Chapter 8: Reaper, The Angel of Death 2

Now he needed to think of another name… lucky him. He would do it though because Mod-chan wanted it, and Mod-chan got what Mod-chan wanted. Spoiled. That's what she

was. Maybe he'd just call it Ethernet… actually that was a pretty good one for all of them —

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

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

tense breath as Rosan slowly dug around.

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

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

Rosan, finding what he was looking for, successfully pulled out the item. They all watched with bated breaths as Rosan pulled out a…kama? Calling it that would be a stretch, they

weren't even sure it was a weapon.

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

this was one of them.

Before they could even react, Rosan had modified his mini scythe into its original size and they watched, with wide eyes, as the scythe grew larger then the person wielding it. The

thugs tried to back away but they were too slow and Rosan's presence was too intimidating.

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

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

It was time to begin.

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

and nearly bisected him at the waist.

The onlookers looked away in horror and disgust, as blood sprayed through the air and the mortally wounded man fell onto the floor. He tried to scream but Rosan wouldn't even

give him that mercy. Before a noise came out the redhead brutally stomped the man's head into the pavement with a resounding crack.

He stopped moving immediately.

Turning towards his partner, Rosan decided he'd take his time with this one. He was the one who made the short joke, so Rosan wanted to show just how much he appreciated it.

He slowly progressed towards the man who could only take a step back for every step forward that Rosan took.

"S-stay back! I-If I don't report back to Lord Arata, t-there's gonna be trouble for ya!" He stammered before tripping in his haste. The man desperately tried to crawl away "L-Lord

Arata has a bounty of 3 million! You don't stand a chance if you get his attention!" The man tried to intimidate this demon approaching him.

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

He watched in satisfaction, as the man went pale at Rosan's casual dismissal of their bosses bounty. Watching the hope drain out of him, was exhilarating to witness and the Mod

Mod no mi user was beginning to realize how much of a sadist he had become.

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

Thrilled.

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

same height."

The man nearly went catatonic as Rosan spoke. He was finally beginning to realize who he was dealing with. The black wings, the black cloak, the large scythe, the flat tone that

had yet to change throughout this entire conversation. Their daunting presence and the indomitable aura.

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

occurrence.

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

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

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

lest they suffer the same fate.

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

With that, he raised his scythe and swung down.

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

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

care.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

it was paying off.

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

Time to move forward with his plan then.

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

was stepping up.

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

After it became apparent no one wanted to step out in fear of falling victim to his wrath, someone shoved past the crowd, snarling out a "cowards" and approached him. Rosan

watched the figure carefully. He doubted anyone on this island could hurt him but it never hurt to keep your guard up.

It was an adult woman who looked to be about 20 years old. She was of average height, with short straight gray hair that was styled into a pixie cut with short bangs. She had a

hardened set of brown eyes and a scowl on her face.

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

people.

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

Thug 2 and the woman fidgeted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"But—,"

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

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

gulp and shakily nod.

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

"15% every 2 weeks?" She asked in disbelief. "I'm not sure if you realized kind stranger, but we're kinda living in pretty shitty conditions," she replied sarcastically, before realizing

it wasn't a good idea to antagonize this very willing murderer.

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

informed them, which caused them to pale at the thought.

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

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

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

"Can we bargain the percentage?" She tried.

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

She tch'd in annoyance and Rosan felt his respect for her increase. She would be a fine leader for these people. Anyone else would have folded immediately after seeing what he

was capable of doing but she still tried her hand.

It was futile but Rosan liked that.

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

"It all depends on circumstances. I'm not heartless, if you can't afford to give me the beri on a few occasions I won't punish you. I will give you the time you need to get back on

your feet before demanding payments. If you withhold it on purpose however, I will kill every single one of you."

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

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

"…" looking around at the crowd of people, Aiko sucked in a deep breath and said "Okay, we agree to the terms," holding out her hands for a handshake, she felt a gloved palm

make contact with hers and marveled at how warm he felt to touch.

You would think Death would be colder.

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

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

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

Ugh, he hated naming things.

