"ROSAN LOOK WHO IT IS!" Luffy beamed.

Rosan had half a mind to slam a fist against Luffy's head but the person he found…

It was a person, in a prisoners outfit along with heavy makeup. He and Luffy were currently hugging fiercely and Rosan tilted his head at that.

There was no one that Luffy should know, that he didn't so that meant he should know this person.

The redhead blinked and took a long look at the man, sorting through his perfect memory at rapid speeds to identify who this was.

He stopped on one particular photo and compared it to the man before him, nodding to himself.

Similar features, same hair color, same facial structure.

This was about a 99% match.

"Mr. 2," He said eventually.

"Ah! You know of me… even despite the fact we've never officially met!" Bon Clay teared up, wiping his eyes.

"Yeah, you're the one with the useful Devil Fruit," Rosan mentioned.

Bon Clay fell at that.

"I-Is that the only reason you remember me?"

"I have photographic memory. That's the only reason I give a slight damn about you," Rosan said bluntly.

Bon Clay curled up in depression at that. "So cruel my friend... so very cruel."

Rosan gazed at the okama and formed a key, before inserting it into his locks and setting the man free.

Saldeath saw the casual action with bugged eyes.

Bon Clay's jaw dropped as Rosan freed him, gazing at the discarded cuffs with wide eyes.

"You'll come with us, right?" Rosan asked in a way that didn't sound like he were asking at all. "You have a valuable fruit. I'll free you from this place and you'll become our ally."

That did not sound like he was giving him much of a choice.

Bon Clay balked at the redhead a bit, before noticing Saldeath being gripped by his tail.

It was then that the former agent remembered that this was the man that gave Crocodile so much trouble and directly contributed to the destruction of Baroque Works.

"U-Understood. I will go with my friends!" Bon Clay exclaimed.

It helped that he genuinely wanted to go with them.

"Another freak to the group," Buggy grumbled quietly.

"What was that?" Rosan asked curiously, making Buggy go pale. Judging by the raised brow, the redhead heard him loud and clear.

"He said another freak to the group," Sabo replied easily.

"I thought I heard that," Rosan nodded. "He isn't wrong I guess. He's the first freak."

Buggy's jaw dropped. "WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY NOSE?!" he squeaked angrily.

"When did I mention your nose?" he muttered in confusion, shaking his head.

"Nevermind. Let's continue," Rosan grunted. "Guide me to level 4," he demanded.

Saldeath nodded shakily as Rosan's tail held him in front of the redhead and he pointed in a direction.

The group of 6 continued through the burning desert terrain, up until they were intercepted once more by a big figure.

The large creature looked like a bipedal cow, with striped pants, a leather belt and no shirt.

In its hands, was a spiked club that it was holding rather threateningly and the dumb looking creature roared at them.

Sabo grunted, pipe sparking as he lunged towards the Minotaur with blazing speeds.

In a matter of moments, he effortlessly parried the wild swing with his pipe, batting the giant weapon away before leaping above the monster.

Clenching the pipe, Sabo slammed his weapon against the Minotaur's head, making it explode in electricity at the same time.

He stared with a firm expression as it fell bad with a pained groan.

The speed at which he had dispatched it, left the ones unaware of his power stunned, none more than Saldeath.

"He took out a Jailed Beast so effortlessly?! Who is this person?!" the guard thought in horror.

He had thought the red devil was the most dangerous one here but was he… was he perhaps wrong?

What a terrifying thought.

Sabo gazed at his superheated metal pipe with a contemplative expression.

Enel used his electricity to effortlessly mold gold into any shape he desired… maybe Sabo could do the same.

It would certainly allow him more flexibility too…

Sabo watched the ground surge and wrap around the unconscious beast, locking it firmly in place.

Rosan barely paid the creature any attention, just making sure it couldn't move in the event that it woke up.

"This way!" Bon Clay announced, pointing towards a direction.

Saldeath felt Rosan's eyes and nodded hastily, satisfying the redhead.

It didn't take the rapidly advancing group very long to make it to an entrance that was practically billowing with smoke and Rosan hummed curiously.

They didn't get intercepted past that beast. That meant they were likely setting up some type of ambush for their group.

Rosan hoped they used all their soldiers. The more enemies, the easier for him.

"They call level 4 the Blazing Hell!" Bon Clay exclaimed. "It's extremely hot, to the point where it even affects the temperature of this floor! If you don't land in a safe place, you'll die!"

Rosan grunted at that and rolled his eyes at the expectant looks, tail wrapping around the three tagalongs, while he grabbed Sabo and Luffy with his arms.

He floated downwards into level 4, feeling the way the temperature spiked further and further but none of it affected the three brothers.

The same could not be said for the others. They felt like they were melting in the heat! Bon Clay and Buggy were panting messes, fearing that just the heat alone would kill them.

Eventually, Rosan reached the floor and gazed at the area.

"So this is why my bug failed," he muttered, temporarily deactivating his resistance to weather.

The heat washed over him instantly but he barely blinked at its effects, just grunting and putting his shields back up.

"We should expect a full assault here," Rosan mentioned. "There was a rebellion stopped on level 2 so now they're setting up for us. If it's not here, then it's level 5."

"He knows so much," they thought in horror, looking at the unbothered redhead with shock.

With someone like this… it was no wonder the Straw Hats were so dangerous…

His knowledge, combined with how dangerous he was, made the redhead a terror...

"Rosan, I'm hungry!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Alright, Luffy."

...Especially with this boy as his captain.

Rosan stopped moving and stomped the ground once.

To the tagalongs utter disbelief, the ground sprouted up and a makeshift house was made around the group.

Then, with a wave of his hand, the redhead summoned a meal from his pocket dimension and placed it in front of his brother.

"Sabo, come with me," Rosan said, snatching 4 drums from the pile, as his tail continued carrying the resigned Saldeath. "We're gonna clear a path and look for the entrance to level 5."

Sabo grabbed three drums and nodded, vanishing in sparks and appearing next to the redhead.

"Let's do it," Sabo agreed, placing a drum in his mouth and following after his brother.

The two rocketed off and at the speeds they were going, it took them no time to run into the guards that were setting up the ambush for them.

"W-What?!" One shouted in horror, fumbling for his gun at the sudden appearance of Rosan and Sabo.

"Quick set up the —AGH!"

The two barely blinked, as they bulldozed the weak guards. They didn't even stop in their stride, just blitzing through them to a merciless degree.

None could stand up to the brothers, just screaming helplessly as they were ran over by lightning, fire and wind.

Wind especially, brought about the most agony as it carried both the heat of level 4 and even some of the liquid from the blood red pool.

Any who tried to mount a resistance, hesitated at the sight of Saldeath being firmly gripped by Rosan and those few seconds gave the redhead ample time to destroy them.

"This is their resistance?" Mod said suspiciously.

This was odd... what was going on?

In no time at all, the duo made it to what looked to be the stairway that led to level 5…

But it was being guarded by some woman and three other beasts.

"Mmm~ It seems Saldeath has mmm been in quite a bind," the woman said.

She was slim and tall with a curvaceous figure and unkempt orange hair. Bangs covered her eyes but didn't seem to hamper her vision at all.

"Sadi!" Saldeath shouted urgently. "None of you can stop these two! You need to get Magellan right now!"

"Magellan?" Rosan mused. That might have been the most dangerous person here…

Sadi put a finger to her lip. "Magellan is mmm occupied at the moment~ Don't you worry, Saldeath mmm our jailer beasts here will deal with these two!"

Saldeath shook his head urgently. "You don't get it! I've seen what they can do! Those jailor beasts aren't protecting any of us from these two—"

BOOM!

Sadi didn't even get time to blink, before a hand gripped around her neck and slammed her violently into the wall. Once it registered, she cried out in pain and gazed at the unhinged Rosan.

"You should have listened to him," Rosan sneered, tightening his grip and watching her struggle in his grasp.

"Raiken!"

Before the jailer beasts could react a huge electric fist rushed out and crashed into them, engulfing the three monsters.

Rosan didn't even look back as he outstretched his free hand and mowed the beasts with a razor sharp laser.

Sadi looked on in shock, watching how effortlessly the duo had dealt with the monsters.

It almost felt like they were annoyed to be doing such a menial task.

"Where does this lead?" Rosan asked Saldeath, aiming that glowing hand directly at Sadi's head.

"Level 5," Saldeath said hastily. "The Freezing Hell! Unlike this floor, it's a giant freezer! Some people freeze to death!"

Rosan nodded his head, removing his hand from the gasping Sadi's head. She helplessly gripped his arms, trying to pry them off but the redhead didn't even register it.

"This one's rather sexy don't you think? Perhaps you should just take her right here and now for yourself. Mmm she's dressed like a dominatrix so maybe you should dominate her."

Everyone in Rosan's body froze at that voice and the redhead snarled, unwittingly tightening his grip around Sadi's neck.

Sadi gasped, grip on his arm going limp and as she faded out, Rosan finally realized he was about to choke her unconscious and lessened his grip.

She coughed as air was permitted to go into her lungs and she fearfully panted, heart slamming against her chest.

"Sadi!" Saldeath shouted in horror.

"Pestilence! What are you doing here?!" Mod barked protectively.

"Me? Just admiring the curves on this one. Did you hear all that moaning she was doing? How could I not get riled up? I'm surprise you haven't done anything yet," Pestilence laughed mockingly. "Don't mind me, little Rose. I'm just here to ensure your little brother doesn't die. You understand right? If you ever need me… just mmm let me in~"

Rosan shuddered in barely restrained fury. Pestilence having his mother's voice would never cease to piss him off. Especially when they opted to do perverse shit like that.

They let out another mocking laugh and disappeared.

"Gonna explain that?" Sabo muttered in shock.

"Yeah. Soon," Rosan replied.

"You mentioned a Magellan. He is the one who runs this place?" Rosan asked them.

Sadi, despite the situation, curled her lips at him.

"That's right and none of you are gonna be able to mmm defeat him~," she crooned.

She immediately felt her panic resurge as Rosan tightened his grip around her throat once more.

"You're in no position to talk smart with me," Rosan muttered lowly. "I already have a hostage. I don't need two."

Sadi shuddered, feeling a spike of terror as the living demon snarled at her.

Rosan grunted, feeling a strange stir in his gut and whirled towards where Luffy was.

Wasting no time, the redhead launched himself over to where he left his brother and as he flew closer and closer, he saw a giant man covered in purple that was very clearly poison…

But that wasn't the worst of it, the worst was the positively drenched Luffy.

His brother was sneezing, with teary eyes and poison dripping off his body, as the Warden stood over him with a calm expression.

"Luffy!" Sabo shouted in horror.

There was pure murder in Rosan's gaze.

He immediately opened his mouth and fired a gigantic fiery orb at the man, causing an explosion to ensue.

Magellan grunted in surprise, undamaged by the explosion and he turned around in time for a giant pulse of electricity to slam into him, sending the man skidding back.

His poison lashed out instinctively, rushing the two before he had to stop himself, at the sight of both Saldeath and Sadi in Rosan's grip.

The Red Devil... to think he managed to capture both Sadi and Saldeath...

What happened to the Jailor Beasts? Surely they weren't dealt with that quickly... Magellan had barely engaged Straw Hat in combat before the redhead showed up.

Who was that blonde? He was not apart of the Straw Hats crew last he checked...

Magellan frowned at the sudden impasse.

"The antidote," Rosan grit out, fangs bared. "Give me the antidote for him right now, in exchange for this one's life," he said, stressing his point by heating up the palm gripping Sadi's neck.

Magellan gazed at the two being held hostage and blew a poisonous breath.

What a tricky situation...

"You think it matters to me what you do to them? Capturing you two is far more important then their lives," Magellan rumbled.

