Rosan awoke to the smell of heavy sanitation and medicine.

His memories were foggy and he had a pounding headache. Trying to glance around his surroundings, proved futile due to the fact that he was firmly tied up. He felt weak. His body was heavy. He was so so tired. Distantly, he heard the sounds of someone talking.

"Subject #118 has awoken but not for long. Breathing pattern appears to be normal. Heartbeat steady. May have a slight concussion. Reacts negatively to seastone. Likely to have a Devil Fruit. Type? Unknown. Name: Unknown. Gender: Male. We will continue to run tests on him. Will have him battle ready as well as obedient as soon as possible."

Unable to concentrate any longer on the conversation, he fell asleep again.

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

This time, he was awoken by the actions of someone else. Namely, being shocked quite harshly across his body.

Yelping, his eyes surged open and he attempted to thrash about in pain. This proved impossible however, because of how tightly he was tied to a cold metal table. He noticed that there was some type of collar wrapped around his neck but he couldn't focus on it for long due to the excruciating pain.

Memories of the events that took place who knows how many days ago came rushing back and Rosan gasped at the influx of memories he received. He remembered getting ambushed in the clearing by a group of men. He remembered them using some poison to weaken him and he remembered how they waited for him to make a mistake before taking him out.

He had been about to use Modification but he had been to slow. He had completely messed up and it cost them...he was so stupid.

Eyes widening, he mentally called out to his Devil Fruit. "Mod-chan! Are you there?" It was silent for a moment before, almost sluggishly, a voice replied "I* h*r* R**an." She sounded muted, restrained but she was still there. Rosan allowed himself to relax just a little bit, despite the pain, and he tried to get an idea of what was going on. He was about to voice as much to Mod-chan until a voice interrupted his daze.

"Ah-" it began "So you're finally awake! Good good!"

Craning his head in the direction of the voice, Rosan was greeted to the sight of a handsome man, who stood at a 5'9(175cm) in a white lab coat, with black slacks and dress shoes. White gloves covered his hands and he had a stethoscope around his neck. Shoulder length blonde hair framed goggles. The man was looking intently at him, radiating a hunger that sent uneasy chills up his spine.

"Greetings, Subject #118." His smooth voice made Rosan recoil in disgust. It was full of a hidden greed and voices that hid their desires belonged to the worst kind of people. A voice like that didn't bode well for him at all and that thought had Rosan struggling to find a way to escape from his binds.

Completely undisturbed by Rosan's reaction, the man continued. "You may call me Doc," he introduced himself kindly. "I'm sure you're confused about the situation you are in, so I will be the one to enlighten you on what exactly is happening."

"I've had my eyes on you for quite a while," he admitted with a proud smile on his face. "You see, I consider you the perfect specimen and the tests I've run on you only prove it. Strong growing body, dense bones, unnatural healing factor, a Devil Fruit, a good looking face that will no doubt charm both genders in the future, etc. You are everything a person would want in a weapon."

The man cupped his cheeks and Rosan let out a distressed noise. Ignoring the boys discomfort, the man continued speaking. "I thought it would be impossible to get my hands on you truthfully. But after some…helpful information from a reliable source, we were able to successfully retrieve you!" Clapping his hands he stepped back from Rosan and began rummaging for something.

Rosan's tiny pupils shrank as he heard that bit of information. No, it couldn't be, he refused to believe what he was insinuating. There was just no way it was true. This man was implying something, but Rosan would not take the bait.

He never would.

"I have many aspirations for you Subject #118. You see I've been looking for the perfect person to become my weapon and you match all my checks," he said and he was walking around the room. "What I aspire for is not just a weapon, it's the ultimate weapon. Giants are too large, too big of a target, Fishman too noticeable, too hated. You on the other hand, are human. Yet, you're body exceeds my expectations. Your looks are exotic. Good, in the future they will assist you greatly with what I have tasked for you."

Walking back over to Rosan, Doc said "There's only one problem and, even now, I can see it in your eyes." The man tutted as he slowly approached Rosan. The captured boy tried to shrink himself against the cold metal, to put distance between them, but the man would not be deterred.

"What is your name?" Doc asked suddenly.

Rosan blinked in confusion before stubbornly keeping his mouth shut. He wouldn't tell this man anything about himself. Not even his name.

That was a mistake.

As if confirming his thoughts the man sighed and shook his head. "It's as I predicted, you believe yourself uncontrollable and that just won't do. Not to worry, I will personally curb such a rebellious young boy." With that, the man pressed a button on the controller he was holding.

White hot pain filled Rosan as his entire body surged with electricity. "AAAUGH" The boy shrieked as his skin pricked in agony. It hurt. It hurt. IT HURT! He had never felt anything like this before and the pain was unimaginable!

Suddenly the shocks stopped. Rosan's body wracked in pain at the aftereffects of being shocked and he slumped over. Tears ran down his face as his body steamed from the electricity. The boy let out choked sobs as his steaming hair shadowed his face.

"What is your name?" he asked again and the 8 year old shook in fear at Doc's question. But he couldn't answer him. He had promised Mod-chan to keep his identity a secret. This man couldn't know. E-even if it hurt him, he couldn't t-tell him.

As if expecting the silence, the man sighed in faux sadness. "Why must you make me do this," Was all he said before pressing the button again.

Rosan tried to brace himself for it this time, but there was no way to prepare for something like this. His screeches reached uncomfortably loud volumes as he thrashed around at the torture on his young body. This was unlike anything he ever felt! It hurt…it hurt so much. His tears had since dried from the heat. H-he couldn't handle this! HE COULDN'T HANDLE THE PAIN -

"R*s*n ple*se, tell him your name!" For a moment, Mod's muffled voice became clear. There was a horror in her voice that was utterly heart wrenching and her voice was so choked up it was obvious she was crying.

Despite the torturous pain he was in, Rosan was able to register Mod's plea. Not wanting to worry her anymore, the boy choked out a "R-Rosan" to his tormentor before seizing up again as the shock continued to course through his body. He couldn't even scream anymore.

Clicking the device off in satisfaction, Doc asked "Could you repeat that for me? I didn't quite catch that."

"M-my n-name, is R-Rosan," He stuttered slumping over as the pain became too much for him. Mod had gone deadly silent, he wasn't even able to feel her faint presence anymore. Was she...was she okay…?

"Just Rosan?" He asked, smiling threateningly.

Rosan shook a bit in fear at the thought of being shocked again, before speaking up. "I-I'm an orphan."

Silence greeted him and Rosan thought his half truth would be caught. To his relief however, Doc stepped back seemingly satisfied with his response. "Good. Now was that so hard?"

Not waiting for a response, not that he'd be able to get one, Doc tested the name on his lips. "Rosan…a fine name. Much better then Subject #118 at least don't you think? I hope you won't prove to be as troublesome as you have shown today. Somehow though, I have reason to doubt that."

Rosan couldn't hear anything the man was saying. He had already succumbed to the pain and laid unconscious, occasionally shuddering from the after effects.

"To be able to handle so many shock doses is already a good sign," Doc said excitedly. "I will let you rest for now. Bring him to his cell."

Doc watched as his two guards dragged the little boy away with that same deranged smile on his handsome face.

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

Rosan awoke to the feeling of someone touching him. Quickly sitting upright, he let out a gasp of pain as his body disagreed with the sudden movement.

The stranger gently pushed him back down and Rosan tried to resist, but he felt too weak and soon he was laying down again. Struggling to look up, he was surprised to be greeted by a set of electric blue pupilless eyes. The owner of those eyes, a young girl, slowly put a finger up to her lips in a shushing manner and got back to work.

Rosan thought he was being attacked but upon closer inspection, he saw that she was applying some sort of ointment on his body. He hissed as she touched a particularly painful spot and she had the decency to shoot him an apologetic glance.

Who was this girl? Had she been ordered to heal him? Then why did she want him to be quiet? Maybe she wasn't supposed to be here. Was…she being nice to him? Rosan didn't know the answer to these questions but he was still tired, so he didn't make a fuss.

Rosan took the time to take in her appearance. She didn't look very old, appearing to be 10 or 11, with long blonde hair tied into twintails. She was dressed in sailor outfit, that was all black, fitted with a pink tie. Her eyes, as mentioned before, were a mesmerizing shade of electric blue that lacked pupils. The blue eyes in question were looking at him with pure sorrow. At what? He didn't know.

Did she feel bad for him? Why?

She finished rubbing the ointment on him and she swiftly got up to flee his cell. Rosan wanted to at least say thank you, but he was tied firmly to his bed and he was far too sluggish to speak. The girl opened his cell door as quietly as possible and she sent him one last glance of concern, before closing the door.

Looking at his body as much as he could, Rosan had to admit he wasn't in nearly as much pain as before and it was probably because of that kind stranger. He sent the girl a mental thank you and lied back down on the cold pillow. The redhead tried calling to Mod-chan and was disappointed when he got nothing in response. Trying again, Rosan grew worried at the radio silence. He couldn't even enter their mindscape right now.

Rosan sighed in defeat and allowed his mind to wander to more urgent matters, namely Doc. That man...he scared Rosan. He was a man full of pure greed. The smile he kept on his face despite being witness to a child screaming his heart out, was a warning of what was to come. His utter lack of care for Rosan's safety, his penchant for torture, the way he treated him...

No, he did not like that man one bit.

He needed to get out of here but he didn't know how. Mod was silent and his powers were being nullified at the moment. He was completely trapped. Where was Robin? His options were limited but she would be able to save him when she found him.

He wanted to plan more, but the lull of sleep was to great and soon, he submitted to it once again.

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

He was getting real tired of his sleep getting interrupted.

This time, it was the banging of his cell that woke him from his slumber. Rosan blearily opened his eyes, before flinching as someone screamed at him to get up. Getting up slowly, so as to not aggravate any injuries, Rosan tried to inch towards the cell but realized he was still tied up.

The man failed to intimidate him. Rosan just stared back at him and after a moment the man grudgingly opened up the cage to free him from his bindings. Rosan was submitted to harsh manhandling, that was only made worse at his injuries, as he was roughly escorted to Doc.

