Watching Rosan practice above the ship, with his newly acquired wings, was her new favorite hobby, Meiko decided.

There was something enthralling about watching him repeatedly circle the air. It was like watching an Angel perform. The 9 year old looked amazing and Meiko idly wondered if she could get him to fly her around too.

After achieving Shinigami, Rosan had been seen practicing nearly nonstop with the obsidian black wings. The heterochromia said he wanted to accommodate himself with the newly acquired appendages and it also doubled as stamina training for the boy, due to him not being accustomed to flying.

"It's really incredible isn't it?" Meiko asked offhandedly to the approaching figure. She was still looking up at Rosan so she assumed that it was Demon.

Not hearing a response, the blonde glanced down and flinched at the royal purple eyes burning a hole into her.

Ah. This wasn't Demon, this was Angel. That would explain the silence.

Nervously, Meiko waved at the white clad clone and was not surprised in the slightest, to see no response.

No. Instead, she was rewarded with that same judgmental stare the clone seemingly loved fixing her with.

She really to wonder why the clone hated her so much...

Meiko sighed, preparing to watch Rosan from somewhere else but she abruptly stopped herself.

This wasn't fair! Why did she have to move just because the mean clone didn't like her? She had been nothing but nice to them both (even treating them like their own people!) and she had received nothing but scorn from the older clone of Rosan.

She was nice to Demon and in return, Demon was nice to her. So why did Angel hate her so much?

Determinedly, Meiko turned around to face the clone ready to give her a piece of her mind, only to lose all confidence at the questioning glare Angel shot at her.

No fair! She couldn't stand up to someone so intimidating and the clone knew it too, judging by the smug look in their eyes.

"Angel," a soft voice rang out catching both their attention. "That's quite enough, Meiko has done nothing to deserve such treatment," Demon said calmly, patronizing his twin.

Angel proved to be just as stubborn as Rosan however and crossed his arms pointedly looking away. "She's done enough," was his simple response.

Demon shook his head in exasperation. Seems like it wasn't the first time they had this argument and Meiko felt a surge of appreciation at the fact that the red eyed clone was defending her even when she wasn't around him.

Demon decided this time though, that enough was enough.

"I would be surprised, if Master hasn't already noticed your unnecessary contempt for her, Angel," Angel's eyes widened in dread as realization hit him. "I doubt you want him to be the one approaching you about your less then stellar personality before you're ready. It'll most likely lead to you being forced to tell him that."

That? What were they talking about?

Based on Angel's frightened expression, they didn't want Rosan knowing yet. Meiko wondered what it was but it wasn't her place to pry so she wouldn't pry. If they were hiding it from their Master, then she was definitely not privy to it.

Helpful soul that she was, she'd still try to offer her two cents though.

"Um…" Meiko began and flinched slightly as they both focused their attention on her. Steeling herself, she said "I won't ask about the specifics but...Rosan probably already knows that you're hiding something."

Seems that the thought had never crossed either of their minds.

The blonde watched them both pale slightly at the realization that Rosan probably did know.

Did they really think the redhead wouldn't know? Waving her hands, she frantically reassured "Don't worry! He's probably just waiting for you to approach him! I doubt he's upset with you guys but waiting too long will only make things worse on his side."

That calmed them down a tad, before Angel warily asked "How would you know that? We're literally clones of him and he hasn't shown any indication of knowing," and it was the truth. If Rosan did know, he was doing an incredible job at appearing ignorant to the fact.

Meiko smiled. It was the first time Angel spoke to her with something other then barely restrained contempt. "It's just a feeling I have," at their doubtful looks she sighed and decided to delve more into it. "Rosan is really observant, he's very good at detecting emotions and even I can tell how nervous you guys are. He might have picked up on it a while ago. Though, the fact he hasn't approached you guys about it, means he isn't too worried about it!"

They nodded, fear slowly vanishing, at her explanation. The twins stared at each as they deliberated something for a moment before nodding and turning towards her.

Could they read each other's mind? That was really cool! She'd like to be able to do that with Rosan someday…

"I'm sorry about Angel," Demon began. "She's been really stressed since she's gotten emotions and you and I, are the only people she can properly take it out on."

Angel bowed in apology while rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish expression.

Meiko grinned brightly and said "It's okay! I thought you really didn't like me and it was making me a bit sad. I'm glad it's just stress though! I can help you with… wait, she?"

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

Meiko now understood why Angel was so cranky all the time. They may have been a clone of Rosan, but Angel was also a girl.

The blonde girl could understand how being trapped in the wrong body, could lead to some resentment. The white clad clones attitude was somewhat justifiable, especially considering Meiko was a girl in the right body!

Still, their reaction when she asked why they hadn't just told Rosan, had been less then stellar.

Meiko was beginning to think that she was the only one on this ship who didn't fear Rosan. The clones were convinced that if they told Rosan that a clone of the boy identified as a girl, he would lose it and destroy the both of them! Meiko couldn't help the unladylike snort that left her at their sheer panic.

Honestly, they were being ridiculous! Rosan wasn't some merciless demon! The boy would be confused, but there was no way he'd destroy them over something so trivial.

It's no wonder they strove for perfection! They were of the opinion that Rosan saw no value in subjects that could not do their job right. The redhead wasn't like that at all! He valued the things that belonged to him and that included the clones. It's why he didn't have an army of clone Rosan's just running around causing havoc. It would undermine Angel and Demons value!

The clones really did allow their reverence for Rosan to cloud their judgment.

"Do you guys really think Rosan would throw you away based on something like this?" Meiko asked incredulously. The confused looks she got from the twins, made her realize they really did think that.

Okay. Clearly they were going to need her to be a medium for them. She could do that. She needed to do this because at this rate, Rosan really would start getting suspicious!

"Alright, I'll start the conversation with Rosan," Meiko told them suddenly. "I won't be able to tell him though, it'll make him upset with, if I'm the one telling your secret," she explained kindly. Rosan was an honest person and he preferred to handle things himself. As such, he expected others to be the same way when dealing with him.

Both nodded hesitantly, though they still looked unsure of the decision to just outright tell him. Meiko flashed a reassuring grin and said "Don't worry you two! If Rosan really does react badly, which I doubt, I'll convince him to keep you guys! You really are making a big deal out of nothing though, Rosan is surprisingly considerate!"

They relaxed, a bit more confident, and finally finished planning.

"Meiko…I wanted to apologize again for being such a bitch to you," Angel said and she actually looked ashamed at her rudeness. "It's just I was already in a cranky mood and seeing you get along so easily with Demon and Rosan, made me unjustifiably upset with you. I was wrong to think like that though. You're a genuinely sweet girl and from now on, I will support you in your endeavor for Master's heart!"

Meiko's face turned red as a tomato at the words of the white clad clone. "I-I d-don't know what you m-mean b-but thank you for your kind words! W-we should get prepared, Rosan will be on the way soon," were her embarrassed words, before she bolted away from the clearly amused clone.

"You were right Demon, teasing her really is fun!" Angel smiled at her twin.

"I told you. It's adorable seeing how red she can get," was Demon's cheeky reply.

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

Rosan landed to the sight of Angel, Demon and Meiko all awaiting his return. Willing his wings away, Rosan regarded them with curiosity.

They looked like they wanted to tell him something. Based on how nervous Angel and Demon were, it likely pertained to them. Meiko looked relaxed but determined, giving more validity to his claim. Was she there to protect them? From him?

"Mod-chan, how afraid are the twins of me?" Rosan asked her curiously with a raised brow.

"They are terrified of you, Rosan. They are of the opinion, that you'll discard them the moment they make a mistake," She replied softly.

Really now? Did he really give off such an air, that his own clones would be scared of him? Rosan figured clones of himself would know him better then anyone else but maybe that was not true. That was partially his fault, he hadn't made them with the intentions of being perfect copies of himself. They simply looked like him.

Well, best to dissuade them of such thoughts then.

"Oh? Are you ready to tell me about what you've been hiding?" Rosan asked curiously and his answers were questioned when his clones flinched backwards in shock. Were they truly unaware that he knew? Wow, fear really did cloud a person's judgement.

He was very aware that they were hiding something. They always looked like they had something to say before catching themselves and Rosan just pretended to ignore it. If they didn't want to tell him yet, then he'd wait for them to be ready.

As long as it didn't jeopardize anyone on the ships life, Rosan honestly didn't care.

The redhead decided against doing anything else as they opened and closed their mouth in disbelief. They were probably processing the fact that despite knowing, Rosan had still opted to leave them alive for committing a crime as great as hiding something from their Master.

Rosan saw Meiko glance over at the two in exasperation. The blonde had not seemed aware of what they were hiding before so maybe they had told her while he was flying? That had to have been it because the girl was terrible at keeping secrets.

"Rosan, Angel has something they want to tell you," Meiko told him bluntly, pushing his white clad clone forward. Rosan felt Angel's nervousness spike, as he focused his dual colored eyes on him and the boy tilted his head at the fear in his eyes.

Was he really that unapproachable?

"I'm not sure if you realized, but you have literally sprouted all black Angel wings, Rosan. You look like an actual Shinigami when you have your hoodie up as well so I think you already know the answer to that," Mod told him bluntly and Rosan hummed.

Fair.

"A-ah master!" Angel stammered and it only amplified as Rosan raised a brow at him. "I-I j-just wanted t-to inform you about s-something regarding m-myself," his purple eyed clone let out a sigh as he finished speaking. He looked at Rosan expectantly, as if afraid he'd shut him down.

When did he even give off the impression that they were expendable? Was it because of how easily he created them? Rosan frowned at that thought, which caused Angel to wince in fear as he thought it was directed towards him.

There was value in everything, especially things created by him. The 9 year old needed his clones to know how valuable they were to him, easily produced or not.

"Angel," Rosan began "I am not a tyrant. If I've ever given you a reason to believe otherwise, please notify me and we may talk about it. But, I believe I have been fair enough to label your reaction as unnecessary."

Both Angel and Demon had the decency to look ashamed at their reactions. "I-I'm sorry Master it's just…I don't really know where to even begin," Angel said, head held low.

"Try from the beginning," their leader told him patiently.

Rosan wasn't upset with them. He was actually more curious about what would cause them to have such a reaction.

Maybe they had killed someone?

"Right. The beginning," Angel said, before steeling himself. "Well it all started when Master Mod gave us the ability to feel. You're probably aware, but we didn't have emotions when we were first created. We were allowed to keep the ones granted to us due to your gracious nature, which we are eternally grateful for!" He said with a bow

Taking a deep breath, he continued by saying "It's just…well…how can I put this…" Rosan decided not to rush him and watched as Meiko, along with Demon, put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Rosan smiled to himself.