A lie. A truth.

"You must think I'm a reasonable man but that's very far from the truth," Rosan snarled, hand suddenly glowing brighter in warning. "Either you give me the antidote right now, or else I melt this girl from the neck down. Don't fucking test me."

Sadi began squirming in his hold, trying her hardest to not let out a noise but finding it extremely difficult. Her terror at the redhead's actions since he captured her, were growing more and more and she was unable to stop the whimper of pain from escaping.

"Their lives are in your hand," Rosan warned.

Magellan gazed at the redhead, then at the staunch unknown blond… and sighed.

"What are your conditions?" Magellan asked eventually, realizing that he was at the disadvantage.

Sadi tried to protest immediately, only coughing as Rosan fixed her with a furious glare.

"Administer the antidote to get the girl. Afterwards, I will give you the both of them and we can continue being enemies," Rosan said easily.

Magellan blinked at the rather fair deal and frowned. "The antidote can only do so much for him. It won't fully heal him. It's already too late for this boy."

A truth.

Rosan pursed his lips at that and nearly rejected the offer… but he subtly caught the gaze of Bon Clay and watched as the man beckoned for him to accept the offer.

"I know someone who can help him!"

A truth…

"Administer the antidote to get the girl. Do we have a deal?" Rosan asked with a cold expression.

Magellan frowned and then nodded. "We have a deal."

"Good. Administer the antidote to Luffy."

Magellan nodded and began ruffling in his outfit, before pulling out a syringe.

Before he could turn towards the rubber boy, Rosan interrupted.

"Is that the syringe that will cure Luffy of most of your poison?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes," Magellan said without hesitation.

A lie.

Rosan's gaze turned into slits and he transformed Ram into a katana, sliding it effortlessly across Sadi's exposed stomach and drawing a line of blood immediately.

"Magellan was it? I'll give you one more chance before I lose my patience. One more trick out of you and I promise you'll come to regret thinking you could trick me," Rosan hissed violently, pressing the edge of his blade further into her belly.

Sadi shrieked in agony as sparks began surging across her body and her struggles renewed.

Saldeath watched on in horror, beginning to shudder at the merciless redhead.

Magellan went stiff, trying not to let her shrieks disturbing him show on his face. There was no indication in his stance that suggested he was lying. He would know because this wasn't the first time he'd done so…

So how did the Red Devil know?

"The only reason she isn't dead right now, is because of the circumstances. I'm giving you one more chance or else I'm killing every single guard in here and you won't catch me," Rosan warned, ending his sparks and watching as the dominatrix slumped in his grasp.

"...Alright. I give you my word that there will be no more tricks," Magellan said slowly, pocketing his poison and beckoning one of the wary guards over.

Rosan watched as the guard hesitantly pulled the antidote out.

"Is that the antidote that will cure my brother?" he asked again.

"Yes," they both replied warily.

A truth.

"Guard, administer it. Make sure I see every moment of it," Rosan demanded, not willing to let Magellan play any tricks.

The guard jumped at that and glanced over at the Warden, who merely nodded his head.

Rosan watched with razor sharp eyes, watching for any tricks before Luffy was given the antidote.

The redhead grunted and stomped the ground, launching Luffy over to his position.

Magellan's eyes widened at that and he gazed at the redhead in shock.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked with a look of outrage.

"Shut your fucking mouth," Rosan sneered. "A deal is a deal. I'm a man of my word."

With that, he tightened his grip on both Sadi and Saldeath.

Rosan's eyes were narrowed cruelly and he launched them directly into the poisonous man.

Magellan grunted in shock at that, eyes widening in horror as they crashed into his poisonous body… before a giant wall enclosed the group.

"C'mon," Rosan grunted, ignoring the gaping looks shot at him. "You said you know someone that can heal him?"

Bon Clay nodded eagerly, gazing worriedly at the poisoned Luffy resting on Rosan's body.

The redhead effortlessly ignored the poison seeping onto him, only grunting as his body worked on purging the toxins from his system.

"He's said to be hidden somewhere in level 5! His name is Iva! He's the Queen of Kamabakka Queendom! He's the world's greatest drag queen!"

Sabo jolted at that. "That's right! Iva's here!" he gaped in realization.

Bon Clay's jaw dropped. "He is?! You know him?!"

"He's a revolutionary! He should be able to help Luffy," Sabo said urgently.

"Wait, he's a REVOLUTIONARY?!" Bon Clay gaped.

Sabo nodded. "You said he was somewhere in level 5?"

"That's what they say! Hidden away!" Bon Clay exclaimed.

Rosan, at hearing Sabo realize the name, nodded strongly. "Alright, I already cleared the path to level 5. While Magellan recuperates, we'll head straight there and find a cure for Luffy."

The redhead glanced back, honestly surprised that Buggy was still here.

"You didn't run?" he asked.

"You'd kill me if I abandoned Straw Hat," Buggy replied blandly.

Rosan grunted. "Alright. I can respect that."

His tail lashed out and wrapped around Buggy and Bon Clay, before he sprouted his wings and took off at a renewed speed.

The group accelerated through level 4, while Rosan took great joy in incinerating the few stragglers attempting to stop them.

Rosan ignored the insects, making his way to the stairway and descending immediately towards level 5.

The stark drop in temperature, caught Modification off guard slightly and Rosan shivered at how freezing it was.

Modification swiftly recovered and shielded him, along with everyone he applied it to, once more.

"So useful," Sabo said, gazing at the unconscious Luffy in concern.

"How do we find this Iva?" Rosan asked, gazing at them with a frown.

Bon Clay frowned. "We… don't know where he's located but it's a secret location…"

Sabo perked up.

Wait… he remembered something about this… did it have to do with Morley?

She did say she escaped by digging an underground tunnel… and Iva would know about this…

"It might be underground somewhere in here," Sabo stated, frowning slightly.

"No choice but to look… I don't know how long Luffy has but that antidote probably gave us a bit more time," Rosan frowned, gazing at his near comatose brother.

"Are you alright?" Bon Clay couldn't help but ask. "The poison… it's seeping into you as well."

"Don't worry about me," Rosan said harshly. "I'll be fine. Focus on finding out where they could be."

Bon Clay gulped and nodded.

Rosan scowled and trudged forward, intense focus in his eyes as he looked for any discrepancies.

He was here to save his brother… having another one of them die here would defeat the purpose.

It was difficult to choose but he needed to find Luffy help first because… because Rosan couldn't help Luffy but he could help Ace.

So that's what he'd do.

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

Magellan watched as the antidote was administered to both Sadi and Saldeath.

It had taken him longer than he would have liked to break through that wall that had enclosed around him, but that was because he risked poisoning these two even further if he used his melting toxins…

They'd be out of commission, Sadi especially considering some of his poison had dipped into her bloodstream, but it wasn't fatal at the very least and they were curable.

But the Red Devil was nowhere to be seen…

There was no point pursuing them as of yet. They were headed to level 5 and combined with the fact that some floors had communications sabotaged, along with level 5 being too cold for the snails, it would be fruitless trying to find the Red Devil…

Besides, now that it was confirmed who they were looking for…

"We're going to level 6. We are moving up the time of Fire Fists Ace movement to Marineford. They will not disagree."

He had no choice. The Red Devil and that blonde… they were far too formidable and not even Magellan was confident he'd be able to stop them…

If he had Shiryu, perhaps he'd be able to deal with them but as things looked now...

Yes, the World Government could hold that boy for the rest of the duration. Schedule meant nothing if the plan failed.

But for now, he needed to go to the bathroom.

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

Robin gnawed on her lips in concern, looking at Luffy's condition with blatant worry in her eyes.

"Don't worry Robin... if anyone can save him, Iva can," Koala assured. "His Devil Fruit is amazing."

Robin nodded slowly, finding Koala's presence to be a comfort in this.

At the very least, things hadn't gotten terrible until just now. If Luffy was cured, things would have gone exceedingly well for them.

Rosan and Sabo were running through Impel Down with expert ruthlessness.

Robin took a deep breath and idly pulled out the plush of Rosan that she had been given, idly squeezing it to herself.

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

Sabo and Rosan both huffed, blowing out static and fiery air respectively.

Around them, an army of wolves lay in a heap, all personally dealt with by the stressed brothers.

"Where the hell are they?" Rosan snarled, swiftly growing impatient with the whole situation.

"I don't know," Sabo scowled, just as impatient.

Rosan huffed and said, "Fine, I'll just have to bring him to Demon —"

The redhead paused at the sound of footsteps and both he and Sabo turned towards the noise.

It was a man with orange hair on one side and white hair on the other. It was the exact same with his fur coat and he had a cup of wine in his hand, while the other hand was out and flat.

"Inazuma!" Sabo exclaimed with a relieved grin.

"Sabo, it's been a while," Inazuma greeted. "You've been looking for us?"

Sabo nodded. "My brother. He needs Iva's help. He's been poisoned and there's so many different toxins inside him, that there's no proper antidote for him."

Inazuma said nothing for a moment, before nodding. "Very well, follow me. I'll bring you all to the location."

Rosan could have sighed in relief but he just nodded tersely and they immediately began following the man.

They made no noise, as the group was led to a rock and Inazuma guided them through, before leading them to what seemed to be a sewer system.

Rosan's nose crinkled but he merely blocked the scent and they continued their course.

He ignored Sabo and Inazuma catching up with each other and took some deep breaths.

"Pestilence, why are you active?" Rosan asked, knowing they could hear him.

It didn't take long for his longest tormentor to make their presence known.

"You always ask me questions I've already answered, little Rose."

"…"

"You're never any fun when I'm the one talking to you! Why, I think you dislike me with how rude you are!" Pestilence complained.

"Shut your fucking mouth, parasite!" Ram snarled violently.

"Hoh?! Is daddy's little bitch speaking to me? This must be the first time we've spoken to each other! You're as much of a pest as I expected you to be," Pestilence cackled in amusement.

"What did you just call me?! Still fucking mad that my daddy humiliated you I bet? How did it feel thinking you were gonna die? Oh that look of terror in your eyes was just so fucking delicious," Ram growled warningly.

Pestilence's amusement vanished and they snarled.

"Watch your mouth, weapon. How does it feel knowing your the weakest weapon apart of this body? Pathetic and worthless trash. You act like Rosan actually needs a weapon. You are just an accessory to be looked at. No wonder you look like his smoking hot dead girlfriend. If you weren't so annoying, I'd have long tried my hand at fucking you."

Ram's eyes transformed into slits at that and she let out a furious roar, launching herself out of her seat and getting ready to march towards the castle.

"Enough! No Ram! They're just trying to rile you up. Don't fall for their temptations," Mod urged, lunging at Ram and holding her back.

The ring had murder in her eyes, teeth bared as one of her hands transformed into a serrated sword that she was going to use to rake against the stupid bitches neck.

"I'm going to rip that lesser creature in half," Ram promised.

"That's enough."

Every inhabitant stilled at that commanding voice, shrinking back at the smoldering gaze of Rosan. Even Pestilence shut their mouth, recalling their last encounter with a somewhat nervous air.

"I don't need any dissension right now. We'll deal with it after Ace is saved. Pestilence, if you assist me in saving Ace… if you truly help when I need it, I will rid myself of the urge to kill you. As far as I'm concerned, we will fully let bygones be bygones," Rosan promised.

Pestilence's eyes widened at that.

"Are you serious… Rosan?" Mod asked in surprise.

"I'm dead serious. Saving Ace's life is the most important thing to me right now. I won't let anything make me hesitate to do so. Not even my animosity."

"...Alright. I accept that offer. I'm honest so I won't go back on it," Pestilence said warily. "This aligns with my goals as well. I'm awake to save him regardless."

"Good."

