Chapter 33: Too Much Sand 5

But right as it appeared that Luffy was going to finish the fight, Crocodile gained his intangibility back and promptly vanished with a maniacal laugh.

"Oh no," Maro said, watching Luffy glance back and forth wildly before the rubber boy took off in a direction.

Not only that, another of Rosan's bird had been keeping track of the bomb that the Hawkman was holding, so it did not miss how he was caught in the crossfire of the explosion.

He did not survive.

"He's psychotic," Maro muttered, eyes smoldering as she beheld the madness of Crocodile. A man who wanted only power and trusted no one but himself to achieve it.

People like him were dangerous because they truly didn't care about anyone but themselves. Everyone else's life was insignificant in their own eyes so they didn't care who died in their p.

It didn't take very long for them to find Crocodile (made easier by the lack of a sandstorm) but the damage had been done.

Koza (who was the leader of the rebellion and Vivi's best friend) lay there, dead and unmoving from a stab wound that could only be from Crocodile.

The Warlord himself had clearly dipped a bit into madness at the trashing Luffy gave him and was acting accordingly.

"He's been trying to lure you out this whole time," Sabo scowled, staring at the sandman with repressed fury.

Alabasta may have been allied with the World Government but that didn't mean this man was free to do what he pleased with it and Sabo would let it slide.

Rosan said nothing. Crocodile would see him soon enough. But… he'd probably leave the fact that he was going to recruit the man to just Robin (if she had no problem with it of course).

"I don't. I can see the use of having him as an ally," Robin said.

His anger had tapered off and that allowed him to see how immensely useful having this man as an ally would be.

Yes, Crocodile going to prison would be a waste when Rosan could make him submit.

Despite trying to strike Vivi down, Luffy managed to show up in time and took the blow in her stead, getting greatly injured and poisoned on top of it.

Demon was already standing up, eyes focused on Luffy's injured body. "Crocodile is right, Gear Second accelerates his blood flow by a lot and with the poison in his system, he'll be in trouble."

"Right, let's go." Rosan said softly, watching the conclusion of the battle with a… proud look in his eyes.

Good. Well done, Straw Hats. All of them did a good job today.

Maro nodded eagerly and launched herself up, removing her tiara and placing it on a surprised Marianne's head. "Keep that safe for me so that I can come back, okay?"

The artist nodded just as eagerly, tenderly touching the tiara.

Robin was silent for a long while, watching the end of the battle with unreadable eyes and prompting her best friend to look at her.

"Impressive isn't he? My weak youngest brother isn't so weak anymore," Rosan said quietly, gently hoisting her up and placing her on his back again.

"Yes… he's even stronger then I thought," she replied softly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

They all were rather impressive actually… fighting that hard for someone who wasn't even apart of their crew.

She found it quite admirable.

"Gotta say, I'm looking forward to traveling with you guys for a bit," Sabo chuckled. They looked like a lot of fun to be around and he found himself liking everyone quite a bit.

"An adventure with Luffy is never boring, that's what we tried to tell you before but someone wanted to be his own captain and isn't even that," Rosan chided with a shake of his head, eyes glowing as everyone grabbed onto him.

"As if I'd ever sail under Luffy's flag!" Sabo retorted instinctively, eyes widening at that reply.

"Even amnesia can't hide your repulsion at sailing under Luffy," Rosan snorted, activating his Save Point.

They all vanished, leaving Kaori and the agents to watch through the lens of the bird.

"They're all monstrous," Kaori muttered with a shake of her head. It was truly unfortunate that Arlong ran into quite possibly the strongest crew in East Blue and that they had a vested interest in Nami.

Straw Hat Luffy and Rosan still had so much they could do… to know that they had been defeated by them without even pushing them…

The others nodded in agreement, remembering the trashing they received clearly.

They needed to train harder.

"Y-You guys," Vivi whimpered in surprise, watching everyone appear right next to the sleeping Straw Hats.

King Cobra was out there explaining to everyone what part Crocodile had played in the ruin of their country. Igaram (who Vivi had immediately teared up at seeing alive and well) was there as well to help explain.

They were currently in the King's castle, with Chopper working on each member of the crew. Demon wasted no time and went to go assist the reindeer, offering a smile at him and getting the young Doctor to light up in happiness.

Maro immediately engulfed the princess in a tender hug. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that Vivi but everything's gonna be alright now. It's over, okay? You're so strong for someone so young but I'll be here to help in any way I can."

Vivi sniffed and nodded in the crook of the queen's neck, returning the hug fiercely and allowing the comfort of the Dokkaebi to soothe her.

"It hurts… a lot," she said through shaky breaths, tears spilling onto Maro's frame.

All that happened… it was so overwhelming. She still couldn't even come to terms that Pell and Koza were both d-dead...

Not only that, even now they were finding a plethora of moles in both the royal and rebel army who were apart of Baroque Works.

It was just so much...

"I know," Maro soothed. "It's going to hurt but we're all here for you and not just us, your citizens too. Just the sight of you crying drained the energy to battle out of them. Your people love you and for good reason, Vivi."

They watched Maro soothe the crying princess with soft eyes.

Vivi had lost so much so quickly but she was still capable of moving forward. She truly was strong.

"I'm sorry," Rosan said quietly. "I wanted to hold off Crocodile long enough for you to stop all this but I let him get away."

"It's because I let my guard down and got poisoned," Robin joined, frowning slightly.

The princess peeked out from Maro's shoulder so that she could shake her head vigorously. "You guys did so much! None of this would have even been possible without you two intervening so much so thank you," she retorted, truly meaning it.

Robin was surprised but eventually it transformed into a tiny smile.

Vivi truly was a kind person. She would be a fine queen.

Rosan stabbed that tiny amount of paranoia telling him that no one was this kind and regarded her with a hint of curiosity.

Eventually, he nodded and said, "A lot of your buildings were destroyed, I will go repair them now."

Not waiting for a response, he swiftly departed from the confused people and Robin followed after.

