allies are in the other room?" Izumi guessed, standing up with an unhinged smile. "It's true, Rob Lucci alone is enough to dismantle me but Robin, girls like us don't fight fair."

With a small tug, she pulled Robin up and forced the woman to follow her. Then, Izumi opened the door to the room behind them, filled with every single CP9 agent.

What Robin saw left her stunned.

Every single one of them were sleeping.

They were unconscious, unaware of the world around them as they slept the events of today away.

"Didn't I tell you? They're all under my spell," Izumi crooned, taking a confident step forward. "I don't care about my allies. I don't care about their lives. I don't care about anyone in this train. I don't care about anything except for you and darling."

She walked up to the sleeping Kalifa and boldly grabbed her chest, looking back at Robin and fondling her shamelessly, as the woman showed no sign of waking even as Izumi placed those nails on her pretty face.

"Not her."

Then, she removed her hand and walked over to Kaku, brushing her incredibly sharp nails against the bridge of his long nose. With a small bit of exertion, those claws would pierce into him and take his life and he'd be none the wiser.

"Not him."

Finally, she walked over to Lucci and aimed a finger directly over his heart, drawing an imaginary one over it in the process that belayed the danger of the action.

"And especially not Rob Lucci."

Izumi looked back at her with a grin and an unsettling gleam.

"You see? In just a second, I could kill all of them and be done with it and they'd be none the wiser. No Rokushiki technique is saving them from my magic, yet they praise it as if it's the only thing a person needs…"

Robin shuddered at the psychotic girl, eyes going wide as those dead teal eyes looked at her.

"I don't need to be stronger then them. Every creature has a weak-point, whether it be physical or mental. Every creature has a weakness that a person can exploit to win…" Izumi began.

A hand touched Robin's shoulder and a chest pressed against her back, squishing into her lewdly.

"...That's what I specialize in and I already know Darling's weakness."

Robin jumped at the chilly breath against her ear and rounded on the Izumi behind her.

"W-What?" The Devil Child muttered in confusion, turning back in time to see the Izumi who was next to Rob Lucci, vanish into nothing.

"You've fallen under my spell too," Izumi said calmly, smiling impishly. "Illusions. Such a powerful tool to help people escape from reality… but I myself can never escape from my reality. Fitting isn't it? That I'd eat this fruit?"

"What's real? What's fake?" Izumi questioned and Robin watched as the woman split into 5, before they combined into a giant figure of her… and finally they ended up as Meiko…

"It's hard to separate dreams from reality when there's something you wish for," Meiko said softly. "I will prove to you that Rosan cares about me more then anyone else, even with your life on the line…"

She transformed back into Izumi who leaned in close to Robin.

"...And then I'll save you and let you get your revenge on that traitor," she whispered.

Izumi leaned back with a satisfied smirk and did a little twirl.

"Ah it'll just be perfect! The despair on Rosan's face, when he finds out the one who killed Meiko, was the one who saved his lovely Robin. Mmm just thinking about it~" Izumi giggled psychotically.

"Now go take your seat and let me deal with saving you! We've both got a persona to maintain, don't you think?" The agent grinned psychotically.

Quick as a flash, her face morphed into a lifeless expression.

"Go. Sit," Izumi intoned, before making her way over to her own seat and sitting down.

Robin shakily watched her go, before walking back into her room and subsequently collapsing into her seat.

I already know Rosan's weakness.

"She's going to use Meiko to strike Rosan's weak points," she thought in realization, shuddering at the conversation that just took place.

That… Rosan was in real danger. He… He loved Meiko. He could never strike her…

Not even for her…

Robin's head bowed and she slumped in her seat.

Right… Rosan's heart belonged to Meiko. Of course it did. It always had.

Meiko would never have pushed Rosan away and made him cry.

Meiko would have revealed all her problems right then and there because she had nothing to hide from him.

Not like Robin had so ruthlessly done. Robin knew he couldn't control his emotions and she ruthlessly stomped on them, just so he could get away.

Meiko wouldn't have done that. She would have cried and begged for him to come back and be with her.

That's the type of person this version of Rosan needed. They weren't kids anymore. Rosan had outgrown a person like Robin, who didn't know the slightest thing about helping someone who genuinely needed help.

How could she ever help someone, when she was just as much a mess as them?

Rosan was the sun… and she was the moon. Robin couldn't become a sun for Rosan like Meiko had… because she wasn't fit for it.

Of course she wasn't… why did she think otherwise?

Robin shut her eyes and cried quietly to herself.

----------------------------------------

There were far more people on the train then Rosan expected or wanted.

The redhead opened his eyes and sneered at the others.

The Franky Family had been following them on their King Yagura Bulls and Rosan supposed that because the Aqua Laguna was really kicking up they could come in…

But what were these three Galley-La workers doing here? Not to mention, somehow Kokoro's granddaughter and that weird pet where here too.

It was too crowded. He hated that. And not only that, they were panicking as well. Something about a massive tidal wave coming to hit.

But it wasn't all bad. No, in fact it was great…

Rosan's closed eyes pulsed wildly as he began slowly but surely healing. It wasn't fast by any means, only slightly above a humans but it meant one thing.

He was alive.

"I do quite enjoyed our time together, whore. But that's all from me. If you ever want to use my powers again, you know you just have to let me in. Toodles!" Pestilence hummed, slinking away into their corner and vanishing before he could say a word.

Rosan's eyes shone dangerously, as a feral grin made its way to his face and he abruptly stood up, getting all their attention.

"You mentioned a tidal wave?" Rosan rumbled, clenching and unclenching his fist repeatedly.

They nodded rapidly, eyes wide at the dangerous aura of the redhead before them.

The redhead hummed and seemed to check for something before nodding.

"Alright. I'll deal with it but afterwards I'm going to rest," he demanded, not waiting for anyone's response.

He nudged open one of the windows to the wild sea train and put a foot on the edge.

The redhead ignored everyone's yells of concern and immediately silenced them as a violent and scaly tail burst out, followed by wings.

The Straw Hats eyes widened in joy.

"You got your powers back!" They exclaimed right as the redhead launched himself into the terrible weather.

"So he's a Devil Fruit user too," Paulie muttered.

Everyone glanced at each other for a moment, before they all dashed to get a glimpse outside.

Rosan floated above with a set of gloves on and breathed calmly.

"I'm not fully recovered… but I can make way for the train… Then I need to shut down most of my body functions and rest up for as long as possible."

Deep breaths.

Rosan held both hands out and began accumulating the necessary energy. The redhead inhaled and focused.

"Exoneration."

Everyone's jaw dropped as the giant tsunami was parted straight through the middle by an unassuming red orb that quickly grew massive.

It flew through the air at ridiculous speeds, growing larger and larger, before crashing directly into the wave, ripping open a hole that allowed the train to travel through as if it never existed in the first place.

"H-Holy shit," the Franky Family muttered, glad that he wasn't there to deliver the beat down.

"S-So this is the power of the Red Devil… it seems like if he wanted to kill Iceburg he really would have…" Paulie muttered.

"That's what I was trying to tell you, jackass!" Nami growled, rounding on the idiots with a menacing aura. "Rosan's super talented! He wouldn't fail to kill someone and you wouldn't even know it was him!"

The Galley-La foremen sweat at the scary woman.

"Sorry…" they muttered.

They watched the redhead slowly float down and enter the train again.

"I'm going to rest for a bit. Wake me up if we see the other train or are near Enies Lobby. Do not wake me up otherwise, I need to regain my energy," Rosan grunted.

With that the redhead walked of, slightly modified the area around to make it a suitable resting spot, transformed his raid suit into a set of earmuffs that he placed on, before immediately closing his eyes and falling asleep.

"Let him rest," Luffy said with a confident nod. "No one's more useful than Rosan is!"

"But he needs to have the energy to do it," Zoro nodded in agreement. "I'm gonna get warmed up…"

Sanji nodded. "There's something I want to practice too."

Thanks to Rosan, he got that Geppo and Soru technique down and the intense training, had already increased the strength of his legs to levels he didn't think were possible.

His kicks felt ridiculous! Actually, he kicked so hard, he noticed something and that was what he was trying to currently test out.

"Me too!" Luffy said determinedly.

"That reminds me… I wanted to try something that I talked to Maro about!" Chopper exclaimed, rushing off as well.

Nami clutched Clima and walked off as well. "Let's go practice combinations. I want to increase the speed you can summon that iron cloud as well."

"Understood. Water and Lightning. Fire and Wind. Oh I'm just so pleased," Clima said, sounding pleased.

They watched each Straw Hat leave with wide eyes.

"Those guys are monsters…" Franky muttered, feeling left out because he had nothing to do.

"…" Usopp glanced down. Even the ones who knew who he was under the mask barely gave him the time of day.

He knew why… Robin was super important to get back but it still stung.

He deserved it for acting like this anyways… Rosan had been trying to tell them about Robin while severely injured but Usopp had just blown up on him without a second thought.

He said so many terrible things to the redhead that just wanted his best friend back…

And now they were all throwing themselves into training… while he had nothing to do but recover from his injuries… that he made worse by causing a fight with his former captain.

"Stop beating yourself up," Franky said seriously, slapping Usopp on the back. "You won't be helping anyone like that. If you want to earn their forgiveness, do all that you can to get that girl back."

The liar perked up at that and gazed at Franky… before he nodded in determination and began rummaging through his bag, making sure everything was sorted.

He'd do everything in his power to get Robin back… it was his fault they didn't look for her sooner so he'd do his best.

"For what it's worth, I did think you had potential and I hope you can realize it on your own journey."

Even if they didn't forgive him… it was the least he could do.

----------------------------------------

Rosan glanced down at Mod and Ram's sleeping bodies, both still unconscious from the effects of the seastone, and frowned.

They were out in the rain for who knows how long so they were both thoroughly soaked through.

Neither could get sick from the rain… but despite that Mod-chan looked terrible.

Her face was flush, she was breathing hard, and the woman writhed a bit. It was exactly how she was when they were on Daybreak. Seastone had a terrible effect on her when they were exposed to it for too long.