Memories of the doctor, filled Rosan with trepidation but he would remain strong. That man was trying to break him, but Rosan would not be broken. Nobody could control him before and that wasn't going to change now. For now, he had to endure until Robin either saved him or he found a way to break out.

Robin-nee… he wondered if she was okay. She was probably worried sick about him and was no doubt looking everywhere for his whereabouts. If Rosan really couldn't get out this situation she would save him like she had promised. Rosan fully believed in her.

He steadfastly ignored the possibility that she could be the reason he was there. Such a thought was absurd, Robin-nee would never betray him!

Staring into Doc's unprotected, pupilless, viridian green eyes. Rosan told himself to just endure the pain and he would be fine. He wouldn't break to someone like this he had to become the strongest after all!

"Just wait for Robin. You'll be fine Rosan," He thought, motivating himself successfully.

With that he was ushered back into Doc's clutches.

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

Rosan really hated this place.

He had figured out a few days in that he was in some sort of massive facility. What exactly was it? He didn't know. But, he did know there were other prisoners here besides himself. Being called #118 suddenly made a lot more sense.

The prisoner was pretty sure that he was still in the North Blue, he had overheard the guards talking about it. They tried speaking lowly but Rosan's hearing was sharp and he managed to pick it up regardless. The boy snorted to himself at that. Idiots.

Besides that, he was normally in too much pain to gain new information from his jailors.

Doc was a monster. There was no other way to describe the heartless man. As far as Rosan was concerned, he was simply a plaything to the man who did whatever he pleased with the boy. All in pursuit of perfecting his "ultimate weapon". Perfect his ass. He was an irredeemable sadist.

Besides obedience training, the man would do routinely medical examinations on the boy that were always crueler than they needed to be. Rosan had been given a healthy fear of needles as a result of the man's prodding, one was enough to make him shrink away in panic and it quickly activated his flight or fight.

He had begun giving him "Pain Tolerance Training" as well and Rosan loathed every moment of it. He explained in that sickly sympathetic tone of his that "It's a weapons job to continue fighting despite the pain they are in. This is to help build up your pain tolerance so that you may fit the standards." Rosan knew he enjoyed seeing the rebellious boy shriek in pain. The man was a sadist at heart and Rosan was currently his favorite source of torment.

The man subjected Rosan through various amounts of torture. Repeated beatings, shocking, simulated drowning, poison, etc. Doc was liberally abusing Rosan's advanced body and they both knew it. The 8 year old was already becoming largely resistant to what he was getting poisoned by and Doc took that as a sign to increase the dosages. It was never enough to kill him, but it sure felt like he was dying if the pained sobs were anything to go by.

It was awful.

He had been here for nearly a month and it was beginning to wear at him. Already, his sunny personality was steadily being replaced by fear and anger. But no, he would continue to preserve. He had to. He made a promise to Mod-chan and he couldn't let her down again.

Recently, Doc had begun subjecting him to training for some sort of event called Ash and Dust. It appeared to be this islands main attraction and what Rosan was currently being trained so ruthlessly for.

Wealthy people from all over the seas would bring their slaves to participate in brutal battles against each other. They would make bets on who would win while watching the contestants maim each other. They were allowed any weapon they wanted as they battled brutally in tournament format. Death was inconsequential as they could just find a new toy to torment. It was disgusting and inhumane and Rosan despised them for thinking of something so terrible.

They only saw him as a slave that could make them money. Doc wanted to take advantage of his soft features and tiny frame to give himself an advantage. No one would take the 8 year old seriously and would be caught completely by surprise if he managed to win. It was a scheme to milk an incredible amount of beri out of the people.

It made him quiver in rage at how they used him. That's why despite the pain Rosan refused to submit.

Training for the arena was just horrible though, just thinking about it made Rosan frown.

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

Flashback

Rosan stared warily at Doc, purple eyes narrowed in distrust.

The man looked happier then normal so that didn't bode well for him, but he wasn't sure why. The imprisoned boy was being as problematic as possible to him and it was beginning to show on the man's features. Barring telling the Doc his name, the boy had not shared anymore information with him. It was painful, very painful, but Rosan was quickly adapting to it. At least Doc was getting visibly frustrated so he counted that as a victory.

Seeing the man be so cheerful though, set Rosan on high alert. Just what was he planning?

"Today, we will do something a bit different! Since you have been so willing to cooperate-" His voice oozed cheerful sarcasm "-We will be adding a core part of your training to the regimen now!"

That couldn't be good. A new part of this hellish torture he called training? Rosan continued to glance warily at the man, not willing to open his mouth at all.

Smile dampening a bit, but no less excited, Doc simply clapped his hands together and said "Follow!" and with that he walked off.

Knowing the consequences if he didn't, Rosan slowly trudged after him. The redhead was mindful to not aggravate his injuries from the previous day, but they were healing up quickly and he could move somewhat fine. Rosan glanced around in curiosity as he was escorted to an area he hadn't been to before.

The facility was huge. He wasn't sure how big, but he knew it was large enough to have at least a prison and medical area. There were other areas but, he wasn't allowed into those parts of the building at the moment due to how disobedient he currently was.

He watched as the whites of the walls slowly turned sandy brown (the people on this island must have been really rich) and soon, he was escorted into a large arena. The boy glanced around and noticed the large amount of seats, that were currently unoccupied, and the large, mean looking, bald man on the other side.

"Your new regimen is called Gladiator Training," Doc said calmly and Rosan's eyes narrowed. "We will be training you in combat in order to prepare for the upcoming tournament, Ash and Dust. Seeing as you have been gracious enough as to not inform us of your Devil Fruit, we have decided against removing your seastone handcuffs. In the future, when you are more obedient, we will have them removed. A weapon must have everything in their arsenal after all," Doc finished smugly.

Rosan sent a scathing glare his way, before processing the information. Ash and Dust? Based on the arena he was in, it was likely the tournament they wanted him to participate in.

Pricks.

He was directed to a room with a large arsenal of weapons. Swords, throwing knives, daggers, a scythe, hammers, and axes were only the beginning. Glancing at them all, Rosan didn't pick up a single weapon, walked back to the arena and simply signaled that he was ready to go, much to the confusion of his escort.

They really thought he was going to fight? Yeah right. They were dumber than they looked. The redhead wouldn't do what they wanted even if it meant taking a beating. Getting a bit more injured wouldn't hurt him more than he was already hurting. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

Doc sensing his intent, simply sighed with a shake of his head. The look in his eyes promised proper punishment after his beating. He'd probably regret this later on, but he was resolute in his decision.

Doc simply started the match with a "Don't kill him," and he walked away. The man decided not to waste any time and charged at Rosan who simply stood there and braced himself.

This was gonna really suck.

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

Present

He still hurt from the beating he took. That bald man had been quite eager to beat on a defenseless child...what was wrong with the people on this island? Was everyone willing to assault a child so freely? This was messed up.

Worse, Doc had decided he needed more obedience training after his refusal to fight. It was the first time he had seen the man so frustrated and he had paid for it dearly.

Rosan sighed in misery as he shifted his body to the other side to alleviate some of the pain. In the month he'd been here, he hadn't heard anything from Mod-chan and he missed her dearly. Who knows what the seastone was doing to her? If she were here with him it would be much more bearable but ever since she had told him to tell Doc his name, he hadn't heard from her.

It was tugging at his sanity, being separated from her for so long while being subject to this. They had been together for 4 years and not once had he felt their connection sever like this. It left him feeling horribly empty and that was affecting him more than anything. Rosan thrived on positive attention and Mod-chan was always enough for him. Now, without her, Rosan felt so lonely.

Insidious thoughts were worming their way into his head and they were steadily wearing him down. Mod was his rock after all and the Devil Fruit was the only reason he was still sane. Without her, Rosan was slowly reaching his breaking point and he was none the wiser.

He really missed Mod-chan and he really missed Robin-nee. Robin-nee…Rosan wondered where she was? Shouldn't she have saved him by now? It had been one month...they had promised to save each other whenever they were in trouble. He had tried hard to uphold his part of the promise so why hadn't she? Had Robin abandoned him? If not then where was she? Why did Robin leave him behind-

Rosan smacked himself viciously and yelped at the pain, but it helped him focus. Thinking like that wasn't good at all…Robin-nee was still looking for him, he was sure of it. He needed to stop think like that. Robin would never betray him. She didn't. She didn't. She did. She didn't- He needed to think about something else. This was not good for his mental health. Rosan needed to think of something else. Something like...

It's only a matter of time

...That girl! The blonde one that had helped him heal! He wondered how she was doing? Rosan liked her because she seemed to be the only decent person on this island. It wasn't often, but she liked to sneak in the middle of the night and if he needed it, which he always did, would rub some ointment on him to make him feel better. Then she would scurry away as quickly as possible as if she were afraid of getting caught. That at least gave value to his theory that he wasn't supposed to be getting healed.

Most of the time he was too tired to say anything back but one time he had managed to thank her. She had momentarily froze clearly not expecting him to say anything before she ran away even faster than normal.

Rosan frowned a bit at the memory. Guess she didn't like him very much. After he had thanked her he hadn't seen her again which sucked cuz he wanted to talk to her. Rosan felt like he knew her but he couldn't quite put his finger on it...

Well, no use crying over spilled milk. He had more pressing matters, namely surviving Doc until he broke out.

Sighing again Rosan shifted his body once more. He just needed to endure until he escaped. Endure. Endure. Endure.

"Wait for Robin-nee. She'll save me. Of course she will! She promised."

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

It was becoming too much for the 8 year old. Everything hurt so bad, it was getting worse but he could(n't) do it. He would(n't) handle it. Doc was a man possessed, doing whatever it took to get him to submit. He was increasing the torture to levels that a child should never make it to.

"Rosan! I wanted you to test out this new advanced poison I've developed! It should stimulate the pain of having your insides boiled! It may be harsh but, knowing you, this should only help build your resistance."

It hurt! He screamed and begged for him to stop but it didn't matter. He never listened. But he endured. He had to endure. He just had to.

"Your body reinforces itself the more we break it! I wonder if there is an upper limit to how much it will strengthen? Let's test it out!"

He let out panicked breaths as he tried to crawl away. He never got away from him. Pain. A broken body. So much pain. It hurt so bad...B-but it was nothing! He would endure. He needed to…for Robin…for Mod-chan.