"Don't worry, he's not upset… it's just in that moment, your kindness reminded him of Meiko and he didn't know how to deal with that," the Devil Child informed her, making sure she didn't get the wrong idea.

"Ah!" Vivi's features turned sympathetic as she looked at the spot Rosan was just at. "I understand, please thank him for going out of his way to repair the buildings for us!"

Robin nodded and quickly left the room before Rosan got too far.

"I should go make a call as well," Sabo muttered, tipping his hat to the occupants before exiting the room to inform Dragon of what transpired.

Angel frowned at having nothing to do and just shrugged, sitting down in a comfy seat and eyeing her wife.

She should get into knitting. Then she could make ugly sweaters for all of her family and force them to wear it.

Those pesky Marines managed to recover quick and managed to call for backup too.

It was annoying.

Already, Crocodile had been arrested by them and they were beginning the search for the other incapacitated agents.

"I should have killed all of them," he muttered in annoyance.

That was okay. He'd just kill two birds with one stone later.

"I still remember how often you used to incorrectly say that quote," Mod said lightly, utterly unbothered by his slight annoyance.

"Two stones with one bird… only Rosan," Robin laughed lightly.

He ignored them both, grabbing onto Robin and quietly moving away from the Marines.

Mr. 1 and Crocodile were already in cuffs while Mr. 2 was missing… They were still searching for the other 3 but they wouldn't find them.

Rosan knew exactly where they were so he'd go for them first.

First, Miss Doublefinger. She was the most injured due to being attacked by his flames (the ones in Clima were weaker until Nami got stronger and needed them to be stronger as a result) directly and if left alone for longer, she'd die.

Mr. 1 was far too loyal to Crocodile so perhaps after speaking to the sandman, he'd force his subservience by using the former Warlord.

Rosan glanced down at Miss Doublefinger's burned body and nodded in satisfaction.

He would need to praise Nami and Clima later for a job well done. He hoped she enjoyed having a weapon that could help her out.

The redhead walked up to the scantily clad woman and nudged her.

Seeing as Miss Merry Christmas was far enough and Mr. 4 was dead, he figured he could learn more about this one.

The agent gasped in agony as soon as he made contact and tried to shoot up, only to let out a whine of pain as her body flared.

Everything hurt.

Her body was in so much pain. She couldn't think straight right now due to her blistering skin and tried desperately to bite back her tears.

"Are you going to destroy her self worth?" Robin asked curiously, wondering how he was going to convince Miss Doublefinger to join their side.

"There is no need."

"You look like you're in pain," Rosan said quietly, managing to break through the woman's hazy fog with his voice.

Bending down, he placed a hand on her and idly numbed her body.

The effects were immediate. Miss Doublefinger let out a shaky sigh of relief and finally focused her attention on the two new arrivals.

That relief and gratefulness swiftly turned into horror as she realized who they were.

"Y-You're—," the woman immediately stopped talking as she realized just how dry her throat was but she knew these two and it caused her to go pale in fear.

One was the redhead that Crocodile himself said he would deal with and that same redhead was staring down at her without a single injury on his body.

The other was the more surprising one because this was the missing Miss All Sunday.

Was this why Crocodile wanted to deal with the redhead himself…? Did he understand just how dangerous the man before her was?

If he was standing before her uninjured, what could she possibly do?

Robin offered her a glass of water and despite her wariness, it was so hot and she felt so parched so she drank it with far less hesitation then was befitting of her.

"Miss Doublefinger, it's nice to meet you. I'm Rosan," the redhead greeted, never taking those unnerving eyes off of her for a second.

She noticed her burned attire and hastily covered some of her modesty, warily staring at the two the whole time.

"W-What do you want?" The woman asked, unable to hide her fears fully.

Rosan hummed, taking a step forward (which made her try to crawl back… to little success).

"Let's start with your real name," he said quietly. "I gave you mine after all, wouldn't it be rude not to return the favor?"

She shuddered at that quiet order and began fearing the consequences of not doing so.

His words demanded respect and she found herself quickly submitting to them.

"Zala…" The woman replied, averting her gaze towards the ground.

Rosan nodded and crouched in front of her, making the woman shudder once more. "Zala, are you aware that the Marine's are looking for you as we speak?" He asked softly.

Her eyes widened at that. "S-So it's over… we—"

"Lost? Yes, you did," he replied calmly. "I think it would be a waste for you to get tortured in Impel Down though, so I'd like you to join my side."

Impel down… Zala heard of that hell like prison and someone with her bounty, would be sent there without hesitation.

She shuddered at that. Going to Impel Down was probably the worst thing that could happen to a pirate.

"Y-You'll really save me from that if I join your side?" She asked hesitantly.

"I wouldn't have approached you otherwise," he replied bluntly, offering her his hand. "Crocodile didn't know how to utilize you and that is why you all lost. Join my side instead of wasting away in a prison. Of course, I'll have someone heal your burns as well."

Zala looked at the bronze hand with a conflicted expression but that didn't last long. She grasped it and the redhead gently pulled her up, inspecting her wounds all the while.

Looking into the eyes of the one who offered her safety, she couldn't keep the admiration out of them.

"You… you have so much different ways of manipulating people," Robin said, a little shock in her tone at how easily Rosan made her submit.

"At the end of the day, these people are inherently followers. It's all about understanding the correct buttons to push but they will all submit to a stronger force in time. It's in their nature to flock to someone who will lead them," Rosan replied.

That's why he was looking forward to recruiting Crocodile. That man wasn't a follower. He wasn't the type of person to take orders from someone but he would be taking orders from Rosan.

Was it risky? Yes, but it was beneficial and most of all, it was fun.

"Come, we still have one more to approach. Unfortunately, they've already captured Crocodile and Mr. 1 and I cannot find Mr. 2 anywhere," Rosan said softly, eyes flickering towards the desert.

The agent might have been utilizing his Devil Fruit at the moment. How unfortunate...

Zala paled a bit at hearing that the two strongest in their organization were already captured and felt her loyalty to Rosan grow.

That could have been her… She was glad it was not her.