At least Ram looked fine. Seastone should affect her the least out of the three of them. She wasn't a Devil Fruit after all but their connection still meant that she was slightly affected and she was especially not used to being knocked unconscious.

The redhead bent down and picked them both up, before walking towards their home.

Once inside, the redhead gently began peeling off Mod-chan's dress first and threw it in a basket. He repeated with the rest of her soaked clothing and frowned at the state of the sickly woman before turning to her closet and opening it.

He snorted at seeing only black dresses and grabbed one, before immediately modifying it into thick pajamas that would keep her warm.

Rosan gently hoisted his mother up and began the process of putting the new set of clothes on her.

"Mmm?" Mod made a noise as she blearily opened her eyes. "R-Rosan?" She called, before coughing harshly.

Ah… this was what happened to her… after the seastone… darn it, she was going to be totally useless to Rosan again wasn't she?

"Shhh," he whispered. "Arms up."

The woman obeyed and lifted her arms up to the best of her ability, watching as Rosan put the comfortable and snug top over her frame.

The redhead gently turned her and repeated the process with her pants, sliding them up and securing her under a blanket once he finished.

Then, he walked over to Ram and repeated the process of peeling her outfit off, taking a bit longer because hers was a lot more complicated then Mod's, until she was also free of the soaked clothing.

Ram shot up at that, puzzled as to why she was naked, and glanced around in confusion.

"Relax Ram."

The ring instinctively calmed down at her father's voice and raised her arms so he could place the top over her. The same was repeated once more for her bottom half before she was fully clothed.

Then she noticed her Auntie's condition.

"A-Auntie?! What happened to you?!" Ram shouted in concern, leaning close to the sick woman with a panicked look.

Mod tried to open her mouth to explain, but Rosan put a finger over her lips.

"No talking," he said calmly. "I was captured and shot with seastone nails. This is what happens to Mod-chan as a result."

Mod and Ram's eyes widened at that and they both fully focused on the artificially calm Rosan.

Both of them could feel it almost as clear as day.

Portgas D. Rosan was pissed.

"Do you remember Izumi, Mod-chan?" Rosan asked quietly.

Mod nodded immediately at the name. She would never forget the person who killed Meiko.

"She's joined the World Government. She is the one who used the illusion of Meiko to weaken our guards. After we fell unconscious, she tied me up and tortured me."

At the words torture, tears began springing in Mod's eyes and she was immediately brought back to the traumatic events of Daybreak.

How many times would she be incapacitated, while her baby boy got tortured?!

"WHAT?!" Ram snarled, fury marring her features as rage began mounting. "Who does this human think she is? Where is she? We will return the torture tenfold and you can use me to do it."

Mod frowned deeply, wiping her tears. Something was wrong here. Being tortured wouldn't have Rosan this angry.

Rosan and Mod reacted very differently. This was something that would have the Devil Fruit truly furious but to Rosan, this would be an annoyance that he'd have to deal with. It would make him mad, but not on this level.

Then she noticed.

"Where… is… Robin? Did... you two ever manage... to talk?" The Devil Fruit asked raspily.

Rosan's reaction was all she needed to know that something went terribly wrong.

His face immediately formed into a snarl of pure hatred, as his eyes began glowing bright and the two woman instinctively flinched back at the intense rage in his gaze.

"Nico Robin tried to sacrifice herself to save us, by turning herself in to the World Government," Rosan grit out painfully. "She is currently on a sea train headed straight to Enies Lobby."

Mod's teary eyes widened in terror at that and she shot up.

"W-What—"

Whatever she was about to say was cut off as she broke out into violent coughs that had both Ram and Rosan quickly placing her back down.

Mod's body shook terribly.

How could Robin do something so stupid?! Sacrificing herself to the World Government? Turning herself in? Why? Why would she do that?!

What was she thinking?! Didn't she understand what the consequences of such actions carried?

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?! MOTHER DID WHAT?" Ram screamed, eyes flying wide with rage.

Rosan huffed, anger nearly boiling over again as their emotions struck him.

"I understand how upset you both are because trust me, I am too. We're going to storm Enies Lobby and get her back… and you two won't be helping."

…

"W-What…?" Ram asked in confusion. Her? Not helping Father? But she wasn't sick like Auntie!

Mod frowned heavily and tried to sit up, only to collapse as her weakened body disagreed with the motion.

"Mod is self explanatory. She is in no condition to do anything so for now, just rest," Rosan ordered, getting a noise of protest out of her.

"B-But I can still help! This is Robin... we're talking about! I don't care what condit— I don't care what condition I'm in," Mod coughed harshly, gazing pleadingly at the redhead.

"Well I do care," Rosan said with a glare. "You are in no condition to move about, Mod-chan. Just watch what's going to unfold and focus on getting better. I don't need you for this."

Mod flinched at his somewhat harsh statement and turned subdued, nodding softly.

Rosan's features softened and he immediately scooped her up into a hug.

"Sorry… I didn't mean it like that, Mod-chan… We're practically one and the same… Everything you can do, I can do so there really is no reason for you to overexert yourself. Please, I'm already so worried about her... I can't handle being worried for you either," he whispered, kissing her softly on the forehead.

"I-I know… it's just, I'm so worried… why would she leave us?" Mod whispered in distraught.

"You don't have to wonder. I'm going to drag her back and force her to explain herself," Rosan assured, getting a small whimper out of the teary eyed Devil Fruit.

"And what is your reason for leaving me out, Father?" Ram snarled, disagreeing with him for once. "I can still be useful! I'm not incapacitated like Auntie is!"

The redhead turned to face her. "There is no point in you trying to help. You're just going to hold me back in an already unfavorable situation so I'll go at it alone."

Ram flinched back as if physically slapped by the redhead. To her, she may as well have been.

"Hold you back…?" She whispered in disbelief. Then, Ram's features turned into a truly terrifying scowl.

"HOW WILL I POSSIBLY HOLD YOU BACK FATHER?! SINCE MY CREATION, I'VE DONE NOTHING OF THE SORTS BUT NOW YOU THINK SOMETHING'S CHANGED? HOW?! TELL ME RIGHT NOW WHAT'S CHANGED! IS IT BECAUSE I WAS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS?!" she howled, glaring furiously at the redhead.

"I AM NOT USELESS. I WILL NEVER BE USELESS TO YOU SO WHY WOULD YOU EVEN SAY THAT TO ME?!"

Rosan gazed stonily at his weapon, before sighing as he saw actual tears forming in her eyes.

"Can you hit Meiko?"

Ram froze completely.

"Will you take the form of a weapon that will possibly strike down one half of you?" Rosan asked quietly.

"The answer is no. You can't Ram. Because I can't either," he replied softly.

Ram began shuddering, words failing her.

"Izumi already knows Meiko is my weakness. She is going to use her against me. I am already facing inner turmoil, I do not need yours either. Neither of us can deal with seeing Meiko in pain and I won't share that burden with you or Mod-chan."

Rosan's eyes burned fiercely as he stood up.

"This is my burden and mine alone. You did not exist when I created this monster. You should not bear the burden of striking your mother. I already have plenty, one more is nothing."

Ram slumped over in defeat, knowing she really couldn't attack Meiko. It went against everything in her system, striking her deceased mother no matter how fake.

"Can I at least protect you?" She asked quietly, uncharacteristically subdued from the events that had happened.

Rosan nodded. "If that's what you want to do, then yes. I won't dissuade you from contributing if you truly wish to."

"Will you be okay, Rosan?" Mod asked quietly, watching him prepare to depart.

"…" The redhead said nothing for a bit as he pondered the question.

"I have not been okay for a long time, Mod-chan… but for this moment, I will have to be."

And then he vanished.

"Take care of Mod-chan, Ram. Make sure she doesn't do something rash."

Ram nodded, tears of defeat falling from her eyes at the conversation that just took place.

"Auntie… am I useless to Father?" She asked quietly.

Mod frowned sadly and opened up her arms so the woman could crash into her.

"Of course not… Rosan is just… trying to protect you. You're his daughter after all… do you think he'd be able to live with himself if he had to burden his daughter with killing her mother?"

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Ram shuddered in the sickly woman's grasp.

"B-But it's my duty to be his weapon! I am his blade and I must strike his targets! If I can't do this… aren't I better off destroyed?" She whimpered.

The Devil Fruit shook her head firmly. "No! Since your creation, you have never failed Rosan. He doesn't even consider this a failure because he himself will struggle with the task… Don't think Rosan will destroy you for one mistake when he's made countless himself. You haven't done anything wrong, Ram."

The ring continued to shudder before she began sobbing.

"T-Then why does it hurt so much?" She blubbered, hot tears spilling out.

Mod's own eyes began watering and she clutched the vulnerable girl as tight as possible.

"The events are overwhelming you. You want to save Robin, but you can't strike Meiko so you feel hopeless. That's okay… you can cry to me, I'll make you feel better here… and Rosan will make you feel better when he handles the situation."

Ram nodded shakily, letting the tears fall freely and Mod just offered her presence.

"Robin… I can't understand why you'd do this… Don't you realize how much everyone loves you? Don't you understand how much Rosan loves you?" Mod thought to herself biting her lip in concern.

----------------------------------------

"We're almost there," Kokoro announced. "I hope you all are ready for a fight."

"OH! I FEEL PEOPLE!" Luffy shouted, peeking out of the window. "WOAH! THAT GATE IS HUGE!"

"Hm?"

Everyone paused as they heard that ominous hum.

Rosan's eyes opened and he calmly set up, clenching his fist repeatedly.

"S-Sorry for waking you!" The Franky Family stammered, despite it being Luffy who had done so.

"No, this is fine," he muttered. They watched the redhead remove his shirt (much to the joy of Mozu, Kiwi and Kokoro) to reveal his bandaged midsection…

And then he ripped every bandage off his body.

"R-ROSAN!" Chopper shrieked in rage, only to pause.

There… were less holes on his body weren't there?

Everyone winced at the injuries on his body, only to go white as one by one, each hole began closing up as if it were never there.