Finally Rosan focused on the real world again and noted that they were in an entire new area… and it was full of people.

They were all dressed scantily, man and women alike with either flamboyant accessories or makeup.

"Oh look! It's the scary redhead who's been causing a ruckus!"

"Not to mention the blond boy! The terror twins have been so entertaining to watch when they've let us watch them!"

Rosan's neutral gaze roamed over the entire room, taking in everything while not letting his face betray anything.

He ignored the gushing and eyes on his person, merely shifting Luffy and walking forward.

Noise interrupted him and he gazed up.

Even Rosan paused at the sight before him. He stared at the figured with an almost confused expression before deciding that the poison was affecting him.

The person was more than double his height… with a gigantic head and a head of purple hair, dressed in a scanty leotard…

"Iva!" Sabo greeted with a large grin. "Good to see you're alive and well."

"Would you imagine my surprise, at seeing Sabo-boy running through Impel Down!" Ivankov shouted with a surprised grin on his face.

Sabo nodded with a serious look. "We're here to save our brother, Ace… but before that, can you heal my youngest brother?" he asked beckoning towards the comatose Luffy.

Iva looked at the state of Luffy and the Rosan carrying him.

"Here to save your brothers… I'd be heartless if I said no," Ivankov said truthfully, turning on a heel. "Follow me. I can try to save him."

The group nodded without hesitation and followed after him.

"I'm gonna go eat something," Buggy said tiredly.

He was hot, then cold then he caught a heart attack when Magellan showed up, then he caught another one when Luffy eventually lost…

Buggy was tired.

"Do whatever you want," Rosan grunted.

"What about you, Red-boy?" Iva asked, turning towards Rosan slightly. "That poison is seeping into you as well but you seem fine."

"I'll be fine," Rosan grunted. "This is nothing. Luffy's the one who needs your help, not me."

Luffy shuddered. "I'll… do anything. I can't… die here."

"This will take 10 years off your lifespan, Straw Hat-boy," Ivankov said eventually, beckoning for Rosan to place him on the table.

Rosan hesitated slightly at hearing that but steeled himself at hearing Luffy go, "Okay," without any hesitation.

Ivankov nodded at their resolve and they stepped through a giant door, before making their way to a table.

Rosan's eyes narrowed as he saw the strap table and he instinctively clenched a fist...

"It's okay Rosan. These are allies. They won't hurt Luffy."

Rosan let out a sigh and nodded, allowing Ivankov to wrap Luffy tightly in chains.

"There's no guarantee you'll make it. Your chance of survival is zero but with my help, I can increase it slightly. Whether you live or die, depends completely on your willpower."

"…" Luffy let out a raspy breath and just nodded.

Iva's nails sharpened.

"Very well! Off you go…"

He stabbed him directly in his sides.

"TO THE VALLEY OF DEATH! EMPORIO HEALING HORMONE!"

At the sight of seeing his chained up little brother spit out blood, Rosan saw red.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Luffy howled in agony.

At the sound of hearing his little brother let out a gut wrenching scream, Rosan nearly lost himself to the rage.

Sabo hastily put both hands on his oldest brother, gritting his own teeth at the sounds of Luffy's screams and pushed him out of the room.

"Calm down, Rosan. It's okay. Iva's just trying to help," he said calmly, noticing the hot rage in Rosan's eyes. "He ate the Horu Horu no Mi. It's hormones. He's manipulating Luffy's hormones to give him a better chance at fighting the toxins."

Rosan opened his mouth and slammed it shut as Luffy let out another blood curdling scream.

"How did I let Magellan get past me? I'm best suited to fight him," he snarled, banging his head on the wall hard enough to wound it, draw blood, and crack the structure.

Sabo watched the wound instantly heal and sighed.

"It was a small mistake that you salvaged well, Rosan. We couldn't have had the foresight that Magellan was going to do the same thing we did because they've been on the backfoot the entire time. If anything it's my fault for not having more expert control over my Haki. I feel so many presences that it's hard to pinpoint currently," he explained patiently.

"Hitches happen all the time. Luffy will be fine. Trust him. You remember his dream right?" Sabo asked.

Rosan stopped at that.

"I should be the one asking you that," he muttered, sagging a bit into his younger brother. "You're right…"

The redhead sighed and left a bird in the room with Luffy.

Then he turned towards Ivankov.

"Where is level 6?" he asked the Queen of level 5.5.

Iva raised a brow. "You're going ahead?"

Rosan nodded without hesitation. "Luffy will be fine. You said it's based on willpower and… he has even more than I do. My little brother is stronger than you think," he assured.

"Yeah, Luffy's a stronger person than the both of us," Sabo agreed. "Tell us where level 6 is, we'll handle the rest. Luffy would prefer if we did this too."

"He'll be upset that we went ahead without him… but all he cares about is saving Ace," Rosan grunted, glancing back at the door.

Iva looked at the two brothers, some shock on his features at how insane they were to just ignore their brothers screaming, in favor of achieving their mission.

"I knew you came from someplace crazy, Sabo-boy," he sighed, before telling them of the location.

Rosan listened with pursed lips and nodded. "C'mon Sabo let's go. We should be enough to save him."

Sabo nodded and the two wasted no time rocketing off.

Iva watched them go with a shake of his head.

"Insanity… Sabo seems to have gotten even more unhinged over the years," he muttered.

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

Rosan and Sabo blazed through level 5, heading straight to level 6 with a single-minded focus.

They barely paid attention to anything that got in their way, merely blasting them aside with weak blasts.

As they approached the gate, Rosan effortlessly transformed Ram into a key and inserted her in the slot, opening the cage and meeting a plethora of guards preventing them from traversing downwards on the steps.

Sabo sparked for a split second, before tapping his foot on the edge of the stairs.

Every guard seized up and shuddered, as a wave of electricity covered the entire staircase immediately knocking them unconscious and giving the brothers headway.

"Your control is getting way better," Rosan complimented, dashing downwards.

"Yeah, I can't wait to just sit back and fully practice it," Sabo replied truthfully.

It took them no time at all to enter an entirely new room and Rosan wasted no time walking through the entrance.

He briskly walked past every single cage, ignoring the curious noise of men and women alike.

"Hey there handsome!" A voice called out.

"Are they just giving us free entertainment today?! How about you make it personal for me and step in the cage!"

Rosan didn't even register that he had killed the person who said that. He just automatically held his hand out and blasted them on the spot, continuing his pace down the room.

The silence afterwards was much better.

Level 6, unlike all the other floors, didn't have anything special about it. In fact, it looked the most normal of all the levels, just having prisoners chained to their cages.

So when Rosan reached the end of the room, without catching a single glimpse of his brother, he realized something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

"Ace isn't here," Rosan said with a frown, turning towards the grim Sabo.

"Were we tricked?" Sabo replied. "Could he have been put on a previous floor? Maybe level 4? That's the only one we barely checked."

Rosan grunted and scowled. "That boy didn't lie to me... they must have moved him."

The redhead frowned as he came to realization.

"We're stupid. We should have used the vivre card attached to Luffy. I was in too much of a rush to think about that."

"I left mine back home too... Don't blame yourself… we just need to go to Luffy quickly and figure out where they're keeping him."

"Yeah," Rosan nodded taking a deep breath. "Alright —"

"You're not going to find Ace. He's been handed over to the World Government early."

Rosan froze at that and turned towards the voice.

The person behind the cage was someone he recognized immediately.

They were large and blue, looking similar to a whale shark, with a stocky build that reminded Rosan of sumo wrestlers.

"First Knight of the Sea, Jinbe… What are you doing caged up here?" Rosan asked with a frown. "Aren't you a Warlord?"

Jinbe looked as if he had seen better days, blood leaking from his person as he stared at the duo with a look of some surprise.

"...You're the Red Devil, Rosan right?" Jinbe asked cautiously. "Ace told me all about you and Luffy… to think you actually raided Impel Down…"

They truly were insane. Ace's tales were actually not exaggeration.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

The Warlord sighed. "I protested the idea of this war to the World Government. I was so against it, they locked me in here to make sure I don't do anything rash."

Rosan grunted at that. "You said Ace was moved early?" he asked.

Jinbe nodded. "He was scheduled to be moved tomorrow morning but they sped it up tremendously, likely because they feared you'd actually be able to save him."

Sabo frowned at that. "That makes sense… so that means he's already being brought to Marineford."

"Can we intercept them?" Rosan asked immediately. "I should be faster than a ship, maybe I can burn it down before…"

"But we need to wait for Luffy," Sabo pointed out.

If Luffy woke up and didn't see them. He wouldn't wait for them. He would recklessly charge ahead and get himself killed despite his condition.

Rosan let out a snarl of aggravation. "So that means we have to go to Marineford anyways. Are you fucking kidding —"

The redhead took a deep breath. Impel Down wasn't making it out in one piece by the time he finished venting his frustrations on this place.

"That's fine. That was plan A anyways. It'll be harder but we can get it done."

Sabo nodded with a firm expression. "Whether it's Impel Down or Marineford, we're getting him back. We'll leave as soon as we get Luffy again."

Plan set, the brothers prepared to head back to Luffy's location…

"Wait. Please take me with you," Jinbe requested. "I can be of great help! I've known Ace since he joined the Whitebeard Pirates! We're good friends so please give me the chance to die in this battle."

"…" Rosan stared at him with a blank expression. "The only reason I'm freeing you is because you are Kaori's teacher," he informed him calmly.

Jinbe's eyes widened at that name. "You know Kaori?! You two have met?"

Rosan nodded shortly. "She talks about you in high praise… I have personal grievances with you because you let a scumbag like Arlong roam free…"

The fishman flinched back at that name.

"...But I think you'll be a great asset. And, you told the truth too," he muttered, transforming Ram into a set of keys.

The redhead walked up and unlocked the cage, before approaching Jinbe's chained body.

It took no time at all for Rosan to free the fishman and he watched as Jinbe stood to his full towering height.

"I'd like to firmly apologize for what happened between your pirate crew and Arlong," Jinbe said earnestly.

Rosan rolled his eyes. "I'm not the one you need to apologize to. For me, it was just a minor inconvenience. The one you need to apologize to is my navigator... Arlong made her life hell and I don't appreciate not one bit."

Jinbe bowed. "If given the chance, I'd love to express my sincerest regrets to her. Truly, I never intended for Arlong to forget everything he was taught and retaliate in such a way."

Rosan stared at him. "Just be proud that your student turned out to be so outstanding. She misses you. After all this is over, I'll bring you to her," he said in a way that wasn't a demand.

Jinbe frowned. "But I intend to die in this war."

"Don't be stupid," Rosan replied bluntly. "So long as you become my willing chess piece, everything will be fine. You are too much of an asset to die here," he said assuredly.

Jinbe looked at the redhead with wide eyes and said nothing.

The Red Devil... quite the inspiring figure he could be.

"HEY FREE US TOO!" someone in a cage shouted.

In response to that, Rosan held out a hand and shot an explosion at the person.

"Shut the fuck up, minion. I have no interest in you," Rosan said idly, not even glancing at the smoke.

Jinbe backed away slightly from the ruthless redhead, sweatdropping at his actions.

Perhaps he had judged him too quickly...

"How… is Kaori? It's been a very long time since I've seen her and she had a lot of unclaimed baggage," Jinbe asked, testing his muscles as he nodded gratefully.

"She found her home and I don't think she ever plans on leaving it," Rosan said truthfully. "As for her baggage, I gave her the closure she was looking for."

Jinbe looked puzzled at that. "You...?"

How did he do that?

"Yeah. I'm the one who killed her father."

Sabo couldn't help the groan that left his mouth, holding his head at his brothers antics.

"What?" Rosan and Jinbe said at the same time, for different reasons.