It was good to see them getting along. Angel, for whatever reason, harbored a strong dislike for Meiko and he had been about to confront the clone about the reason why.

Seems they figured out and solved their issues on their own though.

"Master," Angel spoke up again after a moment catching his attention "I've been extensively looking into my new personality and… I have deduced that I'm not a boy," he confessed while nervously looking at the floor.

Rosan blinked as he heard that.

Huh.

What?

"I'm sorry?" Rosan asked. Had he perhaps misheard his clone? No. Rosan and, by proxy, his clones wouldn't make a mistake like that.

"I'm not a boy Master, I'm a girl," Angel told him and he blinked in confusion. A clone of him was a girl? How did that even work? They should have been a near 1:1 copy of him even with the added personality given to them by Mod-chan. Had Mod-chan given Angel a personality that would make him (her now) more attuned to being a female?

"Mod-chan did you—"

"Nope, I simply gave them a personality. Gender preference was never in it," she interrupted him immediately, sounding terribly amused.

Well there was that question answered.

Rosan was genuinely perplexed. For one, he didn't know they even had preferred genders. The redhead wasn't really thinking about things like this when he created them. There was no intricacy when making them… he just wanted to spend as much time as possible with Doc and looting the island would cut into that.

Hence Angel and Demon being born.

Were they really afraid of telling him something like this? Rosan knew his clones feared him slightly, but this was ridiculous. Did they really think he'd throw them away at the slightest error? As much as the man influenced him, Rosan was not Doc.

He'd never be Doc.

Looking at them again, Rosan was surprised to see Angel with a resigned expression on her male face. Why? He hadn't even said anything yet…

Oh right, he hadn't said anything yet. They were probably jumping to unreasonable conclusions due to his silence. Angel probably thought he was about to destroy her if the look on her face meant anything. Demon even looked like he was about to intervene as well, if the way he was positioned indicated anything.

Even at the risk of himself, he'd defend his sister?

Rosan idly wondered if they got that from him, before discarding that thought. A good sibling wouldn't leave their infant brother alone with a stranger.

"…" Mod-chan frowned at his negative thoughts.

Rosan stopped thinking such thoughts and focused on the topic at hand. He should probably do something about this. He'd have to fix the error inside of Angel.

The dual eyed boy began walking towards his older clone with a purpose and her eyes widened at the grave look in his eye. She wanted to take a step back, but she was rooted firmly to her spot with .

Demon, fear visible on his face, stepped in front of her ready to sacrifice himself first.

Meiko watched all this transpire with confusion clear on her face.

As Rosan approached them, he spoke up. "Demon, please move aside. My concerns lie with Angel," he politely commanded but his black clad clone didn't move an inch.

"Master...I can't let you get any closer to Angel," he said resolutely and blood red stared into red and purple. Rosan and his clones were the same height but Demon felt so much smaller looking into the dual eyes of his creator.

Angel violently snapped out of her reverie due to the fact that her brother was putting himself in the face of certain death. "Demon, move! He doesn't have a problem with you so please don't throw your life away!" she pleaded but Demon shook his head and stayed there.

"Admirable," Rosan began praising him, before saying "But Demon, that wasn't a request. Move."

Demon could only watch in horror, as his body moved against his will and stepped aside leaving Angel exposed to Rosan. Dread pooled in his stomach as he watched his Master stare down his sister.

He was about to witness her die and there was nothing he could do about it. Worst of all, his Master, who he viewed as his king, was going to be the one to do it.

This couldn't be happening. This had to be some sick joke. His revered leader killing his twin? The thought made Demon nauseous.

Angel knew this was bound to happen eventually. She just hoped that Rosan didn't get upset with Demon because he had tried to intervene. Her little brother just wanted to protect her...she didn't know what she would do if her twin died because of her.

Standing face to face with Rosan, Angel could see the tell tale sign of Modification. Glowing eyes stared into resigned purple. His face remained blank, not betraying any thoughts.

Rosan slowly raised his left hand and inched it closer and closer to her. "Master please!" She heard Demon plead but Rosan ignored him in favor of closing the distance between them. This close, she could smell the scent of flowers that her Master always had.

It smelt nice, pleasant.

Closing her eyes, Angel accepted her fate. She resisted the urge to flinch as Rosan's soft hand made contact with her cheek. His body radiated heat, but it was cool to the touch.

It was rather jarring.

"Modification:…," She heard him begin and Demon's panic was palpable through their connection. Angel sent him a warm, loving, pulse and his fear only intensified.

She was gonna miss him.

"...Swap."

...

Death didn't feel much different from living. Actually maybe it felt even better! Angel could still breathe and think normal. The female clone wasn't aware that she could even go to the afterlife…her body even felt different too! It felt right-

Wait… she wasn't dead?

Hesitantly, Angel opened her eyes again to look at the amused gaze of her Master. His dual eyes glowed in mirth and he removed his hand from her cheek.

Meiko couldn't hold it in any longer and she started laughing uncontrollably causing both Angel and Demon shot her an incredulous look. The girl was clutching her belly, as she gasped out "R-Rosan who knew you could be so playful?!"

Their leader let out an amused snort. "Did you two really think I'd kill you over something as trivial as you wishing to swap genders? Do you take me for some type of Devil?" Rosan asked, actually looking annoyed.

"Fear is healthy, fear is necessary for survival. But fearing me to such an extent…it's offending. You two are my subordinates and any subordinate of mine, is valuable. It's why I have only you two," He chastised and they both looked ashamed of themselves.

Meiko decided to intervene "Rosan... he's a bit cruel, but he would never destroy you just because you want to be a girl, Angel. Despite how he acts, Rosan is actually kind of a sweetheart! All you had to do was tell him and he'd help you!"

They looked at her in disbelief. Rosan? A sweetheart? Even Rosan looked surprised by her statement, if the way his brow raised indicated anything.

"Meiko, how did you know I wasn't planning on killing her?" Rosan asked curiously, with a tilted head and the blonde gushed.

Angel and Demon looked shocked at Rosan's question. Did Meiko know from the beginning that their leader wasn't going to kill her?

"There's no way you would kill her over something like this Rosan!" Meiko said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. To make matters worse, Rosan was nodding along at her reasoning, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Did that...make them stupid?

"Well, Angel," Rosan began, catching her attention. "I hope in the future, you won't be so reluctant to tell me something like this. Efficiency is important after all. I am your creator, but that does not mean you should treat me as some untouchable God. Besides… what is the point in worshiping a God who won't even hear out your concerns?" He asked and Angel felt a weight get lifted off her shoulder at those words.

...He was right. Angel and Demon were being stupid and they had put Rosan on a pedestal that he didn't tell them to put him on. He had even allowed them to keep their personalities because he didn't want them to be mindless slaves!

She felt really silly at the moment.

Rosan agreed with her if the knowing look in his eye indicated anything. He let out a snort and Angel blushed in shame. "I hope we can be more honest with each other in the future. Enjoy your new body," was all he said and he inclined his head.

Enjoy her new body?

Angel gasped as she looked down and saw the changes that took place. She was a couple inches shorter now with a small bulge around her chest area. Her ponytail had grown from shoulder length to around mid back and the spikes in her hair smoothed out slightly. Her eyelashes became longer and her lips a bit thicker. Her already soft expression somehow became even softer due to the transformation.

"Wow Angel, you look amazing!" Meiko cheereed excitedly. "Is this how Rosan would look if he was a girl? I'm kinda jealous…" she mumbled and Angel felt a dust of red fleck her cheeks.

"She is not an exact replica of how I would look as a female because it's apparent that she is her own person. We bear a large amount of similarities but she has key details that makes her Angel," Rosan informed the starry eyed Meiko.

Meiko whirled on Rosan as he said that. "Doesn't that mean you know how you would look if you were a girl?" She demanded and their clones raised a brow at the validity of the statement.

Rosan simply said "I would rather not answer that question," and left it at that. Meiko whined and kept pestering him but he remained steadfast in his response. The only sign he was even acknowledging what she was saying, was the small smile on his face and the slight glow in his eyes.

Rosan he— Angel felt so dumb for ever fearing her master. He was right, the 9 year hadn't personally done anything to warrant the degree of fear that they felt. They had unjustly labeled him as a terror due to his actions on Daybreak but he had never directed that rage to them...

All she had to do was tell him about her problems and he would have tried to help. Even if he disagreed with the notion that Angel was a girl, the boy would not destroy her. That wasn't the type of person he was. Rosan was pretty open to things like this, that's why he was so good at Modification.

Angel would never doubt him again.

She felt tears brimming and before she could stop herself, the female clone engulfed Rosan in the tightest hug she could muster. Rosan let out a grunt of surprise and her actions caught up to her.

Hastily, she stepped back with wide eyes. "I-I'm sorry Master I don't know what came over me it's just, I'm really happy and I couldn't really control myself! Next time, I'll be able to control myself but for now, please punish me as you see fit!" She bowed lowly, accepting any punishment that would come her way.

After a moment of silence, she looked up only to be greeted by Rosan and Meiko's deadpan stare. "Sorry Master…old habits die hard," she sheepishly rubbed her head and her fellow redhead simply sighed with a shake of his head.

"It's fine. Like I told Meiko, I don't mind being hugged by you guys. I'm just not used to it at the moment. Forgive me if I am a little stiff, I'm still trying to get accustomed to positive contact," Rosan said apologetically and she nodded in complete understanding. "Though… in your excitement Angel, you seem to have forgotten someone," he pointed out.

Angel yelped as she was scooped up and engulfed in a bone crushing hug. Her expression turned warm as she felt the pure relief radiating off of her twin brother and without hesitation, she returned the hug. "I thought I almost lost you…" her twin mumbled and she whispered reassuring words to him.

"Sorry about that Demon," Rosan tilted his head with a hand on his chin. "I was feeling a bit mischievous so I figured I'd mess with you three. Meiko was able to catch on immediately though... so it was really just you two," the redhead hummed curiously.

"I figured it would be funny to show you both how silly your fear is. Perhaps I went overboard?"

Angel and Demon both sweatdropped at his contemplation. Overboard was a bit of an understatement. That prank was way too cruel!

"Well whatever the case, it all worked out well. You two don't need to worry, the only reason I'd ever actually destroy you both would be if you betrayed me. I do not tolerate traitors," Rosan explained easily.

The twins nodded at that. There was nothing to fear then, they were completely loyal to Rosan and Mod.