"What the fuck is he?" Everyone thought in terror, going green at the way his skin healed back up.

"I will never get used to that," Nami and Sogeking wheezed.

Rosan effortlessly ignored them. His earmuffs began slowly but surely wrapping around his entire body, until it formed into a wavy black cloak that moved with the slightest bit of wind.

"You said you saw the train?" Rosan muttered darkly, draconic wings slowly sprouting from his back instead of bursting out like they normally did.

Everyone shivered at watching that dangerous tail snake out from behind him.

"Yeah but they might already be going through the gate," Paulie explained. "The fact we managed to catch up to them is a miracle… especially with the lead they had."

Rosan ignored him and began making his way out of the train.

"W-What are you doing?" Zambai asked hesitantly.

"There's a gate right?" Rosan asked quietly. "I'm going to make way for you all…"

The redhead's slit eyes pierced into them all.

"And I'm going to thin their numbers," he promised, flexing his wings and taking off.

"What does he plan on doing?" Franky asked curiously.

"Didn't you hear?" Sanji smirked, puffing once. "He's going to make way for us and thin their numbers."

"...With that attack he used earlier to clear the wave?" Paulie asked curiously.

Zoro shook his head. "It's something a lot more destructive."

Nami nodded. "And massive too."

"Modification: Ragnarok."

"Massive? Destructive? Just what is this redhead capable of—"

Everyone who didn't already know about it, felt a primal fear course through their body as the answers to their inquiries were very quickly found.

"RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rosan roared in raw unadulterated fury.

"O-Oh," they stammered.

"Yep," the Straw Hats nodded.

----------------------------------------

"RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

It was as Robin crossed through the gates, that she heard that spine chilling roar.

Her dead gaze shot open wide and she jerked in her seat.

"R-Rosan?" She whispered in shock, going white as she heard the pure rage in that roar.

Izumi felt a tremor shoot through her, as she and all her agents shot up at that terrifying roar.

"What? They managed to catch up?! How is that possible?!" Kalifa shouted in shock.

At once, everyone in the Rocketman and the Puffing Tom glanced out the window.

What they saw, would be forever ingrained in their memories.

The creature before them was as magnificent as it was terrifying. Massive, black, menacing… the honest to god Dragon glared down at Enies Lobby with two bright eyes… one purple the other red.

Just like that black creature from earlier…

"S-So this is what a person with a Mythical Zoan is capable of," Kalifa muttered, fear coursing through her body due to the creature staring directly at their train.

"How many forms does he have… he has to be a shapeshifter?!" Izumi thought to herself as that menacing creature growled lowly, razor sharp teeth exposed for all to see as it began snarling.

Lucci was already on the move. He dashed through the door of the train into the first car and roughly grabbed Robin.

"Let the people in the previous cars deal with them. Call in all the agents around Enies Lobby as well. Our mission is to escort Nico Robin to Spandam," he instructed, grabbing the shocked woman and jumping out of the train.

The CP9 agents nodded and followed after him, jumping on the air to make great distance.

Robin felt the world freeze, as Rosan's slits focused on the agents and they made eye contact.

Then, the dragon's visage shifted into a terrifying scowl, smoke began pouring from its mouth and the demon threw his head back.

"RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" it howled once more.

Then the dragon moved.

The CP9 agents couldn't help but pause in shock as the dragon moved with far too much speed for its size.

Rosan crashed into the gate and with a furious snarl, he began tearing at it with his claws, causing them to crumple like paper under his assault until the gate was no more then scraps.

He then turned towards the parked train, filled to the brim with people who could not fly like the agents and curled his clawed hands into a fist.

The first punch, completely broke the Sea Train in half, causing screams to ring out from the vehicle and when the creature pulled its fist back, they saw a copious red liquid dripping from the claws.

"AHHHHH, S-SOMEONE HELP US! W-WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" The people in the train began screaming, watching the dragon effortlessly break their ship.

Rosan wasn't finished with them. This ship had the most clustered amount of government people in it, so he'd take them out now.

The dragon snarled in hatred, giant spiked tail began to wave about ominously.

They soon found out why.

With speeds too fast to ever react to, the tail ruthlessly slammed into one half of the broken up sea train, flattening it like a pancake and crushing anyone who had been on it.

When Rosan lifted the tail, bits and pieces of not only the train, but the people on it, began falling off the tail.

He gazed at the other half of the train and reached out to grab it.

Screams rang out as soon as his clawed hand pulled it out of the water and Rosan gazed cruelly at the terrified specks inside of it.

The tiny little humans who thought they could oppose his might.

He would show them. He would show them all what it meant to take what was his.

His grip on the sea train tightened and he gazed at the government agents forming on the ground, taking aim at him.

Pointless.

The dragon tensed and launched the train at the people on the floor, instantly causing countless deaths as his aim rang true.

"A-Ah..." one agent backed away in terror, watching his allies get turned into smears on the floor at the hands of something they were not equipped to be facing.

"I'm scared... I'm really scared!" the person next to him whispered, tears falling down his eyes as the dragon focused all his attention on the people beneath him.

"W-What do we do?!"

"What can we do."

"..."

"R-RUN!"

The Dragon snorted at the panic below him.

"Run?" He rumbled demonically, glaring at the few trying to kill him. "There is nowhere to run. No one is making it off this island alive," he promised.

Then the creature took flight and began charging.

Red flames began coalescing in the dragon's maw, spelling doom for everyone in the immediate vicinity, before it aimed straight for the regrouping World Government lackeys.

They shivered in fear as they took aim at that gargantuan creature and began firing, going pale as every bullet failed to even pierce its skin.

Finally, the creature fired.

"ANNIHILATION!" He roared.

The world burned red as the flames washed over them.

The screams were music to Rosan's ears, as he relished in their agony.

Mod shuddered slightly, noting Rosan's sadism with wide eyes.

Angry couldn't even begin to describe what Rosan felt right now.

"AGHH!" the people screeched as they were burned alive. The stench of charred skin began wafting through the air and Rosan snarled once more.

T-Bone, one of the few who had managed to escape from the train before Rosan got his hands on it, looked at the carnage with a look of shock, before looking at the evil creature with an expression of rage.

"You would hurt… no kill my men!" He growled, grasping his sword and charging the obsidian dragon with a purpose.

"You must pay for this, demon! Prepare yourself!" he roared.

T-Bone leapt an impressive height to try and reach the flying dragon…

Only for his efforts to be immediately dashed by the indomitable force before him.

Rosan gazed at the insect and lashed out with his clawed hands, completely goring through the airborne man's midsection with a massive claw.

T-bone hung their limply, as he began slowly sliding off Rosan's gigantic claw and the moment he was fully released, a massive tail crashed into him and crushed him into the pavement below.

Rosan didn't even bother staring at the stain.

"RAOGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The dragon roared its presence to the world, massive height looming over them all.

The CP9 agents stared at the display in horror. This thing was protecting Nico Robin?!

Robin herself, gazed at the display with terrified eyes because with every action Rosan took, the target on his back grew larger and larger.

She just wanted him to stop. She just wanted him to be safe but because of her, everything was getting worse and worse.

The aftermath of this, was on her... she shouldn't have tried to take initiative... what was the point if her decisions made things far more disastrous than anything Rosan had ever done?

"Is this truly what the Red Devil is capable of?!" Kaku whispered in horror, watching as he bathed every single one of their subordinates in that hellishly red fire.

"Where is the backup?" Lucci growled as he continued his course.

"T-There's no need sir. The giants are arriving to stop him," Kalifa shuddered, gazing with terrified eyes as the creature continue to belch out those flames with ruthless precision.

Rosan paused in his assault, as he heard the thud of footsteps of what was bound to be giant creatures.

The dragon methodically turned towards the noise, a snarl emitting from his throat as he gazed at the two giants that even paled in comparison to his dominating size of 50 meters.

"You're the one making all that noise?" Kashii called sleepily before snapping awake as he took in the situation.

Both the giants went pale, as they saw the state of Enies Lobby.

More specifically, they whitened at the sight of the gate they were tasked with protecting.

"YOU DESTROYED THE GATE?! NO!" He roared in disbelief, glaring at the massive dragon with fury in his eyes.

Oimo's eyes flooded with rage as he took in the state of the utterly destroyed gate and the burning entrance.

"H-HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?!" The giant roared in fury. "YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! WE WON'T BE ABLE TO SAVE BROGY AND DORRY LIKE THIS!"

Rosan, who had been poised to actually bite their heads off, paused at the creatures distraught.

Then, a violent grin formed on the Dragon's maw as a thought began running through his head.

"You said Brogy and Dorry? The giants?" The dragon rumbled lowly, tail swishing idly as it effortlessly destroyed a building in the courtyard.

The Giants blinked, anger forgotten at the mention of their captains.

"Do you… know them?" Kashii asked warily.

"But how? They've been arrested for years!" Oimo announced.

Rosan rumbled in amusement.

"We met them not too long ago on Little Garden. They were still having their duel for 100 years now. I very much doubt they've been arrested," he revealed sadistically.

The giants froze.

"100… years?"

"D-Duel? They're still having it?!"

"I don't know your situation… but you were lied to. They were never arrested. Their bounties are still active after all and we became good friends with them even."

"THEY LIED TO US?!" The giants roared, fury in their eyes.

Rosan turned away from them, gazing at the stunned agents with a superior glint.

"They did. I bet you want to make them pay don't you? How about you join us and we'll teach them a lesson?"

"YOU TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF OUR MOUTH!" Kashii roared.

"LET'S TEACH THESE BASTARDS A LESSON FOR LYING TO US!" Oimo agreed.

"Good. Now, I need you to stop that approaching train. My allies are in there. They will be helping us," the dragon rumbled.

They nodded furiously and turned away, marching to go intercept the Rocketman with a purpose.

"He managed to turn the idiot giants against us?" Kalifa said in shock, taking a shaky step back as those eyes glared directly at her.

"Devil seems to be too polite a title," Kaku muttered in some fear as they entered the building.

