The thick fog of the Florian Triangle was almost daunting in its oppressiveness, seeping into the air and giving off a heavy sensation.

It was impossible to tell what the time of day was. That was how heavy the fog that clung to the air was.

Rosan looked at his panicky crew with a perplexed expression. He just got back from visiting Makino and Dadan with Luffy and Robin... and now his crew was doing Straw Hat things... except the main problems of the Straw Hats (him and Luffy) weren't here to cause it.

What a thought. Guess Rosan really wasn't the problem.

He looked at the giant and beaten down ship looming over their own.

It was gigantic and in complete tatters, looking only a little better than Don Krieg's after the attack by Mihawk. The sails had a Jolly Roger on it too.

Certainly fit the ghost ship motif. Had the appearance down to a tee.

But still...

"You're saying there's a ghost on that ship?" He asked his crew incredulously.

"Y-Yes!" Usopp stammered. "We saw it! A moving skeleton!"

Rosan continued to look at him with that perplexed expression, just not able to believe anything coming out of his Sniper's mouth.

"W-Why do you not believe me?!" The sniper whispered in disbelief.

He was telling the truth here! Why was Rosan looking at him like this?!

"I dunno," he shrugged. "I can tell you're not lying… but that might also be your stupidity giving you a false truth."

That was the best way to trick him. If you told a false truth that you actually believed, Rosan wouldn't be able to detect it as a lie.

Hm... that meant at the very least, Usopp did see something and even the rest of the crew looked shocked so maybe there was someone up there.

"Well, whatever… I'll go check it out," Rosan muttered, summoning his draconic wings.

Before she could even begin complaining, he wrapped an arm around Robin, to which she smiled in a pleased manner.

...Before he could even begin complaining, he also wrapped an arm around Luffy, to which he let out a beaming grin.

Brats. Both of them. How were the oldest and youngest in their family this spoiled?

"If we get eaten alive, feel free to set sail," Rosan offered them as he began to float upwards.

"I would at least like it if they recovered our bodies… but I understand if we're eaten alive," Robin replied.

"D-DON'T SAY SUCH SCARY THINGS!" Nami, Chopper and Usopp screeched in terror.

As Rosan ascended to the top of the giant ship, a figure peeked their head from over the railing and he paused.

"Oh, it appears they weren't lying," Mod mused, eyes lit in amusement as she gazed at the figure.

"Would you look at that," he said idly, continuing his flight. "It really is a skeleton."

"How surreal," Robin mused.

"Wow! Look at it!" Luffy awed, eyes glittering.

Rosan tilted his head. "Hey, are you an enemy? If you are, I'm going to burn you alive before you can pull any tricks," he said bluntly to the skeleton.

Despite how lax he was about the whole thing, Rosan was very willing to wrap up their problems through violent means but their guest seemed content to just observe, continuing to hum in a rather pleasant tone.

Maybe it really was a ghost.

The living skeleton shivered at that. "Such a cruel thing to say! You're making my skin crawl… but I'm a skeleton so I don't have any skin! Yohohoho!"

"Never mind, he's a dumbass," Rosan sighed, landing on the ghost ship without any further prompting.

Now that they were on the ship, they could all get a good glimpse of the skeleton and what they saw, was quite surprising.

The skeleton was extremely tall, towering over both Robin and Rosan by nearly 3 feet, with a gentleman's attire consisting of a coat, top hat, trousers.

The most fascinating thing about it though, was the fact that there was an afro of all things on the top of its head.

"Please excuse me for not greeting you earlier. I was surprised to actually see people after so many decades. I am Brook," the skeleton, now dubbed Brook, greeted.

His attire wasn't for show, the skeleton was quite the gentleman by the looks of it, so Rosan ceased the idea of breaking it in half.

"Look, he can talk guys!" Luffy exclaimed with wide eyes. "Hey, do you still poo?"

"What type of question is that? Why would you ask that first?" Mod asked in concern.

"Yes, I do in fact still poo," Brook confirmed.

Mod sweatdropped deeply.

Sometimes she had to wonder how she, the Devil Fruit, ended up being the most normal in her family.

Ram snorted. Auntie? The most normal? Yeah right. The most normal in the family was Uncle Demon.

"You've eaten a Devil Fruit, correct? That's the only explanation I have for why you're a skeleton." Robin asked curiously.

Brook turned towards her and his jaw dropped slightly. "Oh my! What a pretty young lady you are! May I take a look at your panties?"

"...I'm sorry?" Robin asked in confusion.

Take a look at her... what now? Panties?

If she heard him correctly, that was a very unwise thing for him to say.

Before Brook could open his mouth. A sharp tail smashed into him from above and effortlessly floored him, large enough to cover his tall body.

Rosan's slit eyes stared Brook down with a warning glare. "Back off or I'll kill you again, skeleton. I'm the only man alive allowed to see her panties. Any other offenders will suffer greatly before I kill them."

Robin sweatdropped deeply. "Rosan… you say the most unhinged statements on the planet."

Could he not say that outloud? Robin was sure she didn't have much shame, but compared to Rosan she must have an oceans worth.

The redhead snorted at the same time Luffy laughed.

"Yo ho ho ho! Such fierceness! You are quite the feisty lad!" Brook laughed along with them, completely unbothered by the fact that Rosan just smushed him.

"Isn't he even a little bothered that Rosan nearly killed him?!" Mod asked incredulously.

Seriously, just what was wrong with all the people they met?

"Hey I like you!" Luffy announced. "Wanna join my crew?"

Both Robin and Rosan blinked at the rather abrupt question.

Right... Rosan was suddenly reminded of that man... Gaimon. Despite being utterly useless in all aspects, still somehow got an invite into their crew from Luffy.

If Luffy thought you were even a little interesting, he'd ask you to join the crew... and they were currently speaking to a skeleton that was a gentleman.

What a thought. Rosan was finding all of this very funny.

"Luffy maybe you should think about this more?" Robin suggested.

"I'd love to," Brook replied easily.

Rosan blinked even harder at that, before his eyes narrowed.

"What the hell? Someone actually agreed to join you with no hassle? There has to be a catch. I don't believe this is as easy as he's making it out to be," he muttered.

Things were never simple with Luffy. His little brother was a magnet for chaos and always attracted trouble no matter where he went.

"That is literally you, Rosan," Robin pointed out with an incredulous sigh.

How did her boyfriend genuinely not think he was a magnet for trouble?

Did he not realize that he and Luffy were both chaos incarnate? They were cut from the same cloth! Why did he not think he was as bad?

How could he be so justifiably confident... and delusional at the same time?!

"Yo ho ho ho! Well about that…" Brook trailed off.

...

"I wonder why you always open your mouth. I think my life would be so much more peaceful if you just shut up," Mod sighed.

"What's the big idea! When father does this it's awesome! It makes everything more fun!" Ram beamed.

"It is genuinely insane how often you tempt fate," Robin mused.

Rosan shrugged helplessly.

His presence didn't suddenly give this skeleton problems. He had been here for decades.

How the hell did Rosan saying something suddenly conjure a skeleton's problems?

Ridiculous. All of them. They needed to grow up.

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

The news that Brook would be joining their crew, was taken fairly well by his crew.

And by that, he meant it wasn't taken well for even a little.

Somehow, Rosan was the one in trouble for all of this. What the hell did he even do? It's not like he was even the most sensible person that was up there!

Robin and Mod-chan were way more sensible than he was but he was expected to handle this?

He'd almost be offended that they expected so much out of him!

"WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HIM ROSAN?!" Nami screeched, after flooring the skeleton for asking to see her panties.

What type of sick joke was this? Why was Nami being asked to expose her panties for a goddamn skeleton? Was she dreaming?

Yeah that was it, she had to have been dreaming! There's no way a skeleton who wanted to see her panties was about to join the crew!

"Huh? I hit him in the head with a tail after asking Robin to see her panties. Those are only one person's privilege and it is a privilege I refuse to share," Rosan retorted calmly.

"Would you please stop saying that, Rosan? Announcing it to the whole world is embarrassing," Robin chastised, resisting the urge to hold her head.

"If I don't announce it, others will think they have a chance, like Brook right here. It only makes sense that they are aware who you belong to."

Robin let out a tired sigh. Even after dating, Rosan was still not appeased. He was insatiable and his greed knew no bounds.

"I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE PERVERTED SKELETON AND HIS LOVE OF PANTIES, JACKASS! I'M TALKING ABOUT LUFFY! WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP LUFFY?!" Nami roared. At this point she was going to punch Rosan for the hell of it because this had to be willful ignorance on his part!

Rosan shrugged and dragged the resigned Robin over to his side. "I already told the skeleton to back off of Robin and he understood. My problems with him have become nonexistent so long as he gets it."

"I'm a gentleman after all," Brook bowed sincerely. "I would never intrude on a friend's relationship. He merely corrected my ignorance and I'm acting accordingly with the new information."

The redhead pointed at him. "See? He's cool and accepting... unlike some people," he chided, glancing pointedly at his crew.

"F-FRIEND?! SINCE WHEN ARE YOU TWO FRIENDS?!" Usopp shrieked. Next to Nami and Chopper, he had been reacting the worst to this news and had been rapidly shifting from horror at the skeleton, to disbelief at the words coming out of Rosan's mouth.

Rosan sighed like they were all stupid. "Since he joined the crew. We can't treat our crew mate like an enemy. Not cool."

"WHY ARE YOU NOT SEEING THE PROBLEM?! ARE YOU DOING THIS ON PURPOSE?!" Sanji roared.

This was a level of ignorance that had to have been intentional. Everything that came out of Rosan's mouth, managed to avoid the very very obvious main problem of why having a skeleton on the ship was a questionable idea.

"Of all the things to get you guys worried… a living skeleton is the problem? I can transform into a dragon you know. I'm way scarier than he is," Rosan shrugged.

Brook perked up at that. "You can transform into a Dragon? Is that your Devil Fruit?"

Rosan glanced over at him. "Part of it. I don't mind telling you about it, but I'd prefer if you actually joined the crew first," he mentioned.

The Straw Hats eyes widened at that.

Rosan was willing to disclose Modification with Brook already? Was that all?

Huh... he really was changing before their very eyes. They had thought it was a trick of the mind, how open Rosan suddenly was with them but maybe he really was beginning to accept his role in the crew...

"That's very fair. As a show of my trust in you all, I ate the Yomi Yomi no Mi," Brook informed them.

Rosan perked a brow at that.

A revive fruit… what an interesting Devil Fruit... one that allowed you to cheat death once.

If only...

While explaining his Devil Fruit, Brook had begun to tell the Straw Hats about himself and it allowed Rosan to...

Brook had been here for years. His soul had taken so long to find his body, that he had already been a skeleton…

Not only that, he couldn't actually join their crew either because somehow, his shadow got stolen. If he went into the sun, he'd be incinerated.

That got all of Rosan's interest.

"You got your shadow stolen? Was it the Kage Kage no Mi? Did you encounter Gecko Moria?" He asked curiously.

Brook looked rather surprised that Rosan was able to glean that from one simple statement.

The redhead was a lot smarter than he let on...

"Well seeing as you got it right, yes… I have gotten into a bit of an altercation with Gecko Moria…"

Rosan pursed his lips. "And you think you can take him and his crew on alone? Are you stupid? What can you possibly achieve alone?" He asked curiously.

Brook said nothing... glancing away from the piercing eyes of Rosan. It was hard to tell what he was thinking from his bony exterior but the scout just continued gazing at him.

"Who's Gecko Moria?" Sanji asked curiously.

"One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea," Robin replied. "He used to be a notable pirate… but he's been quiet in the former years."

"He's been lazing about in the Florian Triangle?" Rosan pondered. "Another washed up pirate with no motivation," the redhead sighed.

Just like Crocodile... finding some location and getting lazy while the people around you grew stronger.

If he were anything like Rosan's subordinate, then Moria was probably planning some bullshit to get back into the scene and take over the world or something.

"Shishishi alright, we'll kick his ass and get your shadow back!" Luffy decided. "What can you do?"

Nami let out a groan and held her head. She knew how this was about to turn out but still, best to try and at least talk sense into their captain before he readily made this decision without thinking.

"Getting in another fight with a Warlord isn't a great idea. We've been getting into quite a bit of high stakes altercations Luffy so maybe we can relax?" she tried to dissuade their captain.