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

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

He (she just assumed they were a boy. It would save her the headache) had on black. Lots of black. He had large beautiful wings, reminiscent of some birds but something told

her, they were more… transcendent. They were obsidian black and Aiko got the feeling that wings like that, should be white.

Kind of like an Angel...

His outfit was dominated with black and white, the colors of life and death. Coupled with his wings…maybe Raven or Crow? They were birds that represented death and, since they

were black, it would fit him well. She dismissed them immediately though.

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

scythe...

"Reaper," she suddenly said, nodding in satisfaction. An Angel of Death is what he was, so what better name was there then Reaper? With his black wings, black and white outfit,

hidden face, and massive scythe he really did look like the Shinigami itself.

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

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

Lord Arata was a man pretending to play king.

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

the castle and asserted his presence unceremoniously.

3 million beri might not have been a big deal for him, but for the people here, coupled with the fact he had goons to do his bidding, it proved to be too much. They had tried to

resist but after the first group of people died, they had learned to just keep their head down and allow him to do whatever he wanted.

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

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

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

"They are likely colluding with Arata because they want exclusive rights to our goods. It's the reason our island was able to become so wealthy," she said with a slight amount of

pride before her anger surged again. "Now those bastards just milk us for all we have!"

Rosan knew there was bound to be some corruptness going on in the Marines. Every organization suffered this issue, but for them to disregard a person with a 3 million bounty

just for resources? The World Government was the driving force of the world, they didn't need to do this.

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

How disappointing.

Their reasons for hunting Ace down, while utterly immoral, stemmed from the fear of the rising of the 2nd pirate king. To them that was a good enough reason. It wasn't good

enough for him but he could see why they did it.

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

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

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

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

"That bastard… he has my sister!" If looks could kill, Rosan's body would be a smoking husk because she looked absolutely murderous at the moment. "Just imagining what's

happening to my little sister, at his hands, fills me with too much hate to give up," Aiko declared and she was clenching her fists hard enough to draw blood.

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

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

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

But Aiko was powerless to stop it… just like Rosan was powerless to stop Garp. The 9 year old could sympathize with the rage she felt. It was likely even more overwhelming, due

to knowing that Arata had no good intentions. Rosan trusted Garp to keep Ace safe because Mom had trusted him to do so.

He could not say the same for Aiko.

Wait a minute... he had an idea.

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

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

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

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

Rosan smiled at her vigorous nod.

Manipulating people was quickly becoming his new favorite hobby. Like this, he had practically guaranteed himself a loyal subordinate. Someone who willingly followed a person,

was far better then someone who was forced to, there was less chance of betrayal this way.

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

"It's settled then. I will deal with his minions and I will incapacitate him. Afterwards, you may do whatever you want with him. As a show of good will, I'll even give you the means

to watch," Rosan told her and the look in her eyes suggested that she may have just won the lottery.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shinigami, on the other hand, didn't focus on any particular aspect of his personality. Despite channeling righteous fury into his transformation, Rosan didn't feel any of that. In

fact it felt like his already dampened emotions, were even further restricted in this transformation.

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

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

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

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

could not handle simple bird wings.

This was all a bonus.

Above the castle, Rosan had already thought of the best course of action. He had contemplated only targeting Arata, but he discarded the thought. He wished to free this island

completely so every one of his allies would need to die too. It would take more work but the redhead would still be done before the day was over.

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

crouched slightly to palm the roof and Scanned the interior for life forms.

Nodding in satisfaction at what he sensed, Rosan modified a hole into the roof and floated downward. The Shinigami glanced around and confirmed that the room was empty, save

for him. He withdrew his scythe from his cloak and began deliberating the right course of action.

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

Nah, that was too cliché.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Hey stop right there! What do you think you're — HRGK," someone tried to stop him but a large scythe protruding from his abdomen stopped the minion from saying anything

else. Rosan, who had not stopped moving, absentmindedly ripped the scythe out of him and continued on his merry way.

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

He did not just go there.

"You know, I always wondered why you hated her so much. Besides the fact she was a pervert and that hellacious beating she gave me once… she was quite pleasant to me and

spoiled me rotten. Is it because I had her wrapped around my finger?" Rosan questioned, almost as if he were actually thinking about it. "I don't blame you though, that woman

had a huge pair of—,"

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

Bingo.