"All this for one person?" Lucci scoffed in annoyance, pushing the cuffed Robin into the building.

"…" Izumi gazed at the massive dragon with a completely white gaze, shaking in place as he peered at her with murder in his gaze.

If not for Nico Robin, they'd probably have already been burned alive... that thought was...

K-Kami, he could kill them all so easily. Without even having to touch the floor. What could they even do against such a gargantuan creature?

H-He was going to kill them all… they needed to call backup. They wouldn't be able to do this without the help of an Admiral.

Robin's head was bowed in defeat. Everything that she wanted to avoid happened anyways and she made it even worse.

Why? Why did they have to be so difficult...

Spandam's smile was wiped off his face, as he gazed outside and let out a terrified bellow.

"W-What the hell is that massive dragon?!" Spandam shrieked in terror, falling.

"The Red Devil?!" Jabra mused, looking at the destruction caused with a slightly nervous expression. "Are any of us equipped to deal with that guy? A Mythical Zoan is no joke and look at the damage he's causing!"

Spandam nodded hastily, rounding on them with bugged eyes. "There's a reason we were told to be wary of the Straw Hats! The power of a Mythical Zoan isn't something to mess with and we were completely outed on Water 7! Who's gonna answer for this?" The man demanded.

Lucci scoffed. "It was Blueno and I's decision to approach Nico Robin and Blueno is dead so I suppose I will have to rectify this," the strongest agent stated.

"You better! We were already warned of the dangers of the Red Devil and Straw Hat and now look! Did you think the warnings were unwarranted?! Look at what one person is doing!" The leader of CP9 pointed, terror rolling off him in waves.

Izumi stamped her fear down at the reminder that they technically weren't even supposed to be messing with the Straw Hats. "I will deal with the Red Devil."

Jabra's brow shot up to his forehead. "You? Puppet? What the hell can you do against that guy? I was thinking someone like Lucci."

Her unnerving teal gaze stared into his own. "None of us have more power then him. Not even Rob Lucci."

Lucci's expression darkened at that.

"I am the one equipped to deal with him so I will deal with him."

The strongest CP9 agent stood over her with a sneer.

"You think you can deal with something I can't, talentless?" Lucci asked curiously.

"Yes."

That was that.

Lucci looked as if he were hellbent on denying her request, but Spandam slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"If the puppet says she has it handled, then let her handle it!" the chief of CP9 said, praying that his fear wasn't visibly showing at the carnage still taking place at the hands of the dragon.

"Why don't we all gang up on him?" Kumadori asked in confusion. "Surely he cannot eliminate all of us!"

"He is not alone," Izumi intoned.

"Straw Hat Luffy, who is probably just as big of a threat as him, along with the rest of the Straw Hats are also en route. He also managed to recruit the two giants just now," Kalifa explained.

Spandam turned towards the subdued Robin with a sneer. "To think they'd go to war with the World Government, just for you. I guess demons really do stick together eh, Nico Robin?"

Robin said nothing. She had done nothing but gaze at the floor since entering the building.

The chief slapped her across the face with an annoyed scowl and floored her. "Don't ignore someone who's talking to you, bitch! That's rude," he growled.

Izumi's eyes flew open at that and a scowl replaced her dead expression.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She hissed, venomous aura surrounding her as she shoved Spandam away from Robin.

"W-What the hell?! Don't put your hands on me agent! Don't forget your role!" Spandam shrieked, glaring at Izumi now despite the fear from having an assassin looming over him. "I'll have Lucci kill you if you do that again!"

Izumi snarled, making the CP9 agents blink a bit at the uncharacteristic action.

She placed her very sharp nails close to Spandam's neck and the man whitened. If he even attempted to move, those vicious nails would pierce him through so he remained completely still.

"Listen to me idiot. I need the Red Devil to be coherent in order for this to work. If he flies off the handle because he saw you abusing the woman he's trying to save, what I will try to do won't work. Do not touch her again," Izumi stressed.

Spandam was about to argue, but the rush of flames outside immediately silenced him as he realized that yes, the Red Devil was currently wreaking havoc on their troops and if he got any angrier, he might start throwing out even more fire, heedless of the fact that Nico Robin was here.

"S-Smart thinking, Puppet," Spandam nodded, moving away from the bruised Robin.

Izumi's eyes narrowed.

She knew what she had to do now. This man was an idiot with absolutely no clue what he was doing. As long as he was in charge, this entire mission would be in jeopardy.

Robin gazed at Izumi with a puzzled expression.

"The Straw Hat Pirates are attacking us so we must be prepared for them," Spandam announced.

"By the way… how did Blueno die?" Jabra asked. His Devil Fruit was useful, it was such a shame he died.

"The Red Devil used another technique of his to do so… I have no idea what his Devil Fruit is," Kaku admitted.

Spandam blinked at the idiot. "It's a Dragon… like the one outside."

"He transformed into something else to kill Blueno," Kalifa interjected with a nervous expression. "It was black like the dragon but… it wasn't normal. He took control of him and Blueno began attacking us before... before he was violently killed. Truthfully, I found it far more unsettling."

The agents all went silent at the revelation.

A Mythical Zoan that allowed him to transform into multiple creatures? And he was able to control Blueno with it too?

That... didn't sound very good at all.

"On the subject of Devil Fruits…" Spandam muttered. "Kalifa, Kaku. You should probably eat the ones I found."

The two blinked at that before nodding, grabbing at the Devil Fruits with a curious gaze.

"Expect the worst outcome," Lucci announced suddenly. "In case of meeting. Izumi will deal with the Red Devil, I will deal with Straw Hat. Kaku, you will deal with Roronoa Zoro and the rest of you may pick whichever target you want. It does not matter to me."

Kalifa crossed her arms. "Then I'll deal with that girl of theirs."

Jabra scoffed. "I don't know why Kaku gets to deal with Roronoa, but whatever. I'll handle their next biggest target."

Kumadori bowed his head. "As punishment. I will quickly deal with my target and then assist whoever needs it!"

Fukuro was about to say something, before he was summarily hit by Kalifa, Kaku and Lucci.

"Hit him, Izumi," Lucci demanded with narrowed eyes.

The woman, who had no intention of playing their silly game, looked at Lucci before delivering a punch to the man.

Best to just accommodate their wishes. She didn't care either way. They'd all die here if she had anything to say about it.

"Chapapa…" Fukuro paused as he gauged the powers.

Finally the man nodded and announced the list.

Rob Lucci: 4000

Izumi: 2900

Jabra: 2400

Kaku: 2200

Kumadori: 810

Fukuro: 800

Kalifa: 630

"4000?! 2900?! 2400?! What?!" Kaku announced in shock.

Kaku and Kalifa couldn't keep the shock off their face as they gazed at Lucci, the stone faced Izumi and the cocky Jabra.

"Heh, while you guys were slacking off at Water 7, I've been training with little miss Puppet here almost exclusively. I don't know when she got stronger than me, but she did," Jabra announced, sneering at the bothered Kaku.

Rob Lucci gazed at Izumi with a somewhat impressed gaze.

"You are far stronger then last time we met, Puppet. Seems like even talentless trash can get strong with enough work," Lucci announced calmly.

"…" Izumi gazed uncaringly at them all.

"Of course she is! All this Puppet does is train, sleep, and train in her sleep," Spandam laughed, putting an arm across Izumi's shoulder who hardly reacted.

"It's why I was so surprised she even asked to go to Water 7. Turned out for the best though, I heard you were the one who managed to neutralize the Red Devil somewhat so thank you for preventing the mission from becoming even more of a failure," he praised.

"…" Izumi didn't bother responding to anyone or anything.

No, the girl was fuming on the inside.

"2900? That's nowhere near enough to stop a monster like him. I need to be stronger but I don't have enough time to get stronger," she hissed in fury.

Despite his nervousness, Spandam grinned at his bodyguards, completely confident in their abilities to deal with this.

And if things went wrong then well… he always had the Buster Call.

In fact, perhaps he should call reinforcements in case…

As Spandam set out to do just that, he blinked in confusion as his transponder snail activated... before failing to make a call.

The agents watched him continue to try and call anyone to little success.

"What the hell's going on? Why can't I call anyone?!" Spandam shouted in confusion.

"I can explain…"

All eyes turned towards the voice and to their surprise, they saw it was the rookie CP9 agent, Nero.

The man looked deathly nervous, repeatedly glancing outside before forcing himself to look straight.

"The reason you can't make any calls… it's because of the Red Devil," Nero explained. "He… He did some move that disrupted the signals… the foot soldiers have been trying to relay a message to you for a while now."

Robin's eyes widened.

Rosan could disrupt signals even? Was it because of his electricity?

"What have they been trying to tell us…?" Spandam asked wearily.

Nero remained silent. "That the Straw Hats have completely overran Enies Lobby… right now they should be very close to—"

An explosion rocked the Tower of Justice that halted all conversation and the agents looked at each other before rushing out to the balcony.

What they saw, left them stunned.

Enies Lobby was burning. The island was up in flames everywhere and they balked at the damage done.

That quickly, the Straw Hats completely upheaved the island of justice and did damage to it that it had not suffered ever…

And they were standing right across from them.

Robin felt her knees go week, as every single Straw Hat gazed at her with a single minded focus.

All of them were intense, but two glowing eyes pierced into her soul and unleashed all her insecurities to the world, making her falter. She could never stare for long, when those intense eyes gazed so seriously at her.

Rosan, back in human form, said nothing, just staring at the petrified Robin the entire time with a chilly expression. He was the picture perfect of calm, not even a hair out of place on his body.

It was almost like he hadn't been razing Enies Lobby to the ground earlier.

Robin never wanted Rosan to look at her like that...

"Yo Robin, we came to get you back," Luffy greeted cheerfully.

"...You look really lonely," Rosan said coldly.

----------------------------------------

Earlier

Rosan, still in his dragon form, paused as a figure landed atop his head.

"You shoulda brought me with you!" Luffy scowled, sitting cross legged on his brother's draconic skull. "You took out a lot of people without me!"