"Y-Yeah, haven't we had enough…? We ran into so much of them…" Usopp whimpered.

Couldn't they catch a break? First they fought Crocodile, then they fought Enel, then they fought an Admiral along with the World Government...

Seriously?! What was their luck right now... how was it that they didn't get to have a single normal journey yet since entering the Grand Line?! Wasn't this too unlucky?

"Oh how could I forget to mention... I'm a musician," Brook replied.

A wave of horror coursed through just about every Straw Hat at that.

"NOOOOOO!" Most Straw Hats thought in despair

Luffy's eyes turned into giant stars.

"A MUSICIAN REALLY?!"

Brook nodded. "That's right. I'm a musician that was apart of the Rumbar Pirates."

Rosan snorted at the sheer joy in Luffy's eyes. His little brother looked like Christmas came early.

Rumbar Pirates? Rosan never heard of them before.

"You have to join our crew now! We need a musician!" Luffy demanded. "Let us help you!"

"No."

The Straw Hats blinked owlishly at the abrupt and to the point answer from Brook.

"Yo ho ho ho! I do appreciate the hospitality, but I cannot put my friends, who I've just met, in danger. This is something I must deal with alone so you must all focus on exiting the Florian Triangle before encountering Gecko Moria," Brook explained.

"It may be a bit too late for that," Robin retorted, glancing in a direction with a slight amount of concentration.

Brook blinked owlishly. "Why is that?"

"Because I'm very sure they're outside currently."

Everyone blinked in confusion, before a ghost stuck its head through the walls of their ship.

Wait.

What?

Realization hit them all at the same time.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Usopp screeched in horror. The sniper fell back, turning ashen as he gazed at the ghosts with bugged eyes.

"G-G-GHOST?! I THOUGHT THEY WEREN'T REAL?!" Chopper squealed, jumping behind Robin in hopes that she would protect him.

Robin smiled in amusement and pat the reindeer on his head, utterly unphased by the sight of the ghost.

She just gazed at her best friend, noting that he was gazing at the ghost, calculations no doubt running through his mind.

"Huh, they're actually real? Is there a Devil Fruit that can summon ghosts?" Rosan mused in interest.

That was... interesting. Was this ghost scouting currently?

Maybe someone here really was interesting... Here's to hoping they weren't washed up.

The redhead paused in his musings, as the Thousand Sunny began rumbling ominously and they all jolted, heading out of the ship with urgency to see what happened.

The sight before them stunned them greatly.

Despite not having moved their ship since encountering Brook… an island of all things, was currently looming over them on the outside.

It was surrounded by a huge outer wall that went around the landform, with a gate resembling a giant mouth...

Quite the strange island... Rosan's eyes narrowed slightly at the odd turn of events.

"An island? But we haven't moved from our spot," Franky asked in confusion.

"Yes that's right… the island came to us," Brook informed them with a worried expression. "Tell me, did you all happen to encounter a barrel floating in the sea?"

Judging by the sheepish guilt on their crews face... they had done just that.

"I told you guys it was fishy but nooo we still opened it! What type of reasoning is "Rosan and Luffy aren't here, it can't be that bad!" Are you guys dumb?!" Nami barked in fury.

Rosan raised a brow at hearing what had transpired while he was gone.

"You guys saw a random barrel floating in the sea and opened it?" He asked, sounding perplexed. "What goes through you guys head sometimes? How do you guys say I'm the most chaotic in the crew and then do this?"

Apparently, his crew had encountered a barrel in the sea and actually had the foresight and infinite wisdom… to open it of all things.

"We thought it would have sake in it!" Usopp said sheepishly.

"It seemed like a super idea," Franky shrugged helplessly.

Rosan snorted in visible amusement.

Idiots, all of them. They didn't deserve to protest his decisions, they were just as bad!

Turns out, it was a trap (oh, how shocking) that just alerted this island that there were new victims to capture (what a stupid fucking trap that only worked on stupid people).

Oh and the island? It was a ship too. It was an island and a ship.

...Just another day with the Straw Hats.

Rosan sighed in amusement.

Looks like this was going to be quite the fun trip.

"Thank you again for your hospitality, friends! I do hope we meet again and I'll have my shadow this time!" Brook waved farewell at them.

Without waiting for a response, the musician jumped right off the ship and began running on water of all things.

What a fascinating way to counter the Devil Fruit weakness. Being so light that the water didn't register your weight...

"You're thinking of something, aren't you?" Robin asked with an interested look in her eyes.

Rosan nodded. "I have flight to counteract my weakness... but maybe I can find a way to safely modify how much I weigh to run on water."

Modifying how much he weighed... Rosan couldn't change his mass without it being completely detrimental to how he operated. It would throw him out of balance, change how he moved, etc...

But perhaps he could modify his weight. After all, weight was just how affected by gravity you were...

Could Rosan modify how gravity affected his body? After all... Modification inherently changed the space around him but he needed to have a grasp on it...

Beyond the Pocket Dimension, Rosan was completely unable to actually manipulate the area around him. It was too difficult to grasp and if he couldn't touch it, he couldn't modify it...

So he just needed to touch it... how would he be able to touch his surroundings?

Mod listened to his musings with wide interested eyes. After all, Rosan was the one showing her such new ways to use Modification.

He was the one that made her realize that at the end of the day, all Modifications modified the space around them and now he wanted to not modify the space around them... he wanted to modify the space itself...

Such a thing was insanity but if he managed to do that, Rosan would be almost invincible. The ability to manipulate space...

Was that what Vegapunk intended on doing with her Devil Fruit? Did he glean the core mechanic behind Modification even faster than Rosan had? He was a genius after all so one look at how her fruit operated, should surely give him plenty of ideas...

Robin adored looking into Rosan's mind. 20 years of friendship and she was still caught off guard by some of the things he thought of.

Just look! All Brook had done was run on water and it had Rosan's mind running like this! He took that simple act and expanded it into a theory about manipulating the very space around him.

He had a creativity to his genius that amazed her because Robin didn't believe she were even half as creative. Her genius was far more rigid and practical compared to his flexible and imaginative mind.

That's why they worked so well together. They were both geniuses that helped each other see the other side of the spectrum.

"So I guess we're going right?" Rosan asked his crew, mind still running a mile a minute on his new interests.

"Yup!" Luffy beamed without hesitation.

Everyone else sighed, expecting that response out of him.

Well, they may as well not argue and just stay on their guard.

The scout nodded and summoned 3 birds. "Fly around and give me a general idea… if you can, look for Gecko Moria. I want to see what his deal is."

They chirped in acknowledgment and took off.

"Let's go change, Robin," Rosan muttered, walking off to their room.

"I'd like to bathe as well," she mentioned as she quickly fell in line with him.

"Sanji, prepare food!" Luffy shouted happily.

Nami watched the three in horror. "H-How are you guys not even a little concerned?! WE JUST SAW A GHOST!"

"BE MORE AFRAID!" Usopp sobbed at them.

Rosan glanced back with a lazy smirk. "What's there to be afraid of? I'm not afraid of something that's very quickly going to learn to fear me," he retorted.

"I love a good thrill and my books haven't been very exciting lately, maybe this will be more entertaining," Robin replied with a smile.

"Why're they so cool?!" Usopp thought with tears falling down his face.

They really weren't even a little phased at the thought of ghosts! What was wrong with the two most morbid members of their crew?!

Oh that's right... they were morbid and macabre... damn it all.

"Be prepared for anything," the redhead instructed. "If you want to go ahead, feel free. We'll probably split up regardless."

The duo quickly vanished and the Straw Hats sighed in misery.

"Hey, cheer up!" Franky grinned, flashing the cowardly trio a thumbs up. "This is the perfect time for me to show you all my soldier docking system!"

He mostly worked on that before Red, so there weren't much changes there but working with Red had given Franky a helluva lot more ideas for inventions!

Red made good on his words... if Franky continued at this rate with his help, they'd be making super inventions!

Nami sighed in misery. "Yeah, whatever. Let's just get this over with. I'm already ready for a fight and chaos so whatever."

Hopefully, it wouldn't be as disastrous as every other island they landed on.

Who was she kidding?

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

"What are you thinking of doing?" Robin asked curiously, as Rosan lathered her hair expertly.

It always felt so nice being tended to. Rosan was a fantastic servant!

"Not sure," Rosan admitted. "I've been a bit too greedy lately, so I'm thinking of taking it easy. Whoever controls that ghost, is the only one on my radar for now."

The Devil Child hummed a bit in surprise. She wasn't expecting him to show such little interest. Rosan liked interesting Devil Fruits that he could exploit.

"And Moria?"

The redhead pursed his lips, wiping some water from his eyes with a gentle breeze.

"I'm somewhat interested in him too but if he's really been lazing about here, I don't see the point in recruiting him. He's not young and he's probably past the prime of his life. Besides his Devil Fruit, I don't have much interest in him."

Robin nodded, sighing as that breeze brushed against her and began steadily drying whatever wasn't submerged.

"It seems like they've already begun. Nami, Chopper and Usopp headed out earlier and haven't come back. Everyone else left too," Rosan muttered.

"We should head out as well then," she said, standing up to go grab at her towel.

Robin was getting much better at using her observation on instinct, but when she was fully relaxed, it slipped her mind.

That was the only reason someone managed to sneak up on her.

Robin let out a noise of surprise, as she was abruptly grabbed and pinned against the wall. The woman began struggling at the forceful grip and summoned 3 arms to push against whatever was attacking her.

Rosan's eyes snapped open at that and he gazed at the struggling Robin.

What the hell? What was going on?

The redhead watched, puzzled, as Robin summoned a plethora of arms that began pushing at something.

"Somethings here," Robin gasped, beginning to push and gain headway.

Well, that was until that something licked her.

The Devil Child let out a noise of disgust and Rosan's confusion was replaced by overprotective fury.

The scout surged forward, right as the mysterious creature released Robin and he crashed against nothing.

"Robin, are you alright?" He asked in concern, confusion radiating off of him.

What happened to her?

He applied modification to his eyes and began seeking out heat signatures, seeing something slink out of the room of the slightly ajar door.

Rosan's gaze darkened and fangs began jutting out of his mouth.

"Someone was here and they were just holding onto me. They're fleeing right now," Robin said, disgust roiling off her. "They… licked me."

Rosan's expression transformed into something terrifying.

"They… licked you?" He repeated slowly, anger mounting very very swiftly.

They licked her? Licked Robin? Right in front of him?

They did what to her?!

"Who would dare?" Mod snarled, fury painted on her features as a strong rage began building inside of her.

"WHO THE FUCK DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?! I'LL RIP OUT THEIR FUCKING SPINE!" Ram howled in rage.

The three were fully incensed, eyes boiling with a newfound fury that promised someone was going to pay for even looking at her in the wrong way.

Robin allowed Rosan to hold her and the redhead looked at the slight saliva on the side of her cheek with a thunderous expression.

Oh dear.

"Rosan, be calm," Robin tried, a little unsuccessfully as she saw the redhead's eyes swiftly turn black.

Drawing on the virus already? Robin was flattered that he was so upset on her behalf, but the last thing Robin wanted was for him to draw on Pestilence's abilities.

She wouldn't let him draw on Pestilence's powers on her behalf again. She had learned her lesson.

"I'm fine Rosan... it's just me right now. We'll get back at them but for now, just be calm. Please?" Robin asked soothingly.

Those cruel eyes gazed at her and Robin was reminded that while Rosan was no longer emotionless, that didn't change the fact that he was violent and merciless. He was still very much the same monster he saw himself as, but now he enjoyed what he did.

Finally, they softened into concern for her wellbeing and he nodded his head.

"C'mon, I'll clean you again. I'll clean you again," Rosan repeated, trying his best to stifle his anger and failing miserably.

"Deep clean please… I can't believe someone would lick me," she replied, shuddering at the disgusting act.

That disgust only served to make Rosan even more furious and she watched smoke begin pouring out his mouth.

At least it wasn't his lightning... though that might have been a conscious on his part. Probably didn't want to zap her.

Rosan was this close to razing the entire island to the ground because the sheer audacity displayed by whoever just showed up…

Slaughter was too nice of a word for what Rosan was going to do to this person. He was going to rip them to shreds, he was going to mutilate their body until there was nothing left and he was going to make them regret even thinking of Robin's words.