"Who else is there?" She asked, trudging slowly behind the duo (she was stunned to see Miss All Sunday of all people allowing someone to carry her on their back).

"Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas. Although, Mr. 4 is just a corpse at this point." Rosan took one look at her and grabbed the injured woman, much to her surprise. With a slight glow, her outfit repaired itself and he began carrying her bridal style.

"Aren't you a gentleman?" Zala couldn't help but say despite shuddering at hearing how casually he mentioned Mr. 4's death. What was that technique he just used? How did he manage to completely repair her outfit?

He didn't even spare her a glance. "You're moving too slow is all. It'd take hours if I allowed you to walk on your own."

The redhead looked utterly unbothered at having to carry both the tall women, swiftly making his way towards the location of Usopp and Chopper's battle.

"I imagine we won't be traveling with your crew?" The spike woman asked. They were enemies after all.

"Correct. You will be staying on an island in the North Blue run by my student. Your other agent friends are there too," Rosan replied softly.

The other agents?! Which ones were he talking about? Wasn't Mr. 3 dead?

"We're here."

Robin was about to get off his back but the fabric of his shirt was far too comfortable and she was more sore then she thought, so she just opted to lie there instead on his rumbling body.

Zala wanted to question Miss All Sunday but thought better of it after Rosan glanced at her warningly.

She simply nodded hastily and let the woman doze off.

It was just odd to see her so… comfortable around a person. It was honestly the weirdest thing the former agent had seen in a while and she just fought a girl with split personality.

Rosan made sure Robin was comfortable and glanced at the bodies of Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas.

True to his words, Mr. 4 was dead and Miss Merry Christmas was probably only alive due to her Zoan physiology...

What a crew of monsters. Were they all pyromaniacs?

"Miss Merry Christmas is stubborn so she might put up a fight," Zala informed helpfully.

"Noted," he responded, glancing at the bazooka lying there. He picked it up and observed it, running a quick scan on the weapon in the process.

So it was actually a bazooka with a dog devil fruit… He wonder if he should—

No, not yet. He still needed to practice that some more and Maro wanted this anyways. Besides it would be useless to try that here.

"?" Mod tilted her head in confusion.

Was… Was Rosan practicing a technique that she didn't know about? When did he have the time to do that and why wasn't she privy to it?

"Because he doesn't trust you like you think he does," a voice in the back of her mind whispered cruelly.

The Devil Fruit bit her lip and banished that thought immediately, subtly tightening her grip on the sleeping Ram's hair.

"She doesn't seem like she's going to be waking up anytime soon," Rosan muttered. "Fine, I'll just bring you all to your new location now and you can explain the situation to her when she wakes up. I imagine as one of the highest ranked females in the organization, your words hold weight?"

Zala nodded. "I might need some medical attention in the meantime."

"That will be arranged."

Demon was here right now helping Chopper out but there were plenty of doctors on Celadon that could help them.

Rosan dragged Miss Merry Christmas over before glancing at the male agent who was dead.

Outstretching his hand, he shot a simple burst of red flames that consumed the body and swiftly reduced him to ashes.

Zala felt a surge of primal fear, as she realized where the girl with mental issues got access to such hellish flames.

She was looking right at him.

Memories of those flames crashing into her, made the woman take a step back from the demon before her and she felt her breath hitch.

"Where are you going?" Rosan asked calmly, rooting her in place with that cold expression of his. "I need you to be touching me, not backing away. I've already recruited you, there is no reason to think I'd turn my flames on you, unless you thought of betraying me."

Robin continued to rest, head nestled in the crook of his neck. The sight was honestly adorable but it didn't help alleviate Zala's fears at all.

She shuddered and nodded hesitantly, moving closer to the duo and grabbing onto him.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Rosan activated his Save Point and they all vanished.

"Mr. 5, Miss Valentine and Miss Goldenweek!" Zala gasped in surprise, staring at the agents with wide eyes.

They looked different now, likely due to not wanting to match their bounty posters, but she could still tell that it was them due to knowing them for so long.

"I go by Gem. Not Mr. 5," Mr. 5 said coolly, unfazed by her arrival and nodding towards Rosan.

His shades were gone, replaced by visor sunglasses instead and his spiky dreadlocks grew longer, stopping at the bottom of his ears and spilling past his new eyewear.

"And I'm Mikita…" Miss Valentine interjected quietly.

She was a far cry from the over confident and sadistic women, trying to shrink into herself instead.

The woman also looked different, getting rid of her entire lemon themed outfit (including that hat at Angel's behest) in favor of a yellow turtleneck and jean combo. Her hair seemed to also be growing past the chin now.

"I'm Marianne," Miss Goldenweek finished, idly clutching a tiara in her hand. She had the most changes appearance wise and was the hardest for Miss Doublefinger to pinpoint.

Only her childish appearance and the fact that the other agents were there made her recognizable.

Angel had taken one look at the girl's outfit, made exaggerated gagging noises and summarily burned it into cinders (literally, Marianne watched in disbelief as she had an apologetic Maro do the deed), leaving only her pink hat in the process.

She then proceeded to use her own money to update the girl's wardrobe, an excursion that took them the whole day.

Despite the slight injustice at getting her outfit destroyed, watching Angel dip into her own funds just to update it more then made up for it and she was incredibly touched.

"That just means she's adopted you basically!" Maro had assured, grinning widely at the satisfied look in her wife's eyes.

Currently, she was dressed in a white and pink shirt and skirt combo that complimented her hat (she had gotten different colors too!) well.

It was honestly the most thoughtful act someone had ever done for Marianne which was why it was so surprising Angel was the one to do it.

Adopted was pretty accurate, Angel seemed to very much like her for whatever reason.

"Kaori, could you and Gem bring these two to the hospital?" Rosan asked politely. They could catch up when he wasn't here and Maro was. They were her soldiers, not his.

The two, being Maro's strongest soldiers, caught his desire immediately and nodded.

His message was simple, make sure they don't do anything stupid.

Formerly, the two would have slaughtered the former Mr. 5 but they had no idea how much more proficient he had become with his powerful Devil Fruit.