"You two have a special bond," the Mod Mod no mi user suddenly told them. "Cherish it with your lives. Prioritize it, even over your loyalty for me. Having someone willing to protect you, despite fear paralyzing them, is a precious relationship worth savoring," Rosan finished and they widened their eyes at what his words.

Master he was…he was the best!

"Yes Master!" They chanted at the same time bowing deeply to the boy.

Rosan nodded, finally satisfied and prepared to leave. Meiko, predictably, followed right behind him and decided to strike up a conversation.

"Do you want some tea Rosan?" Meiko teased with an impish grin. "You don't normally talk that much so it must be bad on your throat."

"Do you know how to swim Meiko?" Rosan asked in return and the girl immediately stopped talking. The redhead resisted the urge to snort as she pouted at him.

He knew her too well.

"Rosan, who's Master Mod?" Meiko suddenly asked him, remembering a part of the conversation where Angel mentioned a "Master Mod". Rosan paused and she followed suit.

Right, he never told Meiko about Mod-chan, just that his fruit was Modification.

"There's no harm in telling her about me. Maybe one day, she can even come to the mindscape!" Mod said and he could tell that she was beaming.

Rosan couldn't resist the urge to snort. Mod-chan was not being subtle about how much she liked the blonde. At Meiko's questioning glance, Rosan decided there would be no harm in telling her.

"Master Mod is Mod-chan," Rosan began, continuing to walk and she followed. "Long story short, she's the voice inside my head. In a more detailed description, she's the Devil Fruit that I ate and she has been watching over me since I was 4 years old," he finished with a fond smile. They had been together for a majority of his life now and he never regretted it.

"Oh stop!" Mod said with bright blush on her face.

Meiko's blue eyes gleamed as she heard about his closest friend. "Can she hear everything we talk about?" At Rosan's nod she asked in rapid succession "What does she think about me? Will I ever be able to meet her? Oh! How does she look?!"

Rosan silenced her with a raise of his hand. "Mod-chan actually really likes and appreciates you for treating me normally, despite everything. She's quite fond of you and has been wanting to meet you for a bit."

Meiko blushed in happiness at Rosan's words and waited patiently for him to answer her other questions.

"You can figure out how she looks when you meet her. As for when you can meet her… I don't see the harm in bringing you to her right now," Rosan mused while cupping his chin.

Meiko was excited but curious. How could he bring her to Mod-chan? Wasn't she a voice inside of his head?

"Follow me to my room," Rosan decided and Meiko hastily followed after the shorter boy.

It was honestly adorable how short he was. Meiko wasn't the tallest around and if she got her mother's height, she wouldn't be tall ever but she would enjoy looking down at Rosan while it lasted. She wondered how tall he would be when puberty inevitably struck the 9 year old.

Her face felt a bit hot imagining an older Rosan and she slapped her own cheeks.

Best to focus on other things... Like his room.

Meiko liked entering Rosan's room, it was spacious and felt like she was in his sanctuary. It was like she could get a glimpse of him with his guard down, when he stepped in here. The way his shoulders relaxed a bit and the tiny exhale he let out, made her smile warmly.

The room was far larger then the exterior suggested and it's flowery scent wafted easily through the air. She idly noted, that the bounty of Nico Robin was missing from the stand. Meiko really wanted to know more about their relationship… but she would hold off until they got closer. Though, the 11 year old felt like she was making amazing progress with him!

She would go as far as to say Rosan was fond of her!

"You may want to lay on my bed," Rosan suddenly told her and she froze.

W-w-what?! Lay on his bed?! S-so soon!

This went a little past fond!

"R-Rosan aren't we moving too fast?!" A bright red Meiko, asked him. S-sleeping on the same bed as him w-was indecent! She liked him b-but she had limits!

"What are you talking about… oh," Rosan realized with wide eyes.

"Meiko that's not what I meant at all," the boy said, sounding uncharacteristically flushed. "Where exactly is your mind taking you? I just wanted you to get comfortable for what I'm about to do."

Meiko blushed even deeper. "Rosan you pervert!" The blonde exclaimed, with her hands on her cheeks. She didn't think the boy was so perverted! She was flattered b-but they were too young!

To her shock, a tiny dust of red appeared on Rosan's cheeks and Meiko squealed at how cute the sight was. "Y-you," Rosan stammered and Meiko couldn't resist the urge to engulf the shorter boy in a hug.

"Don't worry Rosan! Even though you're a pervert, you're really adorable!" The blonde gushed and she ignored Rosan's urge to throttle her.

"You're as big of a pervert as your mother, Meiko," Rosan sighed, defeated before forcing them both down on the bed.

Before she could tease him even further, he said "Modification, Link: Users Rosan, Meiko," and she shut her eyes at the sudden vertigo.

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

When Meiko opened her eyes, she was shocked to see an expanse of green instead of wood. The deck of the ship had a lot of grass on it, but this was too much. Looking around, she came to the conclusion that she was not even on the ship anymore.

The area she was in was so full of nature, it was just breathtakingly beautiful. Large healthy trees covered much of the area and she was under one currently, completely shielding her from the constant downpour of rain.

Was she inside of a rainforest? How did Rosan get her here?

"Welcome to my mindscape," a familiar voice rang out and she looked to the side to see Rosan right next to her. The boy was looking at the rain with a slightly cathartic expression on his face and he didn't even flinch as the drops impacted him.

Rosan seemed to thoroughly enjoy the rain. Maybe it reminded him of his freedom?

"Mindscape? What's that?" Meiko asked curiously. Rosan faced her, with that same expression, and told her.

At Rosan's explanation, Meiko felt her eyes bug. A physical representation of a person's mind? One that only he could seemingly activate? That was incredible!

Rosan agreed with her, if the way he puffed up slightly was an indication.

"Follow me, I want to introduce you to Mod-chan," the redhead said, walking without hesitation into the rain. Meiko was surprised to see him look and sound so relaxed! He acted so unlike how he usually did and she much preferred the way he acted now.

The boy was normally rigid and tense, like a frozen wall. She was so used to seeing cold indifference, that seeing him so… loose was a welcome surprise.

He paused as he noticed she wasn't following him and sighed. Turning back, he materialized an umbrella and handed it to her.

She accepted it with a beaming grin (that Rosan rolled his eyes at) and followed after the wet boy. Idly she noted that the redhead's hair was no longer in a bun. Instead, he let it run freely and his red spikes were matted down by the rain.

"You should let your hair down more often Rosan," Meiko said speaking over the patter of the rain. "I really like it like that," she gushed. Seeing his hair in a bun, kind of felt like he was hiding who he was in a way! With his hair down, Rosan felt more like himself.

At least, that's what Meiko thought.

"I normally keep it in a bun for combat purposes but…I can see about letting it flow free in the future," he replied.

She smiled happily at the fact that he was listening to her and they continued to walk in a comfortable silence. Eventually, they made their way to a large, hot pink house. It looked about two stories high and was surrounded by many flowers and fruits. The trees around the house were much shorter and it looked like a perfectly maintained garden.

Meiko looked at it with glittering eyes. The house looked incredible! She could tell a lot of care went into the surrounding area and she appreciated the efforts of whoever did.

Rosan entered without knocking and proceeded to wet the entire floor. The boy looked at the floor for a moment, before continuing to walk without a care in the world. Meiko rolled her eyes at the boys rudeness.

"You should have dried off first, Rosan!" Meiko slightly admonished her crush, who simply shrugged in response.

"She's right, Rosan," A soft, feminine voice agreed with her. It sounded wise and playful all in one. It was very soothing to the ears and Meiko felt herself instinctively relaxing. The blondes gaze snapped up towards the approaching figure and she gaped. "You can make an umbrella at will, yet you choose to hassle me so," she finished.

"Can't help it Mod-chan, the feeling of the rain on my skin, feels good," was Rosan's easy going response and Meiko stared, shocked at how at ease the redhead was.

The now dubbed Mod-chan was a sight to behold. Long purple hair framed a bronze (a shade lighter than Rosan's), heart shaped face with striking crimson, not unlike Rosan's, pupiless eyes. She was taller then them both by a fair margin and was donned in a long black dress with white on the edge of her arm sleeves and at the bottom of her dress. Her nails alternated between purple and red paint and her bare feet were similar. The woman's plump lips were formed into a small smile and she happily regarded the two of them.

Meiko couldn't resist gawking at the woman standing before her. She was that gorgeous!

Meiko turned scarlet as she realized she said that out loud. Oh Kami, that was so embarrassing!

The lady flushed, mumbled a low "Thank you," and bashfully looked away with an endearing smile on her face. She felt Rosan's amusement, as the boy drank up her sudden shyness.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't realize I said that out loud! I didn't mean to embarrass you," Meiko frantically apologized. The woman fought off her blush and waved her off.

"I-It's fine. I thought I got used to Rosan's compliments, but it seems I'm not as adept as I thought I was," she mused, still a bit red faced. She coughed a bit and decided to properly greet the girl.

"Meiko I'm so glad to finally be meeting you! I am Modification but you can call me Mod. I'm Rosan's Devil Fruit and I've granted him the abilities of the Mod Mod no mi," the purple haired woman smiled warmly at the girl and extended one of her manicured hands.

Grasping the offered hand, Meiko smiled up at the woman and said "It's so nice to meet you Mod-chan! I'm Suzuki Meiko and I'm 11 years old! I like helping people, learning new recipes, and spending time with Rosan! Did you decorate this house? It looks incredible!"

Surprisingly, Mod shook her head no and told her "Rosan is the one who decorated everything actually."

Surprise bloomed on Meiko's face as she looked at Rosan in disbelief.

"What?" Rosan asked "Is it that surprising that I'm the one who designed everything?"

The 9 year old looked genuinely offended at her shock and he looked away in annoyance.

Meiko smiled brightly at how less guarded Rosan acted in his mindscape. He looked so much more genuine and comfortable around his long time partner!

She secretly hoped he would one day be this comfortable around her.

Meiko learned a lot about Mod-chan and Rosan's relationship in her time here. The woman had been with Rosan since he was 4 years old and Meiko laughed hysterically, as she was told about the tale of him eating her without the knowledge of what she was and nearly tearing up at her foul taste. Rosan blushed in embarrassment at the memory and mumbled "It looked good," which only caused her to laugh harder.

Her gaze softened as she heard of how Rosan had extended his hand to the woman and how, disregarding the fact she was inside of him, they were inseparable. She loved hearing about the dynamic duo and how Mod-chan did everything to protect little Rosan.