"As of today, your training partner will be allowed to utilize weapons! Isn't that just fantastic? You can build up your pain tolerance with sharp objects! Rest assured though, I've given him explicit orders not you kill you or scar your body. After all my weapon needs to be in perfect condition and we can't have such a fine specimen ruined by something like scars. Though, he does have quite the sadistic streak so good luck!"

A slash on his curled body. Slow, agonizingly slow, cuts marred his body. There was blood. So much blood. How was he still alive? Was he human? He had to be because he felt so much pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. PAIN. So much…too much. H-he needed to endure. But it hurt so much.

Endure...he needed...to...endure...Because Robin...Robin would come. She would save him from these bad people. She promised.

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

2 months later

Robin wasn't coming.

The soul crushing realization came to Rosan one random day, as he sobbed on his bed at the latest whims of Doc.

Robin wasn't coming to save him. Two guards had thrown a newspaper at him that confirmed that Nico Robin had caused the downfall of yet another organization, that resided in the West Blue. All without him. She didn't need him. Did she ever actually need him? No, she didn't. That's why she abandoned him.

She wasn't even in the same Sea as him.

After all these months of enduring, hoping and praying that she would come save him, the revelation that she wasn't coming affected him more than he could ever imagine. The realization that he had been enduring all this pain for 3 months, it was too much for the child. He couldn't handle it. He just couldn't. Rosan felt his entire world shatter before his very eyes.

Rosan broke.

(In hindsight, it was only natural. There was no Mod and there was no Robin to reassure him in his time of need. His mental state had been deteriorating over the months. He only had himself and his unstable 9 year old mind to rely on.)

The 9 year old felt a moment of peace as everything froze. When had he had stopped crying? Actually…why was it that the only thing he could feel right now, was an intense burning rage boiling inside of his core. Normally Rosan would discard such a negative feeling but, instead of banishing this rage, Rosan embraced it. He embraced it fully and he let his rage run rampant.

Robin had betrayed him. He had foolishly thought she would come to save him all because of a promise and he payed for it in blood and tears. He was stupid. He was weak. He had waited and waited, like a silly little princess waiting for their precious prince, for someone to save him and the only thing he got out of that, was pain and misery.

How dare she? How DARE she?! This was unforgivable. Rosan felt the last dredges of his innocence get shattered into a million pieces as the stress of the events caught up to him. It was staggering to have his eyes opened like this.

Nobody in this world was trustworthy. Everyone wanted to use him and when they grew tired of him, they would discard him like he was yesterday's garbage. As if he were useless. Him?! USELESS? HE WAS USELESS?! Just the thought that anyone could think such a thing, made him quiver in fury.

Those insidious thoughts, the ones he tried so hard to stifle, were now out in full and Rosan was unable to stop them. No, that wasn't quite right…Rosan didn't want to stop them. He felt his rage slowly mounting higher and higher, the sheer amount staggering to anyone who would have witnessed it. If there were anyone there they would have felt a wave of pressure wash over them. Such was the boys rage, that it was almost palpable.

Then it stopped.

The rage, along with the rest of his emotions, drained away. Leaving Rosan feeling somewhat hollow. But, like an old friend, rage was still there, still waiting for him like a drug, eager to be called.

The light in his royal purple eyes died as Rosan emotionally shut down. He couldn't afford to be emotional if he wanted to escape. Being emotional is what put him in this situation in the first place. Emotions were a hindrance. Had Rosan been thinking logically, he wouldn't have needed to suffer for 3 months. Rage, along with all of his other emotions, could sleep for now.

They were not needed.

Unbeknownst to Rosan and Mod, his body, even through the seastone, heeded his wishes.

A large castle made of pure ice formed as his soul actually separated into two. One took the form of a sleeping 4 year old Rosan, still filled with something. The other took the form of the current Rosan, the one full of a restrained rage and hatred. The sleeping boy flew as his body was forcefully dragged into the castle by chains and he was laid gently on a bed. Those same chains wrapped once, twice, three times around the entirety of the castle shutting off access. Nothing would get in and nothing would get out. Yet there was still a crack leaving the entrance slightly open.

If Rosan had access to Modification, perhaps he would have been able to stop this. If Mod was available, perhaps she would have been able to warn him. She would have been able to tell him that his soul had split into two and she could have personally stopped it even if Rosan wouldn't. But, Mod was incapacitated and was unable to tell that this was even happening. Right now, no one could stop what was happening.

Rosan, in a moment of clarity, realized exactly what he needed to do. Rosan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He properly restrained his emotions, because they would hinder him, and what was left of him was a cold calculated monster. One who was now willing to do whatever it took for the sake of him and his Devil Fruit.

They had wanted to make a weapon and they had succeeded. He would show them how useless he was. He wouldn't be the princess or the knight in shining armor. Rosan would be the monster that terrorized them both.

Opening his eyes revealed something entirely different from before. On his right eye was the same chilly purple and on his left...a menacing blood red eye glowed into the night.

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

Rosan broke, but he would not submit. Someone like Doc, weak coward that he was, could never be the one to break him. They didn't have to know that though. Rosan would let them think they succeeded.

The redhead would play it smart and patiently wait until an opportunity arose. Pretend like his spirit had been broken. Comply with all orders. Become the perfect little weapon.

Rosan could see now that Doc was getting desperate. His steady increase of torture methods was full proof of that. So desperate was he, that he would take the 9 year old's sudden obedience as a sign that he had finally won. After all, that was his goal. It would make him arrogant, sloppy, more prone to making mistakes.

He would no doubt have some skepticism, but Rosan had been patiently waiting for 3 months for someone that wasn't going to show up. He'd have the mans full trust sooner or later and that would be the most fatal mistake yet.

When he let his guard down though, he would pay for it with his life.

Rosan scoffed lowly to himself. Perhaps enduring did have its uses, it would be instrumental in his victory after all.

The more he complied, the better his living conditions would be. If he showed them that he would obey all orders without question, they would naturally begin trusting him. It would only be a matter of time before they released his seastone cuffs. They would want their weapon to be at full power after all, in order to better their chances of winning the prize money.

Once they did that…Rosan wouldn't strike immediately. Letting his rage slip through momentarily, a sneer appeared on his neutral face.

No, he wanted them to be completely relaxed, elated even. He wanted their guard to be completely down. He needed to catch them all by such surprise they'd choke on the air. Attacking them immediately, was far too merciful for them after what they did to the child. It would not satisfy him. He wanted to drag them from their high, into a despair worse than the one he felt.

They needed to pay for making him break his promise.

Ash and Dust, he decided, would be when he struck.

He would win that tournament and win Doc his money...then he would strike. The elation and despair they'd feel, all on the same day would be euphoric. He'd take anything useful and then, he'd kill everyone that participated in this event all in one go. That way he'd be secure and still retain his anonymity to the world.

His rage diminished and he shifted back into a blank expression, that he was getting increasingly comfortable with. Right now…retrieving his connection with Mod-chan was his #1 priority. He wasn't sure what the Seastone was doing to her but he hadn't heard anything at all from his Devil Fruit. Getting to her again took precedence over everything else. Afterwards, he would lull the islanders into a false sense of security and let them bask in their victory.

Done with his planning, Rosan noted that he still had tear streaks and he wiped them clean until nothing remained. Rosan was done crying. Crying was for weak people who couldn't do anything to help themselves. Rosan had been weak, but no longer.

Mom had always told him big boys don't cry, after all.

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

The Next Day

It caught Rosan by surprise when Doc took one look at him and immediately strapped him onto a table without a word. Normally he'd have some taunt ready so, to skip the pleasantries, was rather odd. He was muttering something to himself about Rosan suddenly being a heterochromatic.

Heterochromatic? What was he talking about?

The redhead craned his head slightly to look into one of the mirrors and Rosan blinked as he saw that his left eye had turned a malicious blood red. It looked like Mod's eyes. He had...not been expecting this change. Did this happen last night? How well did Modification work through Seastone? Something like this didn't seem like a tiny change...maybe Seastone only affected abilities when they were being transmitted out of the body. It would explain why he had briefly been able to hear Mod-chan, his ability wasn't being negated, just suppressed.

Interesting. He'd have to ask Mod-chan to explain when he got her back.

Focusing his attention back onto Doc, he listened to what the blonde had to say. "Interesting. Despite the change in eye color, no other outward change seems to have taken place...," the man mused.

The blonde man continued to run more tests on him and Rosan accepted it all with a bored expression on his bronze face.

After an hour of testing, Doc had finally finished with his inspection of the 9 year old. "Truly fascinating!" He exclaimed in excitement. "Outwardly, your body has not changed at all," he explained. "But, on the inside, it's as if everything has well evolved. Organs are working at a high functioning level, bones have been completely reinforced, healing factor increased. All of this happened in the span of one night with little to no explanation. Are you even human?"

He had evolved? Hm. That was not expected but it wasn't as if he had a problem with it. Still, he'd have to look more into detail about that eventually. What had Modification done to his body? Was it another Quality of Life? So many questions, so little answers.

But first, it was time to begin.

Considering the question, Rosan eventually said "All signs point to me being human, so yes I think I am."

Doc snapped his gaze towards the boy, clearly not expecting the answer, and the scientist finally took in Rosan's new demeanor. "Oh? It seems you've changed in more ways than one Rosan. What happened last night for you to go through such a drastic...metamorphosis let's call it?"

Rosan tilted his head at the question and simply replied "I've been subjecting myself through an abnormal amount of pain for what seems to be no reason at all. Seeing as I'm going to be here for a while, it's futile to keep resisting."

Doc's eyes lit up like he had just won the lottery. Overjoyed, but still wary by his explanation, he clapped and said "Wonderful! You'll have to excuse me if I find your claims a bit dubious. So to test the validity of what your saying, I have just one question."

Rosan inclined his head to indicate that he was listening.

"What is your Devil Fruit?" He asked with thinly veiled excitement.

Doc was far too obvious. He had been expecting this to be the very first question he asked and was more then prepared as a result. Still, he needed to not make it obvious that he knew this was coming.