Furious wasn't enough to explain how he was feeling right now and only the painstaking training he had been doing with Robin, and the desire to clean her immediately, was helping him not completely explode.

To intrude on their bath, grasp his naked girlfriend… and then lick her? Not to mention he did all this while she was naked.

"Now I'm really fucking annoyed," Rosan snarled, gently placing Robin in the bath.

Annoyed... right. She was sure that's what he was.

Robin sighed as he began scrubbing her down with a bit of force and she gently put a hand to his arm.

The redhead blinked before shooting her an apologetic stare and applying far less force.

She let out a small sigh of relief as he wiped her free, even using his flames to heat up the water to a divine level.

"So I suppose there's been a change of plans?" Robin mused, never once turning her Observation off as she soaked the feeling.

She felt the third signature on the ship quickly fleeing and frowned in displeasure.

How unfortunate for that person. Rosan would not rest until he got his hands on them so they were as good as dead.

"Yeah. I was going to take it easy, but it looks like peace is no longer an option. Someone will answer to this and if it's all of them, then so be it," Rosan scowled.

"The person who did this probably has the Suke Suke no Mi. That's a good Devil Fruit to experiment Extract Files on, before you brutally torture him," Mod hummed with a cruel gleam in her eyes.

"To even attempt to sexually assault Mother… Let's give them hell," Ram snarled.

"Of all the things, he licked me?" Robin said, recoiling at just the memory and making Rosan's anger spike again.

"Let's go have a chat with Gecko Moria," Rosan said, eyes glowing in fury.

Someone would be answering to this and if Gecko Moria refused to give him the answer he was looking for, then Rosan would take the answers he wanted.

Whether that be from the assailant or Moria himself. Someone would pay.

The Devil Child sighed as his anger continued spiking.

Getting Rosan's emotions under control was a herculean task and Robin hadn't been having a very easy time with it.

To be honest, he was a mess. Every emotion he felt, was heightened far past what should be normal. The only reason it wasn't so utterly disastrous, was because of her and Mod.

They tried their best to regulate him and it was working out somewhat well, so long as it wasn't anger he was feeling...

And sadness. Rosan seemed to be having nightmares again since he regained his emotions and they left him a mess those nights.

When that happened, they would just hold the panicking redhead and assure him things were alright.

Nights like that were eerily reminiscent to their days as children... Robin herself had a bit of a resurgence of nightmares too after the events of Water 7 and Enies Lobby and Rosan was right there for her.

The two would just hold each other as they let their emotions from the nightmare settle. Sometimes Ram would notice and join them in the real world, other times they'd retreat to the mindscape and cuddle with Mod-chan.

They were offering each other as much support as possible and it was working out especially well for the, so emotional, Rosan who desperately needed it.

It was like he had done a complete 180. Gone was the emotionless and detached redhead, place taken by someone that was overflowing with emotion and desired almost constant contact with the people he loved.

He had turned back into the extrovert Robin knew he was and she was thankful for that because now she could go back to being a tried and true introvert while he took the reigns.

It was hard, but Robin loved every moment of it. She loved watching his expressions shift so drastically, loved how he was able to joke and laugh so easily, loved the brightness of his eyes.

Robin would love Rosan no matter what, but it had felt like she had been breathing with minimal air and only now, was she allowed to breathe freely with something fresh.

It may have been difficult trying to get them under control, but Robin enjoyed every second of it because she saw the joy in everyone's eyes and knew her own was reflecting it.

On occasion, she would see Mod-chan staring at Rosan's face in wonder, and the purple haired woman would begin tearing up with a joyful smile.

It was things like that, that made Robin so happy that she was still with her family.

"Rosan, I'm clean again," she said with a fond smile. "Don't you think we should be going now?"

The redhead grunted, scowl not once leaving his face as he gripped her chin and scrubbed her cheek. "In a minute. I need to deep cleanse you."

Robin sighed in amusement, disgust washed away from the same redhead who was washing her face.

"With how strongly you're reacting, I fear that you won't be able to practice extracting his Devil Fruit," she pointed out.

"I might not. I can barely suppress my murderous tendencies right now. I might let another of the crew beat him into submission because if I get my hands on whoever did this to you, they won't be recognizable," he admitted.

Robin was about to speak up, but she noticed a ghost peering at them through a wall.

Rosan saw where her gaze was headed and let loose a violent snarl.

To Robin's slight surprise, the ghost actually squeaked and ran out of the room.

Wow, he hadn't been kidding...

"Talk about bad first impressions… two people spying on you both bathing? Has no one ever taught them manners?"

"A crew full of perverts… we'll have to teach them a thorough lesson, Father."

Robin felt bad for this crew. Rosan was the last person you wanted to give a bad first impression of.

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

Nami, Chopper and Usopp were having an absolutely terrible time.

They had been trying one of Franky's inventions in the soldier system, the Mini-Merry and had been overjoyed to ride their first ship again.

But in their excitement, they didn't realize that they were now the first ones to enter the horror island that they desperately did not want to enter.

Things did not get better. No in fact, it seemed to get actively worse.

While fearfully walking through Thriller Bark, they had encountered a three headed dog that they quickly realized was Cerberus.

At that point, Nami had made it her mission to become an arsonist because she had begun flinging around enough fire to make Rosan proud.

Needless to say, her terrified escapades had managed to arouse actual breathing zombies.

By this point, Nami was already too far gone in her terror and was indiscriminately attacking whatever was in sight.

The rather comical acting corpses had lunged at her, Chopper and Usopp with speed that belied their... undead status.

Things did not get better. With great power comes great responsibility and Nami was showing exactly why that quote existed.

Clima was throwing out every element Nami had in store to a very effective degree and it was showing that her claims were true, she really was becoming one of the most destructive Straw Hats...

The orange haired navigator was living up to her namesake as sorceress due to the utter mayhem she had caused and with how widespread her attacks were... it seemed like only Rosan was able to cover more ground!

"GET AWAY FROM ME! GET AWAY! GET! AWAY!" Nami shrieked, summoning a massive gust of wind that pushed back the zombies that were already running away from her.

"W-WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS CHICK?!" One of the zombies shouted in horror, trying to get away from the girl who thought they were still trying to attack her.

"I DON'T KNOW BUT SHE'S MAD! GET AWAY FROM HER!" another shouted in terror.

"Maybe we should tell her that they don't want her anymore," Chopper mentioned with a sweatdrop, looking at the untold mayhem Nami had caused in her horror.

Chopper had heard that Nami could summon a hurricane now... but you really had to see her abilities in person to believe a claim like that.

He fully believed it now. He had no clue when Nami got this scary but she was throwing out enough things for him to momentarily forget his fear of zombies.

Usopp steadily dragged her away, even whilst she continued throwing out elements, and said, "No no… this is perfectly fine."

Absalom, still invisible, looked at the other beautiful woman with a slight amount of dread.

He had thought this one was weaker then the other girl he had licked… but perhaps he should switch targets once more…

"HELP ME BIG BRO! PLEASE!" Nami wailed, hoping Rosan would show up eventually to save her.

"WE'RE THE ONES WHO NEED IT!" The zombies screeched.

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

After finally settling down in an area void of zombies (not that they were being followed anymore by them), the cowardly trio were tentatively approached by a man by the name of Hildon.

The strange man had fearfully requested they stop destroying the forest, much to Nami's embarrassment and as a show of hospitality, he was currently escorting them to the mansion to meet Dr. Hogback.

Nami had been about to refuse the offer because she didn't trust a damn soul on this island, but Chopper had been so excited once he heard the famous doctors name, that he had practically bulldozed all their attempts to leave.

She blamed Maro and Rosan for steadily helping Chopper with his confidence because she knew they shouldn't have come here.

They had met the Doctor named Hogback and his assistant, Cindy who seemed to hate plates and... Usopp too.

This meeting went normal enough… they had introduced each other, Chopper had fanboyed, they were away from the zombies and they learned a bit more about the place they were in.

But after their conversation with Hogback, was when everything went wrong.

Nami had deigned to take a shower because despite her distrust, she was still filthy and a little spent from the events that had transpired so she just wanted to relax.

She was also very sure that the doctor was an enemy as well. He was just far too shady and if she were as trigger happy as Rosan was (and less filthy), this whole place would have been burned down…

But for now, she'd play up the trust card and remain ignorant, until an opportunity arose.

Well, that was the plan, up until she was grabbed mid shower and forced against the wall of the bathroom.

"!?" Nami attempted to scream in shock, only to find a large palm covering her mouth.

She heard a low growling noise, before a figure leaned in close to her and said, "Turns out you are weaker than the pretty girl on the ship."

The navigator struggled in his grip and went pale as she felt a hot breath brush against her.

She reached out desperately for the Clima resting on the wall next to her and managed to touch it with just her finger.

"C-Clima, help me!" she requested.

"! Master Nami?!" Her weapon called in surprise. "Someone would dare touch you during bath time?!"

Without any hesitation at all, the staff summoned a giant gale that caught the surprised perpetrator off guard.

Nami gasped and let out a shrill scream, as soon as the man's arm was released from her mouth, that alerted Chopper and Usopp outside.

She grabbed Clima and summoned those red sparks, before slamming it on the ground with a murderous gaze, right as the iron clouds elevated her off of it.

"Slimy. Disgusting. Pervert!" Nami snarled, as the entire bath lit up red with her electricity.

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Absalom seized up as the electricity coursed through his veins, amplified by the water and steam in the room. The man grit his teeth in surprise and let out a roar of pain.

What in the world?! His skin was incredibly tough but this lightning was able to pierce it?

Who the hell was this woman?! You were telling him she was one of the weaker ones?!

Not good, if he stayed here, he'd be in a lot of trouble...

Thinking quickly, the man launched himself towards the window and broke it open with the force of his leap, landing on the floor.

"Nami, are you alright in there?!" Usopp shouted in concern.

"No! We need to get out of here. There was an invisible guy peeping on me!" Nami barked, rushing to throw on some clothes.

"WHAT?!" Chopper shrieked. "What should we do?!"

"Leave! We need to find the crew!" She ordered, bursting out of the bathroom.

"You mentioned an invisible guy?" Usopp asked in concern.

Nami nodded with a disgusted frown. "He grabbed me and forced me against the wall… but I don't think we have to worry about him for long."

Usopp and Chopper spluttered.

"Why do you say that?! He's an invisible guy! INVISIBLE!" Usopp stressed.

"Yeah, why don't we have to worry about him?" Chopper asked in concern.

Everyone froze as a gigantic red explosion happened outside, shaking the very foundations of the building.

It was like a miniature earthquake hit and they all grabbed something to steady themselves.

Nami pointed outside with a grim smile. "Because he mentioned seeing Robin on the ship. If he did anything to her, that he did to me, he's not going to be alive for very long."

Usopp and Chopper paled.

"You mean… the Robin that was bathing with Rosan?" Usopp asked slowly, steadily going more pale.

"The same Rosan who just destroyed Enies Lobby?" Chopper joined.

"Yep that one exactly… let's get out of here because Rosan is about to cause a lot of mayhem," Nami sighed, clutching Clima tightly.

Another explosion rocked the area and they shuddered.

Rosan must have been really pissed off.

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

Absalom balked in fear, as that giant explosion rocked the surrounding area and a dome of red energy showed up for the entirety of Thriller Bark to see.

W-Was that the Red Devil? Was this how the Straw Hats destroyed Enies Lobby?

Was he already planning on destroying Thriller Bark?!

Moria would have his head if he found out Absalom was the reason that the Red Devil was currently on a rampage… but how could he help himself?

By the time he had gotten on the ship, the entire crew had long departed. He had made sure they couldn't escape but they didn't seem keen on getting out anyways…

Then he heard the bath running.

Natural pervert that he was, his curiosity got the best of him and he went to check it out.

It was then he saw the voluptuous figure of Nico Robin in the flesh, cleaning herself off with a towel.

She was even more beautiful than the bounty posters showed. Absalom's jaw had dropped to the floor laying eyes on her.

There was no chance he'd be able to resist. He was so unable to resist, that he failed to account for the very dangerous presence of the Red Devil, until a primal urge (probably from all the animal parts stitched into him) informed him that his life was in grave danger.