"Oh? I see now," the redhead said in realization. "You're jealous aren't you? I don't blame you though, I would hate her too with how tightly she was squishing me into them? Who

knew you were so possessive though Mod-chan? Maybe you got that from me," Rosan had a victorious smirk on his masked face and he felt her embarrassment shine through.

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

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

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

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

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

"That is not what I meant!"

"Sure~"

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

Rosan loved coming up with new techniques and this was one of them. Currently, he was seeing if he could modify his body functions, so that they could move without conscious

thought. It was an Auto Mode of sorts and the technique was coming along nicely.

It was not perfect. Rosan had to program it preemptively and it could only handle basic orders but it was progress. His goal was to have it active even while he was sleeping, in

case anyone tried anything funny. They would be in for one hell of a surprise when his sleeping body defend itself.

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

He did this for 2 reasons.

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

The other, was to ensure that they understood that going against him, at any point, would not be a wise decision. They saw how effortlessly he was taking out the swathes of

enemies. If he could take out their tormentors so easily… what chance did they have against the Shinigami?

"The amount of techniques you've been able to come up with is startling Rosan. You are doing things with Modification I couldn't even fathom as a possibility,"

Mod pointed out and she sounded so proud of him.

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

collapsed on the floor.

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

Everyone else had surely been alerted of his presence by now and while Rosan could practice his stealth and pick people off one by one, he wanted to be done soon and they were

too weak to do something that boring. Stealth missions were only fun when the enemy had a good chance of spotting you.

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

His plan was going without a hitch. Rosan reached the room where he had scanned the two presences. Lord Arata should be in this room with Akemi, Aiko's sister. It looked to be

the master bedroom and Rosan frowned deeply. That man better not be doing what he thought he was.

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

appearance of the 2 individuals currently on a bed.

Lord Arata was a big man, but it was not muscle, only pure fat. He had shaggy brown hair that was tied into a ponytail and had pale skin. Beady black eyes looked at him in

confusion and a bit of outrage at being interrupted. He was wearing a disturbingly little amount of clothing and Rosan curled his lips at the sight he was seeing.

The girl, who Rosan assumed was Akemi, was also wearing a small amount of clothes. She was of average height with long straight gray hair styled into a ponytail. Her tear

streaked eyes were a warm shade of brown and she had wobbly lips instead of a scowl. She looked like the spitting figure of Aiko with some differences.

"Are you Akemi?" Rosan asked her and, at her fearful nod, he eased her fears by saying "Its shocking just how much better you look then your sister, despite looking so similar."

He could almost feel Aiko's outrage from here and resisted the urge to smirk.

Messing with the angry woman was fun.

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

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

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

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

the man's hand to the wall behind him.

With a knife.

Lord Arata let out an uncharacteristically high pitched squeal as the knife pierced his palm and embedded itself deeply into the wall. He tried moving, but the risk of losing his

hand, kept him still. It did not stop him for pawing at his arm though. Tears sprung to his eyes at the pain he was currently feeling and he wet himself.

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

Arata could only whimper as tears leaked down his eyes.

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

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

Aiko's little sister blinked at the sudden warmth. She looked down in wonder at the long coat that covered her modest frame and clutched it a bit tighter. His touch was soft and

warm and it caused her to look up at him in shock. The gray haired woman thought that she was surely going to die to this mysterious figure.

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

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

It was all the confirmation he needed.

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

Doc and Sachie had not raped him (though the women had been dangerously close. Rosan blessed his age), but they had touched him. They had defiled him and he couldn't do

anything about it for so long… just like this girl here.

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

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

him.

Disgusting creature.

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

spiked to unimaginable levels.

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

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

pain.

That would teach him.

Scoffing at the pathetic sight, Rosan told Akemi to find a suitable hiding spot and, despite the confused look she shot him, the woman scrambled to hide herself. She was now

situated under the very large bed. out of sight for what was about to take place.