He sounded like he had been such a headache to deal with!

Rosan watched the genuine happiness on both their faces and allowed himself to smile as well. Meiko and Mod-chan got along scarily well. The two spoke to each other as if they were old friends and Rosan didn't know if that was a good thing for him or not. He was leaning more towards the second option due to Mod-chan and her sudden love of teasing him.

Meiko especially loved hearing tales about his escapades. Who knew that Rosan was so reckless?! Attacking an entire ship when he was 4? Raiding a groups personal island? Using a hand cannon to destroy part of a forest because he saw a giant lizard? That one in particular got a deep blush out of the boy.

She couldn't picture the calm and collected Rosan as such a wild person. He sounded like he was crazy! She just gaped at Rosan the entire time Mod-chan regaled her with tales. Worst of all, the boy didn't deny anything! He just sat there with a faint blush on his cheeks, demeanor screaming guilty.

All of this was true?!

"Rosan did you really do all of these? I didn't think you were so insane!" Meiko exclaimed in glee. Rosan didn't say anything but offered her a nod and she laughed in joy. Meiko didn't think learning about Rosan's past would be so fun but here she was.

"He is isn't he? He used to give me and Robin so much trouble—" Mod cut herself off as she realized her mistake.

The atmosphere turned a bit tense as silence washed over them all. Rosan's lips were slightly pursed and Mod-chan looked guilty. Meiko was confused at the sudden shift but remained silent.

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

Was talking about Robin a sore spot for them?

Rosan let out a soft sigh and said "We've been here long enough Meiko, let's go for now okay?"

Mod-chan looked a bit upset, so Rosan got up to give her a warm hug. She looked surprised but gratefully returned the hug back. "Don't be upset Mod-chan, I'm not mad or anything. It's just this silence is awkward," Rosan told her bluntly.

She nodded in agreement, still wrapped in a hug, and said warmly "You're right, we've been here long enough and you two need to eat something before going to sleep."

Meiko felt her heart warm at the sight of how close the two were. She had thought Rosan had no one to trust but she was wrong!

As long as he had Mod-chan, he would never be alone.

Angel and Demon, Mod and Rosan... Meiko was envious that they were able to have such a strong bond with each other. It hurt to admit, but she felt a tad isolated…

Maybe she was the one who had no one?

Meiko shook her head vigorously at the negative thoughts. She should stop thinking like that, it wouldn't be very good for her. The blonde lightly slapped her cheeks for good measure.

Looking up, she saw both Rosan and Mod staring at her with an unreadable look in their eyes. She flushed at the 2 set of eyes on her. Had they seen that? She should at least try to explain herself.

She yelped as Mod-chan suddenly grabbed her and engulfed her. She was crushed into the taller woman's frame, as Mod-chan hugged her warmly. She flushed but hugged the pretty lady back. She smelt sweet and Meiko felt safe in her grip.

"Meiko," she heard Rosan say. Looking at him she saw a bit of sympathy in his gaze "If you ever feel isolated, feel free to come to me. You were there to offer me reprieve, during my dark times, so I'll be here to return the favor," he said, voice uncharacteristically warm.

How had he known?

"Rosan is an empath… he's good at knowing how people feel. He may be a bit harsh, but he does value the feelings of people he cares about. You don't have to worry about being alone as long as he's here because he knows that feeling well," Mod informed her with a small smile on her pretty face.

Meiko felt tears brimming her eyes at the sincerity of their words.

She didn't think Rosan cared for her very much but he did and that made her happier then she could have thought! The boy was just bad at showing it but it probably wasn't like this before. Meiko felt her heart constrict at the thought that the redhead really did care for her.

"C-can I come back here, Rosan?" She shyly asked him.

To her relief, Rosan nodded without hesitation. "Even if I said no, Mod-chan is spoiled and that woman has already decided to practically adopt you. You're welcome here anytime," he told her.

Mod puffed her cheeks in outrage at the boys words. "I'm spoiled?! The boy who will throw a fit if we don't go along with his plans is calling me spoiled?" Honestly, the nerve of this little brat to completely ignore his own actions!

Rosan smirked cheekily and said "My plans are amazing, Mod-chan. I'm not throwing a fit. I'm trying to help the less intelligent understand why it's good to go with my idea." He froze as he realized the mistake he made and the temperature immediately dropped in the room.

"Are you calling me less intelligent?" Mod asked, with a serene smile on her pretty face. Meiko saw right through it and knew if Rosan answered incorrectly he was in a world of pain.

"No, I did not say that," Rosan automatically said sensing imminent danger in the form of his sister figure.

"So who were you referring to?" Mod asked, still smiling. Somehow, she was directing a piercing gaze towards Rosan with her blood red eyes closed.

"…" Rosan was about to compliment her, but she immediately said "Don't try to worm your way out of this with a compliment, Rosan," and the boy closed his mouth. Well...maybe he could still compliment her.

"Don't you dare," Mod warned

Meiko felt a pulse through their connection and, though Rosan was not looking at her, she could feel his intentions.

She was too nice for her own good. Rosan was lucky she was here because anyone else would have let this unfold.

"Mod-chan," the woman in question looked at her and she took that as her cue to continue. "Boys they can pretty dumb so they don't really think about what they say until they say it!" Rosan sent her a scathing glare but she ignored it, a warning pulse shut him down immediately and he reluctantly shut his mouth.

"Rosan probably didn't mean it like that but hes a dummy, so it came out wrong," she reassured the adult woman. Mod adopted a thinking pose, with the girl still in her grasp, and she thought about what the 11 year old said.

"You're absolutely correct, Meiko," Mod-chan nodded at her explanation, seemingly satisfied. "I have to keep in mind that Rosan just isn't as smart as the two of us," she sighed sadly, thinking about the unlucky reality that was Rosan's gender.

Rosan looked like he really wanted to say something, but he smartly held his tongue at the warning smile Mod shot at him.

Soon they couldn't keep up the facade any longer and they all began laughing. Even Rosan joined in with his boyish chuckles. It sounded so pure and Meiko was blinded by a fleeting image of what Rosan used to be. She was left a little breathless at the sight of him grinning with those sharp fangs of his.

He looked so innocent in that moment...

Meiko couldn't resist anymore and reached out to drag the boy into the hug, catching him off guard. The redhead tried to protest but after a moment, he stopped and began hugging them back.

The blonde blushed fiercely and they both teased her about it. She ignored it all though in favor of the overwhelming happiness she felt.

It was the first time Rosan had ever hugged her back.

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"This island doesn't look very inviting," Rosan idly said. He was standing on the ledge of the ship, as he watched the approaching island, with a calculating gaze. "Stop the ship right here," he suddenly commanded. "I don't want the White Rose anywhere near this place, in case things go south."

He felt the ship stop at his orders and turned to face his 3 allies. "You 3 stay here. I'll scout this island myself and make sure it's safe for us. We still have plenty of supplies so it's not the end of the world if we can't dock here," he informed them calmly.

Angel and Demon nodded at what he said and Meiko looked a bit relieved. She probably felt the bad vibes from this island as well so Rosan didn't want her stepping close to it.

The redhead had begun feeling rather protective of the girl ever since she started regularly entering his mindscape and he'd be damned if he let her go with him.

If there was any danger present on this island, he'd ensure it didn't get to her.

"Maneuver the ship to a safe location. Remain hidden until I return," the redhead ordered. "Have some fun and don't bully Demon too badly okay?" Rosan told them, already dressed in his guise with his obsidian wings out.

At their nods, the black clad figure flapped once, twice and took off towards the island.

The three looked at his rapidly fading figure for a moment. They stood there for a while until he vanished from view.

After a moment of silence, Meiko broke it.

"Wanna put makeup on Demon to see how he'll look?" she asked Angel. "Rosan normally looks so good without makeup, I think we can make him look better," the blonde reasoned

"…Yes I do," She answered, after a moment of deliberation. "I agree, Master does have an attractive face. It plays a big part in why I look this good," she sniffed haughtily and the girl puffed up.

"Despite being different genders you still look really similar… I wonder if we can replicate your appearance on Demon's face!"

"It should be easy until we hit puberty. We still look like identical twins at the moment."

Demon sweatdropped as they both fixed their gaze on him. "Don't I have a say on what you two do to my body?" he asked them both, already knowing there was no hope.

"Nope," They replied simultaneously and they dragged him off.

Demon simply sighed in defeat. Getting double teamed by the girls seemed like it was going to be a normal occurrence now.

How fun.

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"How depressing," was Rosan's first thought as he walked through Fregate Island and observed the people there.

The Shinigami had recently landed on the island in an unoccupied clearing and had quickly made his way to where he had seen people. He made sure his face was properly shielded from view and folded his wings, putting them in a resting position. Rosan had no intentions of recalling his wings, in this disguise they would always be out so he could easily get away in case something unfolded.

After walking for a few minutes, he was beginning to think that this island wasn't worth it.

There weren't much inhabitants but what few it did have, were broken and seemed to have lost all the will to live. That didn't stop them from shooting the disguised boy a wary look so good on them. Rosan wondered if it was because they couldn't see how he looked or because he had massive wings resting on his back.

"Probably both," Mod-chan supplied unhelpfully and the boy internally snorted.

The island itself was quite surprising, it didn't look like it should have such an atmosphere. It was wealthy looking, if that massive castle in the background was an indication and each building looked far larger then he expected. If anything, Rosan expected the island to be full of self-absorbed pricks.

Just what was going on with this place?

Walking up to a vendor, Rosan watched the old man perk up slightly at his approach. He looked nervous, as the black clad figure approached him but held hope at the prospect of a customer.

Rosan took one look at his merchandise and raised a brow. This naturally went unseen.

"All of this is expired," Rosan told the elderly individual, pointing at the fruits in the stand.

The old man looked slightly ashamed and said in a raspy tone "Trust me lad, if I had anything better to sell I would but this is all I've got."

The masked boy hummed in curiosity. "Let me guess, you're hoping I'm going to be a kind soul and then you plan on charging me an outrageous price, right?" his shocked silence was all the confirmation Rosan needed.

Rosan was not a charity case, he wouldn't give this man free beri for some spoiled goods. He didn't care about the problems of the people on this island. They could deal with it themselves.

Turning around, the 9 year old prepared to leave the man behind to scam someone else.

"P-please wait a moment!" he heard the raspy tone call to him but he ignored it. There was nothing left he wanted to say to the man. He had been hoping for information at the minimum but if everyone was like this, he'd be closer to killing them then getting anything.