He leapt away right before the Red Devil could grasp him and slunk away at admirable speeds…

Absalom didn't realize how much of a mistake that was but that constant chill hovering around him was far too unsettling.

The Red Devil clearly didn't appreciate someone ogling his woman and the lick probably made things even worse…

He'd have to report to Moria about this. The demon was threatening to sink all of Thriller Bark and at this rate, he would and it would be Absalom's fault...

Absalom felt a small shudder crawl down his spine. It was a small, terrible omen of what was to come for him.

But he ignored it, perhaps foolishly so.

After all, you never mess with the Devil's possessions.

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

Perona's blush at seeing the Red Devil's naked body, vanished at the combination of furious heterochromatic eyes, combined with a snarl that showed off way too many sharp teeth.

"Cute… but also so not cute," she shuddered, horror coursing through her body at what she knew was about to transpire on Thriller Bark.

That intimidating gaze of the infamous Red Devil... He was scary.

After hearing that the Straw Hats had arrived to their abode, she had naturally sent out her negative ghosts to scout them out and get everything set up to steal their shadows.

The Straw Hats had all their recorded members as per usual, except for this one pervert with blue hair and a speedo.

She had been inspecting the ship to look for treasure and was pleased to see that they had quite a bit of giant, pepperoni size gold plates that would fetch quite the hefty price...

And then she saw Absalom's errors and wondered why Moria kept the idiot around sometimes.

The dumb little pervert couldn't keep it in his pants for even a second and he had actually put his hands on the Devil of Ohara, Nico Robin!

What was he thinking?! Oh that's right, he wasn't thinking at all and now there was a homicidal redhead on the loose.

Not only was Nico Robin worth 190 million Beris… her boyfriend (the redhead who was in the bath with her)… was worth 310!

Didn't anyone ever tell Absalom anything about redheads?! They were crazy and would steal your soul with a smile on their faces!

That was only 10 million less than Moria and he thought to assault her in front of him? Was he really that lost in his own perverseness? A crew like this would need Moria's express approval before they thought to attack them and he was unconscious!

Absalom had fled but the damage had been done and those furious eyes told Perona everything she needed to know.

The explosion outside solidified it and Perona could only watch in horror, as a dome of red energy encapsulated an area in Thriller Bark.

W-Was he that pissed? No more words? Just immediately going to the destruction part?

The Red Devil and Straw Hat Luffy were monstrous threats, with enough manpower to destroy a Marine Stronghold… it was only a matter of time before all of Thriller Bark sunk.

Not only that, it seemed like the Red Devil was far more trigger happy than the rest of his crew... barring that orange haired girl.

Perona sighed in aggravation.

She didn't like being put on the backfoot. Especially when it was to someone that should be cute but wasn't.

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

Franky whistled in shock. "Wow, did Red fly ahead of us?"

The area they were traversing looked like it had been through a war.

Scorched grounds, burned to a crisp trees, uprooted trees...

It almost looked like Rosan himself got his hands on it. They were traveling through a battle ground right about now!

Luffy shook his head with a huge grin. "Rosan's behind us with Robin! Nami did this," he corrected.

Sanji's eyes bugged. "Nami-san did this?! When did she get so strong?!"

Zoro shrugged. "She summoned a hurricane at Enies Lobby. She's putting her new abilities to good use. Better than being a shameless coward."

Franky nodded with wide eyes. He didn't expect Nami to be throwing out such power. He was impressed by their navigators abilities.

Honestly, he was impressed with all of them! He saw what they were capable of and it let him know that his crew were super reliable.

"Must have been because of this dog we're on," Franky pointed out on his spot atop Cerberus.

The triple headed dog had been nursing some burns after running away from the terrifying Nami, then it ran into Luffy, Franky, Sanji and Zoro.

The lumps on its head, showed how well that meeting went and now the beaten and defeated dog was carrying them across the charred land.

As they traversed, the group encountered an actual zombie and realized the living corpse was probably the reason Nami had went on a rampage.

"What's an old man with severe injuries doing here?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"THAT'S A ZOMBIE, DUMBASS!" They roared.

The rubber boy blinked.

"Zombies?" He repeated, watching as they began rising from their graves.

"THEY'RE MAKING FUN OF US ZOMBIES!"

"WE'LL SHOW EM!"

"SHOW THEM THE TERROR OF ZOMBIES!"

"THEY AREN'T AS SCARY AS THAT OTHER GIRL!"

The 4 raised a brow as the zombies charged them.

"They wanna fight?" They asked simultaneously.

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

"We're very sorry sirs! We won't do it again sirs!" the zombies chanted at once, bruises that were not naturally apart of them, littering their bodies after the hellish beatdown they suffered.

Luffy frowned at the group. "What are you guys doing here? Were you bugging my friends?"

The zombies blinked, before blanching as they realized who they were talking about.

Sanji's gaze narrowed. "So you were messing with Nami-san?!" He asked in fury.

"M-Messing with her?! YOU THINK WE WERE MESSING WITH HER?!" The zombies balked in horror.

"THAT DEMON WAS THE ONE MESSING WITH US!"

Sanji blinked in confusion.

He was... not expecting that.

"S-SHE WAS ACTING ALL SCARED AND TRICKING US! B-BUT THE WHOLE TIME SHE WAS SETTING US ON FIRE, THROWING LIGHTNING, LIFTING US WITH WIND!"

"I WAS SCARED I WAS GONNA DIE AGAIN!"

"SHE WOULDN'T STOP! JUST SCREAMING LIKE A MANIAC AS SHE BLASTED US!"

Luffy laughed at the terror on the zombies. "Nami's pretty scary huh?"

"Where is she?" Sanji asked.

"We can't tell you that," one zombie said.

"Yeah we're built to not tell secrets."

"Just how we were made."

"So you don't know?" Luffy asked curiously.

"They went past us," a zombie replied immediately.

At once all the zombies nodded, forgetting their code and pointing in a direction.

The rubber boy smiled. "Alright guys, let's go get them!"

With that, they boarded the whimpering Cerberus and had it take off again.

Only 10 minutes after continuing their trek, Cerberus stopped in horror, as a massive explosion took place.

"What?!" Zoro grunted in shock, turning around in disbelief. At the sight of the red blast, his brow raised high.

Franky's jaw dropped as he saw the massive dome of red energy that could only be courtesy of one person.

Luffy perked up and glanced curiously at the energy. "Oh? What happened to Rosan?"

"Is Red trying to drown us all?!" Franky balked.

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

Robin and Rosan, both fully dressed, traversed through Thriller Bark at a leisurely pace.

It was good for his temper going at such a pace. Any faster and his blood might get really active.

They were on one of the wavers that Rosan and Angel had worked on to make it compatible with land. He had done this with quite a bit of the wavers, giving them different functions and giving some others to Franky or Maro for their own uses.

He was pretty sure Angel and Franky were trying to make them aerial as well.

He was proud of her for being so innovative. His little sister had found a renewed passion in her craft and was absorbing as much knowledge as possible to improve herself.

For his uses, he modified the wavers that belonged to him, into various different forms of transportation, land or water.

He and Robin were on a waver that he had modified into a pitch black tiger, since she loved calling him that whenever he purred. It utilized the breath dial to move forward and prowled the grounds like it were an actual tiger.

He decided it was time to expand on what his Modified creations looked like. He was a fan of the birds and flies (ever since the first time he used it all the way back at Baterilla), but he was going to expand upon it more because... he was no longer rooted to his past like before. He could now move forward with the knowledge that he was capable of changing.

So long as his family thought he could, then Rosan would believe that too.

...It felt nice to not hate yourself at every passing moment. Rosan wasn't quite pleased with himself yet, but he had passed the point of despising who he was as a person.

Only time would tell if he could ever appreciate himself like others seemed to. Rosan wanted to see the things in himself that everyone else saw...

Rosan wanted to love himself like everyone else loved him because then he would firmly know that they had always been right and he was wrong.

But that was in the future. For now, baby steps... and trying to sate his deep burning anger.

"Weird place," Rosan muttered, inspecting the skeletons that their tiger walked on, with a tilted head.

The duo were currently conversing through their connection so as to avoid being heard.

"I like it. I'm a fan of thrillers and horror," Robin smiled. She was sat in front of the redhead, so that his hands could wrap around her waist and remind him that she were here.

It wasn't a perfect way to calm his anger down but just staring at her seemed to have an effect in making him stave it off.

...She wouldn't mention how ego boosting that was... but it was ego boosting.

The redhead snorted. "I forgot that you're such a weirdo. It's cute how much of a geek you are."

Her smile vanished, replaced by an annoyed expression. "Geek? That's the word you're using now? Why must you make fun of me for my hobbies?"

The redhead smirked insufferably, eyes flashing with information from his birds that had flown ahead of everyone.

"We've been through this. It's up to me to break your character and the easiest way to do that, is by insulting what you're interested in," he replied smugly.

Robin turned and glared at him, before reaching out and yanking his hair harshly.

Rosan hissed at that and snarled at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought your emotions were hiding your kinks," Robin said mockingly, remembering him using those words when he yanked her hair at Alabasta.

"You are so lucky that I don't wanna brawl with you right now," Rosan snarled, eyes glowing as he simply tightened his grip on her to something almost insufferable.

Robin rolled her eyes with a small sigh. "I know you're mad, Rosan —"

"Mad?" Rosan scowled deeply. "Robin, you were naked in the bath and someone forced you against a wall and licked you. Mad doesn't even begin to describe how I feel and my concern for you is the only thing stopping me from going on a rampage. Moria is lucky our crew wanted to explore, because otherwise I'd have already destroyed as much as I could."

"I wholeheartedly agree. For someone to so boldly sexually assault you… Rosan won't be the only one getting his hands on the perpetrator. We're going to make them suffer," Mod growled darkly.

"Slow and painful. They won't know joy again," Ram snarled in blistering rage.

Robin flushed slightly at the 3. They were all so upset on her behalf and… she loved them for that.

Sure, they were utterly psychotic… but she loved them all the same.

"Anyone who puts their hands on you without your consent, will deal with me," Rosan promised with a dark glare.

His prickly attitude lessened, as Robin placed her free hand around his arm once more.

"Thank you, all of you. But be calm. I'm disgusted that someone saw me naked but until we finally get our hands on them, let's think rationally. We're likely on enemy territory after all," Robin muttered to them all.

Mod took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright, you're right."

"I'll try," Ram grumbled.

"…" Rosan said nothing and Robin noted that his fists were clenched tightly.

"He's barely able to even hold it in," Robin noted. She calmly placed a hand on the clenched fist.

"Just keep trying your best, Rosan. I'm proud that you're attempting," she muttered, slowly unclenching the fist for him.

Rosan was a torrent right now. Unstoppable and unrelenting, with no way to stop it but he was trying his best.

She would do her best to… not quite stop it, but healthily control it.

You couldn't stop a tsunami, you could only do damage control.

He nodded tightly and gripped her smaller hand in his own, squeezing tightly.

The lumbering black tiger moved forth with the two atop it at a steady pace and it gave Robin and Rosan an eyeful of the scenery…

Aka the aftereffects of Nami's mayhem earlier.

"Did Nami do this?" Robin mused, looking rather impressed.

Rosan nodded, looking at the scarred field and the uplifted trees. "She's much better at utilizing all her elements at once in comparison to me."

Nami used her elements in alot of tandem with each other, even combining some of the effects with each other.

She used her mastery of weather to utilize the perfect attacks, in comparison to Rosan launching everything like a madman and boosting his physical capabilities with them as well.

They may have both used the same elements and similar attacks, but Nami's knowledge of weather and the elements, made her truly look like a sorceress in comparison to Rosan looking like a force of nature with how overwhelming his offense was.

Nami's use of the elements were actually quite similar to Mod-chan's. Maybe she would enjoy training with his mother and vice versa.

The Devil Child nodded in agreement. Nami was utilizing Rosan's elements incredibly well and she was proud of the cowardly thief for finding something that could help her so well in combat.

Rosan's eyes snapped to attention as he heard noise ahead and he made the tiger slow down a bit, idly preparing to blast whoever it was depending on what they said or did.

Both he and Robin stepped off the tiger and made their way to the noise, guards up the entire time.

As they made it into the clearing, the duo paused as they encountered the people talking.

The battered and bullied zombies perked up once more and gazed at the approaching duo with fearful expressions.

"More of them?!" One zombie muttered in fear.