He could undoubtedly deal with the agents individually now if they proved to be rowdy.

"Marianne. This is the Bazooka Dog. Make sure it doesn't cause a mess and use your paint if you have to. I'm off," Rosan muttered, adjusting Robin. It seemed that she was more exhausted then she let show because the women was fully asleep now, breath even and quiet on his neck.

He handed the bazooka to the girl (it was comical how they were practically the same size) before waving at them all and vanishing.

Zala blinked at his abrupt departure, staring at the spot he was just at before gasping as the pain in her body returned. She doubled over and desperately tried to hold back her tears.

Kaori coated her body in some water and gently picked the women up.

"Can someone explain what's happening after I get healed?" The spiked agent asked, shooting a grateful look towards the fishman and stabbing down her slight discomfort.

"It's a lot to explain…" Marianne said truthfully.

"I suddenly have time," she replied, clenching her eyes shut.

What the hell was in the schizophrenic navigator's fire?

His crew was still asleep and he had repaired many of the destroyed buildings (to the tearful joy of Cobra and Vivi) so Rosan and Robin decided to pay Mod and Ram a visit.

"MOTHER!" Ram cried, tackling Robin over and beginning to immediately cry on her. "I'm so glad you're okay! I was so scared a-and I couldn't stop crying but I hate crying and now that you're okay I'm crying again and I'm so confused!" She blabbered.

"Ah, this really is Rosan's daughter," Robin thought for the umpteenth time.

Their similarities were too apparent and it was honestly super adorable.

...She had been using adorable a lot lately. No wonder Rosan teased her.

"I'm fine, Ram. It was a slight mistake but I'm good!" she assured, stroking the woman's silver hair in assurance.

"D-Don't worry me like that again," Ram whimpered, burying herself deeper in Robin's frame.

"Does Ram actually consider Robin her mother?" Rosan mused, watching the exchange with a curious gaze.

"Her desire for a mother caught me by surprise too. I was unaware that she wanted one," Mod replied, smiling softly as she tucked herself into Rosan.

Despite slight hiccups, it was an overwhelming victory for the Straw Hats and she smiled proudly at them all.

Rosan raked a hand through her lustrous hair and she sighed happily, pleased that they were all doing fine.

"If she truly wants one and Robin doesn't mind, then I see no problem with it," Rosan said, watching as she easily calmed the ring down.

Huh, that was far easier then he managed to do.

Mod wanted to tell him that saying things like that carried heavy implications but just kept her mouth shut with an amused smile.

"That reminds me…" Robin muttered, fixing Rosan with a heavy stare. "You must think you're awfully funny, don't you Rosan?"

The redhead raised a brow, Mod went scarlet and Ram grinned brightly.

"I've been told on some occasion that I'm funny despite thinking otherwise," he said dryly, watching as his best friend marched up to him with a purpose.

She gazed into his heterochromatic eyes with a flat gaze. "You kissed me in front of all of our enemies and you squeezed my butt for a very long time," she stressed, flushing slightly at the memory.

"You were trying to ruin my plan. I refused to let you be Crocodile's target and Ram had a good idea so I implemented it."

Ram grinned brighter at that, looking utterly shameless at being exposed.

"Of course I was trying to ruin your plan! I don't need to be babied by you and that's what you were trying to do," Robin frowned slightly.

Rosan stood up from the comfy couch he and Mod were sitting on to regard the Devil Child.

"I'm not trying to baby you, Robin. Crocodile would absolutely target you after realizing you betrayed him for me," the redhead said softly. "I'm stronger then him but even I would be wary fighting a person in their own domain. It's just… I just got you back and I don't want to lose you already."

Her eyes softened at the rare vulnerability in his eyes and she immediately hugged him.

Robin sighed, she was still incredibly whipped it seemed. For all intents and purposes, she should be completely upset with the redhead but she hardly paid any stock to the fact that he groped her so shamelessly and instead focused on the fact that he was being overprotective.

"I understand but we're partners and that means we should be equals. I don't want to hold you back in a fight because you're stuck worrying about me. I want you to only look forward with the knowledge that you have fantastic backup keeping you safe," she said, gazing up at those mesmerizing orbs of his.

It still filled her with a guilty satisfaction that just reconciling with her, managed to make them spark with a bit of life.

Rosan returned the hug and nodded. "I'll try not to overprotect you too much but you'll have to become much stronger to put my mind at ease," he told her.

"Of course. I have you here to motivate me," she replied, enjoying his natural flowery smell.

They embraced for a while before it was broken up by the most obvious source.

"So, Mother! What did you think about the kiss?" Ram prodded, pleased to see that light dust of red. For someone like Robin, that was the same as a normal person going scarlet.

Robin enjoyed it more then she would like to admit but there was no way she was going to inflate the redhead's ego more then it already was (she didn't actually think it was possible to inflate it more but she wouldn't risk it).

Instead, she'd make good on her promise.

"Ram, I think you need to be disciplined by someone else besides Mod-chan for once. Telling him to squeeze my butt? That's not something a daughter should be thinking about in regards to her parents," Robin smiled at the problematic ring.

Ram squeaked and went white. "Y-You have a nice ass though! I wouldn't be embarrassed about that!"

"You've completely missed the point, exactly like Rosan. That means I have to teach you exactly like I taught him." Robin let out a mock sigh of sadness.

"I'm in a lot of danger!" Ram balked.

Before she could even turn, arms sprouted over her body and she let out a noise of protest as they brought her to the floor.

"Y-YOU'RE ALL CHEATERS!" The ring protested, struggling violently in her grip to no avail.

No fair! They all had ways to instantly catch her!

"I wouldn't want to go through the trouble of chasing you. You seem like you run pretty fast," Robin smiled, approaching the ring with a look that promised bad things.

Mod giggled, pleased that she wasn't the one who had to discipline Ram this time.

That giggled turned into a laugh at the betrayed look the ring shot her.

Rosan snorted as he shamelessly allowed her to take full blame. It was Ram's idea so let her take the hit.

Better her then him.