He glanced around a bit, shook his head, and decided to go back to the ship. They needed to prepare to set sail for the next island; Fregate island was a bust, there was no need to dock here. Distantly he heard the old man still calling for him and he had to respect the tenacity.

"What's will all the ruckus?" A grating voice suddenly called out giving him pause.

Craning his head in the direction of the voice, Rosan was greeted with the sight of 2 bland men with sabers resting at their hips. They were thuggish in appearance but otherwise, they weren't notable enough for him to take stock of.

That didn't mean they hadn't gotten his full attention though.

"Is the old man trying to scam someone else again?" Thug 1 asked with an amused tone, shooting a glance at the petrified vendor. Said old man was rooted to his spot and he began sweating profusely.

Nervous but resigned? How interesting. Maybe this island could be of use after all, if the crowd steadfastly ignoring this was anything to go by.

"Was last time not enough of a reminder for you old man? Trying to get pity out of visitors hasn't worked for you before so why do you keep trying. Maybe that last beating you got rattled the last couple of brain cells outta your skull," Thug 2 chortled, as Thug 1 laughed at his joke.

"N-no it's nothing like that I swear! It's just ever since Lord Arata has taken over things have been hard for all of us! I'm just trying to make ends meet —" The old man tried to speak but was smacked harshly by Thug 1.

"Keep Lord Arata's name out of your mouth filth. Especially if you aren't praising him," he warned the old man, who could only nod fearfully, tears welling at his eyes.

Rosan watched all this transpire with a blank expression on his masked face. He had no interest in helping this man. It had nothing to do with him and he had just tried to scam the boy.

Satisfied at the successfully cowed man, Thug 1 focused his attention on Rosan. He let out a short whistle as he appraised the mysterious figure "I haven't seen you around these parts before," he began looking the much shorter individual up and down.

Rosan didn't say anything, as he just stared back.

"Visitors have to pay a fee on this island. I don't think that'll be an issue, right?" the man asked and the redhead raised a brow, though it remained unseen.

A visitors fee? What was with this island and trying to milk him of his money? The old man at least looked the part of being poor and was likely unable to provide for themselves. These 2 looked more than healthy enough. This was a rather poor attempt at trying to take his beri. Was it because he was short? He doubted they'd try this if he were taller.

Fine, he would entertain them for a bit then.

"How much is the fee?" He asked softly, tone not betraying anything. They looked at each other in surprise before smiling greedily.

Hm. So they didn't have a set price in mind. It also looked as if they hadn't expected him to comply so easily because their stance loosened up.

"1 million beri," Thug 2 told him and 1 nodded along at the price. The people around (they had begun listening when the 2 thugs showed up) gasped at the price but immediately quieted at the threatening gazes shot their way.

A divide amongst the people maybe? Maybe killing these two, would garner positive reactions because to try and extort such an exorbitant price out of him, deserved nothing but a meeting with his blade.

Just who did they think they were, trying to get 1 million beri out of him? Did they really think that would work?

"You want me to pay 1 million beri just because I'm a visitor?" Rosan asked. They nodded, not seeming to sense the danger they were in at all. He didn't blame them, Rosan's tone hadn't changed since he had begun speaking but his word choice was rather obvious.

Whatever, idiots only died faster.

"Whoever implemented this visitors fee, must be quite lacking in the intelligence department," Rosan tested and they predictably darkened. The boy smiled darkly under his mask at their reaction.

Rosan found that he quite liked manipulating people. Ever since the redhead had wrapped Sachie around his finger, the thrill of making someone do what he wanted, unintentionally, filled him with a dark glee.

Brandishing their weapons, Thug 1 said in a threatening tone "Are you calling Lord Arata stupid? There are serious consequences to that!"

Rosan tilted his head and asked "Lord Arata? Is he the reason the people of this island are so depressed and defeated? Are you charging them these impossible prices and threatening them if they don't have it? Some Lord."

The two bland thugs went red with rage at his reply. Snarling, Thug 2 said "Don't ya dare disrespect him like that. Lord Arata is a great man! You wouldn't understand his goals and motives."

"I don't think I want to nor do I care to try," was Rosan's stony response. Internally though, his mind was running at the possibilities of what could be done.

Rosan carefully observed the way the crowd reacted at what the thug said. They flinched whenever Lord Arata was mentioned and the fear on their face when he talked about the man, was all Rosan needed to know.

Arata was an unwanted guest. One that they desperately wanted gone.

He smiled to himself a plan already stewing. Oh he could work with this.

"I like this plan, only benefits and no negatives that affect you. I didn't think you were capable of such a thing," Mod teased, with a grin on her face.

"Reckless they may be, my plans rarely affect us negatively when we put them into play," Rosan retorted, with a glare.

"One day you'll be able to convince me, I'm sure of it!" She giggled at him.

"I hate you sometimes," Rosan replied with a mental sigh.

"You could never~," She chimed.

Rosan ignored her, in favor of looking at Lord Arata's subordinates. They had supplied him with a sufficient amount of info, one that he could use for his own gain. They no longer served a purpose. If he wanted more info then well...

The fearful crowd would willingly tell him the rest after what he was about to do.

"Thank you for the info," Rosan interrupted their spiel and shut them up. "So Lord Arata is the one who offended me with such absurd taxing? Good. I will teach him a lesson," the boy decided, earning a wide eyed gaze from everyone there.

"Y-you? Teach em a lesson?" Thug 1 spluttered in disbelief. They both looked at each other for a moment, before they burst into laughter.

What they said next, did nothing but decorate the color of the grave Rosan had already thought up for them.

"Yer short ass is gonna teach Lord Arata a lesson?" Thug 2 guffawed, clutching his stomach as he nearly collapsed.

"What are you gonna do? Make him bend over and eat one of your feathers?!" Thug 1 howled in laughter.

It was almost like people didn't have a sense of self preservation these days. When someone mysterious shows up, you don't just needlessly provoke them. Rosan couldn't understand these people.

An oppressive aura washed over everyone there, causing them to freeze up in fear. The two laughing thugs choked on their spit, as they were subjected to the mysterious figures presence.

"Oh dear, you're height is still a sore spot for you Rosan? You're only 9 you know," Mod reassured him.

"That doesn't make it any less annoying Mod-chan," Rosan scoffed.

He was decently annoyed now so he figured he'd use his Pressure. Rosan didn't exactly know what it was (Mod-chan said it had nothing to do with Modification), but Meiko told him about how he had unleashed an unreal pressure, the day they had gotten into the argument about whether she hated him or not.

Rosan was still glad she didn't.

Mod smiled to herself.

Rosan had been understandably confused but upon deeper inspection (many trial and errors on his clones) he had discovered that he could generate some type of pressure. He didn't know the specifics but, it was almost as if he were imposing his presence onto the person.

It was exceedingly effective and Rosan had taken to generating a consistently low amount of it. When he wanted to increase the amount, it took a lot of focus but he was able to successfully do it. It left him drained though, so he increased it sparingly.

Judging from everyone's reaction, It was working out very well. He had been training it on Angel and — huh, maybe practicing the technique on Angel and Demon, were why they feared him so much.

He should apologize to them after he finished his job here.

Wait, never mind, they were clones of him.

Accessing their connection (he needed to start naming them), Rosan sent a quick apology to the twins for what he had done to them. The clones seemed like they were struggling but they momentarily paused to send him a confused "It's okay?" before Rosan abruptly shut the connection again.

He'd explain to them later; the twins seemed like they were having fun.

The Triplet Telephone or TTT sounded good enough. He wasn't very good at naming things so this would have to do.

"Rosan," Mod-chan called and he snapped out of his musings. Right he needed to focus, how unfortunate that he still had the tendency to run off on tangents. He'd have to deal with that one day.

"I think it's adorable!" Mod gushed, before her tone turned accusing. "How come you haven't named our connection though?"

"I need to focus on the mission Mod-chan," Rosan said as dodged her question completely.

"…Fine, but this isn't over," she warned him before going silent.

Now he needed to think of another name… lucky him. He would do it though because Mod-chan wanted it, and Mod-chan got what Mod-chan wanted. Spoiled. That's what she was. Maybe he'd just call it Ethernet… actually that was a pretty good one for all of them —

Enough sidetracking. It was time to proceed with his plan.

Rosan dampened his Pressure and allowed everyone around him to finally breathe. He heard a sigh of relief from all of them, before he reached into his cloak. They all let out a tense breath as Rosan slowly dug around.

Thug 1 and 2 had, by now, realized that they might have gone and antagonized the wrong person and the two were shaking.

Hmph, took them long enough. They both unsteadily held their sabers in front of them and they watched Rosan with mounting trepidation.

Rosan, finding what he was looking for, successfully pulled out the item. They all watched with bated breaths as Rosan pulled out a…kama? Calling it that would be a stretch, they weren't even sure it was a weapon.

Thug 1 and 2 resisted the urge to laugh again but they let their guard down for just a moment and that moment cost them. Rosan loved capitalizing on any situation in a fight and this was one of them.

Before they could even react, Rosan had modified his mini scythe into its original size and they watched, with wide eyes, as the scythe grew larger then the person wielding it. The thugs tried to back away but they were too slow and Rosan's presence was too intimidating.

It was too daunting. Like death itself was standing before you.

Rosan smiled behind his mask at the obvious fear in their eyes.

It was time to begin.

He stretched his wings out and flapped once. Within moments, he appeared in front of Thug 1, who only had time to widen his eyes before Rosan, with his scythe raised, swung and nearly bisected him at the waist.

The onlookers looked away in horror and disgust, as blood sprayed through the air and the mortally wounded man fell onto the floor. He tried to scream but Rosan wouldn't even give him that mercy. Before a noise came out the redhead brutally stomped the man's head into the pavement with a resounding crack.

He stopped moving immediately.

Turning towards his partner, Rosan decided he'd take his time with this one. He was the one who made the short joke, so Rosan wanted to show just how much he appreciated it. He slowly progressed towards the man who could only take a step back for every step forward that Rosan took.

"S-stay back! I-If I don't report back to Lord Arata, t-there's gonna be trouble for ya!" He stammered before tripping in his haste. The man desperately tried to crawl away "L-Lord Arata has a bounty of 3 million! You don't stand a chance if you get his attention!" The man tried to intimidate this demon approaching him.

"3 million?" Rosan idly said, tilting his head. "That's so little."

He watched in satisfaction, as the man went pale at Rosan's casual dismissal of their bosses bounty. Watching the hope drain out of him, was exhilarating to witness and the Mod Mod no mi user was beginning to realize how much of a sadist he had become.