"It's not even a waste of energy for me," Rosan growled to his brother. "Where are the others?"

The captain shrugged. "I went ahead but they should show up soon."

Rosan nodded, walking forward instead of flying, uncaring of the bodies he was crushing under his massive figure.

"Let's make some more headway then. You sit there and save energy for your battle."

The dragon stopped in front of the gate, before curling his clawed hand into a fist and coating it with armament.

Without any hesitation, he crashed it into the wall.

It never stood a chance.

The plethora of Marines on the other side let out yells of surprise, as they were met face to face directly with the horrifying dragon, Straw Hat Luffy sitting cheerfully on its head all the while.

They went white as the dragon snarled at the mass of people, electricity beginning to spark on his body in red flashes.

"L-Lightning too?!" The agents thought in horror.

That was their last thought.

"EMP: Shockwave."

From all around the dragon, a wave of electricity shot out that quickly caught the helpless foes around him. It completely fried their insides and was packed with so many volts, that they were unable to even let out another noise.

"Wow!" Luffy whistled, completely unaffected by the widespread electric attack that erupted from the Dragons entire body. "You can use lightning in dragon form?!"

"Yes. It's as easy as breathing to use lightning," Rosan rumbled, charring their bodies with the harsh electric attack.

But he wasn't done.

He continued sparking even brighter, uncaring of the screaming going on beneath him.

"Wavelength Disruptor."

A massive circle of electricity rushed through the air, before fizzling out... but the air felt heavier around Rosan.

"What did that do?" Luffy blinked in confusion, watching as a pulse went out.

"My body is currently acting as a wavelength that disrupts other waves. There will be no calls for reinforcement here until I leave or cancel it," he said coldly.

"Awesome! There's a lot of people here already," the rubber boy exclaimed, brows furrowed as he felt the sheer number of people on the island.

"That just means there's less space for them to run," Rosan grunted, gazing back at hearing the massive noise of what could only be his allies.

"ROSAN!" They called, some in happiness, others in sheer horror.

To say the onlookers had been shocked by Rosan's performance, was a gross understatement.

Right after Rosan left, Luffy got bored and rocketed off as well to pursue his brother, much to their resigned acceptance.

They weren't sure what he had done but almost as soon as landing, two friendly giants named Oimo and Kashii, who claimed to know Dorry and Brogy, had caught them and stopped the Rocket Man from crashing into anything.

"You're pet Dragon told us about how the Government lied to us so we're on your side now," they explained.

The group sweatdropped.

Pet dragon… right. If Rosan heard that, he might burn them.

Afterwards, they could only balk at the sheer damage Rosan had caused already while moving forward.

Bodies were littered across the ground, burned beyond recognition as they saw their draconic scout in the distance razing everything to the ground with a fury they had never seen from him.

Someone had made a gagging noise when they accidentally stepped on a burnt and discarded arm.

"S-So this is the Red Devil," Franky muttered in disbelief, gazing at the destruction with wide eyes.

"His power is terrifying," Paulie gaped in horror.

Those who didn't know what Rosan was capable of, realized that he was far more dangerous than they had initially thought.

The knowledge that this monster had been on their island, they had falsely accused him of something and they were still alive after that, would forever be ingrained into their minds.

This carnage... all of this was done by one person?

That almost didn't sound believable, up until they saw the massive dragon that dwarfed even the giants.

"C'mon let's catch up while he's clearing the way for us. This should help us save energy," Zoro grunted, charging forward in the direction of the dragon.

Everyone else nodded their heads and hesitantly followed, gawking at the trail of destruction left behind.

The dragon looked down at his allies, violent tail swishing as it idly destroyed another building.

"Stay close to me."

That was all the creature said.

They chilled at that deep rumble. Rosan never actually spoke to them in this form did he? He just showed up, roared, handled his business and transformed back into a human.

Slowly but surely, they watched Rosan transform back into his human form as he gently placed Luffy to the ground.

"There's a lot of people on this island…"

The wind began picking up around him as red sparks began dancing across his body.

"Let's trim them down a bit."

The redhead rocketed into the sky and gazed at the main courthouse, filled to the brim with Marines waiting for them to approach.

Grouping up like that…

How silly. Strength in numbers was very true...

For him.

Rosan decided to take a page out of Mod's book and become a range fighter for this excursion. Since he wasn't using Ram, his ranged attacks would be far more powerful.

Not to mention, he had gotten quite the upgrade in his arsenal from Skypiea.

He was a force of nature. A living disaster. Something that could not be controlled… something that could not be stopped.

Rosan was something that you could only do your best to prepare for and even then, that may not be enough.

The wind began blowing harshly where the Marines were, much to their confusion.

Their confusion didn't last long.

"Cyclone."

Howls of agony rang through the fields as a surge of violent winds suddenly appeared and began dragging them in, battering them all the more.

Their misfortune only got worse.

"Obliterate."

The ones who managed to avoid getting caught, could only balk in genuine terror, as massive flames flew out from the red dot in the sky, colliding with the heavy winds and turning the environment catastrophic as a result.

"HELP! ARGHH IT BURNS!"

"AGHHHH!"

"M-MY SKIN IS PEELING!"

As the fire combined with the wind, it spread like a disease and set the entire place ablaze. The roars of the flame; the howling of the wind; the screams of the people… all of it combined to make an almost deafening noise.

Rosan gazed down at them, sparks still flying from his skin as he manipulated the electricity next.

Then, he put a hand to the sky and the lightning flew into it.

"All your suffering will end eventually. I will make sure of it," Rosan said softly, as he finished charging his attack.

"Fall."

"EMP: Storm."

Bolt after red bolt of lighting came crashing from the heavens, eerily reminiscent of Enel's "Deathpiea" attack.

What could only be described as the apocalypse, was currently taking place and the allies of the Straw Hats had to wonder if they were really even needed with such a monster lurking around.

Red Devil was a perfectly suitable nickname for the demon known as Rosan because what he was doing right now, was something they'd never in their life want to go against.

"We didn't even know he was capable of all of this…" Sanji sweatdropped, listening to the screams of agony with a wince.

"Yeah he's scarier then normal and I already think he's terrifying," Nami nodded, watching all he could do with the elements with bright eyes.

The spot they were all in was spared from hell on earth, but Enies Lobbies was on fire currently.

"That's one way to declare war on the World Government," Kokoro laughed nervously, as the redhead landed gently in front of them.

"I've thinned down their numbers greatly," Rosan began, getting straight to business. "You all, focus on finding ships and securing an escape. Ensure no one comes to help the CP9 agents. Oimo, Kashii, please continue fighting for us until this is all over. I'd appreciate that."

The two giants nodded without hesitation.

"Of course! You're the one who told us the truth about these lying scum so we giants will repay you back on our honor!" Oimo declared.

Rosan nodded. "Thank you very much."

He turned towards Luffy. "How many people are in that building, Luffy?"

"10 people," Luffy replied. "One of them is really weak though and the other is Robin."

Rosan closed his eyes and nodded.

"Okay. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Chopper, Franky… and Sogeking," he said finally. "The rest of you focus on defense and escaping. You will not want to be on this island by the end of our battles"

Usopp jumped at being called and gazed at the redhead who had been ignoring him with wide eyes behind his mask. "You want me to come with?"

"That's why I said your name."

Franky slammed his fists together. "SUPER! Let's do this."

"Will you be alright Rosan?" Chopper asked worriedly. "You've healed your injuries but you aren't 100% are you? I know how that stone works now."

"No, I'm not 100% that's why I need you all to win your battles. After all this blows over, I'm going to take the rest I desperately need. I'm very tired," he replied softly, not letting any of it show.

Rosan tilted his head and turned around, before jumping into the air once more.

Ragnarok quickly took his form and he lowered his tail for them to all climb.

"Good luck out there! Don't worry about us, we'll do what you asked! Just tell them one thing for us!" Paulie requested.

"THEY'RE FIRED!" He roared, as the dragon took off to the tower.

"Understood," the dragon rumbled.

With that, the gargantuan dragon flew off towards the tower.

"Alright, let's go! We can't let the Straw Hats hog all the work!" Paulie barked.

"YEAH! LET'S HELP IN ANYWAY WE KNOW HOW!"

Rosan's flight didn't last very long and he deposited each member on the roof before transforming back to normal.

Then, he stood on a pillar, aimed his hand out and shot a red blast of energy that collided with the building and shook the entire structure.

He got his desired results immediately.

Every agent rushed out into the balcony and gazed at the Straw Hats with dangerous eyes, looking every bit like the renowned assassins they claimed to be.

But none of that mattered to Rosan. There was only one thing on Rosan's mind and he was gazing directly at it.

Wide blue eyes, filled with a panic and terror stared at them all before zeroing in on him with genuine fear and Rosan felt the anger he should feel melt away.

His face shifted into one of cold apathy and she flinched back.

Memories raced through his head, as he gazed at his cuffed best (supposedly) friend and realized she was mere moments away from being permanently taken away from him.

"I know how it feels to have everything taken from you. It sucks. It's the worst feeling I've ever felt in my life and it must have been the same way with you. The sadness is so much that it makes you wanna crawl somewhere and just sleep it away. The loneliness is so crushing it just makes you want to give up," a tiny, 4 year old, Rosan had said to a just as tiny, 8 year old, Robin.

Wide blue eyes had stared into the royal purples, as the mask of the little girl had threatened to shatter beneath the gaze of the glowing child.

"Yo Robin we came to get you back," Luffy greeted.

"You look really lonely, Robin," 4 year old Rosan had said compassionately, making her flinch back with wide eyes.

"You look really lonely," Rosan said neutrally, watching her flinch once more, eyes just as wide.

"...Why did you come?" She whispered, loud enough for them to hear.

Luffy tilted his head to the side. "To come get you of course."

Rosan's eyes narrowed. "Why did you come? That's the first thing you have to say?" he asked quietly.

Everyone shuddered at the quiet rage in his voice.