"You're ridiculous, Rosan," Sabo muttered with a shake of his head.

"You… killed her father?" Jinbe asked in disbelief.

Rosan peered at him and nodded. "A very long time ago, when I was 8. We were both slaves and encountered each other in a deadly tournament. In order to guarantee my safety, I had no choice but to kill him," he explained with a faraway look.

Perhaps if Rosan had more empathy in his heart, he would have freed Kenzo and struck the island right then and there... unfortunately, he was far too young and angry to understand the plights of someone else.

All that had mattered to Rosan, was him.

Jinbe said nothing, just digesting the information.

"She's forgiven you?" the fishman asked curiously.

"Well, she tried to kill before but we fought it out and now she doesn't want to kill me anymore. She also loves my student… so yes, I think she's forgiven me enough to not blatantly hate me," Rosan explained.

He didn't think Kaori would ever forget what he had done... but she wasn't letting it shackle her down anymore. The woman wasn't so prideful that she'd avoid him or not ask him questions. She loved Maro too much to hate Rosan.

The fishman mulled that over, before smiling.

"I'm proud of her. She truly has matured."

Rosan nodded. "That she has."

Before the three could progress, the cage to the exit shut off and a gas began seeping into the room.

"Hm?" Rosan mused with a raised brow.

What exactly was happening here? A trap? It seems they anticipated the early arrival of their group and prepared accordingly.

"That's sleep gas," Pestilence informed him.

"It appears we're trapped," Jinbe commented with a frown.

"Trapped?" Rosan scoffed and held out his hand. "This is barely going to slow us down."

"Gust," he intoned, blowing the smoke back with heavy winds. It continuously clashed with the near invisible gas and Rosan's eyes narrowed at the memories it invoked.

He dashed over to the pillar exuding the smoke and tapped it, enclosing it all in a wall and effectively stopping all the gas.

Then, he gazed at the caged wall and extended his hand once more, razing through it with a laser.

"Holy shit who is this guy?" someone muttered in awe.

"I dunno but he's crazy!"

Rosan ignored the awed noises. "We wait for Luffy to recuperate, then we head off to Marineford," he said calmly.

The redhead clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly, taking a deep breath periodically to steady himself —

"Did you say your name was Rosan?" a voice directly to his right, behind cages, asked.

Rosan paused at the polite and deep voice, inclining his head to the right to regard the person speaking to him.

He met a striking gold gaze and paused at the man behind the cage.

"Who the fucks asking?" Rosan asked bluntly.

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

Dalia and Oren heard Raisa before they saw her.

Their sister's breath hitched and her eyes shrunk rapidly.

Then Raisa began breathing heavily. She clutched her chest and shut her eyes, as beads of sweat began rolling down her body.

"Raisa?" Dalia said in worry, leaning close to her sister.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Oren asked, watching as she began curling in to herself.

Oren grabbed his younger sister and pulled her into a deep hug, noting that she was shaking horribly.

Raisa felt like the world around her was crashing, as the worst scenario she had envisioned in all of this, from 25 dreadful years ago, was made true.

"That… that voice…" Raisa shuddered, wanting to cry and scream at the unfairness of it all.

"That voice?" Dalia muttered in concern, watching as Raisa slipped further and further into a panic attack.

"Cutter…" Raisa breathed in distress, watching with unrestrained hatred as Rosan turned to face his father. "That voice belongs to that lying bastard Cutter!"

They jumped at the volume, watching as Raisa was overcome with unbridled rage.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SON!" Raisa roared, scales covering her skin as she leapt out of bed.

"Raisa!" Oren shouted, tackling her to the floor and watching as she fruitlessly struggled.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" she shrieked.

Raisa wouldn't let it happen, Raisa wouldn't let that traitorous piece of shit reconnect with his son.

Raisa would die before she let Rosan and Cutter connect. Everything she had done, every step she had taken… all of it was to keep Rosan away from Cutter.

...And yet here they were, meeting up again.

Despite everything she had done... the worst case scenario had still been reached.

Why... why...

"It's… it's not fair," Raisa sobbed in defeat as all the strength left her body. "Why… why does this have to happen to me?"

"Oh Raisa," Dalia whimpered, hugging her sister tightly. "I know honey… it's fine. Trust me, it's fine… look. Look at Rosan."

Raisa weakly stared at the screen and sniffed at the sheer disinterest in Rosan's gaze.

"Rosan won't give him the time of day… trust us Raisa… Cutter won't hurt you anymore," Oren soothed.

Raisa sniffed and nodded shakily, sagging into Oren's hold as he gently brought her back to the giant bed.

"Please Rosan… I have no place to ask but please… don't give that man the time of day," Raisa begged, shutting her eyes tightly as she saw Rosan staring off with Cutter.

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

"Who are you?" Rosan asked boredly.

It was a man, that much Rosan could make out but he had a beard that covered most of his features.

The man behind the cage looked as if he could have been handsome, but prolonged time in this cage had done its share of damage. His pitch black spiky hair was matted to his head, his beard was unkempt… and his figure suggested he had been here for a long time.

But despite all that, those striking gold eyes of his peered at Rosan, sharp gaze looking at him and making some sort of realization.

"Beautiful," the man said finally, laughing at some joke only he knew about.

"He kind of looks like you," Pestilence remarked. "You have the same features. Same eye shape as well... though your mother also has sharp eyes."

Rosan ignored them.

"Beard makes me look ugly I bet. I've been meaning to shave it," the man commented idly, smiling at him.

"There's a lot of things you could look to change about yourself," Rosan said, staring at the man with those brilliant eyes of his.

"To think..." Cutter thought, gazing into those heterochromatic orbs with blatant interest. "I'll go out on a limb and say you won't free me."

"You're smarter than most of the people in this room," Rosan commented with an unimpressed frown.

"I have no interest in freeing you. You speak polite but you can't hide anything from me. I'm not freeing a loose cannon filled to the brim with hate. Two of me is completely unnecessary," he said bluntly.

Cutter erupted in laughter at that statement for some reason and Rosan tilted his head in confusion.

"Is something funny?" he asked warningly.

"Nothin like that," Cutter replied. "What you said was pretty ironic is all."

The man smirked sardonically. His son could see through him even better than Raisa could. This was their first meeting and he had Cutter figured out to a T.

"I'm useful."

"You're dangerous," Rosan replied immediately.

"Of everyone I've seen in this room so far, you're the one I'm most wary of. Not to mention, you're way too interested in me. I fucking hate that."

Rosan's instincts roared looking at this man and not in a good way. This was someone he wouldn't want to be around for long because it wouldn't end well.

"Kahahaha! Fair enough," Cutter conceded in amusement.

"…" Rosan frowned deeply and his expression turned contemplative. "Are you my father?" he asked suddenly.

Sabo's jaw dropped at that blunt question and he whirled towards his brother with wide eyes.

"That depends. How old are you?" the man asked with a small smile.

Rosan eyed him in some disgust. "I have no words to say to a rapist. Rot in hell Cutter," he sneered.

Cutter snorted at that. "Can't say I don't deserve that. Oh well, I won't cause a fuss about it. I'm just proud that I got to see my son for once and that he's impressive enough to break into Impel Down."

"Save your praise for someone who gives a fuck," Rosan grunted, marching out of the room.

Cutter watched him leave with a curious expression and snorted.

"Kahaha! Just like his mother," the man said with an amused smile.

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

Raisa loved Rosan with all her heart.

Without a shadow of doubt… she would forever love her son because he was everything she was not.

She let out a relieved sob at seeing Rosan's interaction with Cutter.

Her amazing son was able to see through his politeness immediately. To Rosan, Cutter's risks far outweighed his benefits and that was something Raisa had been unable to see.

Forsaking him before the man could get a word out...

Rosan was… Raisa wanted to see him again. Rosan wasn't either of his parents. He was a completely different persons who took the traits he inherited from them and used it to protect his family.

"I… want to see Rosan," Raisa whimpered, curling into herself.

"After he solves his issues, I'm sure he'll visit. You can show how much you missed him, alright?" Oren assured.

"I'm sure he'll want to show you his girlfriend too," Dalia assured with a small smile. "Then you can give him all the hugs and motherly kisses… if Mod lets you."

Raisa dearly hoped Mod did let her… because she wanted to show her son her appreciation.

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

Robin was stunned.

That was Cutter? Rosan's father?

He was dirty and unkempt, likely from being in there for years but to think...

She could see some resemblances, but Rosan was Raisa's child to the end.

To think that the meeting between Rosan and Cutter would be so abrupt!

So Rosan's father was dangerous enough to be put in level 6 of Impel Down... but no one knew anything about him.

She was proud of Rosan for shutting him down so effortlessly... but Robin had to wonder.

Who was Rocks D. Cutter?

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

"That man was your father?" Sabo asked in shock, still reeling from the swift conversation that took place.

"Yeah," Rosan muttered. "Rocks D. Cutter is his name. He raped my birth mother."

The blond scowled at that. "Good thing we didn't free him then. He must be in level 6 for a reason."

"He can stay there. I have no interest in saving him or anyone from level 6."

Raisa was a dumbass, but she was a dumbass who didn't know what she was doing so Rosan held no animosity for her.

But Rosan would never be able to have pity for a rapist and Cutter was the rapist who started this all.

The redhead grunted and shook his head. No point dwelling on it.

"What happened to Straw Hat?" Jinbe asked in some concern.

"He was poisoned by Magellan," Rosan retorted with a scowl. "He's currently going through some type of procedure. We're gonna wait for him to recover before striking."

Jinbe nodded before pausing. "In Impel Down? Is there a location like that where we can avoid being detected?"

The redhead nodded and pursed his lips as the freezing temperatures of Level 5 made themselves known.

Naturally he was unaffected.

"I don't know how well the cameras are working right now but I know level 5 has the least amount of people watching… so I can do this," he muttered, grabbing both Jinbe and Sabo, before vanishing.

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

"You're back… with an extra person," Iva said slowly, eyes furrowed in surprise at that strange move Rosan had just done.

A quick glance at his palms showed that he did not have Kuma's Devil Fruit… so what was that ability to teleport?

"An ally that will help us. Things have changed," Rosan frowned. "Ace was already taken… we were too slow."

Iva's eyes widened. "He wasn't supposed to be escorted for at least another day! It's rare for the World Government to abruptly change their schedules!"

It was a show of subtle power by them. They rarely ever changed their scheduling so that it would appear that everything was going to plan...

That's what it always was with the World Government. That's why they were publicly executing Ace!

"They did it because of Sabo and I," Rosan grunted with a scowl. "We were making too much headway. If they didn't we would have freed him."

Iva frowned and mulled that over. "What will you do now? Straw Hats treatment will take another 3 days and Ace will be executed in two! By the time he wakes up, it will all be over."

Rosan and Sabo both frowned at that and glanced at each other.

Despite being linked, the two didn't need to utilize it to have the quick conversation they just did.

"Luffy will wake up in time," Rosan said eventually.

Sabo nodded. "It's best if we're here to shield him when he does. He's gonna do something really stupid otherwise."

Ivankov looked at the brothers in disbelief. "Did you just hear what I said? His treatment will take 3 more days!"

"I'll give it one at max," Rosan said calmly, taking a seat directly against the door Luffy was behind.

"He'll be awake," Sabo said assuredly, following in his brothers footsteps.

The two shut their eyes and began breathing evenly.

"How can they be so calm?" Jinbe muttered under his breath.

One of their brothers was screaming behind the door… the other was scheduled to be executed…

So why were they so calm?

"If I'm not calm, Rosan will lose it," Sabo said, somehow managing to hear that.

"He's right… and on that note," Rosan muttered, tapping Sabo. He idly made the area around them more comfortable and let loose a deep breath.