There was just something about mentally killing somebody that made him so…

Thrilled.

"You made a joke about my height, yes?" Rosan asked as he steadily aimed his scythe towards the man's legs. "I believe when I'm done with you, we'll end up being about the same height."

The man nearly went catatonic as Rosan spoke. He was finally beginning to realize who he was dealing with. The black wings, the black cloak, the large scythe, the flat tone that had yet to change throughout this entire conversation. Their daunting presence and the indomitable aura.

The Shinigami itself had descended, to rain judgment upon them. Only the aspect of death itself, could speak so coldly about murder. To them, it was probably a normal, everyday, occurrence.

Everyone else watching was beginning to come to the same conclusion and it caused them to quake in fear. This was not a human, this was the personification of death.

This was a person who had no trouble killing and that spoke volumes.

Who knows what would happen to them after he was done? Thankfully, they hadn't earned his wrath like the foolish thugs. Staying on his good side would be in their best interest, lest they suffer the same fate.

Rosan didn't care about any of that in the moment. Right now, he had a target and his goal was to make said target suffer for his insolence.

With that, he raised his scythe and swung down.

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The crowd were equal parts terrified and appreciative at what he had done.

They were torn between cheering for the death of two of their tormentors, or vomiting at the gruesome scene. A majority of the people chose the second option but Rosan didn't care.

Not his fault that they had weak stomachs, he was 9 years old and this didn't bother him in the slightest.

"You aren't normal Rosan," Mod chimed in helpfully.

"You practically raised me for 5 years Mod-chan. If anyone is to blame for my sanity issues, it's 100% you," he responded smugly.

"W-well that's just not fair! I did my best for you but you're completely insane," she protested, sounding offended on her own behalf.

He mentally snorted and said "Yeah sure blame it on me, the 9 year old. Real mature of you Mod-chan, I'm learning so much right now."

"You…" she fumed, as Rosan's smugness washed over her. He looked at the corpse and resisted the urge to kick it for good measure.

Rosan looked pristine, despite what he had just done and not a single fleck of blood had made its way onto him. He had been practicing avoiding the messiness of what he did and it was paying off.

Focusing his attention towards the crowd, Rosan was satisfied to see them flinch at his invisible gaze. Good they were acting as he expected.

Time to move forward with his plan then.

"I would like to speak to someone who is not on this Lord Arata's side," his androgynous voice rang out to the watching crowd. He waited patiently, not surprised at all that no one was stepping up.

They feared him, he wasn't expecting anyone to step out for a while.

After it became apparent no one wanted to step out in fear of falling victim to his wrath, someone shoved past the crowd, snarling out a "cowards" and approached him. Rosan watched the figure carefully. He doubted anyone on this island could hurt him but it never hurt to keep your guard up.

It was an adult woman who looked to be about 20 years old. She was of average height, with short straight gray hair that was styled into a pixie cut with short bangs. She had a hardened set of brown eyes and a scowl on her face.

She currently fixed him with a hard gaze that belied a small amount of fear. Rosan had to give her credit where it was due, she hid it admirably. He was just too good at reading people.

They sized each other up a bit, the woman getting steadily more uncomfortable, as they both remained silent. Rosan idly polished his kama sized scythe again with the shirt of Thug 2 and the woman fidgeted.

Unable to resist any longer, she blurted out "You wanted to speak to someone right? Well, here I am."

He knew she would crack eventually. It worked in his favor like this, as it allowed him to dictate the conversation.

"So you're the representative of these people?" He asked her politely. At her nod, he said "What is your name?"

"Aiko," was her terse, to the point, reply.

"Aiko," Rosan tested the name on his lips before nodding in satisfaction. "I called you here because I have a proposition for all of you," he told her.

She tried to hide the curiosity behind a scowl, but he saw through it. "What kind of proposition?" the gray haired woman replied gruffly.

"I will kill this Arata person and allow you all to redistribute whatever is in that castle between yourselves," Rosan began and at their wide hopeful gazes he held up a gloved hand.

"But—,"

"There's always a but," Aiko scowled, before flinching at his piercing gaze and shutting her mouth.

"Did you think I would do something like this for free? Underestimating me like that can cost you. Just look at our 2 friends here," was his chilly response and she couldn't help but gulp and shakily nod.

"As I was saying, I will kill him for you all but, I require 15% of this islands total earnings every 2 weeks," he finished.

"15% every 2 weeks?" She asked in disbelief. "I'm not sure if you realized kind stranger, but we're kinda living in pretty shitty conditions," she replied sarcastically, before realizing it wasn't a good idea to antagonize this very willing murderer.

"I'm aware," was his dry response. "That's why I'm asking for a percentage and not a flat amount. I could easily demand 10 million beri every 2 weeks if you want me to," he informed them, which caused them to pale at the thought.

If this island prospered like he wanted it, the percentage would outweigh the 10 million before long anyways.

"What if we say no to your demands?" She asked him.

"Then I will leave and let you explain these 2 corpses to Arata," was his simple response.

"Can we bargain the percentage?" She tried.

"You are in no position to make demands," Rosan responded icily. "Any bargaining, will only end up with me increasing the percentage," and that was that.

She tch'd in annoyance and Rosan felt his respect for her increase. She would be a fine leader for these people. Anyone else would have folded immediately after seeing what he was capable of doing but she still tried her hand.

It was futile but Rosan liked that.

"What if we fail to give you the beri?"

"It all depends on circumstances. I'm not heartless, if you can't afford to give me the beri on a few occasions I won't punish you. I will give you the time you need to get back on your feet before demanding payments. If you withhold it on purpose however, I will kill every single one of you."

She shuddered at his brutal answer before asking one last question. "Will you screw us over by increasing the price one day?"

"No, I'm an honest person. I asked for 15% and that is what I'm expecting. I will not increase the percentage unless you try to bargain or scam me."

"…" looking around at the crowd of people, Aiko sucked in a deep breath and said "Okay, we agree to the terms," holding out her hands for a handshake, she felt a gloved palm make contact with hers and marveled at how warm he felt to touch.

You would think Death would be colder.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the mysterious figured responded "Now tell me everything there is to know about this Arata, I want to be done before night time."

Such confidence! Aiko hoped he could back it up. A stray thought occurred. "I don't know what to call you, what do you go by?"

He paused as if deliberating her question. A name? He hadn't thought of that… Rosan was out of the question naturally. Maybe Mod? No...that was bad too.

Ugh, he hated naming things.

"I do not have a name. You may call me whatever you want. It does not matter to me," he eventually said. Aiko raised a brow at him but didn't voice her thoughts.

No name? Just who was this person? Still he had given her the privilege of naming him, so she might as well try. The gray haired appraised him once more.

He (she just assumed they were a boy. It would save her the headache) had on black. Lots of black. He had large beautiful wings, reminiscent of some birds but something told her, they were more… transcendent. They were obsidian black and Aiko got the feeling that wings like that, should be white.

Kind of like an Angel...

His outfit was dominated with black and white, the colors of life and death. Coupled with his wings…maybe Raven or Crow? They were birds that represented death and, since they were black, it would fit him well. She dismissed them immediately though.

They didn't quite fit those magnificent wings of his (did he have one of those Devil Fruits? She thought they were a myth). He really did look like an Angel… but with that massive scythe...

"Reaper," she suddenly said, nodding in satisfaction. An Angel of Death is what he was, so what better name was there then Reaper? With his black wings, black and white outfit, hidden face, and massive scythe he really did look like the Shinigami itself.

"Reaper…that is acceptable. You may call me that then," the now dubbed Reaper nodded, agreeing easily enough with her and it caused her to puff up a bit.

"Now that that's settled, you wanted to know about that son of a bitch Arata right? Well first things first…"

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

Lord Arata was a man pretending to play king.

He was a former pirate with a 3 million beri bounty and was currently using that fact (and his crew) to lord over these people. He had randomly shown up, killed the actual lords of the castle and asserted his presence unceremoniously.

3 million beri might not have been a big deal for him, but for the people here, coupled with the fact he had goons to do his bidding, it proved to be too much. They had tried to resist but after the first group of people died, they had learned to just keep their head down and allow him to do whatever he wanted.

He had asked if they had asked the Marines for any help and her response slightly surprised him.

"We asked them for help but after a half-assed investigation they concluded that we were lying and never showed up again," Aiko all but snarled.

"Corrupt?" Rosan deduced simply and she nodded, glad that he caught along.

"They are likely colluding with Arata because they want exclusive rights to our goods. It's the reason our island was able to become so wealthy," she said with a slight amount of pride before her anger surged again. "Now those bastards just milk us for all we have!"

Rosan knew there was bound to be some corruptness going on in the Marines. Every organization suffered this issue, but for them to disregard a person with a 3 million bounty just for resources? The World Government was the driving force of the world, they didn't need to do this.

This was just greed. How could this self-proclaimed justice be greedy?

How disappointing.

Their reasons for hunting Ace down, while utterly immoral, stemmed from the fear of the rising of the 2nd pirate king. To them that was a good enough reason. It wasn't good enough for him but he could see why they did it.

This though? It really put into perspective that the World Government were just bullies with too much power.

That had been 1 year ago. His grip on this island had remained firm and the people had long given up.

All but Aiko at least. She was the only one that had any fighting spirit left but the woman wasn't dumb. She knew she had no chance against the delusional man.

"Everyone has resigned to their fate so why do you still fight?" Rosan asked her out of curiosity and her face shifted into one of absolute fury.

"That bastard… he has my sister!" If looks could kill, Rosan's body would be a smoking husk because she looked absolutely murderous at the moment. "Just imagining what's happening to my little sister, at his hands, fills me with too much hate to give up," Aiko declared and she was clenching her fists hard enough to draw blood.

The redhead didn't have much right to say this, but as an older brother he understood where she was coming from.

If Ace were in the same situation, well Rosan would make sure that person wouldn't be able to hold anything else for the rest of their very short life.

They would suffer his wrath and he would enjoy every moment of it.

But Aiko was powerless to stop it… just like Rosan was powerless to stop Garp. The 9 year old could sympathize with the rage she felt. It was likely even more overwhelming, due to knowing that Arata had no good intentions. Rosan trusted Garp to keep Ace safe because Mom had trusted him to do so.

He could not say the same for Aiko.

Wait a minute... he had an idea.

"Would you like to get your hands on Arata after I'm done?" Rosan asked her suddenly. If he played his cards right…

Aiko's gaze shot up and brown stared into an endless black.

Was Reaper serious? He would allow her, the woman who had been wanting to get her hands on this bastard for one year, to finally get sweet vengeance.