"You wish to see our secret Poneglyph? Of course! Anything for our saviors," Cobra nodded at the duo.

Rosan and Maro especially, were helping Alabasta out so much in these past few days.

Robin and Rosan followed after the King with short nods of their own.

"Someone who can read the Poneglyphs… an almost impossible thing to see," the king remarked idly.

Robin smiled thinly at that.

Rosan, sensing her slight discomfort, chose to jump in the conversation.

"I heard you and Maro have been having some discussions?" He asked the king, not missing the grateful look Robin shot him.

"Ah! Yes. Queen Maro is an incredible person," Cobra began, smile making its way onto his face at the mention of his student. "I hear you have trained her? I don't know what circumstances brought a pirate and royalty together but you did a fantastic job raising her."

Maro had introduced herself as the ruler of Celadon to Cobra and to say the king was surprised, was an understatement. After all, Celadon was an island whose prestige had grown so quickly, they had almost immediately been identified as an official kingdom by the World Government and were granted access to the Levely.

The duo of Rosan and Maro had picked out an empty area in their kingdom and within a matter of hours, had created a few greenhouses for Alabasta, filled with a plethora of fruits and vegetables that were growing at an insane rate.

They understood why Celadon was so prestigious now. These two were incredible and had managed to solve some of their issues instantly.

"These are my specially grown crops as well, consider them a gift!" Maro beamed as she absentmindedly hugged the grateful Vivi.

To be so kind with no ulterior motives... it was only right Cobra did something as small as show them the Poneglyph. It would be shameful if he could not grant them one of their requests.

Rosan dismissed his praise. "All I did was make her strong and make sure she doesn't use that kindness for the wrong people. That is just her inherent nature."

Cobra laughed. "You should give yourself more credit. She would disagree with you based on how much praise I hear from her."

"And I'd be chopping her head for bragging about a pirate so much despite being a queen," Rosan sighed.

The king laughed merrily at that. "Don't worry, I would never think of outing such a kind and gentle queen who's trying to help our country."

"I'd kill you if you did," Rosan told him, gazing at the secret passageway the king revealed.

"It's down here, right this way."

The three made their way to the Poneglyph and Rosan looked at it with a raised brow.

"So this is a Poneglyph…" Rosan mused, glancing at the large rock. It was his first time seeing one.

He idly remembered the time Robin offered to teach him how to read them...

"This giant rock is what you're so impressed by? Nerd."

...It was a good thing he said no. They were so lame.

Robin idly summoned a hand on top of Rosan's hair and yanked it harshly, getting a grunt out of him.

"You all need to stop trying to find out my kinks, perverts," he retorted, promising he'd get his revenge on her later.

"The one who reads just as much as me is calling me a nerd," she countered, sighing at how aggressive she became around him.

She couldn't help it. Rosan infuriated her too easily.

Running her hand through the Poneglyph, Robin focused on its words and remained silent…

She took a step back and frowned slightly.

"Found out where it is?" Rosan hummed, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes. But I was hoping it had something else on it. I don't much care for the ancient weapons."

Robin informed the redhead of the location and saw him tilt his head.

"I see," he said. He wasn't very interested in Pluton in general but this was good to know.

"Is that all?" Cobra asked, eyes a bit fascinated at watching her rove her fingers over the ancient stone.

"Yes, thank you," Robin said, smiling in satisfaction.

That smile quickly turned into a yelp as Rosan yanked her hair with that smug expression of his.

"Oh? I suppose that's not your kink either," he shrugged, smirking at her glower.

Without any hesitation, almost like they were kids again, Robin lunged on Rosan and began choking him, a brawl quickly ensuing between the two.

"I've put up with you enough these past few days!" Robin said with a glare.

Rosan scoffed slightly at her and immediately flipped her so that he was on top. "Cry about it. Don't apologize now when I teach you a lesson."

Cobra sweatdropped and watched the two roll around. "Could you two not have a lover's spat in Alabasta's secret chamber? It's a rather sacred area and I wouldn't want any damage to fall on it…"

They ignored him. Completely.

"Only Rosan can irritate Robin to such a degree that she'd actually attack them first," Mod smiled fondly.

They used to fight all the time as kids and it was always Rosan's fault. The redhead was infuriating on the best of days.

Not a single person on the planet but him managed to rile young Robin up so effortlessly... It seemed intentional at times on his part.

It was good to know that held true.

"GO MOTHER! GO FATHER!" Ram cheered. Fighting was like the most intimate form of love right for someone like her Father right?

Mod sweatdropped.

"Captain Smoker, Hina and Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi are all being promoted by two ranks for the defeat and capture of former Warlord, Sir Crocodile."

The injured Smoker snarled in disbelief, ignoring the warning glare a bandaged Hina shot him.

"Did you not get the report?!" He barked in annoyance. "We were soundly defeated by two people, most of our men died and the Straw Hats dealt with Crocodile. Why exactly are we being rewarded?!"

This was humiliating. Tashigi had been deeply depressed ever since the redhead had effortlessly broken her arm, Smoker was in a body cast because of Nico Robin, and Hina had to receive a blood transfusion due to all the blood she lost from the various cuts on her body, not to mention the bones they broke and the burns they suffered.

Most of their men died in that one-sided slaughter.

Yet, they were being promoted? Was this some type of sick joke?

The Marines contributed nothing to Alabasta being saved besides assisting in picking out Baroque Work members inside of the rebel and royal army. They were just caught in the middle of two overwhelmingly stronger forces, so why were they taking credit for everything?

"We received your report and the necessary steps will be taken to ensure the world is aware of the Straw Hats threat due to evading the Marines that managed to capture Crocodile."

So this is what they were doing?

Memories of two apathetic gazes looking down at them, words as sharp as a razor piercing into them all the whole while.

"You Marines are all on a power trip and have no interest in doing your actual job. None of you care about upholding justice. You just do whatever satisfies yourself. Honestly, you're no better then pirates. You're just allowed to flex your power legally."

"When the top of your chain is corrupt, all of you are, no matter what beliefs you think you're fighting for."