Rosan pretended like he was thinking about the best way to explain it before telling him, "My Devil Fruit is called the Saizu Saizu no Mi. It allows me to increase and decrease the size of objects. It works best on inorganic materials but I can also use it on myself," He lied easily. The redhead chose that to be his Devil Fruit because the last thing he had done before getting captured, was increase the size of his toy robot. He wasn't sure if they saw that but he wasn't planning on risking it.

The green eyed man stared at him as a smile split his handsome features. "Perfect! This information checks out so we can validate your claims!"

Doc was excited. His most stubborn patient to date was finally coming around and complying! He had partially given at the idea of him participating in Ash and Dust but, with this sudden change of heart, there was still hope! He'd have to speed up the progress, since he had spent 3 months disciplining the boy, but that was fine. Rosan was the perfect weapon. He would adapt and succeed and prove to Doc his worth. Finally he felt like he was making progress.

Rosan just continued to stare at him blankly, face not betraying anything. Inside however he smirked in victory. He had been right, the man really was desperate. Rosan had taken a gamble when lying about his Devil Fruit but, based on his observations it, was going to succeed.

Doc had clearly implied that he had been watching Rosan for a long time and Rosan abused that slip up. He was glad that the only aspect of Modification he used in public was the size changing ability, it had served him well here. More and more, Rosan was beginning to understand the power of anonymity. If they knew of his actual Devil Fruit, they'd have tried much harder to break his mind.

How unfortunate for them.

"We must not waste anymore time!" Doc smiled impatiently. "We are months behind schedule so we will have to accelerate your training. Though it's not all for not due to the amount of tolerance you have no doubt built…" the man murmured to himself. "Come," he eventually commanded, already walking away at a brisk pace.

Rosan obediently followed.

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

They were currently in the arena with the same bald prisoner who had been his fighting partner for the last few months. He seemed eager to begin the match, no doubt garnering joy from assaulting Rosan.

Memories of multiple stab wounds, excessive bleeding, agonizing torture filled the prisoner boy's mind. Rosan's gaze turned slightly murderous as he relived those moments. This man had derived far too much pleasure from assaulting a defenseless boy who had no intention of fighting back. How unfortunate for baldy. He had no clue that this fight would be his final fight and this arena would be his final resting spot.

"Today, we'll begin with some Gladiator Training! Don't disappoint me, Rosan," was all Doc said before he was escorted to the weapon section. The same assortment of weapons that were available to him lay there. Rosan, unlike other times, actually contemplated which one he'd be using. Tilting his head, the boy grabbed a massive hammer, that was much larger then he was and decided this would be his weapon.

Grasping it in his palm, Rosan blinked at how light it was. No. It wasn't that it was light, he had gotten stronger. Seems Doc was correct in his assumption that he had evolved, at least in the physical aspect this rang true. Rosan had been pretty strong for his age but this was nearing Boost levels of strength.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Interesting. There was also the fact that he was being suppressed by Seastone so he should be even weaker. He wondered how strong he would be with his boost activated and without restraints?

Dragging it on the floor, to play up appearances, Rosan calmly made his way into the arena. The bald man took one look at him and started laughing uncontrollably.

"Bahahahaha! You're gonna fight me with that?! Kid, you look like you can't even get it off the floor! You sure you don't wanna just lie down and take the beating like you always do?!" The man asked as he clutched his belly, guffawing all the while.

Rosan stared at him, tilted his head so he that he was facing Doc and indicated that he was ready. Doc seeing that, signaled for the match to begin.

"How sad, your last moment and those are the words you chose to die with," Rosan told him with a shake of his head. Crouching down slightly, Rosan took a deep breath before his eyes snapped open.

The spot he was standing on cracked as Rosan launched himself forward. Baldy, who was still recovering from his laughing, widened his eyes as within moments, Rosan appeared before him. Hoisting the hammer in both hands to his side, like it weighed nothing, Rosan smashed it against his kneecaps with a nauseating crunch. His leg folded like a wet paper as every bone in it was turned into paste.

The scream of agony was music to his ears.

Baldy collapsed as his leg was turned into mush. He pathetically garbled and tried to gasp for mercy.

Rosan would not be showing him mercy. This man did not deserve his mercy.

Without any hesitation, he repeated the same process with his other leg. Rosan held the hammer over his head and swung down. "Suffer you piece of waste," the boy sneered mentally.

The leg stood no chance at all.

With another sickening crunch it gave out. Baldy, unable to withstand the pain, began babbling nonsense as tears streamed down his pudgy face. The prisoner was lying face down choking on his sobs as his lower half was utterly destroyed by the monstrous child in front of him.

Rosan mentally snorted at the pitiful display. So eager to dish out pain but unable to receive any? How amusing. "Can't handle a bit of pain?" Rosan taunted softly. "A shame, I thought you would be tougher than me. You sure did act like you were," the boy mused thinking about all their encounters. The man loved gloating to the weakened prisoner any chance he got and he never showed any of the mercy he was currently asking for.

Truly, he was the lowest scum of the world.

"There's no need to worry though, I'll show you mercy," Rosan finished kindly and it was terrifying to witness on his blank expression.

Slowly but surely, Rosan took the hammer and rested it on the man's, facedown, head.

Doc noticed what he was about to do and tried to shout a warning, but he was too late. He shut his eyes in order to avoid seeing what was about to happen.

Rosan noticed Doc, of course he did. He made a point to make this as slow as possible. Raising the hammer at an agonizing pace, Rosan made sure to engrave the memory in his head. The memory of the absolute power he held over this man's life.

This was what it meant to be strong. To be strong was to have the power to dictate who got to live and who got to die. "Death is a mercy for someone like you."

With that, Rosan swung down the hammer for a 3rd time on the, still screaming, man.

The sound of screaming stopped. Instead it was replaced by a steady drip of liquid.

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

How Curious. This isn't what he was expecting.

Looking down at the crushed skull of Baldy, Rosan had expected to feel revolted at the sight. He had killed someone for the first time after all. Was he not supposed to feel disgusted? He had heard from Mod-chan that the first kill was always the hardest. Sure, he had inadvertently killed people before but this was the first person to directly die by his hands.

Yet, he felt nothing at all. How odd, his emotions hadn't even slightly flared after the admittedly gruesome death. When he had restrained his emotions, he didn't expect it to be that effective. The redhead stopped thinking hard about it after a moment.

It didn't matter to him. He just wanted Mod-chan.

Doc very carefully avoided the dead body and instead focused his attention on him. Rosan smiled to himself at the look he saw in the man's eyes, Doc feared him. Good. But, not enough. The man's viridian green eyes still gleamed in excitement that outweighed the fear.

Coughing Doc said "Ahem, that fight was most unexpected. However, that was also most impressive! I knew you had the potential and this just proves it. Such an impressive display of power! Being able exhibit such strength even through seastone currently weakening you is doubly impressive."

His jailor started muttering to himself about running more tests on him and Rosan just patiently waited, a picture perfect sign of obedience. The redhead looked down at his outfit and regarded them in curiosity. There was blood and other matter that had splashed on it to give it a rather unappealing look.

Messy. He didn't like messy. He'd have to ensure this didn't happen again. The 9 year old was a bigger fan of being bloodless, it was cleaner.

"Doc, may I request a change of clothes and a shower please?" Rosan asked politely. Doc snapped out of his reverie at Rosan's question and hastily replied "Yes! Yes of course! Right this way, we'll get you just what you requested."

Without further ado, he led Rosan to the showers while demanding someone bring a fresh set of clothes for him.

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

Rosan had known his sudden obedience would garner positive results but, he hadn't expected those results to be immediate.

Doc really was desperate and it showed. That was perfect for him. He'd be allowed to practice with his Devil Fruit sooner than later and when that happened, it was all over for everyone here.

Soon after getting changed, the blonde man had decided he would need to be moved into a better room. Rosan had no complaints and just nodded along with his decision. He would not say no to better living conditions.

His new prison cell looked less like a cell and more like a bedroom. It was larger, the largest cell in the facility according to Doc, and had more than just a cold bed to sleep on. A nightstand with a lamp stood next to his bed and per his request, the empty bookcase would soon be filled with a variety of books for him to read. Unlike most of the other prisoners, he now had his own bathroom as well. It was even decked out with a shower and everything.

Rosan snorted softly. It would be much easier to live in here then in his previous cell. The room was far more hospitable and it was actually warm too.

At this rate, it'd only be a matter of time before he could reconnect with Mod-chan again. He was beginning to get an idea about what exactly happened to his body but he wanted her point of view.

Even with his radical shift in personality, he had absolute faith in Mod-chan. She was the only person he could still trust and the fact that he could not even feel her, filled him with slight worry about her current state. She had probably expended too much effort trying to speak through the seastone and had fallen into some sort of sleep-like state. He couldn't access his mindscape, so he was mostly guessing, but he was confident in his theory.

Speaking of which, how would Mod-chan react to his change? Hm. He wasn't sure, most likely she'd blame it on herself, his Devil Fruit had a habit of doing that. She had after all wanted him to retain his cheery personality. He frowned as he realized he had broken his promise to her.

The 9 year old was beginning to realize how badly promises were affecting him. He seemed to always get the short end of the stick after they were broken. This is why he was so reluctant to make them. It seemed like the world itself was trying to test him.

Mod-chan would understand, but he still felt like he had to make it up to her somehow…Rosan found himself, once again, cursing the people here. They had robbed him of his smile so, to apologize partially, to Mod-chan he'd rob them of their lives.

Rosan shut the lights and he prepared to get some rest. As he lay down, the Mod Mod no Mi user contemplated his next course of action. Try as he might, he couldn't really sleep right now so he was only left with his thoughts.

Said thoughts were interrupted when he heard his cell door open 1 hour later. He heard soft, nearly inaudible, footsteps slowly make its way towards him.

Oh?

Rosan thought his little healer stranger had been done visiting him. The redhead was convinced that she didn't like him due to their last encounter. So that begged the question, why she was here? The last time they met didn't seem to end on a positive note so it was odd that she was here.

Well it didn't matter to him so he'd let her do what she wanted. If she came back to get some form of petty revenge then she could do that. Rosan didn't care what she did at the moment.

He'd gladly remember her face when he freed himself, though.