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

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

Any moment now…

There. The pounding of footsteps rapidly approached his location. Glancing around, Rosan nodded to himself. This was enough room to deal with them. The castle was quite

massive after all and this bedroom room was no different.

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

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

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

"B-boys teach this damn midget a lesson — GAGHHHHH," Whatever Arata was about to say, was interrupted as Rosan buried a knife into his other hand. The howl he let out, was

music to his ears and the boy nearly laughed. With his sensitivity raised, it probably felt like he was getting stabbed by a knife made of molten lava.

"Did I not tell you to quiet down and enjoy the show?" Rosan asked the crucified man. "If you open your mouth again, I'll lose what little patience I have left with you," as if to

further cement his point, he revealed his scythe and returned it to its original size. The Shinigami held the blade close to the man's head and prodded him gently with it.

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

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

done it.

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

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

hard feelings in what I'm about to do to you all."

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

Some people these days.

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

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

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

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

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

How wrong they were.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He was on top of the first person instantly. Ducking under a wild swing, Rosan swung his scythe upwards. The blade slammed through the man's head in a horrific display and,

without wasting a moment, he brutally yanked it out.

He jumped off the corpses falling body, to deliver a flying kick onto the person next to him. Stealing his sword, Rosan threw the weapon and successfully knocked the gun right out

of someone's hand. He scrambled to get it but Rosan, spreading his wings, flew and slammed into the square of his back. He shouted in pain but was immediately silenced as

Rosan dug the scythe deep into him.

Someone tried grabbing for the boy but he sidestepped it. Not wasting a single moment, he deftly picked up the discarded gun and unloaded 4 bullets into the man's back. "Oh, I

like this," Rosan thought to himself as he, without looking, aimed the gun behind him and unloaded 3 more shots into the approaching man.

"Note to self, get a gun," Rosan threw the gun away and grasped his scythe with both hands. "I have to admit, this is more disappointing than I expected," Rosan told the petrified

crowd. He was sure he heard someone throwing up at his brutality.

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

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

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

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

Blood curdling howls started to ring out throughout the castle.

Rosan moved from target to target at an astounding speed delivering slash after slash. Tendons, muscles, limbs, nothing was safe from his relentless onslaught. Some died

instantly, others bled out, some were more resilient and required personal attention by him, but none escaped his wrath.

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

display.

No one else tried to run after that.

Rosan mowed through them with cold, elegant, brutality.

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

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

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

Yet incredulously, Rosan remained spotless.

Sighing in boredom, Rosan assessed the damage dealt and recalled his scythe. This had not even been enough to make him sweat. He had at least expected the sheer number

advantage they had to force his hand but there was none of that.

Not even the ones with guns had posed a problem. It wasn't their fault though, Rosan had made sure they wouldn't be using them and went after them as quickly as possible.

They should have known there would be a massive target on their back though.

Seriously, did anyone know how to fight these days?

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

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

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

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

"I wonder why…" she hummed knowingly.

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

called to the hiding girl.

Akemi slowly crawled from under the bed with her eyes closed and her nose covered. It didn't fully block the effects of the smell and she flinched at the overwhelming stench of

blood. She closed her eyes tighter, fearful at the sight she would see if she did open them.

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

behind you," he told the trembling adult.

She nodded and slowly but surely made her way to the castle. Rosan noticed that she was limping. Before she could make it far, Rosan grabbed her and modified her body so as to

wash the pain away. She flinched before relaxing as his touch made her feel better. "Thank you so much," she whispered gratefully and Rosan merely nodded before releasing her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rosan smiled before it morphed into a neutral expression as he regarded Arata. He roughly removed both knives from the near coma induced man and was satisfied to hear him

groaning in pain. He fell to the floor in a pitiful heap and as he tried to move, Rosan slammed a foot against his head.

"Don't move," he commanded, grinding his foot for good measure. The man fearfully obeyed and Rosan moved his leg from his skull. He silently modified the mans weight to

make him easier to move and cruelly dragged him through all the corpse's of his companions. Arata couldn't help retching, as he was covered in the blood of his allies and the man

nearly fainted at making contact with their disfigured bodies.