"We don't wanna deal with this! None of them are weak!" Another shrieked.

"Yeah we're tired of getting beat up!" Yet another agreed.

The zombies were all in agreement and one stood up.

"H-Hey there, your friends went that way!" The zombie rasped, pointing in a direction.

…

The zombies blinked in confusion.

"Uh… hello?" They called slowly.

Robin, for once, did not have a composed expression on her face.

No, the woman was deathly nervous.

Her eyes were wide and she began sweating nervously, as she gazed at the living corpses.

Were those...? Were those zombies?

She thought back to a time when she was still a kid and felt her nervousness only grow.

Now you're probably wondering just why Robin was suddenly so nervous? Even despite claiming she loved horror and thrills?

It was simple!

Robin wasn't afraid of the zombies. Robin had no fear at all for zombies. She actually didn't fear anything dealing with horror...

No, Robin wasn't afraid of them...

The redhead staring at them like the apocalypse started, Portgas D. Rosan, was terrified of zombies.

Yes, that's right. As a child, Rosan had told her all his fears.

Rosan didn't actually fear much things besides being alone. The child laughed in the face of what was conventionally seen as scary...

But he did have two material fears... large lizards... and zombies.

Apparently, as a child, one of the young adults on Baterilla, had foolishly informed the young redhead about what zombies were and how they liked to feast on human flesh and convert them as his idea of a prank.

Needless to say, Rouge had given that young man a firm tongue lashing that no one had assumed she was capable of giving because Portgas D. Rouge was a sweetheart.

Not that day though... as Rosan bawled against her body, she reminded that young man that she was first and foremost a mother and she was very protective of Rosan...

Despite getting her point across and soothing Rosan, his fear of zombies had still begun from there.

All of that was bad but that didn't quite warrant just why was she this anxious.

Well, the reason she was so nervous currently, was rather simple.

Robin was remembering the time she pranked little Rosan and nearly made him trip into a large lizard. The terrified redhead had transformed a stick into a handcannon of all things and leveled the area slightly.

After that, she did not use Rosan's fears against him while she was in the vicinity. Only when she was far away, would she prank him and even then she was wary because a vengeful Rosan pranking her, was a very creative person.

It was easy to avoid… after all, Rosan was only afraid of particularly large lizards, and the best friends sailed the sea most of the time, and zombies... which weren't real.

W-Well, they weren't supposed to be real.

"Oh please no. You've got to be kidding me," Mod moaned in disbelief, as Ram let out an ear splitting shriek.

"GET AWAY! GET AWAY!" Ram shrieked.

"Rosan," Robin hissed, turning towards him immediately and placing a placating hand on his chest. "It's okay! Close your eyes! Please! I'll guide you away!"

The things she could feel with her observation didn't bode well for any living soul in the vicinity barring them.

Rosan was full of disbelief, horror and terror.

...At least they were dealing with zombies?

Kami, Robin hoped she wasn't collateral this time at least.

When Robin had tripped him into the lizard… Rosan had been 5 years old and full of tiny, albeit adorable, fury.

Rosan was not 5 anymore… and he had absolutely no control over his emotions either.

No… Rosan was a 24 year old torrent who could level an island now.

"U-Um maybe you didn't hear us," one of the zombies muttered.

"You're friends, they're that way! W-We can show you!"

The one who said that took a step forward, missing the astonished glare Robin shot him.

"Don't come any closer! What are you doing?!" She shouted in disbelief.

The zombie paused in confusion. "W-Wha? What's the matter with you two?!"

Robin was about to tell Rosan once more to close his eyes, but it was too late.

Ram seeped into Rosan's gloves so quickly, Robin nearly got whiplash.

Oh dear.

The redhead held a single hand over his head and began pouring a lot energy as he soared higher and higher into the sky with Robin in his grasp.

Much to Robin's shock, the ball of energy he was forming was growing much larger than it needed to be growing.

"Rosan, this is overkill!" Robin informed him. "You don't need to do thi —"

"Persecution!" Rosan hissed, eyes set into pinpricks as he summoned the same attack he used against Garp.

Then, he lobbed the enormous ball down.

This was why Robin was so nervous. Because Rosan's destructive capabilities had evolved drastically with age and with how little he could control his anger, it could lead to very bad things happening.

Garp was not here to stop this attack and its effects were shown very, very quickly.

Robin watched with wide eyes, as the ball crashed into the panicking zombies with a deafening noise.

A dome of red energy formed that grew larger and larger, consuming everything in its path.

By the time it settled, Robin shakily looked at the crater that her boyfriend created, before gazing at the huffing Rosan with wide frantic eyes.

"Mod-chan you fucking liar! You and Mom told me zombies were fake! What is the meaning of this?!" Rosan hissed in disbelief, clutching his chest as his beating heart finally settled down.

"T-They aren't real, Rosan! This is someone's Devil Fruit," Mod stammered in disbelief, holding the terrified Ram with wide eyes. "And please watch your language!"

"Watch my fucking language?!" The redhead snarled in disbelief. "I believed you! For years I believed they were fake! How could you do this to me?!"

Robin sweatdropped deeply. The reason Mod-chan had to reassure little Rosan that zombies weren't real... was because Robin had told them they were.

Mod-chan had not been very happy with her after that but she couldn't help it! Rosan was adorable when he was panicking.

Mod spluttered. "Because they aren't real by normal circumstances, Rosan!"

"LIAR! I KNOW WHAT I SAW!"

"I'M NOT LYING! YOU CAN TELL WHEN I'M LYING!"

"EXPLAIN THE ZOMBIES THEN?! ARE YOU SAYING I DIDN'T JUST SEE THEM?!"

"DEVIL FRUIT. A DEVIL. FRUIT. ROSAN!"

"SO THEY'RE REAL?! WHAT IS YOUR KNOWLEDGE EVEN GOOD FOR IF YOU DON'T KNOW THESE THINGS?!"

"OH I'M SORRY. I WASN'T AWARE A ZOMBIE ZOMBIE FRUIT EXISTED. FORGIVE ME!"

"NO! AREN'T DEVIL FRUITS YOUR SIBLINGS?! YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THEM LIAR!"

"Enough, you two!" Robin interrupted with a deep sigh, still gazing at that crater with wide eyes.

Not a single zombie in the area remained from that attack, very likely obliterated from Rosan's assault but Robin doubted that these were the only zombies on the island.

Was she going to have to deal with homicidal terrified Rosan the entire time?

With his unchained emotions too… Robin let out a miserable sigh.

She sure did have her work cut out for her today.

Rosan gazed at Robin and his wild heartbeat finally settled as he floated to the ground.

"I… have a solution," he muttered eventually. "I don't actually think I'll be able to function on this island in a normal manner and I imagine it'll be destroyed in the long run…"

"So you'll go back to the ship?" Robin muttered. "I'll go with you. I'd rather that then explore this place without you."

Rosan shook his head. "I'll take a backseat for now… I'm already too angry to think straight and now I've got these zombies..."

Mod's eyes widened. "You're saying you want me to take over for this mission?"

"Yeah, have at it," Rosan grunted, as he began carrying Robin bridal style. "Find the source of the zombies and deal with them… and find the invisible person too."

Robin's eyes lit up at that. "I have no disagreements with this… but at least stay connected?" she requested.

The redhead scowled. "I don't wanna look at the zombies… but I'll stay connected for you."

"I don't wanna look at them either," Ram moaned in horror. Why was she afraid of zombies?! She wasn't afraid of lizards!

"Meiko is afraid of zombies too... and all things horror. That's probably why," he answered with a grunt, hair shifting to purple, as red bled into his purple eye.

His figure slimmed down as his features softened and the redhead finished his transformation into his Devil Fruit.

"Fine. I'll do it instead," Mod grumbled, waving her head slightly and allowing the purple to fall free.

"My oh my, Mod-chan… how romantic but should you really be trying to steal me from your son?" Robin asked with mirth in her eyes.

The woman blinked, before a blush appeared on her face as she realized she was holding the taller woman in a bridal carry, with Robin's arms wrapped around her neck.

"Don't tease me. You know I get embarrassed easily," Mod said with a flush, gently placing Robin down before transforming her outfit into her signature black dress.

"Father!" Ram squealed happily, tackling the redhead.

Rosan easily caught her with a pleased smile, always content to see his daughter, and got comfortable. "Have at it, Mod-chan. Keep Robin and yourself safe."

"Try and reign in your anger while you're in there," Robin advised.

Mod nodded in determination. "I'm not nearly as gifted in combat as Rosan but I know enough to keep us both safe!" she exclaimed.

"I've seen what you're capable of doing... I think I'd rather fight Rosan. His fighting is far more honest than yours," Robin said truthfully, thinking to Mod's style of fighting and shaking her head.

The woman pouted. "Punching and attacking is much more inefficient compared to firing attacks at a distance... why would I give my opponents a chance to hit me? B-Besides, it's not like I'm incapable of fighting close combat... but that's only if they close the distance on me!" she exclaimed.

"Look at you, immediately jumping to defense after being called out," Rosan simpered. "How does that fighting style work against me when we spar?"

Mod grit her teeth. "Not... well. I haven't been able to beat you in quite a long time."

"Because I have ways to close the distance! Imagine how people who can't close the distance must feel. Boring, Mod-chan."

Why was he so annoying? What did Mod do to deserve being harassed by her son as a daily occurence?

He said the most unhinged things. He had the craziest possession and she (his mother mind you!) was not exempt from it.

Worst, if she protested, he'd bully her and everyone knew and approved of it!

She was still upset that they banned her from something she had no intention of doing in the first place! It was incredibly unnecessary and she was their mother!

"Do you really want us to lift the ban on you dating that bad? Do you have eyes on someone?" Rosan asked in amusement, a slight threat in his voice that didn't bode well for the imaginary person he was thinking of.

"I do not have a crush on anyone, Rosan! That's why this is all the more ridiculous!" Mod scowled.

"But we're just making sure no one takes advantage of you," Robin said gently, holding the woman reassuringly. "You're very innocent. Sometimes you feel like my little sister and I just want to protect you, you know?" she said soothingly.

That did not soothe Mod.

She gained a tick and glared at Robin. "Young lady, I have raised you since you were just 8 years old! I am literally old enough to be your mother and I am!"

"Mother or Grandmother?" Rosan asked in amusement.

"SHUT UP! I'm tired of this conversation!" Mod barked.

Her three menaces just laughed and dropped it, allowing her to take a deep breath to sate her nerves.

First things first... Mod glanced down in dissatisfaction at her footwear.

She didn't like wearing shoes, much preferring to go barefoot and if she was going to be here for the mission, she may as well make herself comfortable…

Oh but this land just wasn't as clean and comfortable as the mindscape.

Robin watched Mod's dilemma with amusement, content to let the woman reach a solution.

Finally the woman nodded to herself and began floating up with a gentle flap of Ragnarok's wings. She delicately removed Rosan's shoes from her feet and banished them into the dimension.

"I shouldn't show these wings just yet so…" Mod mused, withdrawing the wings and instead using wind to help her stay afloat.

"All of that just to not wear shoes. You're ridiculous, Mod-chan," Rosan sighed, running a hand through his hair.

She puffed out her cheek indignantly. "Can I at least be comfortable without you harassing me?!"

"No."

Robin sighed before they began arguing again. "Using the wind to help you float is rather ingenious, Mod-chan."

"Yeah! Lazy people always find shortcuts to make their lives easier!" Ram beamed.

"Alright! What should we do first?" Mod asked with a strained smile, tickmark forming ever so slowly.

Robin tried to hide her smile and cupped her cheek thoughtfully. "Considering the mayhem Rosan and Nami caused, I believe we should gather everyone again and warn them of the invisible person. We've both struck each other so peace talks are likely out the window."

The Devil Fruit nodded. "I'd still prefer it if we didn't immediately come to violence but okay, one of Rosan's birds has located Gecko Moria and the other located a pink haired girl. I suspect the girl might be the one with the ghost fruit."

Robin's smile vanished. "Girl you say? The one spying on us bathing as well? She saw Rosan naked?" She asked slowly.

Mod blinked, before nodding slowly, a nervous expression on her face at Robin's serene aura.

The Devil Child hummed. "I see. Alright, Luffy and the others are up ahead. Let's find them and then look for the rest."