The brothers swiftly fell unconscious, leaning against the door with steady expressions.

Iva gazed at the brothers and simply shook his head, before turning towards Jinbe.

"What is a Warlord doing in Impel Down?" the okama asked curiously.

Jinbe sighed. "It's quite the story."

Ivankov nodded. "We have plenty of time. I'd like to learn more about the outside world as well."

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

Rosan and Sabo entered the mindscape, getting immediately swamped by Mod and Ram.

They captured both in a hug and Rosan let out a rattling sigh.

"To think that you would run into your father…" Mod said, clear disturbance on her features.

Both his parents in such a short time… what a wild turn of events.

Mod hated both of them dearly. Cutter was a vile human being that deserved everything he got.

Hate Raisa she may, Mod wouldn't wish what happened to her on anyone. Mod hated Raisa because of her actions... but those actions were directly caused by what happened to her.

She would hate to have that spread around the world.

"Don't worry Mod-chan," Rosan soothed. "You're the only father that I will ever acknowledge."

Mod turned beet red at that and whined against his chest, squeezing him tightly.

"Auntie would make a hot dude," Ram said truthfully, frowning at something. "Father. Do we really need that stupid little viruses help? They're just a parasite, latching onto whatever they can to survive."

Rosan sighed. "Pestilence offers a skillset that's different then what you and Mod-chan offer… if a situation arises where I need their assistance to turn the tide, it's better to be on amicable terms. Since we'll be in the middle of a war... they will be incredibly useful if it calls for it."

"That's so mature of you! I'm so proud, little Rose!"

Everyone paused at that, turning towards the voice with varying expressions, none positive.

Pestilence smiled at them coyly, nowhere near their castle and bowed to the group.

It was a surprise to see them so far. The virus, even with the doors to the castle unlocked, never left it. This was their first time since the confrontation that they were seeing them again.

"Since we made a deal, I figure we could solidify it with a handshake," they grinned, still in that skin tight black dress of theirs. They seemed far too proud to show off the figure that they stole.

Rosan resisted the urge to run them through and instead closed the distance between himself and Pestilence.

He saw the small tremor shoot through their body, as he gazed down at them from their despairing height but the redhead merely held out a hand.

"Don't think that this means I'll spare you if you end up trying to destroy me in the future. I'll just forget all you've done in the past," Rosan said truthfully.

Pestilence masterfully hid their surprise at his compliance, but Rosan still saw it.

Eventually, the virus smiled coyly once more and grabbed his hand…

Before forcing him into a crouching position, giving Pestilence enough time to steal a heavy kiss.

The virus let out a delighted noise as they shoved their tongue into his mouth and it snapped Rosan out of his shock.

Rosan's eyes widened and he reeled back in disgust, while Pestilence licked their lips in delight.

"Delicious," they sighed in delight. "Sealing things with a handshake feels much less serious than sealing it with a kiss. Don't you think~?"

"Well? How was it? I'm pretty damn good aren't I? You taste just incredible," Pestilence cooed, fluttering their eyes at him with a coy smile.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL THAT SHITTY LITTLE PARASITE!" Ram howled, leaping at Pestilence with murder in her eyes.

Mod leapt up and snatched the ring out of midair, dragging her back with a firm frown and glaring daggers at Pestilence.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rosan said warningly, eyes flooding with hot rage.

"Kahahaha!" Pestilence cackled, flicking their hair and turning on a heel. "If you ever get tired of that boring archaeologist, I'll make your life more exciting, little Rose. I know a thing or two," they cooed.

The virus froze as Rosan appeared in front of them, a glower on his features. His impossibly strong grip snatched their arm and lifted Pestilence clean out of the air.

They struggled a bit but stilled as they were forced to hold Rosan's gaze.

"Don't you ever do that again and keep Robin's name out of your fucking mouth," Rosan hissed. "Don't think that because we have an armistice, that you can do whatever you want. Don't you even think about doing that again, especially with my mother's face."

Pestilence stared directly into his eyes, their black sclera making those red eyes all the more pronounced.

"Of course. I'll try not to overstep my boundaries again," Pestilence smiled gently, looking almost exactly like his mother in that instance.

Rosan said nothing and dropped them.

Pestilence pat their dress demurely and waved at the group.

"It was fun seeing you guys, let's catch up again over tea. I have the most amazing stories to tell about Mod-chan and I's past," the virus waved.

Mod flinched at that. "Pestilence. Leave," she warned.

Pestilence merely grinned, before focusing on the furious Ram.

They leered at the ring and Ram unconsciously covered herself at those predatory eyes.

"I especially hope we can get along more, Meiko. I could stare at you all day long~."

"Oops! I meant, Ram! Sorry, that castle sure does block a lot of things."

Before Rosan could punch their head off, Pestilence waved and vanished.

"What the hell just happened?" Sabo asked in shock, taking in the entire event with a confused and stunned expression.

Rosan sighed and grabbed the stricken Ram, pulling her into a deep hug.

"That's the virus," he explained, telling Sabo of everything involving them.

Sabo pursed his lips and leaned into his seat at that.

"You sure it's smart to do this?" he asked in concern.

"No," Rosan confessed, rubbing Ram's hair and getting her to stop shuddering. "But I will do anything to save Ace. I've failed him once… I don't want to fail him again."

Sabo's eyes softened at that and he placed a hand on both Rosan and Ram.

"It's alright. We'll get him back. You won't have to use that viruses ability if I have anything to say about it and if you do, I'll be there to stop you from doing anything reckless," he assured.

Rosan let loose a sigh. "I hope so… the virus does bad things to me. Amplifies all my traits… in the heat of war I don't know what it will do to me."

He had been under a lot of stress at Water 7… but he hadn't been under any type of violence.

At Marineford it would be all the more different.

He'd need to avoid it until he had no choice…

"Father… could you stay here for a bit? I'm sorry but…" Ram mumbled with an uncharacteristically reserved expression.

"It's okay Ram. I'll be here for you," Rosan assured, dragging her over to the comfy couch.

"T-Thank you," Ram whispered, clutching the redhead slightly.

Mod frowned sadly. It appeared that Pestilence was able to get under Ram's skin like no one else was… the virus knew about Ram's insecurities about looking like Meiko and targeted them with ruthlessness that no one else who knew of Ram was capable of doing.

Not to mention those perverted glances at her person... Ram wasn't used to being looked at as a woman. She was used to being feared as Rosan's weapon.

This whole situation was one big disaster waiting to happen… so Mod would need to be on the lookout for it.

After coming to her realizations, she realized that Pestilence was a very real threat and it was Mod who had been negligent with them… so it would be her that would deal with them.

...Even if Pestilence seemed to be completely ignoring her presence now.

"Do you think they will accelerate Ace's execution?" Mod asked, taking a seat next to Rosan and leaning into him.

He absentmindedly tucked her in deeper with his free hand, while his other hand rubbed Ram's hair as it rested on his lap.

"No," Sabo said confidently. "The World Government wants the world to witness not only them executing Ace, but the complete crushing of the Whitebeard Pirates."

Rosan nodded. "This is for them to send a message. If they succeed here…"

"They'll have crushed the moral of most pirates," Mod muttered in realization.

"It'll be the end of the Great Age of Pirates if they succeed," Rosan frowned. "And they plan on using Gol D. Roger's son to do it."

Sabo's eyes widened. "Is that why? Do you think the World Government knows?"

"I'm almost certain they do," Rosan grunted. "That's the only reason they chose Ace of all people. They could have done it with anyone… but they picked him. I bet they're gonna reveal his heritage too."

"So even after we save him, the target on his back will become massive. Many people have problem with Roger," Mod mused.

"We'll deal with them as they come. Ace will have nothing to worry about," Rosan grunted, shutting his eyes. "We should rest some. Luffy would be pissed if we sacrificed our wellbeing for him."

Sabo laughed. "We're resting on a pretty hard wall out there. We might not get anything good anyways."

"I already handled it. We're actually on a pretty comfy couch now."

The blond looked at his brother in disbelief.

"You are ridiculous, Rosan."

The redhead smiled slightly and dragged the yelping Mod down with him.

Ram merely mumbled something and climbed his body, instinctively finding the crook of his neck like a homing missile.

"I'm picking a room," Sabo waved, getting up and walking off.

"Sure. Goodnight Sabo."

"I never mentioned wanting to sleep," Mod grumbled, tucking into Rosan's right.

"You can leave then. There's plenty of rooms available."

"...I don't wanna," Mod mumbled in embarrassment, hiding her face.

Rosan snorted loudly. "I swear you just complain to complain Mod-chan. You're such a tsundere."

The redhead hissed, as sharp fangs bit into his neck and he glared at the vindictive Mod with a wild gleam.

Before he could launch himself at her, Ram let out a happy sigh and burrowed deeper into him.

"Love you dad," she mumbled unconsciously.

Rosan froze completely at that and Mod's heart melted, at seeing the flush of happiness that covered his cheek.

He completely forgot his anger at Mod and kissed Ram on the forehead, soft expression on his face.

"Love you too, girl," he muttered. "My hearts been sufficiently melted so I won't kill you, Mod-chan. Goodnight."

Mod giggled. "Love you, son," she added.

Much to her delight, his cheeks darkened once more and he kissed her on the cheek.

"Love you too, mom."

Mod squealed in delight and Rosan rolled his eyes, shutting them to get some rest.

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

20 hours. That's how long it took for Luffy's screaming to eventually stop.

Iva shook his head in disappointment, as Sabo and Rosan woke up in that moment.

"Looks like its done," Rosan frowned, looking at all the blood seeping out of the room.

"Unfortunately… it's only been 20 hours… and the treatment was meant to take 3 days," Iva said with a sigh. "He fought valiantly but he couldn't survive the entire thing."

"What are you talking about, Iva?" Sabo raised a brow.

"Dead? Luffy isn't dead," Rosan laughed. "He's just really hungry, so get him a lot of food."

No sooner did he finish that, a pounding hit the door that left the onlookers stunned.

The first hit dented the door completely. Sabo and Rosan had long gotten out of the way with knowing smiles as the door was repeatedly hit until it was broken off its hinges.

"FOOOD!" Luffy shouted eagerly through the door, unable to move from his spot.

"What?!" Iva shouted in shock. "HE'S ALIVE?!"

"Didn't I say he'd be?" Rosan asked, gazing at his brother with furrowed brows. "Bring him food. He can't move without it."

Iva nodded, still dazed by the turn of events that had taken place and ordered the okama to bring anything edible towards Luffy.

As Luffy ate all the food being offered to him, Rosan diligently chewed one of the ones he had stolen, plans running through his head constantly on the best course of action.

"Luffy doesn't look too good," Rosan grunted with a frown.

"Maybe we should leave him out… I doubt he can even move properly," Sabo frowned as well.

Rosan agreed with that sentiment. Luffy was practically useless right now. There would be no point in bringing him.

"I'M GOING!" Luffy protested to his brothers, shuffling down more and more food. "I CAN FIGHT! I'M GONNA SAVE ACE!"

Rosan and Sabo watched Luffy attempt to take a step towards them, only to abruptly collapse on the floor.

The redhead sighed. "You're done for Luffy. You won't be useful like this," Rosan said bluntly. "Just… rest and regain your strength. You nearly died you know?"

It would be hypocritical of Rosan, if he allowed Luffy to continue moving in this state, while denying Robin and Maro the chance to help.

Luffy was deadweight. His brother had exhausted his reserves.

"No. I'm going!" Luffy said in determination, pushing himself up to the best of his abilities and failing. He collapsed to the floor again but didn't allow that to deter him at all, just pushing himself up slowly... and failing again.