"Not, sorry for being a fucking liar, Rosan? Sorry for not thinking of talking to you about this? Sorry for trying to sacrifice myself for you, even though I begged you not to do the same? Instead, you're still trying to act all tough, huh?" He sneered.

Robin bowed her head as his words pierced into her. "You shouldn't have dragged them into this, Rosan. Please just take them all and leave, you still have time to make an escape."

Spandam laughed at that. "Not only is Franky right there for the taking… Your crew is right there and you're telling them to leave! This is rich! You really are a Devil—"

A wave of unfocused pressure, made Spandam fall flat on his ass in terror, as each CP9 agent stepped back unwittingly.

Robin's head snapped up and she focused shuddering eyes onto the furious Rosan, who was looking at her like he didn't even recognize who he was talking too.

"You would look me in the eyes and tell me to leave? After everything we've been through? Are you actually the Robin that I know because you of all people should know that I'd never fucking accept this," Rosan hissed venomously, teeth bared.

"Selfish acts disguised as selfless piss me off the most. Since when are you a fucking hero, Robin?" He scowled, looking unflinchingly into her blue eyes.

"That's not… I'm not trying—" Robin tried to speak up.

"Shut. The. Hell. Up. Robin," Rosan grit out with wild eyes and she reeled back with wide eyes.

He was… being so harsh to her… Never in her life did she expect for Rosan to be talking to her like this. Never did she expect such furious eyes to be directed towards her but it really hurt.

"The one thing I hate, is when someone weaker than me, tries to protect me when they should be worrying about THEIR OWN LIFE!" He roared, eyes blazing brightly.

She took a step back, hurt on her features as he raised his voice at her again.

Then, Rosan took a deep breath.

"Fine. You want to try and save my life right? You want to keep me safe right? You want to sacrifice yourself for a cause you think is so damn great right?" The redhead snarled.

"Spanda was it?" he called.

The chief began shaking as those furious eyes bore into him. "M-My name isn't Spanda it's Spanda—"

"I don't give a shit. Shut the fuck up and listen," Rosan sneered rudely, making the man splutter. "I've got something really interesting to tell you."

Robin's eyes widened in pure dread. She knew her best friend better than anyone else. She knew exactly what he was planning on doing.

"ROSAN STOP! PLEASE STOP!" She shouted, terror filling her eyes as he fixed that malicious gaze onto her.

"Didn't I already tell you? Shut up, Robin. You want to do things without other people's consent right? Now I'm going to do the same thing," he hissed at her and she went silent in shock, shuddering at the fed up tone of his.

"Spanda. I already know the location of both Pluton and Poseidon. If I manage to get off this island without Nico Robin, I will make sure this world is burned down until only ashes remain."

A silence washed over the air, as Robin fell to her knees at the actions of Rosan.

The Straw Hats gazed at Rosan in shock, not knowing he knew that information and not knowing that was his plan.

CP9 froze in horror at that, gazing at the redhead and realizing that perhaps it truly was unwise to go after the Straw Hats.

If he wielded such information.

Franky's eyes bugged at Rosan. "Oi, RED YOU SERIOUS?!"

"I'm dead serious," Rosan said coldly. "I know exactly where they are, I know how to get to them, I know how to activate them. I can even get more dangerous allies than myself to join me because I know they'd be interested in getting their hands on them. By the time you manage to get that information out of Robin, I'll have already started my campaign. Then I'll get her back regardless or the world will burn."

No, no, no, no, no. Why was he doing this? What was wrong with him? She… She knew Rosan was insane but this was too far even for him… Robin felt lightheaded as Rosan painted the most gigantic target on his back for no good reason.

"I-Is that true?" Spandam balked. "No, it has to be true! Look at the way she's reacting?! The Red Devil knows where two of the ancient weapons are located?!"

This was bad. This was absolutely terrible. Nico Robin wouldn't reveal the information before this redhead got his hands on one and in this race, whoever got access to it first would win.

Not to mention... it didn't take a genius to realize who Rosan meant when he said dangerous allies.

If he allied himself with the likes of Whitebeard or Kaido... it would be utterly disastrous. The protection of one of the Emperor's of the seas... he'd absolutely be able to find at least one of the ancient weapons.

They would win the battle if they captured Nico Robin… but they would lose the war to the Red Devil…

"FRANKY! LISTEN TO HIM! ISN'T THIS EXACTLY WHAT YOUR MASTER WANTED TO AVOID?!" Spandam shouted.

He didn't notice the way Franky's gaze darkened.

"IF HE GETS PLUTON… ALL THAT HARD WORK WILL GO DOWN THE DRAIN! GIVE US THE BLUEPRINT SO WE CAN COUNTER HIM! IF NOT WATER 7 WILL JUST BE ANOTHER CASUALTY ON HIS PATH OF DESTRUCTION!" Spandam raved.

"…" Franky said nothing for a moment before gazing at Rosan. "So you aren't actually planning on activating either of those… because you plan on getting your woman back right?"

Rosan's eyes glowed maliciously. "You understand well. I'm beginning to like you Franky."

The cyborg grinned. "That intensity moves my soul, brother! I'll have to match it!"

Everyone watched as the cyborg rummaged in his body, before pulling out a blueprint.

Spandam's eyes widened excitedly.

Were those?!

"This is the blueprint to Pluton," Franky announced with a grin.

"GIVE THAT AND WE CAN—"

Everyone watched, stunned as he launched it up for Rosan.

The redhead opened his mouth and immediately incinerated it on the spot.

…

"Those were the blueprints to Pluton. Looks like these two right here are the only ones who know about em and I reckon Red will definitely be able to find it quicker," Franky shrugged helplessly.

…

Spandam's eyes bugged in rage. "CP9. BRING IN THE RED DEVIL AT ALL COSTS. HIS PRIORITY HAS INCREASED! NO, MAKE SURE NOT A SINGLE STRAW HAT MAKES IT OFF THIS ISLAND ALIVE!"

Robin began panting harshly as a rare anger overtook her.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT ROSAN? Y-YOU SELFISH BOY!" She shouted angrily, glaring at the redhead who had the audacity to smirk at her.

"YOU… I WOULDN'T HAVE TOLD YOU ANYTHING IF I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO DRAG EVERYONE ELSE INTO THIS! WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?! WHY WOULD YOU PAINT SUCH A TARGET ON YOUR BACK?!" She screamed, huffing furiously at the redhead who didn't look bothered by her anger at all.

He… Rosan… He was utterly insufferable. What was wrong with him?

There had to have been something wrong with him because he began laughing at her and Robin saw the utterly psychotic gleam of a man who would do anything to get back what was his.

"Kahahahaha! When did I say I was done speaking?" Rosan cackled, eyes pulsing madly. "I've got one other thing to reveal so that you guys really understand just how fucked you are."

Robin turned white.

"No, Rosan... please don't!" She begged, tears of frustration forming as none of her words reached him. "You've already revealed enough. Why must you continue? Please just stop!"

The redhead tilted his head, psychotic gleam never vanishing. "Look at you, trying to tell Death what to do. What makes you think I'll listen to you all of a sudden?" Rosan crooned, cloak on his body transforming into a very very familiar outfit.

Robin never felt as helpless as she did now, as Rosan looked her dead in her eyes and began transforming into a very familiar figure.

None could stop a wave of pure horror, as two black feathery wings burst out from the redhead's back.

His signature black cloak with white streaks formed and everyone watched in a moment of clarity, as a mask began forming over Rosan's face, a single black rose on the porcelain white of it.

"He's gone completely mad," Nami gaped as Rosan took form of the most infamous Bounty Hunter alive.

The CP9 agents realized in moments and in that same moment, Izumi fell on her butt, a look of true terror on her face as Rosan took the form of her neverending nightmare.

"A-Ah. No no no, I didn't mean to," she stammered, eyes turning into pinpricks as her trauma came roaring back with a vengeance.

"Shinigami," Rosan intoned lifelessly, gazing through the petrified CP9 agents.

Franky's eyes bugged out of his skull. "O-Oi, Red... don't tell me you're-"

"Correct. I am the Angel of Death, Reaper," he announced to everyone there.

Franky's jaw dropped in disbelief and he gazed at Rosan like he were a completely new person.

"I put a lot of trust in you already, Franky. Let's keep this between us," Rosan said quietly.

The cyborg blinked before bursting into tears. "YOU'RE TOO NICE RED! TRUSTING ME LIKE THIS?! YOU SUPER BET I'LL KEEP IT BETWEEN US!"

Spandam went completely ashen at that.

"T-T-T-The," he stammered, jaw dropping more and more as the situation became more and more clear to him.

Ohhhh no. Oh no no no no.

"THE ANGEL OF DEATH?!" He screeched in horror.

A cold and oppressive pressure washed over them all and the Angel of Death began gazing at them, expression impossible to tell underneath the shadow of their hood.

You were telling Spandam... that this entire time, the Straw Hats were housing the Reaper in their crew?!

This whole time, the Red Devil had been the Angel of Death...

Oh this was bad. This was really bad. Reaper was the person with a 500 million bounty. Reaper was the ghost who had cleansed the blue seas of hundreds of bounties.

Reaper was currently standing opposite to them, after razing down Enies Lobby in another form.

The Red Devil was more dangerous than they were ever led to believe.

It was impossible for anyone on the World Government's side to hide the unease at the idea of who their opponent was. Everyone knew of Reaper and the fact that he was able to elicit such a strong reaction out of the puppet of all people, only left them more uncomfortable at what looked to be a daunting task.

They were finally realizing that the warnings to stay away from the Straw Hats were not enough. They needed far more than just a warning.

"You've learned quite a lot about me," Reaper said idly, black wings absorbing the very light around him as the cold air around them deepened. "You making it off this island to report all you found and us preventing all that and getting back what's ours... with such high stakes, I can't help but want to put on my best performance."

"But trust me when I say, no one else will learn of me being Reaper today. You will keep my secrets with you whether you want to or not," he promised ominously.