"Wow Auntie, gonna just let Mother walk while you float around?" Ram asked incredulously.

"She's lazy, expending the effort to lift two people is too much for my aging mother," Rosan sneered.

Robin bit her lip to avoid from laughing.

Rosan and Ram took a great joy in bullying Mod-chan. It was especially prominent when she was not there to retaliate.

"Deep breaths," Mod muttered to herself. "Deep… breaths."

In and out. In… and… out.

The woman delicately captured Robin in a breeze and lifted her daughter, before they both began heading towards their crew.

"She's doing it!" Ram beamed.

"Careful Mod-chan, wouldn't want your back to break."

"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP! JUST WAIT UNTIL I'M DONE HERE!" Mod howled, fury painting her features.

"Don't laugh," Robin thought to herself.

"Ouch. Maybe Auntie has anger issues too, Father. She really is like us!"

"I thought there was wisdom in age. I suppose she's just as childish as we are."

Mod shot Robin a deadly glare, as the Devil Child failed to contain her laughter any longer.

Robin cursed those two for breaking her like this. Now she had to hear it from the fed up woman.

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

"Awful news, Master!"

The massive figure blinked slowly, as they awakened from their slumber.

"Nga?! What an awful dream… and now you're telling me there's awful news?" Moria mumbled with a yawn.

"Yes! The Straw Hats Pirates have arrived on Thriller Bark and already, the Red Devil has destroyed a large area along with some zombies!"

That snapped him wide awake and the Warlord shot up.

"The Straw Hat Pirates? The ones who destroyed Enies Lobby?!" Moria asked in surprise.

The Straw Hats… with Straw Hat Luffy, the man worth 350 million and the Red Devil, Rosan, the man worth 310…

Not to mention the other members of the crew… it would be risky but if it worked...

"You say he's already begun destroying Thriller Bark?!" Moria asked in disbelief. "Why is that?! What are his reasons?!"

"Because someone sexually assaulted his woman while she was bathing!"

The Warlord raised a brow high at that and gazed at the furious Perona.

The pink haired girl was glaring harshly at the nervous Absalom, pointing all the blame towards him without any hesitation.

"Absalom here couldn't keep his job to just tying the ships down and made it his mission to piss off the Red Devil by assaulting Nico Robin!" She accused, pointing a finger at the man's lion muzzle.

Moria then turned his gaze towards the pervert, as his minions brought him 4 days worth of food.

"I… was checking to see if anyone was still on the ship so I could prevent them from leaving. Most of their members had already left, but Red Devil and Devil of Ohara were bathing…" Absalom began slowly.

"And this idiot assaulted her without a second thought before fleeing!" Perona ranted with a frustrated expression. "Do you stop to even think?! You didn't see the look on the Red Devil's face but I did! That scary demon's out for blood now and you're his target! I so don't want to be next to you when he eventually finds you because I might get caught in the crossfire!"

The pink haired woman pointed outside. "You heard that explosion right?! You saw that dome, RIGHT?! It was huge! These are the guys who destroyed Enies Lobby and you already infuriated their second most dangerous member! Two of them have bounties close to Moria-sama and you somehow managed to piss off the more trigger happy of the two!"

Moria wolfed down his meal as he listened to them speak but there was a deep frown on his face.

At this rate, if the Red Devil was hellbent on destroying Thriller Bark and Enies Lobby was any indication, they would need to neutralize him quickly.

Not to mention securing a shadow of the Red Devil and Straw Hat Luffy… that just sounded too tempting.

Which would go in Oars? Should it be the Red Devil?

...No, based on what Perona was saying with the dome, his skillset might be incompatible with his most prized creation… but his shadow deserved a good body.

Moria's eyes flashed as an epiphany struck him and he began laughing.

"Kishishishi! I know just what to do!" The shadow man decided.

It wouldn't be easy but if it worked, he'd be unstoppable against this crew.

"Where is the Red Devil currently?" Moria asked curiously, continuing to gorge on his food.

"We don't know."

He blinked.

"You don't know?" He asked slowly.

Perona shook her head in worry. "After the explosion, I sent a ghost to check the area and we saw Nico Robin… but we didn't see the Red Devil. We saw another woman, who we can't identify, floating alongside her."

If the Red Devil was off on his own... that couldn't possibly bare well for them.

Moria frowned at that, before his smile returned. "We'll capture them both and bring in the Red Devil using them then. Their shadows should be incredibly valuable to us!"

Absalom nodded, interested in hearing that there was yet another woman in the Straw Hats. "They should all be heading towards the mansion now."

The shadow man stood up, much to the surprise of Perona and Absalom.

"Moria-sama?" Perona questioned. "Are you actually going to participate?"

"Kishishishi! Of course! Two men worth 300 million apiece… I would be cruel to leave them up to you. Absalom, avoid the Red Devil at all costs if he really wants to kill you and go awaken every zombie on the island."

Absalom saluted and took off to do just that. He was relieved that Moria valued his life enough to make sure he avoided that demon at all costs.

"Perona, keep your ghosts alert and avoid the Red Devil too. I don't need you dying either so make sure he doesn't get his hands on you. Leave him to me," Moria ordered her.

Perona nodded, moved by his thoughtful nature and floated off with a relieved sigh.

Moria pondered the events as he finished off his food.

He was used to having others do things for him, but this was a special case.

Two men worth 300 million… perhaps even he'd struggle against them.

But he didn't need to defeat them right now.

No, he just needed their shadows.

"Kishishishi!" Moria laughed as his plan began to form fully.

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

"Modi!" Luffy cheered, leaping off Cerberus and flying towards the woman with a grin.

Sanji swooned happily and followed suit.

Mod smiled at the two and hugged them both, making hearts appear in the chef's eyes.

"Looking as beautiful as ever, Mod-chan!" Sanji grinned, pleased that she was hugging him.

Mod flushed a bit at that and smiled. "Thank you Sanji. I appreciate it."

Franky, who had been properly told about the woman, formally introduced himself.

"Mod… Rosan's super mother and also a sharer of his body right?" Franky greeted, holding out one of his giant hands.

Mod delicately grabbed it, resisting the urge to recoil at his state of attire.

"It's nice to meet you, Franky. I am Rosan's mother, Devil Fruit and sharer of his body… and because of that, I probably should refrain from hugging you or you'll cease to exist… courtesy of my demonic son," she greeted with a small smile, pointing at his attire.

"Bummer," Franky faux sighed in disappointment.

Red sure was unhinged.

The woman smiled apologetically and nodded in agreement.

"What are you doing out here? Where's Rosan?" Zoro asked curiously, nodding at the woman in respect.

Mod turned towards Zoro and forcefully dragged the embarrassed swordsman into a hug. "Rosan's afraid of zombies so I'll be taking over for the remainder of this trip... or until we deal with the zombie issues," she explained.

Everyone blinked at that, stunned.

"Rosan's… afraid of zombies?" Sanji asked incredulously.

How... that didn't make any sense at all. How was their scout immune to ghosts... but afraid of zombies of all things?

Wasn't that just a little ridiculous?

"Terrified," Robin sighed. "Did you see that explosion? That's because he realized they existed."

They balked, remembering that massive dome well.

"That's why he did that?" Zoro asked in disbelief.

Calling their scout unhinged was a polite way of putting it. That dome was utterly gigantic and his reasoning for using so much energy did not warrant it.

"Shishishi wow, I never knew Rosan was scared of something!" Luffy cackled with joy in his eyes.

"I guess that guy does have fears," Sanji muttered.

Robin shook her head. "Trust me when I say, do not make fun of him. If you have a fear, Rosan will exploit it. If you don't have a fear, he will give you one," she warned.

"Aww look at you warning them, I'm glad you know better," Rosan crooned, absentmindedly rubbing the purring Ram's head as she curled atop him.

The Straw Hats thought about it, before realizing just who their scout was.

Yeah... they just remembered what Rosan did to Nami back at Alabasta. It was in their best interest to not antagonize their scout.

"Let's continue forward. I'm worried for the ones we haven't run into yet," Mod muttered, floating forward to continue their course to the mansion.

Robin frowned. "I didn't want to worry you further… but they've been knocked unconscious by something that I can't feel."

Mother Mod's eyes flashed dangerously at that and the protective woman frowned deeply.

They were already knocked unconscious? That couldn't be good. She needed to get to them immediately.

"Let's make haste then. I'll deal with anything that gets in the way," she assured.

The woman didn't wait for a reply and began floating quickly towards the giant mansion, everyone else picking up their paces too.

As Mod entered the building, she immediately paused at the multiple presences, causing the woman to narrow her eyes.

"Welcome guests!" The multitude of zombies greeted with sinister gleams.

The zombies were all in different shapes, sizes… and bodies! Paintings, rugs, human bodies…

"Kill them all. Now!" Rosan hissed, body lurching in horror as he was forced to look at the decaying skin of some of them.

Whatever else their enemies was about to say, was cut off as Mod apologetically held up a hand.

"I'm sorry," she apologized as the wind began picking up around her. "I'm in a bit of a rush so we'll have to cut the pleasantries short."

The zombies blinked, running through their memories of the bounty posters and coming up blank.

"Who the hell are you?" They asked rudely.

Mod smiled. "Please watch your language when speaking to me."

With that, she struck.

"Cyclone."

As the Straw Hats entered the room, their jaw dropped as they saw a group of zombies being sweeped in by the sight of a violent wind, courtesy of Mod-chan.

"W-WHAT'S HAPPENING TO US?!" The bear rug zombie screeched in horror.

She had one hand held up and was using it to force the army of zombies together, then the woman held up her other hand and conjured odd purple flames.

Finally, she launched the fireball into the tornado she conjured and combined the two.

What followed next, was utter mayhem. The fiery tornado consumed the zombies with no remorse, reducing them into ash as the purple haired woman looked on at her destruction.

Yet Mod made it look impossibly beautiful and neat, using Modification to contain the flaming winds into one area so as to not burn the entire mansion down.

Finally, she canceled the technique and it vanished like it never existed.

Franky's eyes bugged at the technique and he looked at the ruthless, yet kind, woman with shock on his features.

He wasn't expecting that out of her. She was very... no nonsense.

"Mod-chan isn't one for theatrics like Rosan," Robin explained to the stunned crowd, barring Luffy. "She's not a showoff at heart but there's a natural beauty to how she does things. Battles are just something she would rather get over with."

The woman ran a hand through her lustrous purple hair with a small smile, sharp fangs vanishing back into her perfectly straight teeth.

"Rosan and I have opposite fighting styles," she explained, floating forward to inspect the mansion with a contemplative expression. "He loves being up close and hurting people… I'm not quite the same. I would much rather just dispatch of them quickly and efficiently, so I fight at a distance."

Personally, she didn't see how Rosan found it so enjoyable punching someone in the face. Mod derived no pleasure from the sound of bones breaking and since she had so much physical strength, bones would break under her strikes.

"I hate fighting Modi," Luffy complained. "She stops me from moving as soon as the fight starts! She's boring!"

Mod spluttered at that. "B-Boring?! I'm just trying to teach you strategy!"

Zoro sighed in frustration. "I fought her once and never again. She's ruthless and doesn't ever wanna take a hit like Rosan does. I spent the entire match trying to reach her and failed every single time."

Robin nodded sympathetically. "That's her style. Restraint and peppering from a distance. It's far more frustrating to fight than Rosan… because the few times you do hit her, she heals it all back up. With how little you hit her, her regeneration feels far more potent than his."

A ranged distance fighter with almost unlimited regeneration… Rosan really could have been the most annoying person to fight on the planet but opted not to simply because he enjoyed the thrill of battle and punching people in the face.

Mod blushed in embarrassment. This wasn't fair at all! She just had a preferred method of fighting!

"R-Rosan's still stronger than me! I just don't like getting dirty so I act appropriately."

Why did everyone hate the way she fought? They should just fight smarter!

Whenever she fought Rosan, he always found a way to close the distance and once he did that, there was not much she could do against him. They had the exact same physical strength but her son was taller, faster and was incredibly gifted at close combat in a way that confused Mod because everything he could do, she could too...

Mod found it very stressful fighting him. It was like trying to run away from a giant boulder on a downward slope.

Her stress fighting Rosan was likely the same way they found fighting her stressful. He used Modification to get closer and she used it to get further.