If they accepted this, they'd just be proving that vengeful redhead right. Listening to what they had to say, Smoker realized that the one named Rosan may very well have a good reason for hating the World Government.

Covering the truth, general corruptness… it wouldn't be shocking if he was at the tail end of one of the underhanded tactics of the Marines.

"I don't want your promotion," Smoker growled, slamming the call shut with a deep scowl.

All they did was clean up the aftermath of the Straw Hat's victory.

Two members. Just two members managed to dismantle them like that. By the time they were finished escaping and tending to their injuries, the battle had long been over.

They were only alive due to how pathetic they were. Rosan simply prioritized a higher threat and treated them like an afterthought.

Smoker grunted in disdain. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"We're done here. Another ship will come and escort the captured agents while we recuperate at headquarters."

"W-What about the missing agents? We were unable to locate multiple."

"Hina thinks they're dead," Hina said quietly, deep in contemplation after her near death experience. It was very possible that the terrifying redhead dealt with them.

"We got the most important ones anyways," Smoker grumbled. "Tashigi, let's go."

The dazed woman shot up at being called before hesitantly saluting with her good arm. Her dominant hand was wrapped up in a sling and more then once, they saw her staring at it with tears brimming in her eyes.

"Don't allow one defeat to drag you down, Tashigi," Smoker advised gruffly. "Just train and get stronger so that it doesn't happen again."

She sniffed before nodding resolutely, making sure to burn that red and purple gaze into her mind and having it fuel her.

Never again would she rely on the pirates who defeated her. The Straw Hats not only saved Alabasta, they made sure every Marine was a non factor in the process.

She never wanted to feel this helpless again.

"To think the Devil Child had such a powerful partner… This can't bode well for the world," Hina muttered.

They weren't just allies either. Those two were almost perfectly in sync with each other and not only that… they were lovers too.

The Marine sighed and gazed at her injured body, shuddering a bit as a tremor shot through her.

Smoker and Tashigi didn't have to deal with what she did in that fight, being constant prey the entire time and knowing you could die at any given moment... Only surviving because they were using you as bait...

Hina didn't want to run into that monster again anytime soon. Someone like him would be very displeased that he didn't get to kill them and would make sure to finish the job next time.

Sengoku stared at the report of Alabasta with a deep frown on his face.

This was yet another report on the Straw Hats… but this time there was even more urgent information.

They had the Devil Child in their midst and not only that, the Devil Child had a partner who she took orders from.

A blank gaze stared at him, expression lifeless through the pictures and Sengoku grunted in confusion at the familiarity coursing through him.

Had he seen this boy before? Where did he remember him...

Rosan was his name. The one who had seemingly perfect synergy with Nico Robin.

If Sengoku was right, then this was the mysterious person who had been traveling with her all those years ago. The same person who had been with her in not only the South Blue… but the North Blue as well…

He was dangerous, with an unknown Devil Fruit that they weren't able to identify. According to that one Captain, Smoker, he was speculated to have some type of Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, due to his ability to manipulate the terrain, fly, and breathe fire…

Sengoku froze.

Mythical Zoan… Breathe... Fire…

"Based on evidence, we suspect that… it was someone with some type of mythical zoan… most likely one that can breathe fire."

...Red Demon.

Snapping his finger to grab the attention of the Marine there, Sengoku said, "Increase the intended price for the one named Rosan. He is far more dangerous then we were led to believe."

"Sir…?" The Marine questioned. They were already planning on giving him quite the price but the Fleet Admiral wanted to increase it?

"I gave you an order!" Sengoku barked.

His subordinate jumped and saluted hesitantly, departing from the room quickly.

The Fleet Admiral gazed back at the paper with a contemplative expression.

If he was right, this was the same "Red Demon" who had burned down the entire Marine Base back in East Blue.

No, he was certain of it. This boy was a member of the Straw Hats, the Straw Hats had just defeated the Arlong Pirates and that Marine base had been colluding with the Fishman.

It all lined up too well. This Rosan was almost certainly the culprit... and the verification of a Mythical Zoan made another thing clear to him.

He knew why the boy was so familiar now.

Sengoku also had reason to believe that this same redhead was Nico Robin's partner and lover? The one who managed to help her navigate two seas that she should not be able to reach normally? This man, who hated the World Government, had one of the few who could read the Poneglyphs in his palm?

And not only that, he had an unknown Devil Fruit. That wouldn't be too much of an issue but Sengoku knew how dangerous a Mythical Zoan could be. They were the rarest class of Devil Fruits for a reason.

One that allowed him to do all those things… If left unchecked, Rosan could be quite the problem.

The fact that he was choosing to follow Monkey D. Luffy, made the rubber boy all the more dangerous as well.

After all, he was the son of Dragon.

…

Was Rosan also the son of Dragon? The report mentioned that he had a particularly strong hatred for the World Government, calling them corrupt in the process so perhaps…

There were too many mysteries surrounding this sudden threat. The one named Rosan suddenly burst out of nowhere and it left him reeling once he realized how much things were connected to this, at first, unassuming redhead.

He needed to find any and all information about this man.

Yes, that's what he'd do but for now, he'd settle for increasing his bounty price past what it was going to be.

"There's no way I'm bathing with you all," Rosan said calmly, fully clothed. Turning towards the king, he asked, "Do you have another bath? I'll go there instead."

"Oh, yes we do!" Cobra said, slightly confused but not questioning it too much.

After some instructions of where to go, Rosan glanced at Robin and she nodded, moving to follow him.

"WAIT HOLD ON!" Sanji roared. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, ROSAN?!"

The redhead tilted his head. "To bathe. Did you not hear me? Did Mr. 2 give you brain damage?" He asked genuinely, leaning forward slightly and placing a hand on Sanji's forehead.

The chef swatted the man's hand away and his teeth turned serrated.

"I KNOW DUMBASS! WHY IS ROBIN-CHAN GOING WITH YOU?"

Now it was Robin's turn to tilt her head. "I would like to bathe as well," she answered calmly.

Sanji's jaw dropped in disbelief. "W-With him?"