If he actually allowed her to do this… well Reaper would have her undying loyalty.

Rosan smiled at her vigorous nod.

Manipulating people was quickly becoming his new favorite hobby. Like this, he had practically guaranteed himself a loyal subordinate. Someone who willingly followed a person, was far better then someone who was forced to, there was less chance of betrayal this way.

If Rosan had her willingly backing him, this island would be much more willing to fall in line.

"It's settled then. I will deal with his minions and I will incapacitate him. Afterwards, you may do whatever you want with him. As a show of good will, I'll even give you the means to watch," Rosan told her and the look in her eyes suggested that she may have just won the lottery.

"Hell yeah," she cheered. "You better not be lying to me Reaper," the woman warned playfully.

Rosan smirked under his mask and told her "No need to worry, I'm not one to lie."

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

Modification: Shinigami was a fascinating technique, Rosan mused, as he floated far above the castle.

Like Ragnarok, it made slight changes to his disposition. Not anywhere near the same degree, but enough for it to be noticeable.

Ragnarok amplified his rage. It attempted to turn him into a bloodthirsty berserker. It was strong but dangerous if he lost control.

Daybreak Island was a testament to the destructive powers it wielded.

Shinigami, on the other hand, didn't focus on any particular aspect of his personality. Despite channeling righteous fury into his transformation, Rosan didn't feel any of that. In fact it felt like his already dampened emotions, were even further restricted in this transformation.

How fitting that he was restricting himself even further like this.

When in this form, he felt his cool demeanor turn frosty and his efficiency increase drastically. Killing became a non factor to him because after all, everybody died.

Death had no favorites. At any time, anyone could die and Shinigami was the representation of that.

It was still exceedingly useful. It lacked the raw power Ragnarok had but Rosan hadn't unlocked this transformation for strength. He had simply unlocked it, because his vanity could not handle simple bird wings.

This was all a bonus.

Above the castle, Rosan had already thought of the best course of action. He had contemplated only targeting Arata, but he discarded the thought. He wished to free this island completely so every one of his allies would need to die too. It would take more work but the redhead would still be done before the day was over.

With a flap of his wing, Rosan descended towards the castle at a moderate speed. It did not take long for him to gently and quietly land on the roof of the building. Rosan crouched slightly to palm the roof and Scanned the interior for life forms.

Nodding in satisfaction at what he sensed, Rosan modified a hole into the roof and floated downward. The Shinigami glanced around and confirmed that the room was empty, save for him. He withdrew his scythe from his cloak and began deliberating the right course of action.

How to best approach this? He could just go around and pick them off one by one.

Nah, that was too cliché.

He would just bring them all to him. It would make this faster for him if they all just grouped into one area. A different take on hunting, but one he welcomed.

"Ever the show off, Rosan," Mod couldn't resist throwing in a quip and Rosan rolled his eyes.

"Meiko sure is rubbing off on you Mod-chan, you were never this insufferable," was his retort as he began walking.

"Funnily enough, I don't think I inherited that from Meiko," she responded smugly and the boy snorted.

"Halt! State your business with Lord Arata — ACK," Rosan idly slashed the throat of the person talking, as he leisurely walked past the mortally injured individual.

"Oh? Perhaps you inherited it from my memories of Doc. It would explain a lot now that I think about it," Rosan mused.

"Getting closer~ this person did spend quite a bit of time with Doc," Mod joked with a grin on her face.

"Hey stop right there! What do you think you're — HRGK," someone tried to stop him but a large scythe protruding from his abdomen stopped the minion from saying anything else. Rosan, who had not stopped moving, absentmindedly ripped the scythe out of him and continued on his merry way.

"Wait. Don't tell me...you got it from Sachie?" Rosan let out a mock gasp as Mod-chan reeled in shock at his audacity.

He did not just go there.

"You know, I always wondered why you hated her so much. Besides the fact she was a pervert and that hellacious beating she gave me once… she was quite pleasant to me and spoiled me rotten. Is it because I had her wrapped around my finger?" Rosan questioned, almost as if he were actually thinking about it. "I don't blame you though, that woman had a huge pair of—,"

"Do not say another word," Mod warned him and Rosan gained a predatory smile.

Bingo.

"Oh? I see now," the redhead said in realization. "You're jealous aren't you? I don't blame you though, I would hate her too with how tightly she was squishing me into them? Who knew you were so possessive though Mod-chan? Maybe you got that from me," Rosan had a victorious smirk on his masked face and he felt her embarrassment shine through.

"You have nothing to worry about Mod-chan. You can ask to squish me whenever you want. Sachie can't steal me from you," he teased and she let out a whine.

"I hate you sometimes," she grumbled accepting defeat.

"You could never," Rosan's smirk turned into a shit eating grin as he used her own words against her.

"What happened to the boy who always lost these war of words," she complained.

"Bullying children? That's low even for you Mod-chan."

"That is not what I meant!"

"Sure~"

Their banter continued as Rosan continued to cut down anyone they came across. He was not paying them any attention as his body moved on it's own.

Rosan loved coming up with new techniques and this was one of them. Currently, he was seeing if he could modify his body functions, so that they could move without conscious thought. It was an Auto Mode of sorts and the technique was coming along nicely.

It was not perfect. Rosan had to program it preemptively and it could only handle basic orders but it was progress. His goal was to have it active even while he was sleeping, in case anyone tried anything funny. They would be in for one hell of a surprise when his sleeping body defend itself.

He wondered if Aiko was enjoying the view. He had given her a modified drone that showed her, and by proxy the people around her, a view of his little escapade.

He did this for 2 reasons.

One was to show Aiko that he was a man of his word and that Arata would not be dying to him.

The other, was to ensure that they understood that going against him, at any point, would not be a wise decision. They saw how effortlessly he was taking out the swathes of enemies. If he could take out their tormentors so easily… what chance did they have against the Shinigami?

"The amount of techniques you've been able to come up with is startling Rosan. You are doing things with Modification I couldn't even fathom as a possibility," Mod pointed out and she sounded so proud of him.

"I don't think I could have as much fun with any other Devil Fruit," Rosan hummed, as he idly cut down another individual. His latest victim let out a strangled gasp and they collapsed on the floor.

Rosan stepped on top of their body and jumped a small distance, to avoid the forming pool of blood and continued along his way. Sure he could fly, but he would rather be rude.

Everyone else had surely been alerted of his presence by now and while Rosan could practice his stealth and pick people off one by one, he wanted to be done soon and they were too weak to do something that boring. Stealth missions were only fun when the enemy had a good chance of spotting you.

The most efficient and fun way, he decided, was to group them up in one place, killing any stragglers to attract their attention, and handle them all at once.

His plan was going without a hitch. Rosan reached the room where he had scanned the two presences. Lord Arata should be in this room with Akemi, Aiko's sister. It looked to be the master bedroom and Rosan frowned deeply. That man better not be doing what he thought he was.

Not bothering to knock, Rosan forcefully kicked the door open and stepped inside. 2 gasps and a strangled "Who?" greeted him. Rosan canceled his Auto Mode, as he took in the appearance of the 2 individuals currently on a bed.

Lord Arata was a big man, but it was not muscle, only pure fat. He had shaggy brown hair that was tied into a ponytail and had pale skin. Beady black eyes looked at him in confusion and a bit of outrage at being interrupted. He was wearing a disturbingly little amount of clothing and Rosan curled his lips at the sight he was seeing.

The girl, who Rosan assumed was Akemi, was also wearing a small amount of clothes. She was of average height with long straight gray hair styled into a ponytail. Her tear streaked eyes were a warm shade of brown and she had wobbly lips instead of a scowl. She looked like the spitting figure of Aiko with some differences.

"Are you Akemi?" Rosan asked her and, at her fearful nod, he eased her fears by saying "Its shocking just how much better you look then your sister, despite looking so similar." He could almost feel Aiko's outrage from here and resisted the urge to smirk.

Messing with the angry woman was fun.

Akemi blushed at his praise and stuttered out a "T-thank you."

Lord Arata didn't seem to appreciate being ignored so he decided to interrupt their conversation. "Just who the hell do you think you are —,"

Suddenly appearing in front of him, the stranger's gaze bore into him. The only thing he could see was a faint red glow. which made him flinch back in fear.

"Speak when spoken to," he warned calmly before slamming a fist into his skull. Looking at the girl for another moment, he seemingly decided he wasn't done and glued one of the man's hand to the wall behind him.

With a knife.

Lord Arata let out an uncharacteristically high pitched squeal as the knife pierced his palm and embedded itself deeply into the wall. He tried moving, but the risk of losing his hand, kept him still. It did not stop him for pawing at his arm though. Tears sprung to his eyes at the pain he was currently feeling and he wet himself.

"Stay there for a bit and just watch, someone I know has some words to say to you," Rosan told him.

Arata could only whimper as tears leaked down his eyes.

Rosan sneered in disgust at the sight. "Can't handle a bit of pain? Pathetic," he scoffed.

Satisfied that he wouldn't be moving, he focused his attention back on the half naked Akemi. The woman flinched at his approach and trembled harshly, as he put a hand on her.

Aiko's little sister blinked at the sudden warmth. She looked down in wonder at the long coat that covered her modest frame and clutched it a bit tighter. His touch was soft and warm and it caused her to look up at him in shock. The gray haired woman thought that she was surely going to die to this mysterious figure.

"Did that man rape you?" the stranger asked her curiously. He was pretty sure he already knew the answer but he needed confirmation

At his question, she could only look down in shame as tears began falling from her eyes and she let out a choked sob. She didn't give him an answer but the look in her eyes...

It was all the confirmation he needed.

Rosan could not stand rapists. For a person to touch someone without their consent… it gave him many unwanted memories.

Doc and Sachie had not raped him (though the women had been dangerously close. Rosan blessed his age), but they had touched him. They had defiled him and he couldn't do anything about it for so long… just like this girl here.

Rosan sympathized with the victim more then he would have liked.

He delivered a strong blow to Arata's head and was satisfied at the groan of agony he let out. Rosan regarded the man with thinly veiled contempt and he reached out to grab him.

Disgusting creature.

"Modify Target: Sensitivity," he thought to himself, as he held onto Arata. The man had been reduced to whimpers but his screams began anew as the amount of pain he felt, spiked to unimaginable levels.

Rosan felt dark satisfaction well up inside at the agonized man.

"Disgusting. If not for what you and Aiko agreed to, I'd have dealt with him accordingly," Mod said, scorn in her tone. She gleefully watched the man thrash about in pain.

That would teach him.