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

It didn't take long for Rosan to make his way outside. He was greeted by the sight of Aiko and Akemi having a tearful reunion. The sisters were hugging each other desperately as

Aiko whispered "It's gonna be okay now," to the sobbing woman.

Rosan dumped Arata's body in front of the two and handed Aiko a bloody knife. "Here. Under the deal we made, I have given you one very incapacitated Arata. Feel free to do

whatever you want to him. He should be particularly sensitive right now," courtesy of him but they didn't need to know that.

The look in Aiko's eyes promised nothing good for the man and Arata finally realized his situation and the reason the stranger had left him alive. He tried to plead for his life but

Rosan was already walking away from the 3. Aiko regarded him curiously, with much more trepidation in her gaze then before.

Oh right he did show her everything.

Good. Loyal she may be, humans were a naturally curious bunch. With this display, the inkling in the back of her head asking "Just what will he do to me if I do decide to betray

him?" would be answered and she would have no room for such doubts.

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

fear from their subjects.

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

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

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

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

Rosan, without stopping, responded "To my ship. We will meet again tomorrow to discuss more about our terms. For now, you may teach that rapist a lesson and spend time with

your sister," he saw the gleam of rage in her eyes as he reminded her of what Arata did and nodded in satisfaction.

With that, he flapped once experimentally and flew off.

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

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

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

Arata could only let out a terrified whimper.

A cross-dressing Demon had been the last thing he expected to see when landing on his ship yet, here it was in all of its glory.

Demon was currently blushing in embarrassment as the wide eyed male clone, looked into Rosan's blank expression. The boys hoodie was down, so he was forced to watch as his

Master slowly but surely, raised a brow.

He got the sense that the heterochromia didn't even want to question it.

Demon was currently donned in a simple black and red dress that looked a bit large on him with nothing on his bare feet. His hair, that he preferred to keep free, was tied into a

ponytail. Upon closer inspection, Rosan realized he wasn't just completely embarrassed (though he was) but there was a makeup on his face.

That would explain why his blush was so deep.

Or maybe he really was that embarrassed.

"Why didn't you tell me you were also a girl Demon?" Rosan asked, curiously raising a delicate brow. He saw no reason for Demon to hide it from him. Had he not been more then

fair enough to Angel? Sure, having two clones of himself identify as female was a bit concerning but Rosan truly did not care about that.

"Don't worry Rosan, you're a boy," Mod reassured her partner.

"You make that sound like an insult," he pointed out.

"Insecure," she sniffed.

"I am the least insecure person you know."

"I know like 3 people, Rosan."

"...Touche."

Rosan focused his attention onto Demon once more before saying "One moment. I will swap you as well—"

"T-that really won't be necessary Master," Demon interrupted. "I'm still a boy it's just… some people are very talented at not giving you any say in the matter."

Rosan's eyes widened, before they became understanding. "Ah, Meiko got her hands on you," was all he said and the clone nodded sheepishly.

"My condolences though, if it makes you feel better, they made you look quite good," he complimented.

"That does not make me feel better Master," Demon blushed worse and began fidgeting in place.

Well, he tried.

"Rosan, why don't you let me dress you up like this," Mod whined into his ear and Rosan scowled.

"Absolutely not. Even if I did allow you to, your fashion sense leaves much to the imagination," he shut it down immediately.

"Hmph," Rosan got the sense she was crossing her arms "You didn't seem to have a problem with Sachie dressing you up. In fact it seems like you managed to pick

up her fashion sense too. Just tell me that you prefer her style over mine." She scowled.

"…" was this woman seriously going to use Sachie to win every single argument?

"You can only do it in the mindscape, I refuse to wear it outside unless it's my current, male, gender."

Mod-chan cheered and victory and he was sure she'd have kissed him on the cheek if he was there. "I have so much ideas tonight! I wonder if Meiko can give me some

tips… wait we can bring her too!"

"I didn't agree to that," Rosan said bluntly but he got ignored. Sighing in defeat, Rosan let Mod-chan do whatever she was doing.

Seems he had found another person good at not giving you a say in the matter.

"Rosan, you're back!"