They both blinked at that.

"I thought that was obvious?" Rosan muttered, brows furrowed.

Mod struggled to hold back her laughter at their genuine confusion. Robin and Rosan bathed so often together they didn't see it the way others did.

Vivi decided to just be the one to ask the looming question that had been on their minds since Robin and Rosan reunited. "Are you two dating?"

"No," they replied in unison, wholly unbothered by the question.

"Y-YOU AREN'T?!" Everyone asked in confusion.

"All this because we bathe together?" Rosan muttered. He bathed with Luffy all the time but no one ever asked if they were dating.

"I told you guys we bathe together," Robin said with a small smile. "It gave me peace of mind knowing Rosan was accounted for instead of going off by himself to cause chaos and then it became routine."

"She's very good at washing my hair," the redhead chimed in, already walking off.

"He's very good at washing mine too," the brunette smiled softly at that and went to follow.

Sanji collapsed on his knees. "H-Have they been bathing together this whole time…?"

R-Robin's voluptuous body… you were telling him that Rosan got to see it every single day?

"It's. Not. Fair!" Sanji bawled, slamming a fist against the ground with each word.

"I can't even say I blame Sanji for that reaction," Nami sighed. She, along with Luffy, were the only ones there not surprised to hear Robin and Rosan weren't dating.

After all, Maro (who was back on Celadon) had filled her in on the plan to get them together and as Rosan's annoying little sister (and the only intelligent one on the ship besides them), it was her duty to progressively get them together.

Though… it may be harder then she thought because they did everything that couples did… but didn't acknowledge their relationship as one of couples.

For being so smart… Robin and Rosan were being quite stupid.

Robin hummed in delight as Rosan lathered her hair with shampoo, summoning two hands to do the same to his own red spikes.

"We should be going on our next journey soon," Rosan mused, humming a gentle tune as he dutifully cleaned Robin's hair.

"I wonder where we'll go? This one was quite eventful," Mod pondered.

"We still have some business to wrap up here," Robin said, glancing back at Rosan. "Is Vivi coming with us?"

Rosan shook his head. "I don't think so. She loves us but this kingdom needs her," he replied.

Maro played a big influence on the princess as well. He was sure that she would stay here but the crew would wait for her response regardless.

"I figured. Hopefully it doesn't hurt the crew too much when they find out," Robin replied, sighing as he rubbed a particularly nice spot. "What about Crocodile? He's getting further and further as we speak."

"That's fine by me. I've been tracking his ship the entire time. I can attack them soon," Rosan muttered.

The further the ship got, the better it would be. Sinking in the middle of the ocean could just be attributed to a freak storm in the Grand Line.

"I?" Robin raised a brow. "Don't you mean we? Do you think I'm letting you go alone?"

Rosan grunted. He wasn't sure if she wanted to see Crocodile so soon but if she did then that was fine.

"So sorry dear, how could I ever make this up to you?" Rosan mocked, washing her hair down with water.

The two hands cleaning his hair dispersed, only for two more to pour a bucket of water of him, wiping the small smirk off of his face.

Robin smiled in amusement as Ram began cackling. "You can stop annoying me for 1 day."

"You're very lucky that you're naked," Rosan said dryly.

"And you're very lucky that you're not a pervert," Robin returned.

The Devil Child let out a surprised yell, as the floor shifted into a ramp and dumped way too much water on her.

"Kahahaha! You two are so childish," Mod laughed, watching Robin glare at Rosan with a look that promised yet another brawl was going to break out between them.

It seemed that with the threat of Baroque Works dealt with, Robin was very quickly allowing herself to fall back into her old habits with Rosan.

Good, she was happy as can be that they were fully relaxed now.

"You're very lucky that you're naked," Robin threatened.

"I'd say you're lucky you aren't a pervert, but after watching you shamelessly grope my female form, I'm beginning to think otherwise. Now that I think about it, we can just call it even," Rosan returned, smirk back on his face.

"You want to talk about groping? Perhaps we won't shower together anymore unless you're in your female form since your male form is so grabby," Robin said, getting up to go dry herself off.

Her redheaded best friend snorted. "Do you have a crush on my female form? Maybe you wouldn't have been so upset if she was the one kissing you."

"Who said I was upset?" Robin thought to herself, before banishing that thought. "You always come to conclusions that boost your ego."

"I simply come to the most logical conclusion and that conclusion happens to make me look good."

"Egomaniac."

Robin nodded. "It's good to know that your unwarranted confidence as a child still remains."

"Father is super skilled but he is pretty arrogant."

Rosan's expression turned neutral. "I'm not a child anymore so this ganging up on me will be punished accordingly. I'll see you three tonight."

They immediately began protesting at that.

"I don't think that's really necessary," Robin informed him. She could only defeat him in tickle wars when utilizing her Devil Fruit but that also involved being a safe distance from him.

The last time they had a war, she used her Devil Fruit and then Rosan used his.

Getting tickled with heightened sensitivity went about how you expected.

"I hardly said a thing!" Mod said, panic set on her features.

Oh dear, if he tickled her again she wasn't going to make it.

"Ah shit," Ram said, going off to look for one of her hiding spots that never hid her from Auntie.

"Should have thought twice messing with an "egomaniac's" ego," Rosan snorted.

"You can be utterly insufferable," Robin groaned, accepting her fate.

"Nico Robin is with the Straw Hats and is under the protection of Rosan?" Dragon asked in surprise, eyes widening slightly over the Den Den Mushi.

"Yeah, I know you were interested in meeting her but he's not gonna even think about letting her go," Sabo replied calmly, adjusting his hat.

"Right, I'll keep that noted then… And what about you? How are you feeling?"

The Chief of Staff removed his hat and raked a hand through his hair.

"It's… complicated. I don't know them but it feels like my body does," he admitted. "More then once, I'm responding in ways that makes it feel like I know them but I still can't remember anything."

"You've had amnesia for 10 years. It's to be expected that it wouldn't be so easy."