Feigning sleep, Rosan listened to the footsteps getting progressively closer. The boy evened out his breathing and heard the footsteps finally stop and the warm presence of another person appeared.

Rosan couldn't tell how, but he could feel her intentions. How was she doing that? Did she also have a Devil Fruit? The 9 year old could tell that she meant him no harm, but he couldn't explain how he knew that.

The girl didn't seem to notice Rosan discreetly staring at her. He must have been doing a good job at appearing to be asleep then. She was staring intently at his face and after what seemed to be an internal war of epic regards, she hesitantly reached out her hand and gingerly pet his hair.

...What.

"So spiky, but so soft!" She whispered in awe. Rosan could only watch, completely baffled, as the blonde gushed over his soft hair. What the hell was she doing? Was she petting him? Who the hell did she think she was?! Why did she know all the right spots-

"Do you normally pet people in their sleep?" Rosan asked having had enough of this embarrassment. He watched, in a small amount satisfaction, as the girl jumped with a small squeal. Finally sitting up, the redhead took the time to get a good look at the culprit.

Like he remembered, she had long golden blond twintails that reached just above her butt. The only notable difference was that her sailor outfit had changed from black to white and she had a red tie instead of a pink one.

Wide electric blue eyes stared into his heterochromatic ones. Predictably, she let out a small gasp as she made eye contact with the shorter boy. "Your eyes, their different! Are you okay?!". Her voice was soft and sweet and the boy found himself tilting his head at the concern in it. Rosan ignored her question in favor of staring at her.

As he practically burned a hole into her, with just his gaze, Rosan repeated his question.

Snapping out of her daze, the child stuttered a bit clearly caught off guard by his question. He waited patiently for her and raised a brow when she reached behind her and shakily pulled out, what he presumed to be, the same ointment she used on him before.

"I-I wanted to help you heal faster, i-if you don't mind…" was her rather timid response. The redhead didn't know she was this shy but that might have explained why she ran away from him that one day.

Rosan continued staring at her with his completely blank face as he processed what she said. So she was a weirdo. Good to know.

Instantly she whispered "I'm not weird, I promise!"

That got her a strange look from Rosan. Even if he had been thinking it, for that to be her first line of defense, must really mean she was weirdo. People must have called her that often.

Holding her head in defeat, she simply asked "Can I just rub this ointment on you?"

Rosan nearly snorted but stopped himself. Instead, he merely nodded at the girl in confirmation and stared at her.

Smiling slightly, she quickly closed the rest of the distance and sat right next to him. She clearly had no idea what personal space was but then again, according to Robin, neither did he. This close, Rosan picked up the scent of a fruit perfume on her. It wasn't too strong on his sharp senses and it made her smell pleasant. She was humming softly and Rosan almost thought he could relax due to how nice her voice was.

That didn't stop the prisoner from keeping his guard up though. Nobody around here could be trusted, no matter how pure the intentions seemed.

She rolled up his sleeves and gently began rubbing the cool ointment on his tan skin. Being so close to each other, Rosan could see that her face was extremely red. She felt…embarrassed? Why? How did he know that? And...why would she get so close to him if this was the effect he had on her? Was she an idiot? There was something off about this girl and Rosan wasn't sure what it was.

The girl looked like she really wanted to say something but Rosan didn't care enough to point it out, so he patiently waited for her to gain the courage to speak her mind.

"I'm so sorry about everything!" She eventually blurted out.

Rosan shot her a questioning glance, which prompted her to continue speaking. "I didn't come here for a while because...I felt bad for running away from you after you told me thank you…" her face glowed in embarrassment as she explained her reasoning for not showing up.

Was that it? She came back to apologize to him because she felt guilty?

He raised a brow and told her "It's fine to run away from people you don't like. It doesn't really matter to me."

Instantly, the girl stopped what she was doing in favor of focusing wide, innocent, eyes at him. Shaking her head frantically she said "That's not true, I do like you! You just...s-surprised me a-and I didn't know how to respond so I ran off." She lowered her gaze and focused intently on where she rubbed the ointment.

The redhead glanced at her with a bored expression, not believing anything she was saying. They didn't even know each other, how could she say she liked him? He supposed that this was just another trick by Doc to let his guard down. Even if it didn't feel like she was lying, Rosan wouldn't believe her.

"You're going through so much, but you can still manage to muster up the strength to thank me…it makes me so happy!" She finished with a flushed expression on her fair face. Looking into his eyes once more, Rosan was surprised to find fresh tears brimming in the girls blue eyes.

"B-but now, they c-changed you and while they did that, I was off being too embarrassed to even help!" She let out a choked sob as she reprimanded herself. "Despite everything you went through, your eyes always had so much determination and it was so inspiring to me! Now, you hide it well but, I can feel it…there's so much rage and it's so suffocating and I couldn't do anything to help," The child wailed.

Rosan finally allowed a look of shock to appear on his face because he couldn't hold it back.

She could feel his rage? That shouldn't be possible. His rage...it lay dormant right now. It was still there…it would always be but, Rosan had buried it so deep, not even he could feel it. How was it possible that this girl could 'feel' his rage as if he wore it on his sleeve? Was he not hiding it as well as he thought? No, Doc wouldn't have been so pleased with him if that were the case. He would still be in his previous cell if anyone could sense it.

Who was she?

"I'm sorry. I wish I could help you more but…I'm really weak so all I can do is rub this ointment I made on you. That'll never be enough, though. You don't deserve to be here!" She said sadly and she looked at his dual eyes with a look of sorrow on her face. Her cheeks were flushed and she was actually crying. For him.

He hated that. He didn't need anyone's pity.

Rosan watched all this transpire with a stony expression on his face. Eventually, she quieted down and stared at him with puffy red eyes.

He chose that moment to speak to her. "What's done is done," he said coldly. "All that matters now, is how I handle the situation I'm in. I appreciate your concerns, but you don't need to apologize to me. You haven't done anything wrong. Thank you for helping me heal faster but, if you're done, you should leave. Something tells me, that you aren't supposed to be here and I wouldn't want you to get into any trouble after all."

The girl shot him a look that let him know she was aware of his dismissal, before her eyes widened as she finally realized the time.

Standing up hastily, she said "Ah you're right! I have to go…although I don't even think they'll realize I'm gone..." She got up and made her way to the cell door before stopping. Hesitantly she turned around to face him and asked "D-do you mind if I come back, please? I'd like to talk a bit more with you…o-only if you don't mind though!"

"Do whatever you want. I won't be going anywhere," Rosan said bluntly, already tired of this conversation. Her eyes shined in elation as he accepted her request and she nodded vigorously.

"Yay!" She cheered happily getting the boy to raise another brow. "I'll come back tomorrow night then with some more ointment, Rosan!"

As if remembering something, her face glowed and she said "M-my name is Meiko, by the way. I hope we can get along!" She bowed deeply and finally rushed out of the room.

The door shut quietly, leaving the boy alone with his thoughts once again.

Meiko…what a strange girl. Rosan was wary of her, due to her ability to sense his anger and would be treading with caution. She blamed herself for not being able to do anything, but it's not like it was her fault. He was the one who got captured and like she said, she was weak.

He didn't need to rely on a weakling anyways. The boy would get out of here on his own merit. Still, she was odd enough that he'd carefully observe her in the upcoming months.

The boy refused to acknowledge that she interested him.

Laying back down Rosan got comfortable in his much nicer bed and prepared to sleep. It was as he was finally going to sleep, that he realized something.

"How did she get in here…and how did she get a key to my cell so quickly?"

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

There were some days when Rosan wasn't with Doc.

On those days he'd be with Doc's wife, Mom, instead. Whereas Doc was more focused on combat oriented things, 'Mom' was tasked with teaching him things outside of combat. The two normally located in the library section of the facility to get this done. That way he could learn what he needed by reading.

Mom wasn't her real name, obviously but, she liked to be called Mom and so, Rosan called her that. At first glance you'd be hard pressed to find anything wrong with her. She was an attractive, short and curvy women who stood at about 5'5(152cm) with luscious black locks and kind blue eyes. She was normally seen with a kind smile on her pretty face and a slight blush on her cheeks.

It wasn't for show either…the lady was generally nice, always willing to help. She had treated him with kindness when he had first arrived. So then what was Rosan's problem with her?

She was a massive pervert. A massive pervert who really liked the 9 year old boy.

It wasn't subtle either. From him calling her Mom, which always caused her to affectionately grab him, to the incredibly suggestive looks she sent him, to the way she liked to crush him into her large breasts. When she looked at him, her blush would deepen and she would start muttering inappropriate things under her breath. He was fairly confident he had once heard her say "The things I'm going to do to you."

This lady definitely wanted to rape him.

Rosan knew he was pretty good looking. Mama had commented many times that she'd have to fend off women with a stick when he grew older and Robin had said, on multiple occasions, that they'd have to be careful in the future if his appearance kept up with age. It would make him quite prized by various people! Hell, his looks is one of the main contributors as to why he was here.

Rosan's only response was that future him had to worry about it. He thought his future self would have to start worrying at around 16, not 9...

It didn't help that Mom being a pervert wasn't her only issue. The lady hated being denied. When they had first met, she had politely requested that he call her 'Mom'. Rosan had only laughed in her face and denied her request vehemently. The boy only had one mother and it definitely wasn't a depraved pervert like this woman.

Her kind visage had shifted into one of cold fury and the beating he had subsequently received made it difficult for the boy to sleep.

After his change in demeanor, he had decided that denying her would not work in his favor so he had begun calling her Mom like she desired. She had melted completely as she heard him utter the word and the depraved look that appeared on her face made Rosan want to stay far away from her. It had worked out in his favor though. So long as he did what she wanted, she'd spoil him rotten. If it helped him live easier until he escaped, then Rosan didn't mind doing it.

They were sat currently in the back of the library out of anyone's sight, not that anyone inhabited the area besides them. Rosan, at Mom's behest, was reading up on the female anatomy. He was buried in her lap while his head cushioned between her large chest, just the way she liked it, and she softly caressed him.