"Me treating her like a princess, must have really got to her head," Rosan complained. "Doesn't like walking, fights at a distance, doesn't like getting dirty, completely unaware of how insufferable her fighting style is…"

"One day you need to punch someone in the face, Auntie. It feels really good."

"I'd rather not," she replied with an annoyed smile.

"Pity. You'll never beat the boring allegations like this."

"I wanna call you cool Auntie, but you make it so hard."

Kami, she hated them so much. Since when was she boring?!

Robin hugged her reassuringly. "It's okay Mod-chan… I don't think you're boring."

Mod gratefully returned the hug. "That's why you're my favorite child."

"Lie again."

She dutifully ignored him. "Where are the other three now?" The Devil Fruit asked.

The mansion was rather large. It may take time to completely find them.

Robin pursed her lips and gazed ahead with a confused expression. "They're… underneath us? Being moved to another location it appears. I already speculated but Observation cannot sense zombies."

Mod furrowed her brows. "Beneath us? Underground?" She asked curiously.

The Devil Child nodded. "I suspect there is a secret passage in this building."

The Devil Fruit nodded in return. "Seems as if this castle is a dead end then…"

Mod let out a sigh of aggravation. "...So why have they all run off now?"

While discussing with Robin… Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Franky had taken the liberty to run off to who knows where, leaving just her and her daughter here.

Robin giggled at the look of annoyance on her face. "I can still feel them. Should we get them?"

"I don't understand how Rosan can control Luffy so easily. It's an impossible task," Mod sighed.

When did they even run off? They weren't even talking for long!

"...Let's just go above the mansion. We can verify everyone's location that way," she decided, turning on a dime and floating out of the mansion.

Robin simply smiled and allowed the wind to carry her out…

Only for the both of them to pause at seeing a hoard of zombies outside.

"Oh my," Mod said. "They look stronger than the ones previously encountered."

"Should we escape?" Robin pondered curiously.

Mod was about to agree, until a wave of horror coursed through her body and she shut her eyes at it.

"Run?! Are you crazy?! Kill them all! I don't want even a single stain remaining of these stupid zombie fucks!"

"KILL KILL! I DON'T WANT THEM TO EXIST!"

"Okay! Okay! Please stop emotion blasting me you two! I'm trying to focus here!" Mod whined, ring on her finger transforming to black half gloves that contrasted Rosan's typical full gloves.

Robin sweatdropped at the panicking Rosan and Ram. They were being so ridiculous right now and poor Mod had to deal with it.

The purple haired woman let out a sigh of misery and gazed at the zombies.

Before they could open their mouths Mod summoned an orb of purple energy in the flat of her palm.

Then, she pushed it above her and the orb began spinning while growing larger.

"Discern," Mod said simply.

Purple beams began shooting out of the orb repeatedly, slamming into the stunned zombies with no remorse.

The beams penetrated armor and rotted skin with startling ease and Mod put enough power into the attack that it would be going for quite a while.

But just in case, she tapped the ground with a finger and erected a cage around the zombies, trapping them in there so that none escaped.

"Satisfied?" She asked gently, floating above the castle with Robin so she could properly gauge everything.

"No. They might be alive still."

"Well that's too bad. The zombies are hardly an issue to us! We have more pressing things to worry about," Mod humphed.

"You suck at this. No wonder I'm in control all the time."

"THAT'S BECAUSE THIS IS YOUR BODY!" She scowled.

"You really mustn't let them rile you up so easily, Mod-chan," Robin advised, glancing at the even larger mansion behind the mansion they were already in.

The Devil Fruit blushed. "I-I know… but they know all the right buttons to push!" she whined.

"It's easy. I'm a master at triggering Mod-chan… And Robin too."

"You're the only one," Robin and Mod sighed despondently.

Mod gazed at the landscape with a calculating eye, noticing the bridge that connected both the mansions together.

"Update?" She asked Robin curiously.

Robin pointed a finger in a direction below, where a garden seemed to lie. "Nami, Usopp and Chopper are there. The invisible man is there as well."

She pointed at the bridge. "Franky is right outside of the bridge… Sanji and Zoro have been knocked unconscious… and Luffy is with someone… I believe Gecko Moria."

Mod's eyes widened at that. "What?! So quickly? But how?!" She asked in shock.

Robin frowned. "They might have been caught off guard."

The Devil Fruit bit her lip in contemplation. They currently had 3 birds out right now.

One was on the ship, keeping watch. Another was flying about and mapping out the area for them and the final was watching over Nami, Chopper and Usopp.

They were mostly fine. Nami and Usopp were handling the zombies admirably well with their arsenal and did a fantastic job keeping them at bay.

The more pressing matter, were Sanji and Zoro… Not to mention Luffy…

"Robin can you send your clones to fetch Sanji and Zoro? We're going to Luffy," Mod requested soaring towards where Franky was.

"Right," Robin nodded, summoning Raven and Canary as soon as they landed on the stone bridge.

Canary hugged Mod with a wide smile and snuggled the woman before stepping back and allowing Raven to take her place.

"We'll go get those two and put them in a safe spot. We'll also bring Franky with us too," Canary informed the duo.

"You can rely on me to keep our heads on straight," Raven snorted, walking off and taking lead.

"You? The one who gets angry at every little thing?!" Canary retorted with a raised brow, immediately rushing to meet her head on.

"Better than being a giggly dumbass," Raven retorted with a sneer.

"Say that to my face!"

"You mean our face?!"

Robin sighed at their antics. Hopefully they didn't kill each other before making it to their locations.

"I'll keep Crow with me just in case. I'll tell you where to go."

Mod nodded and they immediately began heading to Luffy's location.

"Be careful," Rosan warned. "If you want me to take control, say the word."

"I'll be fine for now. I won't hesitate to let you take control if things get difficult… but it's been a while since I've done something and… I'm a little insecure after the events of Enies Lobby," Mod admitted, starting straight forward.

Robin couldn't help but flinch. Enies Lobby was behind them… but the wound still felt fresh for her and maybe it was for Mod-chan too.

Rosan put it behind him because he had come to a new revelation and won completely… but Rosan had done it alone, without her or Mod to help him like they usually did…

The redhead reached closure on his own and while the aftereffects were still apparent, he scarcely thought about the stronghold he destroyed.

But Robin and Mod weren't the same.

All Robin could think about was how she made a foolish mistake and nearly cost everything for everyone. How she had foolishly trusted scum to keep their word and could do nothing because control was out of her hands.

Robin single-handedly, nearly killed the entire crew in a way that was far worse than what she had blamed Rosan for doing back with Aokiji.

She was infinitely blessed that her crew was so talented because if even one of them had died, Robin may have never been able to forgive herself.

That wasn't to say that made her feel any better because their injuries... Luffy, Rosan, Zoro and Usopp in particular, looked like they had been so close to death...

And it would have been all her fault for shoving them into that situation.

Bless her boyfriend because he knew she was still suffering from the turmoil of her actions and was trying to help her in anyway he knew how.

Her nightmares were related to that after all and he was doing his best to help her... and she loved him all the more. That's why she had no problem helping him.

As for Mod, she was forced to watch as her two first children got into a fight with each other and nearly both died... and she was unable to do a thing about it.

As overprotective as the Devil Fruit was, it was impossible not to be affected by it.

Mod had to watch Rosan nearly break down, doubt himself, lose his temper and listen to the toxic words of Pestilence.

Those memories were horrific. Everything he had to go through... and the worst was how afraid Rosan had been underneath all that anger.

He was so lost without her or Robin, so he latched onto Pestilence's presence and used them as a distraction so that he didn't lose his mind.

It was awful and she couldn't do a thing about it.

Coupled with the fact that the meeting with Pestilence had been almost completely orchestrated by Rosan alone… Mod was beginning to doubt her usefulness to her son.

Watching over a genius was difficult… they rarely needed it after all and Rosan wasn't done growing.

But Rosan did need it and Mod didn't realize the redhead would always look to her for guidance.

The redhead smiled softly. "Alright Mod-chan, have at it. You don't need to prove anything but I understand."

Mod smiled in determination and headed towards Luffy's direction with haste.

Without any hesitation she modified a hole into the wall and floated through, eyes narrowing immediately at the sight before her.

There, in the room was a caged and unconscious Luffy, a pink haired girl, a stuffed bear with its mouth shut, a rotund man, a strange animalistic human and a massive man that towered over everyone in the room.

"Nami, Usopp and Chopper are inside the bear," Robin supplied helpfully, gauging the appearances with a cool eye.

That animal man… that was the person who had assaulted her.

For now, she'd keep that information to herself. The last thing they needed, was for Rosan to figure this out right at this very moment.

"The bear?" Mod mused, glancing minutely at the stuffed animal that looked quite distressed.

"Oh?" Moria grinned in interest, seeing the two woman floating through the building.

"Gecko Moria," Mod greeted politely.

"Nico Robin… And you are?" The Warlord mused, gazing at the purple haired woman with a hint of confusion.

"That depends on how this conversation ends," she smiled, holding a hand out and shooting a precise laser that parted the cage for the sleeping Luffy. "I'm inclined to believe we're enemies based on everything you've been doing and if that's the case, who I am, won't matter in the long run."

"So cool!" Nami, Chopper and Usopp thought. Was that Mod-chan?! What was she doing here?! Did something happen to Rosan after that explosion?

Moria gazed at the stranger with a relaxed expression.

"Talk? Kishishishi!" The Warlord laughed. "Where is the Red Devil then?! I'd like to talk to him for destroying parts of my ship!"

Mod's gaze never shifted from that mysterious smile.

"I'm sure Rosan will be willing to talk to you as well about one of your crewmates sexually assaulting Robin here as well," she said politely, choosing to play political for now.

Moria's grin never faltered. The Warlord looked totally at ease with the situation, likely due to the fact that he had Luffy caged and unconscious.

"Kishishishi! Is that so?" He asked curiously.

"But of course. We are very protective of our own…" she said firmly, red eyes sharpening a bit.

Moria chuckled, making Mod's eyes narrow a bit further.

"Is something funny about this? Are the words I'm saying funny?" she asked, eyes beginning to glow slightly in warning.

"Not at all! That's a very serious problem," Moria agreed with her, tone still full of amusement. "On behalf of whoever did it, they sincerely apologize!"

Oh so he was playing with her?

Well, she'd make him regret that decision then.

"That won't do. I imagine you're the same with your crew as well? Would you not desire justice if something happened to say... that pink haired girl right there?" Mod asked calmly, pointing a finger at Perona.

Perona shuddered at those kind eyes. Something was a little... unsettling about them and she took a step back in worry.

Were they glowing a bit? Didn't... the Red Devil's eyes glow?

The Warlord nodded easily with a relaxed expression. "Exactly! If something like this happened to my crewmember, I'd be furious... Which is why I can't agree with your request. I know what the Red Devil is capable of and just turning in one of my crew, goes against my values," he explained.

Mod nodded at his response. "Is it one of these men right here? Perhaps the one who began sweating the moment I brought this topic up? Perhaps the one who's eyes suddenly shifted downward? Perhaps the one who's been on high alert since laying eyes on both Robin and I like we're pieces of meat?" she asked in quick succession.

Absalom began sweating as those piercing red orbs gazed directly at him.

"And if it is?" Moria taunted. "Your captain is unconscious and he won't wake up for days… not to mention you don't have a bounty. The Devil of Ohara can only do so much before we utterly overwhelm her!"

"Overwhelm?" Mod asked curiously. "...How curious. You might come to regret not taking me serious."

"...This is the one who touched Robin?" Rosan snarled.

Mod and Robin both hummed in unison.

"I suppose that means peace options are off the table. I really did hope things would have gone smoother but oh well," Mod muttered, purple bleeding into her right eye.

"Speaking as if Rosan isn't here was a mistake, Moria… he's always listening and he will always win when it comes to negotiations," Robin advised.

The Warlord only had a moment to blink, before all hell broke loose.

"Flash."

A thunderclap of lightning resounded throughout the area, blinding all the Thriller Bark pirates so they were completely unable to account for what happened next.

As all of them let out startled noises, Rosan let out a violent snarl, as he temporarily took over and he lunged at Absalom.

The blinded man had no time to react to being tackled to the floor.

"Slimy son of a bitch wants to touch Robin, huh?!" Rosan growled, eyes pulsing madly as he put up a gloved hand. "You thought you could walk in our bath and do whatever the fuck you wanted right?!" he hissed.