Rosan's eyes narrowed. "Don't be stubborn, Luffy. I'd be a fool to let you go. I need to focus on saving Ace, not keeping you alive. The point of this is that we all need to make it out alive," he stressed.

"You don't have to focus on me!" Luffy growled. "I'll be fine, Rosan."

Rosan's annoyance deepened. "Fine?! You call this fine?!" he asked incredulously.

The redhead nudged the struggling Luffy with his foot and watched as his brother immediately collapsed onto the floor.

"How do you expect to be able to do anything like this, Luffy?" Rosan scowled. "Saving Ace is incredibly important to all of us… but do you think Ace will be happy if you die instead of him? Do you think any of us will accept that trade?"

"I WON'T DIE!" Luffy barked in fury.

"Yes you will! You're not strong enough!" Rosan shouted in frustration.

"Guys," Sabo intercepted the argument before it could get worse. "Now's not the time. We need to prepare to leave."

Sabo looked at Luffy with a kind expression. "Lu, if you can move and defend yourself by the time we arrive at Marineford, Rosan and I won't have a problem with you fighting… but right now you're in no condition to move. Whether you like it or not, we're going to leave you behind if it comes down to it. You'll be mad, but we're your older brothers for a reason. We'll weather all the anger in the world if it means keeping you safe," he explained slowly.

Luffy frowned, ready to protest immediately…

Only for Iva to stab his nails into the rubber boys side.

Rosan's eyes went razor sharp but before he could commit murder on the okama, Luffy somehow shot up with renewed energy, no signs of the.

"Emporio Energy Hormone," Iva said. "It will allow him to ignore his fatigue for the entire day. The aftereffects will be intense, but the war should be over by then."

"I'll keep watch of him," Jinbe interjected. "No harm will befall Straw Hat if I can help it. I will be his shield."

"…" Rosan frowned and then sighed.

"Demon's gonna kill me," he muttered, before conceding. "Alright. Fine. But the moment things get bad for you Luffy, I don't care what you say. I'm taking you out of the fight."

"They won't get bad," Luffy said confidently. "Iva are you coming with us?!"

Ivankov blinked at the question and shook his head with an amused smile. "Right now, if I escape, I'll just be a criminal. When my and Sabo's comrade, Dragon decides to take the reigns and mobilize his forces, I'll escape."

Luffy tilted his head. "Oh my dad."

"Yes your dad," Iva nodded.

...

Ivankov's eyes bugged out of his head. "YOUR DAD?!"

Rosan and Sabo sighed. "You're not supposed to say that so freely, Luffy."

"Oh… I guess not!" Luffy laughed.

"This is Dragon's son?! Does that mean the Red Devil is his child too?!" Iva asked in shock.

"Where were you born?" he asked Luffy in shock.

"The East Blue!" Luffy exclaimed.

"I knew it!" Iva exclaimed in shock.

So that's why Dragon would always look towards the East Blue… how surreal. To think he had a son…

Wait… didn't that mean Fire Fist Ace was Dragon's son?! HE WAS ABOUT TO BE EXECUTED?!

"Change of plans. I will come with you all to Marineford," Iva decided.

Rosan raised a brow at that but said nothing.

Sabo grinned. "Perfect! Iva's really useful, Rosan! He'll be a great asset!"

The redhead nodded at that. "Alright. The more the merrier. We're about to break out right now then," he said bluntly.

The group nodded in unison and Rosan huffed.

"Let's get started."

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

"The more people we free, the higher our chances of escaping!" Ivankov explained as everyone, including all the citizens of level 5.5 traversed through the chilling level 5.

Rosan pursed his lips at that and nodded. "Don't hesitate to let the freed ones get recaptured. They're criminals after all," he mentioned, grabbing a bunch of random items and transforming them into keys.

The redhead turned on a dime. "Sabo and I will lead the charge. Try not to get too eager, I may accidentally hurt you if you get close to me."

Rosan paused.

"Oh and if Magellan comes. Run, I'll fight him."

Iva thought about protesting, but even after carrying the poisoned Luffy, Rosan looked none the worse for wear.

He was probably the best equipped to deal with Magellan… so they'd let him.

Rosan didn't wait for anyone to speak and took off, Luffy and Sabo right next to him.

What followed next, was utter mayhem.

The brothers carved a complete path through level 4, followed by level 3, followed by level 2… freeing everyone they could along the way.

Nothing could stop them and it was horrifying for the guards attempting to stop them. Rosan had already carved a path downwards, now he was doing the same upwards with even more ruthless precision.

Ram had cut her way through far too many people now but Rosan did not care right now.

Not even the rejuvenated Jailer Beasts (it appeared that the Minotaur had been freed) could stop the onslaught and Rosan grunted in amusement at seeing no signs of Sadi or Saldeath.

The redhead said nothing at seeing the Under Warden, Hannyabal standing in their way.

"I won't let you go out there and terrorize helpless citizens, Red Devil!" he announced, spinning his double blade glaive.

Rosan stared at the man, sparks running off his body as Ram transformed into her own version of the double sided blade.

Then he moved and effortlessly cut through the man. There was no fanfare in his strike, no showing off... he just cut through him in a single attack at blistering speeds.

"Stay out of my way," Rosan said softly, flicking the blood off of Ram as the man collapsed to the floor.

He had no time to waste on these fools. It was time to go.

As Rosan stepped past him, a hand grabbed his foot and he glanced dispassionately at the bleeding man.

"You're nothing but pirates and rebels who became notorious for your wicked deeds," Hannybal rasped, pulling himself up to the best of his ability.

"If you're allowed to roam free, you're going to terrorize the citizens! Save your brother?! Criminals like you have no right to say something like that! As long as you're allowed to roam the seas, those innocent citizens won't be allowed to sleep at night!"

"This prison was made to keep scum like you in and so long as I'm breathing, I won't let you out!" Hannybal said, full of conviction.

"…" Rosan stared at him, shuffling slightly.

"You are an admirable person… and I agree with you," he said eventually, much to Hannybal's shock. "You may capture any criminal you so desire and I won't complain… They have committed crimes befitting of being locked in here for the rest of their lives."

"But you won't ever lay your hands on my brother!" he finished.

With that, the redhead kicked up Hannybal with one foot, before slamming said foot into the airborne man sending him flying…

Right into a fist encased with a black aura.

"All this talk about justice and evil… no matter where you go, you're not going to find the answer to that! It's a waste of time!"

Rosan's eyes narrowed in sheer hatred and he snarled violently.

"Blackbeard," he growled, sparks rolling off his body.

"Straw Hat Luffy and The Red Devil! Zehahaha! Fancy meeting you two here!" Blackbeard cackled, gazing at the furious brothers with a wide grin.

Next to him, his crew members were grinning as well, though one was wrapped heavily in bandages.

Before Blackbeard could say anything else, a great burst of red lightning roared out and slammed directly into him with dreadful speed.

"?! ARGHHH!" Blackbeard howled as he was launched back.

"Shut up. You talk too much," Rosan said coldly.

"Zehahaha! Ace said the same thing," Blackbeard huffed, pulling himself up. "You two are brothers alright… you should be thanking him! Ace saved your life!"

"I was going to take both you and Straw Hats head and turn you into the World Government, but Ace sacrificed himself for you! Fate saved both your lives!"

"Now Captain has no need for your heads!" Laffitte said with a smile.

"There's no such thing as coincidence, only fate so in other words…" Van Augur began.

"You're both very lucky men," Doc Q finished.

"YOUR BROTHER FOUGHT BRAVELY! HE'S THE ONE WHO GAVE ME ALL THESE BURNS!" Jesus Burgess, covered in bandages, announced.

Blackbeard grinned, darkness roiling off him. "Make sure to thank Ace at his grave. If it weren't for him, you'd both be dead by now."

All 3 of the brothers had murderous expressions on their faces.

The Blackbeard Pirates tensed up as smoke began pouring from the redhead's mouth, remembering exactly what happened during their last encounter.

Unfortunately for the Red Devil, they weren't on the sea this time.

"Stop!" Jinbe urged the brothers. "Think about what's at stake! We need to save Ace, not battle these guys. Worsening our condition purposely before entering such a dangerous war is detrimental!"

The three gazed at Jinbe and huffed...

"WARDEN MAGELLAN IS ON THE WAY!"

...Before deciding that he was right.

"Let's go then," Rosan grunted sourly. There was no need to spark a confrontation with both Magellan and Blackbeard.

Rosan charged past Blackbeard, resisting the urge to attempt to murder him to the best of his ability and when that failed, Sabo urged him forward with a stern look.

"People who believe in fate to such a degree sicken me," Rosan said as his parting words. "You may call it whatever you want, but understand that you've earned my ire, Blackbeard. When you die, it'll be at my hand then you can curse fate for that."

"Zehahahaha! You've gotten all that ambition back! You really are an interesting guy!" Blackbeard laughed, walking away from them.

"I'll show you what you missed out on by not joining me! These next few hours are worth witnessing! We're gonna put on a show that'll SHAKE THE WORLD!"

Rosan clenched his teeth and pressed forward.

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

As the steadily growing group made it closer and closer to level 1, they freed every prisoner they ran into…

For good reason too. They served as worthy sacrifices to the steadily gaining Magellan.

Rosan had no idea how he made it past Blackbeard's group so effortlessly, but fighting him right now was not favorable…

And he was quickly gaining on the large group…

Rosan lagged back with a fierce expression on his face. "He's taking out too many of them too fast. I'll block his route."

As everyone ran past him, the redhead's eyes narrowed and he palmed the floor, making a great wall surge that stopped the furious Magellan in his tracks.

"Go!" Rosan barked, sprouting his wings.

He chanced a glance back to see Magellan melting the wall and growled in annoyance, having his raid suit cover him from head to toe.

Soon, the redhead was wrapped fully in a cloak and he squared off against the gigantic poison man.

Rosan sighed.

"Time to test how good the Philosopher's Stone really is," Rosan muttered, surging with both fire and electricity.

"Red Devil," Magellan muttered. "I'm not letting you get away this time."

"I still have to repay you for what you've done to Luffy and I'm really pent up after that encounter with Blackbeard," Rosan sneered.

His eyes began glowing menacingly. "You're in for a bad time, Magellan."

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

Rosan roared, mouth opening as he immediately shot a gout of flame that collided with the poisonous dragon, causing an explosion to immediately ensue.

"All this does is cause fumes made of poison to fill the room," Magellan said, watching as just that happened. "Eventually, just breathing will be deadly to you."

"You don't know anything about me," Rosan said blandly.

Magellan was such a powerful foe, because just hitting you with his poison was enough to win the battle.

It made him practically immune to close combat, gave him strong ranged capabilities and practically guaranteed all his wins.

By all intents and purposes, fighting Magellan was asking to lose...

Rosan grinned ferally.

But he wasn't a loser.

As a poisonous hydra flew after him, the ground surged in front of Rosan and blocked it the attack.

Magellan watched as the earth around him shook, before the stone lunged for his body.

The warden grunted, blocking one of the stones and getting hit by the others, watching as they latched around his body.

Before he could work on them, Rosan was already on the move.

Fire crashed onto his body, getting a grunt of pain out of Magellan as it reacted with his poison.

He attempted to track Rosan's position, but bolts of lightning crashed into him this time instead, making him seize up.

Before Rosan could continue his bombardment, he was forced to alter his flight and dash away from the hydra's chasing him.

At the same time, he watched as Magellan's poison began corroding the very stone containing him.

Eventually the man freed himself and he glared stonily at Rosan. More and more poison began surrounding his body, until his entire body disappeared, acting as a complete shield.

Rosan was not deterred.

He watched with a clinical gaze as four giant hydras formed, each dashing to a corner of the room.

Then, Magellan opened his mouth and began spitting out rapid fire bubbles laced in viscous poison.