"Yeah…"

He wanted to remember. The familiarity that his alleged family acted with each other… dragging him into it like he had never left… how he seemingly slotted perfectly in their antics…

"You don't mind if I travel with the Straw Hats for a bit longer, do you?" Sabo asked suddenly.

"Of course not. This is your family after all. You've earned the vacation after your contributions over the years. Give Rosan my regards."

"Right. Thanks, Dragon," he nodded, smiling at the thought of spending more time with them all and hanging up the call.

Luffy, Rosan, Robin, Maro, Angel and Demon… if only Ace were still here, he wanted to spar with his alleged best friend again.

Maybe he really should have just joined Luffy's crew…

Nah never in a million years.

Vivi was conflicted.

That was a nice way of putting it really. Vivi was extremely torn.

The Straw Hats were gone, leaving in the dark of night and making their way back to the ship.

There were more and more Marines converging on the island in light of Captain Hina and Smoker being injured so to avoid conflict, they decided now was the time to leave.

Maro, Demon and Angel were gone too, promising to visit whenever they could (once they found out a solution to sailing into the Grand Line) and being given an eternal pose to Alabasta for the future.

They had all done so much for her but there was still one last thing…

Would she be joining them?

"We'll wait for you to make your decision but it won't be for long," Nami informed her.

"We'll stay until 12!" Luffy beamed, munching happily on some meat.

Would she go with them…?

Memories of Koza and Pell sprung in her mind and she immediately teared up.

For Koza and Pell… She knew what she needed to do now.

Igaram burst through the door with a panicked look in his eyes, holding four bounty posters in his hand.

"BAD NEWS!" The man shouted, glancing wildly around the room in confusion at seeing only Vivi. "W-Where did they go?!"

"They're already gone," Vivi said, staring at the posters in his hand. "Those bounties… I'm sure at least two of them will be happy but the other two… not so much."

"This is no laughing matter! These prices for a rookie crew…" Igaram said, staring at the four of them.

The first two were of Luffy and Zoro respectively (these were the two that would be pleased).

Wanted: "Straw Hat" Monkey D. Luffy – 140,000,000 Beris

Wanted: "Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro – 70,000,000 Beris

The last two would not be as happy… in fact, Vivi was sure they'd be quite displeased.

Vivi had no idea what Rosan did to deserve a starting bounty this high but the most secretive member of the Straw Hats would be very annoyed to know that he was officially on the World Government's radar.

They even had pictures (well updated for Robin's case) of them now! That nearly lifeless gaze of the scout stared into her soul through the poster, exposing all her fears and failures.

She already missed that gaze of his. She missed all their gazes and wanted nothing more then to see how they'd react to their new bounties...

"I'm going to sleep Igaram, I need to prepare for my coming of age ceremony tomorrow," Vivi said.

Igaram nervously looked at that contemplative expression on her face but nodded, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Vivi stared into the night sky for a little longer before getting in bed and staring at the sleeping Karoo…

Eventually, she went to sleep, resolve set.

Rosan gazed at the Marine ships with contempt, still displeased by letting that other squad escape.

They were currently waiting for Vivi and it seemed the Marine's had been waiting for them.

That was stupid. That was really stupid to show their faces while he was still very deeply annoyed that the other ones got away.

The Straw Hats watched in disbelief as Rosan held a hand out and obliterated one of the Marine ships trying to capture them with a gigantic red ball that was clearly not his fire.

"I'm in no mood to play with any Marines," the redhead said coldly.

Without any hesitation, he leapt on to the top of Merry's sail and transformed Ram into his gloves, before holding his hand up into the sky.

Everyone's jaw slackened as it began raining dozens of red beams into each ship their, tiny but packing enough force to put holes in everything.

"He's in a bad mood," Zoro pointed out, watching him deal with the ship with far too much ease.

The others nodded in agreement, balking at the screams going on right now and finding themselves thankful that Rosan chose to work in the shadows so often.

"The Marine's we were fighting managed to make it out alive because he underestimated Crocodile's anger. He considers that a loss and Rosan's a very sore loser," Robin sighed, watching him land next to them, Ram back in ring form.

"That should be all of them. Now we can peacefully wait for Vivi," he muttered.

They sweatdropped in fear.

"Is she even gonna show up?" Usopp questioned. They had been waiting for quite a bit…

"She'll come!" Luffy said resolutely, staring at the shore with a set expression.

Despite the captain's confidence, more and more time passed until even Luffy looked a bit unsure.

It looked as if she wasn't coming after all...

Finally, when they called it quits and began setting sail, a voice yelled out to them in the distance.

"YOU GUYS!"

They all perked up in joy as Vivi appeared in their line of sight, looking stunning in her coming of age attire.

"VIVI!" They screamed back, excited to actually see her.

"Turn the ship around!" Luffy beamed.

He knew she was gonna show up!

Rosan raised a brow but said nothing.

Vivi looked at all of them, tears brimming in her eyes but a smile on her face. "I've come to say goodbye!"

They all blinked owlishly.

"What?" Luffy said in confusion.

"I love you guys and I'd love to continue traveling but… I love this kingdom so I can't go!" Vivi shouted grinning brightly at them all.

The captain's confusion turned into one of understanding and an equally large grin made its way onto his face.

Memories of traveling with them all ran through her mind and Vivi let out a choked sob.

She really was going to miss them all.

"I-If we ever see each other again... WILL YOU CALL ME YOUR CREWMATE?" She asked, allowing her tears to fall freely.

All the Straw Hats smiled fondly at her vulnerable question and turned away from her.

The sadness in Vivi's eyes only lasted a second, as all of them raised their hands to the sky and showed off the X mark that showed they were all friends.

That's right, they would always be friends.

Vivi smiled beautifully and raised her own arm, showing off the X mark on it as well.

"LET'S SET SAIL!" Luffy yelled and the Straw Hats quickly dissolved into a flurry of action.

The princess of Alabasta watched them go, before sitting on Karoo and racing back to give her speech.

"I'm going to miss them…" She sighed fondly.

She really did want to see Luffy become the Pirate King. Maybe one day she'd use Maro's connection to Rosan to meet them again.