Rosan had to wonder how Doc felt about this. It was likely that he didn't care considering he had seen the way those 2 interacted. The man probably had no intention of stopping it. Their relationship was cold but familiar, maybe at one point they had loved each other, but that had clearly changed with time. Mom had to have had a lot of power in this relationship though, if she was able to get access to Rosan so easily.

Pervert.

Still...if he played his cards right, he could potentially have another escape route. Despite being a last resort, he'd still like to have multiple options. It was never a good idea to put all his eggs in one basket. He would need to set up for that 2nd option so he'd have to get even further into her good graces.

Fortunately, he knew just how to do that. Unfortunately, he knew just how to do that.

Well, he'd already made up his mind to do whatever it took.

Rosan idly got more comfortable, which had the added effect of getting him closer to her. Before, he had been sitting upright on her knees. Now however, he had scooted up even closer to the woman and his back was rested right on her stomach. It also had the bonus of sinking him even deeper into her cleavage.

Rosan felt her gasp at his sudden proximity and she hugged him a bit tighter to herself.

Moving his head in her cleavage to look up at her, Rosan felt he had done a sufficient job as he took glance at the woman. Mom's eyes were a bit glazed over as they made eye contact and the blush on her face had deepened. Her painted lips were parted in surprise and Rosan nearly snorted at the clear shock on her face.

As they made eye contact Rosan said "Mom I noticed you look even prettier than normal today! Is there a special occasion? Your hair looks really nice and you have different colored lipstick today! Normally it's blue, but this time its red and I really like that cuz I really like red!"

It was too easy. A subtle touch there, a smile solely for her here, a tilted head, and direct eye contact.

He felt her panting get heavier as he spoke and by the end of his sentence, Rosan was sure she was visibly restraining herself from jumping him. Her electric blue eyes had narrowed into slits and the blush on her cheeks had turned darker then he had ever seen it.

Mom visibly struggled to get her wits together and when she did, she eventually responded to him. "Y-you're too kind my dear," she stammered a bit before continuing. "I've recently gotten a new brand of shampoo for my hair and I've been using it for the past few days. I-I'm surprised you noticed, nobody else has and that makes me h-happy. Also...I wasn't too fond of it before but I've really taken a shine to the color red now."

Rosan flashed a grin, red eye shining as he looked at the mess of a lady. The gesture came easy, too easy. "Red's my favorite color too so I'm glad you of all people like it Mom!" Red was his favorite color so that part he didn't lie about at least. He wasn't really fond of lying but that only applied to people he liked and the only person he liked right now, could read his mind.

Mom looked flushed. "Me of all people? I-I'm not sure what you mean by that dear," she whispered hopefully and Rosan had her right where he wanted her. If he still had the capacity, he'd be actually smiling.

"Well I really like spending time with you! Doc can be really mean to me and he likes hurting me. You're really nice to me and I feel safer around you so I enjoy being with you way more!" He was practically gushing. Rosan decided now was the time to go for the kill so he turned fully towards her and wrapped his small arms around her neck. Feeling her shakily return the hug, he planted an innocent kiss right on her cheek. "Thank you, Mommy!"

Her grip on Rosan tightened to a wild degree as she crushed him right in her bosom. Rosan could no longer see her face but judging by the possessive hold she had on him, it was safe to assume that it had worked. He heard her try to speak but it was cut off by a low groan. Her warm breath brushed into him and Rosan was surprised that people like her existed in the world.

"Mod-chan probably hates this lady with all her heart," he mentally snorted. She was quite protective of him and couldn't stand the idea of someone trying to take advantage of the little boy, especially a pervert like Mom.

"I-I- did n-notice hohow D-doc has been t-treating you-" she paused for a bit to catch her breath "If y-you want, I-I can talk to him about his rough treatment. Y-your still a growing young boy and possibly stunting your growth would be very detrimental. I- we would love to see you age properly. We h-have to make sure you are properly nourished and needless injuries are counterproductive."

Rosan knew the effects of what calling her mommy would do. She was utterly depraved, so of course hearing him call her that would have a more positive effect. The degree of success though was surprising. The redhead knew she liked him but this was…. Unexpected. Still his manipulation tactics were working rather well. He had always been rather blunt so to dip into more subtle things was like a breath of fresh air.

Popping his head out of her cleavage, Rosan flashed a grin, allowing his sharp teeth to show, as his large shining eyes glanced up at her. "Yay! Thank you Mom, you're the best! I knew I could rely on you!" He beamed as he hugged her tightly.

Pulling back so he could take a look at her face, Rosan was not disappointed. The woman's face was beet red and her blue eyes were focused solely on him. She was biting her lip as she looked at him with hungry, lustful eyes and she was trying her hardest not to jump him. At least she had some morals, despite the fact that she was grooming him. She adamantly refused to loosen the grip on him either as she practically drooled.

Too easy.

"R-Rosan?" She called slowly, hesitantly, as if he were in control of the situation.

Oh? Odd, but he could work with this.

Tilting his head at her, Rosan curiously hummed, allowing her to speak. She followed his gaze all the while. "May I kiss you, please?" she practically begged him.

When had the power dynamic shifted? Was it because he had taken charge of the conversation so strongly? Rosan wasn't sure, perhaps she was inherently submissive? Whatever it was, he would note it. Staying in a control of a situation benefited him well and allowed him to dictate how things went.

"I dunno…maybe we should wait to do that? I wouldn't want you to get in trouble for kissing the weapon…" holding a finger to his chin, Rosan looked as if he was seriously contemplating it but, in reality, he was toying with her, dangling the bait to see how much he could milk out of this situation.

Mom's greatest weakness was her inability to accept denial. If Rosan told her that he would not be able to do something, that she wanted to do, because of someone else…well her reaction would be less than stellar.

As predicted, the brunette's face contorted into one of cold fury. She possessively grasped him and, in a dangerously low tone, said "They will not lay a finger on either of us! I will make sure of it. You have nothing to worry about because you are safe with me."

Her face morphed back into its pleading from like nothing happened as she once again asked to be kissed.

Rosan was totally victorious. He had carefully observed what made her tick and ruthlessly took advantage of it. Rosan marveled at how easy it was to manipulate a person. She had been reduced to absolute putty in his hands and it was fascinating to witness. He would be sure to take advantage of her hospitality up until his escape.

"Hm~ well in that case, if you promise-" "I promise!" She interrupted him and then flinched as she realized her mistake. Hastily apologizing to the boy, Rosan accepted it with a wave of his hand and said "Ok! You can kiss me then!"

"But...~" he stopped her and the visible frustration on her face was delightful "...you can't tell Doc about this conversation, okay? We wouldn't want him to get jealous that his weapon has a favorite that isn't him y'know? This conversation stays between us, then I'll let you kiss me," he finished with an impish smile on his face.

Mom nodded vigorously at his request (demand) and Rosan let out a fond sigh. Nodding in a go ahead motion, Rosan allowed the woman to do what she wanted.

The black haired woman looked like she had won the lottery and, knowing how much of a pervert she was, she probably thought she did. Cupping his cheeks, the pretty woman dove for his lips.

The things he did for Mod-chan. She better not ever say he didn't love her.

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

Rosan calmly removed his weapon, a sword, from the back of his opponent. Blood dripped steadily from the weapon in a steady pat as the man beneath him bled out. He stared coldly at the corpse. He was weak, afraid, and barely put up a fight. Worthless. If this was supposed to be training, then Doc was trying to turn him into a sadist.

Clapping interrupted him and he stared at the smiling Doc. The man was getting increasingly impressed with his results from these battles. He currently looked elated at Rosan's effortless victory over his latest foe. "Well done Rosan! At this rate you'll win this tournament with ease!"

"You've proven yourself a reliable weapon, so I think it's time to accelerate part of your training!" The man exclaimed and Rosan merely nodded his head. Was it time? Already? That was rather quick.

Doc, who was out of reach, called in a guard and had them remove Rosan's handcuffs. The redhead hummed as he felt the thrum of Modification roar to life. He nearly smiled at the feeling of slowly regaining his powers but he held it back.

He had been waiting for this and now, it was the beginning of the end for everyone here.

Turning towards Doc, Rosan bowed his head and said "Thank you for this opportunity Doc. May I demonstrate what I am capable of doing with my Devil Fruit?"

The redhead knew Doc was testing him. It was fairly obvious and the redhead had to wonder just how much he was being underestimated due to his age. He wanted to see how Rosan would use his ability with the sudden freedom granted to him. No doubt, he had placed countermeasures in case he tried to increase his size to escape. If they were meant to counter the effects of the Saizu Saizu no Mi, they would work well...for someone who had it.

But he didn't have it.

His planning was still in motion however so for now, he would play along by solidifying his "obedience". Besides, simply escaping wasn't enough for the 9 year old anymore.

He wanted no, he needed more.

Doc let out a pleased sigh as Rosan made no attempt to escape. The best way for the boy to escape would be with his Devil Fruit so right now was his best possible chance. He had been slightly worried that Rosan was pretending but once again he had been proven wrong. The boy truly was 100% obedient now. Even if he tried to increase his size to escape, the room they were currently in, was full of seastone. Rosan would simply activate it if he grew too large, neutralizing him in the process.

Luckily, that would not be the case.

"Of course, Rosan! I'll be bringing in the next opponent so, please return to the waiting area while we clean up the mess. If you wish to choose a new weapon please do so."

Rosan simply nodded and made his way through the gate to walk back into the waiting area. He had the location memorized, so he simply walked there on autopilot. Finally alone, but most likely being watched, Rosan sent a mental prod towards Mod-chan to see if she was still there.

After a long moment, he received a weak prodding in return, but no verbal confirmation from the Devil Fruit. She was here but she was weak...

He'd give her time to rest up. Being suppressed by Seastone for so long must have not been great for her because it wasn't great for him. For now, he had a plan to set into motion.

Placing the bloody sword gently on the table, Rosan glanced at his desired weapons. As he picked them up, Rosan placed the massive gauntlets on his tiny hands and flexed his fingers. Nodding to himself, Rosan used his 'Saizu Saizu' abilities to make the gauntlets better fit his small hands and he clenched his fist to ensure they were on correctly.

Job done, Rosan waited patiently for Doc to call him out once more. It didn't take long, as his voice soon came onto the intercom. "Report to the arena please, Rosan," was all he said before cutting it off.