As Rosan flew through the air, he was forced to dodge not only the bubbles, but the hydras lunging at him, trying to drench him poison.

Magellan wasn't staying still while doing this. As he watched the Poison Bullets fail, he took another deep breath and let loose a toxic gas into the enclosed room.

"He's completely overpowering the room with poison. Be careful."

Rosan grunted, watching as Magellan released the poison cloud into the room.

"Cyclone," he hissed, outstretching his hands as he continued to dodge the hydras. One managed to bite directly into him as he focused some of his attention onto the winds and he hissed, but his body was already working to purge and burn the poison from his system.

It was a good thing he got sick back at Little Garden. That had turned his immune system truly monstrous, even without the Stone.

As Rosan did various aerial maneuvers, a swirling wind began forming, heavy and strong and swirling up the poison cloud with its suction.

Magellan's eyes widened as he felt his body getting pulled towards the cyclone. He tried to resist but he heard the flapping of wings behind him and whirled around just in time to see Rosan aiming a palm at him.

His gloves were glowing red and Rosan's eyes glinted violently.

"Rebound."

A concussive explosion launched Magellan back, erupting before it could actually touch him and sending him into the cyclone.

Rosan hissed as Magellan sent a wave of poison towards him last second, watching as it drenched his Raid Suit.

It dug at his suit but Rosan merely burned the poison off, as fire engulfed him.

He stared at the cyclone and knew it wouldn't contain Magellan for long, so the redhead summoned his disastrous flames and snarled.

"Hell on Earth," Rosan hissed, sending a torrent of flames out of both his hands into the screaming cyclone.

Magellan roared in pain, as the poisonous cyclone caught fire. The screaming winds turned into a deafening cacophony of noise, as the winds fueled the monstrous flames with him in the middle of it.

Even with Armament applied to his body, it did nothing to stifle the hellish burns on his body and the man could only roar as it burned him.

Rosan huffed as the room was engulfed in winds, flames and poison. He gagged slightly as a rancid smell began permeating the air, being more bothered by that then the fact that armageddon was currently taking place on their battlefield.

After what felt like an eternity, the fiery and poisonous winds settled down.

Just breathing in the air filled his lungs with a noxious poison and the air smelled terrible.

"It's a good thing she poisoned me in our fight," Rosan muttered, referring to Raisa.

As the redhead gazed at the scorched room, he could only watch in genuine shock, as Magellan slowly began pushing himself up.

There were scorch marks and burns all over the poison man. He no longer had any poison armor on, showcasing the gruesome state of the Warden but despite that, he was standing upright.

"The Red Devil... you're dangerous," Magellan rasped, red poison beginning to seep off of him. "Too dangerous... I see now."

Magellan could see it clear as day.

"You can't make it out of this alive. You're far too dangerous and if we continue to let you reach stronger heights, you'll destroy the world."

Magellan almost looked serene as he gazed at Rosan.

"I can't let you leave this place."

"Vemon's Demon: Hell's Judgement."

Rosan watched with a stunned gaze, as a giant avatar of poison formed... but instead of the purple that Rosan was used too, it was a violent shade of red.

As a lover of the color red, Rosan knew what that meant.

"Bad news. Very bad news."

"Even if I destroy Impel Down, someone like you cannot be allowed to be free. I'll do anything to take you out," Magellan swore.

With that, the poison demon lunged at him.

Rosan's eyes went alert and he soared away, watching as the red poison began degrading the floor like it weren't even there.

The entity began chasing him, poison spreading like a disease as it attempted to infect and kill him.

He crashed through the wall that he had set up, breaking through as he flew to the upper levels of Impel Down, Magellan chasing him the entire time.

"Not good. We need to deal with him now before he stops us from escaping," Rosan thought, flying backwards to gaze at the entity chasing him.

He began firing beam after beam at the man, watching as it collided with the poison monster.

Nothing seemed to slow it down and Rosan huffed in annoyance.

What was he going to do? How was he going to destroy this thing?

Rosan summoned a wall and surrounded the monster, completely locking it in.

He skidded in a stop, halting his flight with a gaze of finality.

The stone trapping the monster began dissolving instantly and in no time at all the monster was free. Magellan glared at Rosan and launched slavo after slavo of poison after him, that Rosan weaved through.

"Gale!"

The red poison flew backwards as a heavy wind formed once more and Rosan opened his mouth.

"Annihilation!"

A giant salvo of flames collided with the winds again, forming yet another fiery of storms that completely consumed the monster —

To not nearly as much success as before.

Rosan watched with wide eyes, as a red poison crashed directly into him.

"ROSAN!" Mod shouted in horror.

It began spreading through his arms first and before Rosan reached out to rip the arm off, something stopped him.

"I can deal with it," Pestilence said immediately.

"Go," Rosan said without hesitation, watching as it continued coursing through his body. The Philosopher's Stone had long activated, rushing after the new intruder with admirable efficiency but this poison was dangerous.

Mod listened to Rosan give Pestilence the go ahead with wide eyes but before she could say anything, a malicious black aura covered his entire body.

He watched as the destructive over rushed through his body, and it began eating at the poison, making the deadly venom slowly but surely vanish.

Magellan watched as Rosan utilized that disgusting and heavy black aura with wide eyes.

But how was that even —

"White Plague."

Magellan only had a moment to throw the demon in front of him, as a viscous black wave of raw energy flew towards him, corroding the area around just as he had been doing before.

As it collided with his Venom Demon... Magellan watched in shock as his monster began to get consumed...

No that wasn't right.

Magellan watched in horror as the black monster began taking over his Venom Demon.

The red of his poison began turning a solid black and Magellan hastily launched himself away, hissing in pain as his burns flared, as the venom demon roared.

"What is that?!" Magellan exclaimed in disbelief, watching as the creature began crumbling before his very eyes.

Never in his life had Magellan seen anything stop his attack like this. What on earth, was that —

So shocked was he, did he not notice Rosan appear behind him.

Despite that, the man was still swift enough to coat himself in poison in a last effort.

It did not matter.

"Nova Burst."

Rosan lit up like a star, before he exploded fiery red flames that consumed the area around him.

Magellan howled as he was caught in the dome of fire, getting blown back by the explosion and colliding into the wall.

Rosan seemed to be able to control the explosion, just holding the attack for as long as possible. He just roared as he filled the air with his rage, fire lashing out at everything.

Finally, he cut the attack and slumped slightly.

"Excellent job, my little Rose."

"...Well done eating that lethal poison, Pestilence."

Pestilence grinned wildly.

Ram scowled in fury.

The redhead panted heavily, body on overdrive as it steadily healed the poison seeping off his body.

He sagged in exhaustion and took a deep breath, before activating Luffy's Save Point and vanishing to his brothers side.

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

Magellan lay their in defeat, as the injured Sadi and Saldeath rushed over to his location.

"WARDEN?! What happened to you?!" Saldeath shouted in concern, looking at the extensive burns on his body.

Did he... engage in combat with the Red Devil?

What the hell... this was ridiculous. The burns on Magellan looked just... gruesome!

"We need medical attention quickly," Sadi urged, clutching her own injuries as she called for medical.

As they dragged Magellan away, the defeated man miraculously, was awake with somewhat coherent thoughts.

"I let that man escape. I let a true Devil escape hell... no that's not right. That Devil showed me a glimpse of what hell was truly like," he thought, shutting his eyes as he was knocked unconscious.

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

Rosan huffed quietly as he appeared near the mass of people, getting them to jump in shock.

"Rosan!" Luffy exclaimed in joy.

"Magellan is dealt with. There is no other threat to us," Rosan muttered, steam wafting off his body as he healed.

He grunted, sighing as his body began getting rid of the rest of the toxins in his body.

"We need to steal a ship and deal with the others!" Sabo explained to him, pointing towards the ships that began sailing away.

Rosan pursed his lips and nodded, peering at the ships in the distance.

Never a moment to rest...

The redhead crouched and cracked the floor beneath him, launching himself across the air and sprouting his violent wings.

He rocketed over at ridiculous speeds and landed directly on a warship in record time, getting shouts of horror and recognition.

The Marines gazed at him in terror.

"O-Oh no... it's the Red Devil!"

"No one told us we had to deal with the Red Devil!"

"W-What do we do?! We're not qualified to deal with this!"

"I'm trying to be better… but sorry, I can't right now. After today, I'll put in an earnest effort… to the good ones only," Rosan said genuinely, sparks rolling off his body.

"EMP: Live Wire."

All across the ship, a web of red sparks began forming, latching onto the plethora of Marines there and shocking them thoroughly.

He set the ship to sail backwards to his crew, even as he continued to fry the Marines…

Rosan held out his gloved palms and began floating upwards.

The redhead began to spin rapidly, all while his palms began shooting out a razor sharp beam of energy that effortlessly began cutting through all the ships that were there to prevent them from leaving.

Finally, Rosan let loose a quite breath and watched as a group of Whale Sharks approached the ship, each carrying his temporary allies.

"Such versatility," Jinbe praised, looking at Rosan with impressed eyes.

The redhead said nothing. "How will we get through the gate?" he asked calmly.

"…Someone stayed behind. The one named Bon Clay. He didn't want us to say anything but I see no reason to hide it any longer," Jinbe replied, just as the gate began opening for them.

Rosan mulled it over and nodded.

So it was Mr. 2… A shame…

Yeah… no.

Rosan leapt on the railing and rocketed back towards Impel Down, ignoring the shouts of warning from Jinbe and Iva.

That man's power was too useful for him to die here. Rosan would save the okama and give him to Maro without a doubt.

He opened his mouth and razed the front, catching the few impel down guards that had stepped out to try and stop them.

Despite his exhaustion, they stood no chance. There were so little of them that Rosan didn't even expend energy.

He entered the building and began heading towards Bon Clay's location at a brisk pace.

It took him no time at all to find the man, posing as the same Magellan he just defeated and without giving him anytime to react, Rosan burst into the room, grabbed him, tapped the button that was going to open the Gates and activated Save Point.

He stamped the slight amusement as a wave of fear at seeing Magellan appear on the ship, coursed through them.

That fear vanished as the ability war off to show the stunned Bon Clay.

Bon Clay looked at Rosan in horror.

"You… but… you just… huh?" he said.

"I'm sending you to my student when we're done," Rosan said bluntly. "You tried to sacrifice yourself for us… so of course I wouldn't let you die. I don't like when people sacrifice themselves for me."

The redhead ignored all the cheering and sighed.

"Throw all the bodies of the Marines overboard. I'm going to briefly rest and restore my energy."

His eyes pulsed with energy.

"After, I'm going to bring hell to Marineford."

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

Blackbeard could once again thank fate for saving his life.

After all, Magellan had left them for dead, drenching them in poison and solidifying their deaths right then and there…

But it was not to be. The former head warden, Shiryu of the Rain, had given them the antidote so they could live to see another day!

And now, Blackbeard's main purpose for raiding Impel Down had come to light…

"Zehahaha! Listen to me prisoners!" Teach announced. "I'm looking for good men to join my crew! But I need to know that you're strong, so I'll free whoever is the only survivor in your respective cages."

At the pulse of fear, Teach's grin widened.

Soon, the sound of violence began ringing out and the cries of pain began ringing out.

"Hey. I don't have anyone in my cell, does that mean I automatically win? I killed my cellmate 25 years ago. Snored too loud."

Teach paused at that and gazed at the owner of the voice, meeting amused golden eyes that peered at him with some interest.

"In a cell by yourself? I don't recognize you," Teach mused, looking at the caged man with a curious grin.

"No bounty, no notoriety, no fame... but i was still put into level 6 without any hesitation. Makes you wonder just what I did huh?" the man asked with a small smirk.