Robin didn't ever think she could possibly get this angry with Rosan but she was furious.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ROSAN?!" She practically screeched, glaring at the redhead with heated eyes. "WHY?! WHY ARE YOU JUST MAKING THINGS WORSE?! WHY WON'T YOU LET ME PROTECT YOU?! WHY MUST YOU PULL MY TEETH EVERY TIME?!"

The hoodie and mask vanished, revealing the redhead's face once more.

"Angry? Get in fucking line. Maybe now you get a glimpse of how I'm feeling right now," Rosan sneered.

Robin scowled fiercely in return. "Don't you understand anything?! Is this a game to you, Rosan?! Of all the times to be childish, Why is now is when you choose to do it?!"

The redhead had the audacity, the actual audacity, to smile smugly at her. "You of all people should know, that this stopped being a game to me the moment I realized who you were with," he told her.

The smile vanished in favor of a snarl. "A game? Give me a fucking break, dumbass. Here you are, surrounded by people who want you dead and you have the actual nerve to get upset that I want you back?" Rosan growled warningly.

Robin clenched her fist, for once not being cowed by the furious glare in his eyes. "Why don't you get it, Rosan? It's not about us anymore! Think about them! Why are you dragging them into our problems -"

"Why why why why why," Rosan sighed, dismissing her before she could even finish her sentence and glaring at her with a disappointed gaze.

It was a gaze that was telling Robin that she didn't understand something and Robin would be damned if Rosan ever looked at her like that.

"You keep asking me why… but you still don't get it do you, Robin?" Rosan asked bluntly, knowing she didn't.

"What don't I get?!" She hissed, utterly fed up with him because of all he'd done.

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Look around, Robin. I already declared war against the World Government. I've razed this place to the ground. I've killed thousands of soldiers. I've already murdered one of the CP9 agents… and I'm not going to stop. I'm going to kept destroying, I'm going to keep killing until I get you back..."

Robin only got angrier at that.

"...But look at our crew."

She paused and reluctantly followed his demand.

What she saw left her stunned.

All of them… every single one of them were unfazed by the actions of the redhead. In fact, it looked like they wholeheartedly agreed with his sentiment. They were all gazing ahead with pure determination.

Pure determination for her.

"You thought I dragged them into this? Robin even if I wanted to escape, they wouldn't come with me. We're either going to get you back, or we're going to die trying," Rosan said seriously.

"None of us asked you to sacrifice yourself, idiot," Zoro scoffed. "If you were so scared, you should have just brought it up with us and we would have helped you."

"Don't insult her, Marimo! Robin-chan was in a vulnerable state and these dogs took advantage of her!" Sanji barked.

"How could they take advantage of her?!" Chopper frowned deeply. "Aren't they supposed to be the good guys?! Holding such a burden over her head is so scummy!"

"That's all these Government scum are good for!" Franky scowled. "Trickery and trickery, using whatever they can to get whatever they want. They don't care about anything but power."

"Such moves are frowned upon on Sniper Island, so I will have to show them proper justice!" Sogeking declared.

"Taking advantage of your love for all of us… That really pisses me off," Nami snarled, piecing all of Clima together.

"You don't want to die, Robin so we're bringing you back," Luffy declared stonily.

Robin took a step back.

"You need to realize that way more people care about you than you initially thought. It's not just me anymore," Rosan said softly, eyes uncharacteristically soft.

They all… all of them cared for her? It wasn't only Rosan and Mod anymore…

No… even before that. Maro, Angel, Demon… Aiko, Akemi, Ace, Sabo… All of them cared for her.

All of them loved her.

Tears began forming in her eyes and Robin choked out a, "Why?"

They answered without hesitation.

"Because you're our friend."

----------------------------------------

Flashback

"Rosan… can you tell us a bit about Robin's past?"

Rosan opened his eyes at that and gazed at them coolly, before humming and nodding.

"Robin was born in the West Blue on an island of scholars called Ohara," Rosan began softly, bringing up a hologram that looked exactly like his best friend as a child.

They all cooed at the adorable girl and clambered around him as he began to tell his tale.

"Her life wasn't great, she ate her Devil Fruit when she was 6 and because of that, her villagers ostracized her," he explained quietly. "Not to mention, her mother, Olvia, abandoned her when she was only 2 and left her in the hands of her cruel Aunt."

They flinched at that, eyes turning soft as Rosan's face formed into a scowl.

He truly hated Olvia with all his heart because Olvia had the chance to go with Robin. She had the chance to escape.

But no, she left her daughter behind again for some fucking books. Rosan didn't give a fuck what she had to say about history, Robin was supposed to be Olvia's responsibility and she chose history over her own flesh and blood.

It was just so utterly disgusting. Olvia should count her stars that she died because to Rosan, she was even worse than Roger.

Rosan just hoped she suffered every single moment she spent dying. It was befitting for the woman who made Robin suffer for all her life.

"Her only respite, were the scholars of that island and at only 8 years old, she became recognized as an archaeologist by her own intelligence," he continued, looking so proud of her.

The Straw Hats thought it was adorable how just mentioning her accolades, managed to lessen his heavy demeanor.

Then his features darkened again. "But the scholars of Ohara were able to read the Poneglyphs and being able to read one is a crime… because they don't want anyone researching the 100 year void century."

Something went terribly wrong.

"Because of what they could read, the World Government saw the scholars of Ohara as a threat and sent Cipher Pol over there," Rosan's scowl was out in full force.

"Those bastards… they have access to something called a Buster Call and that's when a bunch of battleships are led by Vice Admirals to destroy whatever their target is…"

"No," Nami muttered in horror, hand going over her mouth.

"Right before everything went to hell, Robin made a friend. It was her first friend… his name was Saul," Rosan muttered. "Saul was a giant and he was the only one who didn't care about Robin's Devil Fruit and they became really close…"

A flash of hot rage crossed his features and Rosan unwittingly began snarling.

"But Admiral Aokiji froze him solid, right in front of her. Then afterwards, they summoned a Buster Call and burned the entire island to the ground… Robin was the only survivor and they slapped her with a bounty all because she could read the Poneglyphs," he said gravely.

"It wasn't enough that you emotionally scarred an 8 year old. You want to pin my mental state on her instead of your stupid fucking organization?!"

"Is this your definition of justice, Admiral Aokiji? You kill her only friend in front of her, you burn her island to the ground for no good reason and then you threaten to hunt her down the moment she slips up. Not only that, you have the audacity to blame my actions on her?! WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! NONE OF THIS HAS EVER BEEN ROBIN'S FAULT!"

"ROBIN WAS COMPLETELY INNOCENT AND YOU FUCKING MARINES RUINED HER LIFE! YOU THINK I'LL LET YOU TOUCH HER?!"

The Straw Hats, Franky and Sogeking all took a step back in disbelief, as they took in the redhead's words with shock in their eyes.

"A few months later, my mother died giving birth and I fled my island in distraught… that's when we met and she... she was like the sun to me, actively making my mental health better and letting me know that there was good in this world," he finished softly.

"That's…" Sanji muttered in disbelief, horror crossing his features.

"They… they destroyed an entire island?" Nami whispered in horror.

"Everyone she loved was killed in front of her?" Chopper felt tears pricking his eyes at that.

Rosan's eyes shut. "When we met, I saw how tired she was. I saw how exhausted she was, despite how hard she tried to hide it. I saw that she was just a scared little kid… just like I was. So I wanted to let her know that no matter what, I'd be there so she could rest easily. As long as we were with each other, we didn't have to be afraid of anything."

"That's why he's so overprotective of her."

Before, they had thought Rosan was going a tad overboard with his over protection… After all, Rosan was so jealously protective of Robin that they realized she was never alone from him when they could see her.

But with what they just learned… it was perfectly normal!

It was no wonder Aokiji had set him off so strongly… especially after seeing the way Robin reacted to him. The sheer terror on the face of their coolheaded archaeologist...

Hell, they were feeling just as protective! They… they couldn't believe Robin had gone through something so awful at just 8 years old...

"The World Government already took so much from us," Rosan said quietly, tiredly.

For once, he wasn't infallible. For once, he wasn't a daunting presence. For once, he wasn't their mysterious scout.

No in this moment, Rosan looked like the scarred man that his past turned him into.

"They took so much from us... I won't ever let them take one of the few things we have left... each other," he whispered vulnerably.

Luffy stepped forward and wrapped his older brother in a hug, watching as the redhead sagged a bit into him.

"We'll get her back no matter what, Rosan. She's our friend and they can't have her!" He said, determination seeping into his voice.

"Yeah!" They said in determination. "We're gonna get Robin back or die trying. Nothing can stop us now, not even her!"

Rosan gazed at them all, a bit of wonder in his eyes and for once, he didn't have a snide remark for his crew.

No, he was just gazing at them with searching eyes.

"You're looking for something you already found, Rosan."

"Thank you… thank you all," he said quietly, ducking his head and showing a side they never saw from him.

Maybe this was why Robin was just as protective of Rosan... maybe she got to see this side of him often.

Maybe Rosan wasn't as invincible as he portrayed himself as and needed more help then he thought he needed.

They gazed at the redhead and nodded, letting his younger brother soothe him.

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Journeying with the Straw Hats, showed Robin a perspective in life that reminded her of the days she traveled with Rosan when they were just little kids.

Infectious, joyful, always looking out for each other… She found herself growing incredibly fond of them as the days went by.

Rosan may have been opening up to them but he still kept them at a respectable distance… he didn't truly consider himself apart of the crew but it was slowly changing.

Robin wasn't quite the same. She loved them all. She wanted them all to live. She wanted Rosan himself to live and she thought that by giving herself up, they'd be able to live.

But they were looking at her with a gaze that meant… they'd never be able to live with themselves… unless she was living.

Because they loved her… because they cared for her.

In this lonely world, Rosan wasn't her only ally anymore. She had more then just him… she had more people who would be devastated if she died.

She had people who reciprocated the love that she had for them.

She had someone else besides her ray of sunshine who would embrace her loneliness.

She had people that saw her as a human.

Tears began falling freely from Robin's eyes as she gazed at the crew that she loved with all her heart.