Rosan made his way to the arena at a leisure pace. He stopped to stare at his terrified opponent with an unimpressed stare. It was only natural, rumors had been spreading like wildfire around the inmates that anyone who had been put up against him had not returned. The 9 year old prisoner did nothing to dissuade the rumors and, since silence equaled guilt, they all had a good amount of fear for the child.

It wasn't a lie anyways.

This man was no different. He was shaking uncontrollably and he could barely hold on to the sword he was wielding as he faced the much younger boy. To think rumors could reduce people to such a state. Did everyone just believe everything they heard? Not even a little bit of doubt? This man looked like he had already given up just looking at the 9 year old.

Not a threat to him then. He'd get nothing out of this fight so he'd make it quick.

The moment the signal began, Rosan audibly said "Increase" and watched as his gauntlet grew larger and his strength increased. Not wasting any time, Rosan, in a mood to flaunt, sprinted towards the man. Right before reaching him, Rosan placed the palm of his gauntlets on the floor and used the momentum of his speed to launch himself upwards. The man's eyes widened as the tiny missile began soaring through the air.

Flipping himself to face the man, Rosan caught a sloppy swing of the sword with the side of his gauntlet and said "Decrease."

Everyone watching gasped, as the sword was reduced to the size of a toothpick. The, now defenseless, man's terror increased tenfold as he looked into the expressionless gaze of Rosan. Still in the air, Rosan grabbed one the taller man's arm and delivered a strong strike directly onto his mouth.

The man toppled over from the force of the blow with an "oomph" on his back. Rosan landed harshly on top of his stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and paralyzing him. Moving forward so that he sat on his chest, Rosan delivered blow after blow to his face. The man tried using his arm to block his onslaught, but they simply folded under the pressure of his punches.

The redheaded monster rained punch after punch and felt the man's face breaking under his assault. The floor under him was beginning to dent at the display of strength and Rosan decided to wrap this up.

Holding his hands, together Rosan delivered a brutal double axe handle strike. The mans stopped struggling immediately as blood was sprayed everywhere. His hands fell limply to his side as Rosan crushed his face against the gauntlet with a CRUNCH.

Rosan stood up, gauntlets still clenched into a fist, and he looked over at Doc. The redhead looked completely unbothered by his display of brutality and he bowed to his jailor as he made his way to the rest area. As he walked back to the waiting area for further instructions, Rosan finally allowed himself a violent grin. His sharp teeth gleamed and his eyes glowed. Even the chilly purple had a glow in it, in contrast to its normally empty look.

He had won.

His victory had been assured and now, there was nothing they could do about it. His escape was not a possibility now. It was imminent. Unavoidable. Assured.

Why?

Rosan opened his palm to look at the key that rested there. Knowing he'd soon be visible on camera, Rosan pocketed the key and allowed his rage to vanish. Adopting his standard neutral expression, he calmly sat down to give an appearance that he was still that obedient little toy.

Information truly was a dangerous weapon. Had they known what his Devil Fruit actually was…he was sure they'd never have released him from his Seastone in those conditions. After all, Modification was too difficult to keep a leash on unless you completely nullified it. The ability to change your size however? There were many counters to that.

Had Rosan's Devil Fruit actually been the Saizu Saizu no mi, he may have had to find other means to escape. But the ability to change his size was not his Devil Fruit. Rosan was a Computer Boy who could modify whatever it was that he was touching and they had signed away their lives the moment they freed him.

When had he gotten the key you ask?

It was while he was punching the life out of his opponent. Due to the nature of how he normally killed his opponents, his ruthless executions seemed like a normal occurrence and Rosan had calculated it into his plan. It was also the reason why he had opted into using the gauntlets, they were the easiest way to get what he wanted.

While punching the man repeatedly Rosan, knowing that Doc wouldn't watch the brutal affair, had stolen a tooth from the man. As he continued to punch the man, he had modified the tooth into the object of his desire.

A universal key for his handcuffs.

It had taken longer than he thought it would, which is why he had punched the man for so long. That was to be expected though. He didn't have access to Modification for 3 months and so he needed to get a feel for it again.

But, with the tooth successfully turned into a key Rosan had completely won. There was nothing they could do anymore. If by some chance they wanted to replace his Seastone handcuffs, he wouldn't allow them and would just have to strike early. He doubted it though, these handcuffs had never been removed from him.

Winning just wasn't enough anymore though. It would never be enough to simply win. Rosan wanted to crush the wills of the people who had given him hell. He wouldn't be satisfied until he heard them beg beneath him. Everyone that knew of his existence would have to die. Doc had likely advertised his newest weapon to the upcoming spectators and so, Rosan would have to take everyone out in one fell swoop. This way he would maintain anonymity and no one would know how he looked or what his name was.

Now that he was free, it would be easy to do what he wanted.

After all, Doc had said himself that he was the Ultimate Weapon.

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

Rosan had been handcuffed again and escorted back to his quarters to retire for the day. He had naturally done it all without causing a fuss, obedient pet that he was.

He was now sat on his bed, regarding his cuffed hands in curiosity. They were an interesting variation of handcuffs. Instead of linking together like standard handcuffs, they were more so like bracelets on each hand. Due to this, Rosan was able to mostly ignore them and perform normally, even with the exhausting drain it gave him.

Removing the key from his pockets, Rosan removed the cuffs from his hand and tossed them aside. The redhead felt the familiar surge of Modification coursing through his body as he flexed his hand and the boy smiled.

He had missed this feeling. It felt good. No, it felt amazing.

He felt alive.

The boy modified his key into a copy of the handcuffs and put them around his wrists. It would be hard to spot the difference between these and the Seastone handcuffs and Rosan wanted to keep up appearances at the moment.

Glancing at said Seastone handcuffs, Rosan palmed the floor and modified a deep hole into it. Done with that, he tossed the Seastone into the newly created pit.

Not yet finished, Rosan grabbed a piece of metal and modified it into a familiar mechanical fly. He gave it orders to find his belongings, scout the entire island and relay the information back to him. It buzzed in affirmation and flew through the holes of the cage, carefully maneuvering so as to not touch them.

Rosan closed the hole and stood up to walk over to his bed. Breathing softly, the redhead easily entered his Mindscape.

Opening his eyes, Rosan blinked at what he was seeing. His Mindscape...it was different then he last remembered.

While still a forest, it was nothing like how it used to be. The sun had gone down, replaced by the dark of the night and the only source of light was the pale moon in the sky. It was now raining as well, had it been changed to a rainforest? The leaves were a bit droopy but otherwise, they were still healthy and there was an ever present endless amount of green.

Rosan realized Mod-chan was nowhere to be seen. He could feel her though, as a weak pulse inside of the house. The boy headed over there and quietly opened the door to the house and walked into the room he knew she was located in. Rosan frowned as he took sight of her.

She looked terrible. The purple haired woman was bedridden and it looked like she had just woken up, which she probably had. Her tanned face was flushed from what seemed to be a fever and her breathing was heavy. She saw him approach and tried to shoot up in joy at being able to see him once again. It had been so long since they had seen each other and the woman was overjoyed to see him!

Rosan quickly closed the distance between them, to make sure she didn't get up. His Devil Fruit looked weakened and he didn't need to see her overexert herself anymore. The boy gave her a tight hug as he felt relief flood his entire system. He had missed her terribly. She had been a constant presence in his life and when their connection cut, he felt a horrible emptiness that he didn't want to feel again.

"Ah, I missed you more than you could imagine, Mod-chan," Rosan said, hugging her cheek to cheek. She weakly returned the hug, but her grip on him was firm. She was shaking heavily, afraid that she could lose him again and it filled the redhead with a familiar burst of anger. How dare they make his Mod-chan feel like this? Anyone who hurt Mod-chan didn't deserve any mercy from him. He was going to enjoy what he was about to do to them.

Mod tried to talk, but Rosan shushed her. The woman looked like she was just struggling to stay awake. Seastone…he hated the effect it had on her. Rosan wouldn't allow himself to be capture and subjected to its effects again.

"Don't worry Mod-chan," Rosan reassured the bedridden woman. "Rest and restore your powers. I've got it handled now, you don't have to do anything," He said softly to her. She didn't have to clean up for his mistakes anymore, Rosan would do that himself and this would be his start.

She finally noticed his shift in demeanor and shot him a worried look, but Rosan ignored it in favor of getting up and walking out of the door.

"I have company. I will allow you to rest until you feel good enough to speak to me then I'll visit you again, okay? In the meantime, assimilate yourself with my memories that you've missed. Goodbye Mod-chan."

Before she could say anything, Rosan vanished and returned back to reality.

Mod tried to get up and call him but she was still too weak to do anything. The purple haired woman panted in exhaustion from the exertion before lying back down on the bed. Rosan…he was different. Something had changed him. She needed to look into his memories immediately to understand the full scope of what went on.

What had happened to him?

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

Rosan woke to the familiar sensation of a cool ointment being rubbed on him and was not surprised to see a shock of blonde hair. Meiko worked diligently and quickly. The girl was humming a nice tune to herself and she didn't seem to be aware that he was awake.

"You know Meiko..." Rosan watched in amusement as she squealed in fright "...I haven't actually been seriously injured for a while now. My body has become quite adjusted to Doc's treatment. While I enjoy the sensation of the ointment, your actions are unnecessary," he finished calmly.

Something about what he said, caused her to flinch, before she pouted halfheartedly and tried to glare at him. She failed miserably as the glare fell away instantly, replaced instead by embarrassment. "I know that you haven't b-been really injured for a long time…but, I still want to visit you and this is the only way I can be useful so please don't kick me out! A-also, you still do have small i-injuries so I can work on those?"

Rosan stared at her and said "Fine, do what you want," and that was the end of that. This girl managed to find comfort in his presence and Rosan didn't care enough to tell her to leave so she was free to do as she pleased. It's not like he had anything better to do.

Meiko had made good on her promise to visit him more often. When the girl had said more, Rosan had figured she'd show up every week. But no, she meant every single night. She would barge quietly into his room, ointment in hand, and would proceed to rub the ointment on his body while talking to him about mundane things.