Blackbeard would be a liar if he said he wasn't curious as to how a no name got into level 6.

"He's too dangerous," Shiryu explained with a uncharacteristically grim frown. "You might want to reconsider freeing him."

Now Blackbeard was interested in this unknown prisoner.

Cutter hummed at that. "You got a hot bath, some food and a razor for this beard? I haven't had any of those in years. I'll even kill a couple of people for ya if you do," he stated with a crooked grin.

Blackbeard laughed at that. "Zehahaha! I like you! Join my ship! I'm about to put on a show that the whole world is gonna witness!"

Cutter mulled it over, sardonic grin never leaving his face. "Alright. Sure thing. Just try not to tell me what to do too much. Only my brother can do that and he's dead."

"Zehahaha!" Blackbeard roared in laughed, ignoring the sounds of violence and pain as he grabbed the keys and freed the caged man.

As his cuffs unlocked, Cutter let out a relieved sigh as his abilities returned to him.

"The names Cutter. I'm an honest man so I'll keep my word and join you… but make sure you keep me entertained and don't get mad when I go off to do my own thing. I'm a restless soul," Cutter said in a friendly manner, cupping his beard with a contemplative expression.

He really needed to shave this. It was disgusting. Raisa said he looked terrible with a beard.

"Zehahaha! You're interesting! You remind me of someone!" Blackbeard exclaimed. "Feel free. As long as you don't sabotage me, I'm fine with what you do!"

Cutter nodded and creaked his neck, before turning towards the stiff Shiryu with those golden eyes of his.

"I'd kill you Shiryu but it looks like we're in the same crew now so let's get along," Cutter rumbled.

Shiryu nodded stiffly, gazing at those predatory eyes of Cutter with blatant wariness.

Cutter ignored it. "It's been 25 years. Freedom feels good and I already know what I want to do!"

"We're going to Marineford. There's something there we need to do!" Blackbeard explained.

Cutter actually grinned, revealing his abnormally sharp canines.

"Maybe you being my captain isn't bad at all. I was planning on going to Marineford too! There's a lot of people I want to see there. That sounds like a great place to let the world I'm here."

All those people... And surprisingly, the most important to Cutter…

Was his son, Rocks D. Rosan. Cutter had always wanted a son after all.

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Bonus

Maro grinned eagerly as she stared at the pirates leering at her.

"Alright dumbasses! Make me sweat a little alright?" she beamed, pulling out a blue ball.

She wanted to practice using her Rumble Ball in an actual life or death scenario to get a better feel for it and this opportunity practically handed itself over to her!

One of her allies, were suffering a pirate problem for a few days so she graciously offered to deal with them.

While her soldiers were here in case she was caught off guard (she wouldn't be. Maro had Haki for goodness sakes!), Maro would be the only handling it all this time.

"Is it really just this babe coming to stop us?" a pirate asked, leering directly at Maro's chest and getting the Queen to scoff.

"Sure it is! Just me! Whatever is a helpless maiden like me to do!" she exclaimed sarcastically, plopping the Rumble in her mouth and chewing it.

"Don't kill her!" the captain exclaimed. "Just restrain her. I like the way this one looks."

Maro nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'd probably kidnap someone as hot as me too," she stated, hair turning completely white and lengthening drastically as her crown transformed into a witch hat.

The one who called her a babe had no time to react at all, as Maro waved a tiny stick around and a great bout of blue flames conjured all over his body.

"Mage," she muttered to herself, ignoring the agonized screaming.

The playful air immediately vanished and the pirates looked at the man screaming with uncomfortable and shocked expressions.

"Hohoho!" Maro laughed mockingly, stroking the long hair over her shoulder like it were a beard. "What was that about keeping me alive? Sorry! I have no interest in leaving any of you alive."

The Queen vanished from her spot and appeared next to the captain, holding the head of another crewmember in her hand with a playful smile.

This time, her hair was just blue, a headband adorning her head as she assumed her ninja form.

"I'm married by the way and my wife is smoking hot so I have no interest in letting you guys touch this," she whispered.

The Captain whirled onto her with a frantic expression, swinging wildly and only hitting air, as Maro let out a mocking laugh.

His horror only grew as he simply watched a speeding figure blitz through his crew with devastating power.

Some people were lit on fire, others had their head bashed... none of them even looked aware that they were dying.

"I'm done by the way," Maro chimed, standing next to him again.

The pirate captain gazed at the beautiful Queen in horror, not even fully registering that she was actually done.

"That was pretty boring you know," Maro mused, slinging an arm over his shoulder with a small grin. "I noticed you aren't looking at my chest anymore. Why's that?" she asked.

The captain shuddered in terror, looking at her friendly grin and casual stance.

"Hey, aren't you the Queen of Celadon?"

Maro perked up at that and gazed at the one who said that.

"Who's asking?" she beamed, casually setting the man next to her on fire.

The Captain screeched in agony, falling to the floor and clawing at himself as he burned alive.

The stranger whistled in awe, unfazed by the body burning.

"Your future husband," he grinned in a suave manner, bowing to her.

Maro blinked, before conjuring a fireball. "Do you want me to burn you alive?" she asked curiously.

The man blinked, gazing at the fireball. "Not a fan of the half joke? Bummer," he sighed.

But as quick as a flash, the smile was back and he waved at her in a friendly manner.

"In all seriousness, I was here to take out the Pirate Crew but when I showed, you had already dealt with them," he explained.

Maro nodded at that, feeling the effects of the Rumble Ball wear off. She idly adjusted her crown and gazed at the man.

He was tall, very much so, with a head of unique gray hair and a set of warm brown eyes.

Maro would even call him handsome. He wasn't as hot as Master but Maro wasn't sure she had met a man as hot as him yet.

Hell she hadn't seen much woman as hot as him either.

"You a bounty hunter?" she asked curiously.

The man laughed at that. "Yeah! The names Terra."

Maro blinked. "Oh I heard of you. You're getting pretty famous in the North Blue. You're the one who started like what? 4 years ago?"

Terra was a bounty hunter who had sprung onto the scene around that time. Apparently he was quite the successful one too. They said he never lost a battle and always turned his foes in.

People were actually talking of him in the same vein as Zoro!

"Wow, Queen Maro heard of me?" the man gaped. "That's awesome! Does that mean you're a fan?!"

"Nope."

The man collapsed.

Maro cackled. "Sorry! You Bounty Hunters are a dime a dozen. Way too frequent ever since Reaper burst into the scene."

Terra laughed sheepishly. "Yeah... I'd say I'm different but I'm not. Grim and Reaper inspired me too. I figured since they're no longer doing what they do, I could fill in the void a little for at least the North Blue. It's good to know my good work has even reached the ears of Queen Maro."

Maro smiled at that. "Grim and Reaper?"

The man nodded with a grin. "Yeah! No one ever believes me but Reaper had a partner you know? I heard them call their partner Grim. Grim was a lot more lighthearted, joked around a ton. Reaper was super serious and kinda scary actually."

The Queen blinked in shock.

Hold on? This man had met both her and Master?

"You met Grim and Reaper?" she asked in surprise.

He nodded with a small frown. "About 11 years ago, I'm 20 now so I was 9 then, Grim and Reaper saved me from some pirates... my parents were already killed by then and my mom was..."

The man clenched his fist and shook his head.

"Well those two saved me and they did it so easily... watching them in action made me envious and after they were done, they made sure I got back to safety and when they left, I vowed to myself to never be that helpless and focused on getting stronger."

Maro listened to the tale with a frown.

She felt a little bad because she didn't remember saving this boy at all... but that was a moment that probably stuck with him forever.

It was weird knowing she was staring at a product of her actions in the flesh.

"So now you're a bounty hunter?" she asked. "Why not become a Marine? No offense but Reaper is a criminal and we don't even know where this Grim is."

Terra scowled and shook his head. "I don't buy it," he said bluntly.

Maro blinked. "Don't buy it?" she asked.

The bounty hunter stared warily at her. "No offense, but aren't you allied with the World Government?"

The Queen snorted and rolled her eyes. "You think I'm gonna snitch to them and say someone was bad mouthing them? C'mon kid. You just watched the queen of an island annihilate a bunch of pirates."

Terra mulled that over and nodded his head. "Fair point. Well, I'm pretty sure whatever Reaper's bounty is either bullshit or undeserved. We don't even know what happened to Grim! I just don't buy it."

Maro hummed at that. "You think it was a coverup? Makes sense, the World Government does that a lot."

Terra nodded eagerly, pleased to hear that someone agreed with him. "I just don't think... there's just no way Reaper deserved that bounty! He was cleaning the seas faster than any Marine! Even I'm wondering how they did it because just the North Blue is rough," he admitted.

Maro liked this guy. Not only did he know of her secret identity... he was smart enough to question the way the world worked.

"Isn't it killing you not being able to find out the real reason these things happened?" Maro asked curiously. "I'd be dying wanting to know the reasons," she admitted.

"Tell me about it," Terra sighed, tugging his shoulder length hair. "It's not like I can ask Reaper or Grim themself. No one knows what happened to them."

Maro shrugged sympathetically. "Yeah, bummer honestly. You're a smart kid though so I'm sure you'll find a way," she encouraged.

There was no way she was ever going to introduce this guy to Master and the redhead was still on edge after Enies Lobby. They had just gotten out of that ordeal after all.

Actually, that girl's day was coming up and it was time for Maro to really get the nitty gritty details about Robin's relationship with Rosan.

The queen resisted the urge to grin lecherously.

The bounty hunter laughed heartily at that. "You're pretty cool, Queen Maro. Thanks for listening to my ramblings but since the job here is done, I'll take my leave. You gave me a lot to think about actually."

Maro cupped her chin. "You can have the pirates if you want. You deserve something after coming all the way over here to help my allies so take their bounties," she smiled.

Terra blinked in surprise and then lit up.

"Seriously, marry me," Terra requested.

"I'll chop your balls off."

"Worth a shot."

The man grinned lightheartedly and accepted her offer. "Thanks for making the trip double worth it. I was satisfied just looking at you."

Maro rolled her eyes. "I'm a married woman boy. Stop flirting with me or I really will chop your balls off."

"That was the last one. Promise! I'm taking my leave now," Terra said hastily.

Maro snorted, only for her mouth to open in shock, as the earth rumbled and brought all the bodies over to Terra.

She watched with wide eyes, as the earth gathered around the discarded bodies, closing them in a ball that began floating next to the man.

Terra caught her gaze and his brown eyes glittered. "Oh this? Yeah Terra is just my alias. I haven't used my real name in forever."

He pointed at the rock with an axe encased in stone. "About a little more than a year after I began dedicating myself to training... I stumbled upon this fruit. It's been real useful in helping me out."

"It's called the Tsuchi Tsuchi no mi! I'm an earth man! Pretty cool right?" he bragged.

Maro said nothing, just gazing at the man with wide eyes.

"I... have to go now," she said in a daze, waving her hands and vanishing from sight.

Terra blinked and tilted his head, before shrugging. "She probably had to do Queen stuff... she spent too much time talkin to me anyways..."

Queen Maro... what an interesting woman!

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"My Queen are you alright?" Zala asked in concern.

Maro raked a hand through her hair. "Just thinking of something."

That... was so bizarre. Maro never thought she'd run into the Tsuchi Tsuchi no mi anymore...

To think that someone who looked up to Grim and Reaper, would eat the fruit of the wielder who Grim and Reaper brutally murdered.

The world worked in funny ways. Maro still felt slight guilt at what they had done to Rin's father.

"I needa drink," Maro sighed.

"Of course!" Gem saluted.

"And I need to french kiss Angel."

"Shut up my queen," Marianne sighed tiredly.

"And I want to —"

"Shut up my queen!" They all shouted.

Maro pouted.