Scoffing at the pathetic sight, Rosan told Akemi to find a suitable hiding spot and, despite the confused look she shot him, the woman scrambled to hide herself. She was now situated under the very large bed. out of sight for what was about to take place.

Good. If she became a hostage, Rosan would not stop to save her.

The disguised redhead stood facing away from Arata, who was still moaning in agony, simply waiting. He idly flipped another knife as he stared at the slightly ajar door.

Any moment now…

There. The pounding of footsteps rapidly approached his location. Glancing around, Rosan nodded to himself. This was enough room to deal with them. The castle was quite massive after all and this bedroom room was no different.

Eventually people, the rest of Arata's buddies he assumed, began pouring into the room with all sorts of weapons. Swords, bats, daggers... he even spotted a couple of guns!

All of that just for 9 year old him? He was honestly flattered that they felt like he needed this much things.

He'd have to show them how much he appreciated it.

"B-boys teach this damn midget a lesson — GAGHHHHH," Whatever Arata was about to say, was interrupted as Rosan buried a knife into his other hand. The howl he let out, was music to his ears and the boy nearly laughed. With his sensitivity raised, it probably felt like he was getting stabbed by a knife made of molten lava.

"Did I not tell you to quiet down and enjoy the show?" Rosan asked the crucified man. "If you open your mouth again, I'll lose what little patience I have left with you," as if to further cement his point, he revealed his scythe and returned it to its original size. The Shinigami held the blade close to the man's head and prodded him gently with it.

Arata let out a terrified whimper and shakily nodded his head. He did not say another word for fear of hell incarnate carrying out his vow.

Satisfied that he got his point across, Rosan turned his attention back towards the large crowd. They looked at their boss in worry and fixed a furious gaze onto the one who had done it.

Rosan responded by idly petting the top of his scythes blade.

"Unfortunately for all of you, I'm quite frustrated that I cannot kill this man right here," Rosan tilted his head at the quaking Arata. "I hope you can understand that there are no hard feelings in what I'm about to do to you all."

It seemed, his polite tone did nothing but piss them off even further. What? Was he not allowed to be nice?

Some people these days.

Hoisting the scythe over his shoulder, Rosan beckoned them all towards him. "Try not to take this the wrong way," and with that he charged.

"Is there a correct way to take death?" Mod asked him.

"Shut up, Mod-chan," Rosan responded flatly and she laughed.

Letting out a chorus of yells, the 20 some men charged the mysterious figure that had barged in uninvited. They would teach him a lesson he'd never forget.

There was 20 of them and 1 of him. They were probably of the opinion that he would be overwhelmed by their larger numbers.

How wrong they were.

Rosan smiled a bloodthirsty smile under his mask, as he watched them all charge.

It had been a while since he had last fought someone. Despite knowing the outcome of this fight already, he felt his blood singing at the prospect of the upcoming slaughter.

Removing his scythe from his shoulder in a two handed grip, Rosan charged.

The black clad figure was a whirlwind of steel. Everything the group did, he had an answer to. Hope was lost the moment Rosan released his Pressure.

How could they possibly deal with this? This was no man… this was death incarnate!

As soon as the battle began, Rosan immediately leapt into the group. He was mindful of where his scythe was because with it's large size it could potentially mess him up.

He really had nothing to worry about but Rosan was nothing but cautious.

He was on top of the first person instantly. Ducking under a wild swing, Rosan swung his scythe upwards. The blade slammed through the man's head in a horrific display and, without wasting a moment, he brutally yanked it out.

He jumped off the corpses falling body, to deliver a flying kick onto the person next to him. Stealing his sword, Rosan threw the weapon and successfully knocked the gun right out of someone's hand. He scrambled to get it but Rosan, spreading his wings, flew and slammed into the square of his back. He shouted in pain but was immediately silenced as Rosan dug the scythe deep into him.

Someone tried grabbing for the boy but he sidestepped it. Not wasting a single moment, he deftly picked up the discarded gun and unloaded 4 bullets into the man's back. "Oh, I like this," Rosan thought to himself as he, without looking, aimed the gun behind him and unloaded 3 more shots into the approaching man.

"Note to self, get a gun," Rosan threw the gun away and grasped his scythe with both hands. "I have to admit, this is more disappointing than I expected," Rosan told the petrified crowd. He was sure he heard someone throwing up at his brutality.

They had quickly lost the will to fight after seeing the futility of it all.

How unfortunate. They still needed to die. Rosan couldn't afford to have any loose ends or people plotting revenge. It would cause him unnecessary hassles in the future.

This fight was as good as over so Rosan decided to begin the finale. "Well no matter, I wanted to wrap this up anyways," he said, in that infuriatingly blank tone of his.

Rosan began spinning his scythe rapidly, fully spread his wings and he moved. For a moment, there was silence, then there was blood, then, the screaming.

Blood curdling howls started to ring out throughout the castle.

Rosan moved from target to target at an astounding speed delivering slash after slash. Tendons, muscles, limbs, nothing was safe from his relentless onslaught. Some died instantly, others bled out, some were more resilient and required personal attention by him, but none escaped his wrath.

Someone tried to run, desperate to save their own lives but Rosan caught them by the waist in the sickle of his scythe and pulled. Their top half slowly but surely slid off in a wet display.

No one else tried to run after that.

Rosan mowed through them with cold, elegant, brutality.

He was like a performer the way he danced from person to person. A horrific, yet oddly enchanting display.

Just like that, before anyone could process what happened, the fight was over.

Bodies littered the floor, limbs were separated from bodies, heads were hanging, and there was so much blood.

Yet incredulously, Rosan remained spotless.

Sighing in boredom, Rosan assessed the damage dealt and recalled his scythe. This had not even been enough to make him sweat. He had at least expected the sheer number advantage they had to force his hand but there was none of that.

Not even the ones with guns had posed a problem. It wasn't their fault though, Rosan had made sure they wouldn't be using them and went after them as quickly as possible. They should have known there would be a massive target on their back though.

Seriously, did anyone know how to fight these days?

"Not everyone is a battle maniac like you are Rosan," Mod informed him.

"Maniac? You're exaggerating," Rosan dismissed.

"After this, I'll be happy to give you proof," she offered.

"Nope, don't need it," Rosan replied.

"I wonder why…" she hummed knowingly.

Rosan didn't deign to give her an answer. "Akemi, you can come out now. Though I suggest you close your eyes… and cover your nose. Your sister should be on the way soon," he called to the hiding girl.

Akemi slowly crawled from under the bed with her eyes closed and her nose covered. It didn't fully block the effects of the smell and she flinched at the overwhelming stench of blood. She closed her eyes tighter, fearful at the sight she would see if she did open them.

Rosan simply walked up to her and guided her to the door. "You can open your eyes now. Make you're way to the entrance of the castle and wait for Aiko to show up. I will be behind you," he told the trembling adult.

She nodded and slowly but surely made her way to the castle. Rosan noticed that she was limping. Before she could make it far, Rosan grabbed her and modified her body so as to wash the pain away. She flinched before relaxing as his touch made her feel better. "Thank you so much," she whispered gratefully and Rosan merely nodded before releasing her.

"How considerate of you, Rosan," Mod cooed with a smile.

"I only did that to invoke loyalty," Rosan argued.

"That's true... but I still felt a spike of sympathy from you," Mod said softly.

"I really can't stand rapists, that's all. I know how it feels, when someone touches you without your permission," he frowned.

"Oh Rosan how I wish I could have helped you more," The purple haired woman sighed forlornly.

"Don't think about that Mod-chan, what matters is that we're fine now," Rosan sent her a warm pulse as he made his way to Arata.

"You're right Rosan and from now on we won't be separated again," she sent a pulse of adoration back to him.

"I'd rather die then be separated from you again," Rosan affirmed with a gentle smile on his soft features.

Rosan smiled before it morphed into a neutral expression as he regarded Arata. He roughly removed both knives from the near coma induced man and was satisfied to hear him groaning in pain. He fell to the floor in a pitiful heap and as he tried to move, Rosan slammed a foot against his head.

"Don't move," he commanded, grinding his foot for good measure. The man fearfully obeyed and Rosan moved his leg from his skull. He silently modified the mans weight to make him easier to move and cruelly dragged him through all the corpse's of his companions. Arata couldn't help retching, as he was covered in the blood of his allies and the man nearly fainted at making contact with their disfigured bodies.

W-what h-had he done t-to provoke this monster?

It didn't take long for Rosan to make his way outside. He was greeted by the sight of Aiko and Akemi having a tearful reunion. The sisters were hugging each other desperately as Aiko whispered "It's gonna be okay now," to the sobbing woman.

Rosan dumped Arata's body in front of the two and handed Aiko a bloody knife. "Here. Under the deal we made, I have given you one very incapacitated Arata. Feel free to do whatever you want to him. He should be particularly sensitive right now," courtesy of him but they didn't need to know that.

The look in Aiko's eyes promised nothing good for the man and Arata finally realized his situation and the reason the stranger had left him alive. He tried to plead for his life but Rosan was already walking away from the 3. Aiko regarded him curiously, with much more trepidation in her gaze then before.

Oh right he did show her everything.

Good. Loyal she may be, humans were a naturally curious bunch. With this display, the inkling in the back of her head asking "Just what will he do to me if I do decide to betray him?" would be answered and she would have no room for such doubts.

He had told his clones not to fear him, because he was concerned about how it would affect their efficiency. To be a proper ruler however, one should garner a small amount of fear from their subjects.

Fear and respect were the most ideal emotions to rule. Respect bred loyalty and loyalty ensured there would be no rebellion.

Fear made sure the small part of doubt in that loyalty, was ruthlessly stamped out. Not too much to overshadow the respect but enough to always serve as a warning.

Rosan was sure he had made his point clear with this display.

"Where are you going Reaper?" she asked him as she had taken notice of the fact that he had begun walking and spreading out his wings.

Rosan, without stopping, responded "To my ship. We will meet again tomorrow to discuss more about our terms. For now, you may teach that rapist a lesson and spend time with your sister," he saw the gleam of rage in her eyes as he reminded her of what Arata did and nodded in satisfaction.

With that, he flapped once experimentally and flew off.

"He's scary," Akemi whispered to her older sister and they watched his quickly retreating form.

Aiko couldn't help but nod "Well get used to him. We're probably going to be seeing him a lot more." At her confused gaze she said "I'll tell you about it later."

"For now though…" Aiko bared her fangs, as she looked at Arata. "I got a lesson to teach our friend here."

Arata could only let out a terrified whimper.