The boy got the feeling that not a lot of people cared or listened to what she had to say. He was pretty sure she told him everything about her day because no one else was willing to hear her. Rosan, not having much better to do, would listen and even contribute to the conversation sometimes (something she greatly appreciate if the elation in her eyes meant anything). It wasn't very often but, the blonde didn't seem to mind that he rarely talked back.

She was just happy that someone was actually listening!

It helped that she had a pleasant voice, instead of one that grated on his ears, so Rosan didn't mind listening to her. She was unknowingly a good source of info too. Rosan learned that they were on an isolated island called Daybreak Island near the calm belt in the North Blue. It's citizens, typically, were wealthy people who either had slaves participating in the tournaments or spectators. Rosan curiously asked her if she had any slaves and she frantically waved her head no.

The girl was vehemently against the idea of having people fight against each other. She abhorred the fact that they'd be killing themselves for the pleasure of other people. Rosan asked her why she was on this island then and she replied, downcast, "My parents," and ended the conversation there. Rosan sensing her sadness let the topic drop though he was a bit curious now.

Speaking of which, Rosan had asked Meiko if her parents were concerned at all that she was going out so often, but her only response, was to tell him "My parents…they don't care about me at all...they won't notice I'm gone."

At his questioning glance she explained that it was because she wasn't very good at doing anything. She claimed that she was not interested in learning their craft and as a result, they had written her off as useless.

She had wanted to become a medic for the Marines, partly to impress her parents, but mostly because she genuinely wanted to help people. The only problem was that she had no idea how to approach the marines, especially considering the less than legal affairs happening on this island. If they figured out her origins were tied to this island she'd never be able to become a marine. The blonde was also too young (being 11), to sail towards a base on her own.

The blonde girl also had low self esteem. She didn't seem to realize that she created her very own ointment, but Rosan had banished that self doubt when he told her how well it was working on him. Her face had turned an atomic shade of red and she stammered an insane amount at his compliment.

Rosan wondered why he tolerated her so much but, he just chalked it up to her being the only nice person in his own personal hell. She had a naivety to her, that made him wonder what she was doing here, and she was the only person on this island who was genuinely kind to him. The redhead had gotten good at reading people. He had an easy time telling when someone was lying and she was genuine in everything she did.

In another timeline, they could have been great friends.

It was a shame that she had to die along with everyone else here.

"Rosan…you seem a bit happier than normal today. No that's not right…you seem more relieved?" Meiko suddenly said, interrupting his musing. Rosan glanced at her, wondering just how she knew that, but he saw no harm in telling her the truth.

He would just omit some details.

"Relieved? I suppose I am a bit relieved. I was allowed to use my abilities today…it felt nice not being so restricted. Perhaps that's the reason?"

As predicted her gaze turned into one of guilt and she looked down. Softly slapping her cheeks in an eerily familiar way, she looked up and determinedly asked him "Your Devil Fruit right? Could you tell me what it is, please?"

"My devil fruit is the Saizu Saizu no Mi. It allows me to increase or decrease the size of myself and objects," was his automated response.

Meiko's soft blue gaze narrowed at him slightly. "Y-you don't have to lie to me, Rosan," the redhead rose a brow in surprise at that. "I know the situation your in is really bad, b-but I've never lied to you so, please don't lie to me."

Rosan froze as he heard what she said. He regarded her with a shocked expression on his face, as the familiarity of it all washed over him.

It was like looking at a ghost. Rosan remembered having the same problem with his mother about being truthful to him. She had been lying to him about how badly pregnancy had affected her and he found it unfair, due to the fact that he was always honest to her. The redhead never thought he'd be the one getting called out for such a thing, but life was funny like that.

Still, to be able to so easily call him out on his lie? So easily? Despite her confidence issues, there had been no doubt in her tone whatsoever. It was worrying how easily she could see through him. If she had been an actual enemy, Rosan would have had a much harder time escaping from this place.

That was another thing about her, she could read him like nobody else. Frankly it was unnerving.

Around her, Rosan felt exposed in a way that he never experienced. Despite the wall he had up constantly, she tore through them like they were made of paper. The redhead wasn't sure how she was able to see through him so easily. Nobody but Mod-chan could do that (and she could read his mind!).

Not even Robin or his mother could see through him this easily and he was an open book around them.

That wasn't to say this was one-sided. Rosan had a frighteningly easy time seeing through her as well. Maybe that was why she kept coming back, they had some sort of bond that he couldn't explain. The two of them were compatible in a way that had him putting his guard fully up.

It's why the redhead decided she needed to die. She was an enigma. An enigma that could be dangerous to him. She needed to be eliminated due to the power they held over each other. Rosan could not risk having this person as an enemy.

Rosan, with a critical eye, gazed at her as she called him out so bravely.

She raised a fair and valid point. Rosan would be a hypocrite if he didn't realize that, because he had had the exact same issue with his mother. He watched as her, once confident gaze, wilted under his eye and she had quickly reverted to her meek demeanour.

Meiko had a very good point and he acknowledged that fully. If this were anything else, he'd have conceded. But this wasn't anything else. She didn't seem to understand the full scope of the situation that he was currently in.

"I don't trust you," Rosan told her truthfully. Her expression turned a bit hurt, but he continued unimpeded. "Don't get me wrong Meiko, everything you do is genuine and normally I would have no problem trusting you, but I'm sure you know what happened to me. I can't allow myself to trust anyone so easily. No, that's not quite right. I won't allow myself to trust anyone."

Why was Rosan telling her this? If she told Doc, all his planning could be ruined and he'd have to settle for enacting his plan early. He wasn't sure why he was doing this but, something told him this conversation would stay between the two of them. Was it stupid of him? Yes but, this weird bond they had, assured him that she wouldn't.

He was getting pretty sick of lying anyways. It went against his character that his mother so caringly raised.

Despite the hurt in her eyes, the understanding gaze she directed towards Rosan baffled him. Here she was, telling him everything she could and he wouldn't even tell her one thing with the reasoning being that he didn't trust her, despite being trustworthy.

Yet she gazed at him with nothing but understanding and compassion. To see someone so caring, so friendly, so kind, Rosan couldn't believe it. How could someone like this exist? How could she direct such a gaze towards him? How could someone be so nice to him?

It seriously pissed him off.

Who the fuck did she think she was? She thought she had the right to look at him with those eyes. This weakling thought she could pity him? Just the thought that he was being looked down upon, filled him with nothing but hot burning rage.

Quicker then she could react, Rosan forced Meiko down and loomed over her. His dual eyes were positively blazing, as he snarled down at her. It was the first time he'd actually lost his temper since this change and the fact it was Meiko who caused it made it all the worse.

"You really think you understand me don't you?!" He questioned furiously to the frightened girl beneath him. His voice was low and packed with fury as he spoke to her."You don't understand anything I've gone through so stop pretending like you fucking do. Don't try to relate your life to mine just because your parents don't love you and you have no friends," he hissed venomously.

The redhead was angry in a way that he couldn't even explain. Who did she think she was? Rosan wouldn't let someone with family issues try to relate to him. How dare she even try to compare the two of their issues. Last he checked she wasn't a fucking prisoner who had been getting tortured for THREE MONTHS!

"T-that's cruel Rosan! Y-you don't have to say something like that," Meiko sobbed but Rosan didn't care. She made him so angry. Did she really think that just because she could read him, she could just go and say whatever the hell she wanted? Rosan wasn't a naive idiot anymore. He wasn't going to believe anything a person said just because they honeyed their words.

She needed to pay.

Raising a fist, Rosan nearly swung down before stopping as he got a good look at her face. He was so consumed in rage, he assumed that she was crying in fear.

But she wasn't.

No, she wasn't crying because of his harsh words or how physical he was with her. She was crying because of his pain and that realization froze him completely. "I-I'm s-so sorry R-Rosan," she sobbed out an apology, making him flinch. "I'm so weak and pathetic, that I can't even properly help you when you're in so much pain."

Rage left his body in an instant and was instead replaced by regret. The boy sagged slightly as regret for what he did, and was about to do to this girl, seeped into his body.

What was wrong with him? He had let himself get possessed by rage and had nearly struck the girl because of it. It was sloppy of him to allow himself to succumb so easily to his own emotions again. He couldn't allow himself to lose control like that again.

Taking a deep breath, Rosan said "You should go Meiko…and you shouldn't come back." He got off of her and let her pick herself up.

She tried to protest his decision, but Rosan would not be swayed. Seeing that he would stay firm in his decision, she sadly got up and walked over to the cell. "I-I know you feel bad Rosan…but i-it's not your fault so I d-don't blame you!" She began softly.

Facing him, compassionate blue stared into a combination of rage filled red and chilly purple as she said "Rosan, I just want to understand you! Please...I know you can't trust anybody, I really do, but that's why I want to earn your trust! B-because if you can't trust even one person in life then can you really call that living?"

"Nobody should ever be forced to be alone!" A 4 year old Rosan said to Nico Robin. The memory came rushing to him suddenly and Rosan had to bite his cheek to prevent himself from lashing out.

"Get out," Rosan said through grit teeth. He hated how her words affected him. He hated how much sense she made. He hated that she refused to accept the reality that Rosan didn't want to trust anybody. He hated that he seriously considered her offer. He hated how seemingly vulnerable he was around her.

So he pushed her away.

Opening the cage, Meiko left a few parting words. "I knew you weren't going to hurt me Rosan. Deep down…you're kind Rosan I know it. I'm so sorry that they did this to you and...I'm going to make this right. You may not trust me Rosan, but I trust you," she told the younger boy with a sad smile on her face.

"I-I'll find a way to break you out Rosan, I promise," before he could respond, Meiko softly closed the cage and scurried away.

The heterochromatic boy stared in disbelief at her retreating form.

She fully believed what she said. Meiko actually did trust him and that confused him more then he could imagine. It was impossible for someone to be so kind. It was a trick, it had to be. But it wasn't. This was just who she was. Someone like her, didn't belong in a world like this. The blonde was too pure for her own good.

Rosan didn't like her.

In his 3 months here, besides rage, He hadn't felt a single emotion flare up and yet she was able to get a reaction out of him so easily. She was lying about something, she had to be. The girl needed to be eliminated. She was a threat to Rosan.

Right...?