The redhead was seething with raw fury, black immediately seeping into his eyes as he gazed at the victim beneath him.

"Fine then. I'm going to touch you."

The plan to capture and torture had completely flown out of his head, in favor of an all consuming rage.

The computer man clenched his gloved fist and fire quickly heated them up to dreadful degrees.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" Rosan hissed venomously.

Then he swung once and effortlessly smashed Absalom's muzzle, burning it at the same time with his blistering flames.

Absalom shrieked in agony but Rosan wasn't done there.

The redhead cocked both fists back and began pounding the man's skull into the pavement below.

"M-MORIA-SAMA H-HELP! A-AGHHH HELP ME PLEASE!" He howled as Rosan punched him over and over again, caving his features and burning them at the same time.

"You didn't just touch Robin. You assaulted her while she was naked," Rosan hissed murderously, swinging over and over again with enough force to smash someone's skull.

Absalom wailed in agony, limbs fruitlessly flying in every direction as the demon above him relentlessly smashed his face.

"She's mine and you licked her?! There was never a chance you were making it out of this alive," the demonic redhead snarled, eyes glowing as bright as the sun.

Absalom screeched and tried to apologize but he couldn't because the abuse had smashed all his teeth. Tears fell from his eyes at the agony he was in but Rosan was utterly merciless.

Rosan snarled. "No one has ever punished you for your terrible actions. You've never had to take accountability... Let me be the first to teach you."

Without any hesitation in his body, Rosan placed a palm on the man's disfigured features and said, "Rejection" right atop Absalom's head.

The combined power of the Reject dial and Rosan's energy was far too much for even the reinforced skin of Absalom.

He let out one last wail of horror, before the attack struck true.

Blood gushed from every direction, as Rosan caved his features in completely, before even the man's face couldn't handle it.

Rosan ignored the matter flying everywhere, ensuring none of it touched him, and stood up with a satisfied glint.

"Fuck. I forgot I was supposed to keep him alive and torture him," he grunted, glancing at what was left of Absalom's face with a scowl.

He really needed to get his anger under control, this was ridiculous —

Rosan seized up before his eyes fluttered and he fell unconscious.

"Rosan?!" Robin called in shock, making sure Chopper, Nami and Usopp were accounted for.

Once that flashbang occured, Robin had swiftly dashed over to the threes location and verified that they were safe, before grabbing Luffy out of his prison...

But in the midst of all that, Rosan had been knocked unconscious? How? What happened?

"Kishishishi!" A laughter echoed through the room.

Moria loomed over them, two shadows in his hand, that looked disturbingly similar to both Rosan and Luffy, with a manic grin.

"To think I'd get two 300 million bounties gifted to me! You used a bright light to blind me, but you only gave me the fuel to rip out your shadow, Red Devil!"

The Warlord's plan was a success! With Straw Hat Luffy… he'd put his shadow in Oars and as for the Red Devil…

Well, Moria had a special plan for that. He wasn't sure why he never thought of this but with the Red Devil's prowess…

"Quickly, bring out special zombie #900! Oar — ABSALOM?!" Moria screeched in disbelief, as the light finally vanished.

Laying there, almost certainly dead, was a member of the Mysterious Four himself, Absalom.

Perona shrieked in horror at the state of his body, terror wafting off of her at the fact that Absalom's head had been reduced to… just thinking about it made her want to throw up.

Nevermind... Perona turned her head and wretched, unable to hold back due to the gruesome sight.

This was what she meant... when she said he had a target on his back. Oh she needed to get out of here before the Red Devil decided to kill the second peeping tom that intruded on his bath.

If he figured out she was the one who controlled the ghosts...

Perona wretched again in fear.

Hogback frowned, unbothered by the state of Absalom's body due to being a surgeon.

What a waste. He spent a lot of time modifying Absalom.

Moria gazed shakily at Absalom's deceased corpse, unable to truly believe that he had died in an instant.

Robin was more concerned about the fact that Rosan and Luffy were currently unconscious, with what looked to be their shadows in Moria's limp grasp.

Was he alright? What happened?

"Rosan is unconscious but I'm still here."

Robin sighed in relief at seeing Rosan's eyes snap open, both irises red.

"Mod-chan, are you okay?" She asked in concern.

"...Just a bit disoriented. Let's regroup for now while I try to awaken Rosan," she muttered, pushing herself up.

The Devil Fruit wasted no time grabbing them all with her wind and flew out of the building, making sure to leave a bird behind to assess the next course of action.

The Thriller Pirates, barring Moria, watched in shock as Rosan woke up instantly from getting his shadow extracted.

That wasn't supposed to be possible! H-How were they already awake?!

"They're getting away, M-Moria-sama!" Perona stammered in fear, watching the group swiftly vanish through the hole that strange purple haired woman (where did she go?!) created.

Moria didn't register her words. He just continued staring at Absalom's corpse with a stunned expression, unable to muster up any thoughts.

Hogback looked at the frozen Moria and the panicking Perona, before sighing.

Moria was in shock right now, currently reliving some trauma that he had buried. How he would react when not in that trauma? Hogback wasn't sure…

But it'd likely deviate from his main plan and that just wouldn't do.

"Moria-sama, Zombie #900," he reminded.

Best to take advantage of him in this state before he regained clarity and committed suicide attempting to fight both the Red Devil and Straw Hat Luffy.

A dazed Moria nodded numbly, allowing Hogback to guide him to the location of Oars.

The looming body of the ancient giant, dwarfed everyone there but Moria didn't take the time to admire it this time.

He mindlessly grasped the shadow of Luffy and unceremoniously jammed it into Oars body.

The effects were immediate.

Perona and Hogback couldn't help but watch in awe as Oars began to awaken with a beastly roar.

The giant stood over 60 meters, an intimidating visage of red skin as he glared down at them.

"MEEEAT!" The Zombie demanded, ripping the chains off of him with no effort.

Still, Moria did not react, he gazed at his most prized zombie with a befuddled gaze.

This was supposed to be a moment of celebration. A Special Zombie, holding the shadow of a man worth 350 million…

With this, he could finally become the Pirate King…

But all he could think about was the corpse of Absalom. All that corpse reminded him of, was Kaido eliminating his crew, back when he was a hotheaded powerhouse of a pirate.

Hogback had the watching zombies go fetch Oars some meat and looked at Moria with a contemplative expression.

This shock went deeper than he initially thought. The death of Absalom, was eliciting a deep seated trauma in the man…

"Moria… what did you intend on doing with the Red Devil's shadow? You still have it," Hogback pointed out slowly.

"Huh? Oh… right," Moria muttered, gazing at the struggling shadow of The Red Devil.

What had he been intending to do with the Shadow?

Ah that's right...

Moria had been intending to use the Red Devil's shadow… to put into his own body instead of a Zombies so that he could acquire his abilities.

He only had one Special Zombie and someone with the Red Devil's capabilities… would be ill suited to just put in any random Zombie…

So Moria had decided that instead of using a Zombie… he'd use himself.

Right… that was the plan.

Hogback and Perona watched with wide eyes as Moria, who had been operating on autopilot, summarily stuffed the shadow of Rosan into his own body, using himself as the "Zombie".

The effects were instantaneous.

"!" Moria hunched over and his eyes began bulging.

The shadow that belonged to him, ripped out of his body and they watched as it steadily began to transform into a shape similar to that of Rosan.

Finally, Moria began screaming. Not from pain… No, the Warlord began screaming in raw unadulterated anger.

"That bastard!" Moria snarled furiously, eyes bulging in fury as he recalled the Red Devil that dared to kill his crewmate.

Just like that bastard Kaido… Moria stood straight as he gazed murderously at the direction they vanished in.

"Do you want us to pursue and bring them back with the Zombies?" Perona asked nervously, taking a step back at Moria's ominous presence.

To their utter shock, the Warlord shook his head.

"No, I'll deal with them," he promised, eyes dark with rage he was finding hard to control.

But he would need to for now.

With barely a thought, his Shadow was fully extracted from his body and he sent it off.

Then, he turned towards the curious Oars.

"Oars, we're gonna get into a fight with some troublemakers who want to stop you from eating meat," Moria said bluntly, clenching a fist tightly.

Oars' eyes widened at that. "WHAT?! THEY WANT TO STOP ME FROM EATING MEAT?!" He bellowed furiously.

Moria nodded without hesitation a violent gleam in his eyes. "That's right. Let's stop them completely."

The giant with Luffy's shadow nodded without any hesitation. "Let's kick their asses!"

Hogback looked nervously at Moria.

He wasn't acting normal. Moria was acting nothing like himself. The lazy man taking initiative, was the last thing he'd do and that was cause for concern.

Moria's personality… had it been overruled by the Red Devil?

But how? How powerful were the Red Devil's emotions? How strong was his will, that they'd overrule the original personality of the user of the Kage Kage no Mi.

"Moria-sama… maybe you should get rid of the Red Devil's shadow?" Perona spoke up, hesitation on her features.

She came to the same conclusion as Hogback. Moria didn't act anything like this ever so it could only be because he had absorbed the shadow of the Red Devil.

Moria gazed at Perona, fury still in his gaze and tilted his head slightly, causing her to flinch back in surprise.

"Why would I do that?" He demanded, gazing at his hands with a hungry expression.

"B-Because you aren't acting like yourself...?" Perona said hesitantly, gazing at the maniacal gleam in her captain's eyes. That rage mixed with mania... it was unnerving.

Moria shook his head furiously.

"I haven't felt like this in years! This motivation, this anger… this knowledge! I feel like a whole new person now! You want me to get rid of this?!" Moria ranted.

Despite his urge to kill the Red Devil… keeping Rosan alive was suddenly very vital to him… because Moria felt like how he felt when he were in his prime.

No… even more than that. Moria felt stronger. This wasn't a feeling he had felt even in his prime...

Rosan was a torrent and that torrent was seeping into his very core!

He had never felt so ALIVE!

The knowledge… the abilities… The Red Devil just handed so much information over to him and it was valuable in a way that he'd never be able to explain.

And he'd show him exactly how much he appreciated that.

Without any hesitation, Moria held out a hand and shot a shadowy laser that connected directly with the bird watching them, instantly destroying the creature.

Perona and Hogback watched the practically new man with wide eyes. There was nothing they could properly say so they said nothing.

Was this… was this just a glimpse of what the Red Devil was like? How strong was he… where he could even overpower a Warlord's personality?!

"Gather the rest of the Zombies, Hogback. We need to recuperate and decide our next course with Absalom's... death. Perona, send out your ghosts to scout the entire area. Find both the woman with purple hair and the Red Devil. Make sure you're well hidden," he instructed.

They gazed at the man, stunned at the rapid shift in emotion.

"I gave you an order."

They both squeaked and saluted, dashing off to follow his commands and get ready.

Moria watched them go, before turning his gaze towards the Oars wolfing down the meat brought to him.

Finally, he walked towards the room where Absalom's body resided and gazed at it.

No shadow… the man was well and truly dead...

In an instant. Moria hadn't even heard him dying. By the time he had been aware of it all, Absalom was gone.

Was he screaming for his help? Was he hoping that Moria saved him.

Moria felt a wave of anger crash into him and try as he might, he couldn't stifle it. Shadows began roiling off the man and he snarled in fury.

How could they... how could they kill him?!

"...How curious. You might come to regret not taking me serious."

...Was it his fault? Now that he looked back at the conversation, Moria could see that the woman's words were laced with warning.

But he had been treating the whole situation so laxly... because of his lack of awareness, the woman's danger had been hidden from him...

And she just disappeared too? Was she capable of swapping positions with the Red Devil?

Moria scowled. The Red Devil's Devil Fruit was some type of Mythical Zoan that granted him various abilities...

He would need to experiment more with his abilities. The Straw Hats were a formidable group so he'd need to prepare for war...

The Warlord sneered and located the shadow of an irrelevant Zombie, before violently ripping it out and bringing it to his position.

He grabbed the shadow and glared at it, before forcefully molding it into a shape that he was satisfied with.

It seized up, before submitting to his will and allowing itself to be changed.

Moria let out a grunt of satisfaction as he gazed at the shadowy scythe in his hands.

A scythe… was this perhaps the main weapon of the Red Devil?