"Do you get it now, Robin?" Rosan asked quietly. "I know what you're thinking. You think that in the grand scheme my family will be able to pick me back up if you leave. You have so much faith that I will bounce back because of them... but Robin, they will be just as devastated because this is your family too."

Rosan sighed, anger melting away fully. "It's not about just me anymore Robin… you matter. You've always mattered but you don't realize how much you do. We all care about you. We all love you."

"…R-Really?" Robin sniffed and gazed at her sun, eyes glowing with worry despite his obvious anger at her. Eyes filled with so much compassion, just for her.

"Of course," they all chanted in unison, looking just as worried for her as Rosan was.

"If I have to tear the world apart to save you… you only need to worry about how it'll look after I'm done, not if I'll do it because I'll always do it," Rosan whispered softly.

"And we'll be right there with him!" Luffy grinned, cracking his knuckles.

Robin sniffed again as those words slammed into her, tears beginning to fall in earnest as she desperately tried to hold it all in.

She failed.

Robin broke.

"I-I'm sorry for being so stupid all of you!" Robin sobbed loudly, features contorting as she gazed at them with desperate eyes. "Please! Please take me back into the crew! Please come save your stupid crewmate! I don't want to die yet, I WANT TO LIVE!"

The Straw Hats all grinned ferally at that.

Rosan inclined his head, red sparks beginning to dance across his skin as his eyes shone bright and his wings spread wide. "Of course. I still have to punish you for all of this, so fight with everything you have until I have you again."

Robin nodded strongly, tears still falling. "I-I won't give up for even a second… I'll accept any punishment, just please don't leave me alone again!" She begged.

The redhead vanished from his spot, only to appear directly on the balcony with every single CP9 agent.

"Just wait for me Robin… be strong, I'll be over in a flash." Rosan whispered softly.

"I'll wait a thousand years if I have to!" Robin sobbed.

"Just a few minutes is all I ask for," he stated, mask forming once more on his face.

With just a thought, the edge of the balcony extended outwards ludicrously, until forming a makeshift bridge for the Straw Hats to run across.

Robin was too guarded… he couldn't grab her immediately so he'd take out the most troublesome foe first and let the Straw Hats deal with the rest.

"Straw Hats… go completely wild. I'm going to do everything in my power to get Robin back first but if one of you beat me, I'll do one special favor," Rosan barked, eyes glowing brightly as he locked his gaze onto Izumi.

Izumi was frozen in terror and had no time to react at all, as a fist planted itself into her gut.

"S-So strong," the woman gagged, eyes bugged in agony as his sparking fist embedded itself deep into her stomach.

"You should have lived the life I allowed you to have in peace, Izumi," Rosan said harshly. "Now it's time I remind you about the food chain."

Rosan gazed at her soaring body before glancing back at all the agents, not a hint of fear on his features.

Rob Lucci scowled and dashed forward, intent on impaling the redhead and stopping in shock as it failed to even pierce his outfit.

"Luffy," was all Rosan said.

A sandal planted itself on Rob Lucci's cheek and sent him soaring, before he crashed through a wall.

"I'll deal with him!" Luffy grinned, cracking his knuckles as the strongest agent of CP9 stood back up with a sneer.

"Straw Hat Luffy… I still have to get those answers out of you," Rob Lucci said darkly, a dangerous grin on his face.

Zoro dashed forward, all three blades at the ready before being intercepted by Kaku himself.

"I have orders to take you out, Roronoa Zoro and I'm in a really bad mood to boot," Kaku said lowly.

"I'll cut down anyone who's in my way. I've got bigger things to worry about then some dude with a long nose," Zoro said, grinning ferally.

Sanji dashed straight to Robin at blistering speeds, intent on saving her immediately and getting her to safety, only to be launched away by Jabra.

"You seem pretty strong," Jabra grinned, licking his lips. "You aren't Roronoa Zoro or the Red Devil, but at least give me a good fight."

Sanji pushed himself up. "Just who do you think you're comparing me too?" he asked darkly.

Nami summoned Clima's iron clouds and sent them flying towards the increasingly nervous Spandam, only to let out a yelp as a spiked whip wrapped around it.

"You didn't think it would be that easy, right?" Kalifa asked, adjusting her glasses.

"Would be nice if you just let it!" Nami grit out.

"Let's teach this less sexy then you woman a lesson!" Clima declared.

"I do not need your compliments right now!"

Chopper transformed into walk point and charged Robin at full speed, only for a plethora of hair to wrap around his body and launch him away.

"Such dishonor to let him get this close! As punishment, I'll slit my belly," Kumadori cried, grabbing a blade and stabbing himself, only to fail as he unconsciously activated Tekkai.

"Am I fighting another weirdo…?" Chopper asked hesitantly.

Sogeking saw what they were all trying to do and decided to try his hand as well, loading up a lead star to fire at Spandam's head.

Nero jumped in the way and took the blow meant for him, sneering at the sniper.

"I don't even need to learn Tekken for that," the agent scowled. "This will be quick and then I'll be recognized as a real CP9 agent!"

"You have potential."

Sogeking straightened up and aimed his slingshot at his opponent. "You will soon find out the true might of a warrior hailing from Sniper Island."

Franky aimed a fist out and shot it at Spandam only for Fukuro to leap in the way and weather it with Tekkai.

"Chapapa… his Doriki is higher than mine but he won't win," the agent said confidently.

"You're outta luck. This is my super week and I'm full on cola!" Franky laughed.

Spandam shrieked at the mayhem and grabbed Robin harshly, before rushing off with her, unmindful of the girl struggling in his grasp.

"ALL OF YOU! YOU HAVE AUTHORIZATION TO USE LETHAL FORCE! CAPTURE THE ANGEL OF DEATH AT ALL COSTS AND WE'LL BE PROMOTED TO LEVELS WE COULD NEVER IMAGINE!" He barked.

The chief let out a terror filled scream, as a tanned hand reached out to melt his face off, but he was saved last second as Izumi burst out and pushed him aside.

"Sensory Overload!"

Then, she cast an illusion on every single Straw Hat, disorienting them by throwing off their sense of direction.

"Go. Now," she hissed to Spandam shoving him out of the room with Nico Robin in tow.

"R-Right! Thank you Izumi, I'll make sure you get promoted especially! You deserve it!"

Izumi huffed and gazed at the stunned Rosan. She took a deep breath and rushed him, leaping high into the air before kicking it with brutal force.

"Rankakyu: Line!" She barked, shooting a straight line that crashed into the redhead.

She reached her desired results. Rosan was sent plummeting through the floor and she immediately pursued after him.

"Isolate and trap. Don't be afraid, you have to free yourself," she thought psychotically, soaring through the air and beginning to spin.

"Rankakyu: Corkscrew!"

As she reached the redhead, she landed a devastating dropkick on his midsection, laced with the sharpness of her technique that sent them both crashing into the lowest level of the building, breaking through floor after floor.

Rosan immediately lit himself up with raw electricity and Izumi backed off instantly.

"Finally alone~," Izumi grinned, removing her shades and tossing them aside. "About time, don't you think darling?"

The redhead stood up, no signs of injury on his body as a soft breeze removed the dust off of him and he gently flapped his black wings.

"You can't hide it from me, Izumi," Rosan said softly. "You're afraid. Afraid of what I'm going to do to you and you should be because you of all people should know, what I'm capable of. Do you still think of Izuki?" He asked cruelly.

Izumi's unhinged smile was wiped off her face at his bold statement and she held in a tremor.

"No, don't falter. Your nightmare is right here... we have to deal with this now. We'll conquer our horrors here and then I'll be free."

"It's not me who should be afraid… you should be afraid about what you could do to Meiko," she declared, illusion morphing her into a carbon copy of his deceased girlfriend.

Rosan bit back a scowl. So she really did know his weakness.

"Do you remember those words you said to me that day?" Meiko asked demurely, gazing at Rosan with love in her gaze.

Rosan snarled in annoyance as his resolve wavered.

"Well I do! I will never forget those words darling because they were what fueled me. You and I are connected by this thread we have… You may think it's hate, but I know it's love! I am yours… but you are not mine yet so I'm going to change that today and we'll be together forever... TILL DEATH DO US PART DARLING!" The blonde raved.

Rosan took a deep breath and steeled himself to the best of his ability.

"Sorry Mei, but you're in my way… I think we're gonna need a divorce," he whispered softly, eyes filled with uncertainty.

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Robin grunted as Spandam violently punched her to the floor, making her head hit the asphalt and causing blood to begin pouring due to her body being so weakened from the seastone.

"Stop fucking struggling!" Spandam snarled, looking at the nuisance of a women. "You don't have to worry about going back to your lover. He'll be brought in with you soon enough. I bet neither of you will be able to stay quiet, if the other is getting tortured right in front of you! I bet he'll start squealing the moment you scream!"

Robin shut her eyes tightly as he forced her to think about a situation where they were both tied up and being tortured violently.

She wouldn't be able to handle such a scenario, Robin would never be able to stay quiet if she heard Rosan screaming.

But it wouldn't come to that, it would never come to that.

Spandam roughly grabbed the woman up and tried to continue walking…

Only to let out a yelp of agony as a foot crashed into his crotch.

"A-AIYEEEE!" He screeched, as Robin turned on her heel and tried to run off.

"Fight with everything you have. Rosan will come. Luffy will come. Someone will come," she repeated to herself.

The cuffed woman wasn't able to make it too far because she heard a strained voice say, "F-Funkfreed," before she was tackled to the ground.

Spandam had a look of fury in his bugged eyes, as he began repeatedly stomping on Robin (all while nursing his sweet spot).

"Stupid. Dumb. BITCH!" He growled.

Robin weathered the blows to the best of her abilities, thanking all the training for being able to do so.

"It's fine… even this is buying time… just buy as much time as possible until someone comes," she thought doggedly, attempting to crawl even further away and only getting harsher stomps as a result.

"Just buy time," she thought.

Rosan… please. She knew it would be hard… she knew she didn't deserve it… she knew she had no right to be asking, but she begged him to please pick her over Meiko… even just this once.