Ah. There goes his other headache inducing companion.

Meiko waved and gave him a hug which he returned. He had been getting much better at that, it helped that every time they entered his mindscape Meiko would hug him as much

as Mod-chan would.

"Hello Master," Angel bowed to him and he greeted her back with a small wave. His female clone was looking at Demon and Rosan and the doubt on her face as she realized what

she did nearly made him laugh.

Seems it dawned on her that Demon had his face because the poor girl looked like she was about to faint on the spot.

"So… what do ya think?" Meiko asked excitedly not realizing Angels internal crisis. Demon was shaking the girl in worry but she seemed unresponsive to it all.

Rosan couldn't resist the small snort he let out.

"Besides the fact that you're torturing Demon—," Rosan began and she smiled without a hint of shame "—It looks good. You will not be doing this to me though." He was satisfied

to see her immediately deflate.

Angel snapped out of her trance as she heard Rosan's compliment and asked "Does it really?!" before covering her mouth. She shot Rosan an apologetic look but he waved her off.

"Well he looks just like you Angel, and you also look nice," Rosan finished. She blushed scarlet and thanked him profusely before excusing herself and running away in

embarrassment. Rosan snorted in amusement.

He had to admit, his clones having emotions made the days far more entertaining.

"Complimenting a clone of yourself? Your ego is massive," Mod poked fun at him with a cheeky grin.

"Didn't you base your appearance on me, Mod-chan?" Rosan pointed out, smiling in equal fervor. "This is your fault. Your very existence is an ego booster," he finished

triumphantly.

"That's…fair," she conceded thoughtfully and Rosan laughed in victory.

"So what did you do today Rosan?" Meiko asked excitedly, practically bouncing in her spot. Angel and her had messing with Demon but, a small part of her had been worried about

Rosan's safety.

She knew he was strong enough to fend for himself but still!

Rosan, feeling her worry, nodded in appreciation. "I didn't do anything of much importance. I freed that island from a weak tyrant and now they are going to give me a steady

income every 2 weeks. Tomorrow, I'm going back down to finalize the details, then we can leave," Rosan replied, voice full of boredom.

Huh?

"Wait… what?" Meiko asked dumbly. That didn't sound like it was of no importance… that... sounded like it was really important?! She voiced her incredulity to him and he

shrugged and said "They were weak so I didn't really get much out of it. Though I guess I did get something useful out of it."

Meiko nodded with a serene expression on her face. It all made sense now.

Rosan was insane. Absolutely insane. Mod-chan really had been telling the truth with all those stories.

Palming her head in exasperation, Meiko asked "Can you tell me the full details while I start on dinner please?"

Rosan nodded with a confused expression on his youthful face.

Was it something he did?

As Meiko prepared dinner, Rosan was sat on the counter near her, telling the blonde everything he had done on the island. Demon and Angel were nearby to also hear about his

adventure.

Meiko had paused multiple times in his tale, to regard the boy in disbelief.

He had taken out over 20 people by himself?! Rosan was a machine! He merely shrugged and said it was nothing he couldn't handle because they were weak.

A 9 year old should not be saying that with such confidence!

Meiko on her part, was torn between being proud that Rosan had freed them from Arata's wrath, or being upset that he put himself in potential danger. She went pale as a sheet,

as Rosan mentioned the fact that some of them had guns. She wanted to smack him for being so reckless but the thought of putting her hands on someone, especially Rosan,

horrified her.

"A gun is not enough to put me down Meiko," Rosan assured her. "I'm made of tough stuff and I've modified my cloak to be pretty durable." Tugging his cloak as emphasis, Rosan

sent her a small smile and it helped calm her down.

Meiko could never stay mad at Rosan for long. He was earnest in a way that made you realize, there was no point being upset with him. Being mad at the redhead would be for

naught because this was just how he was and he wouldn't change for anybody.

The blonde also had a hard time staying mad at people in general. She was too nice for her own good and Rosan said that she could be taken advantage of as a result of her

kindness.

There was also the crush she had on him but that didn't play a big part.

Yep. It definitely didn't.

Rosan was opening up more and more to her and it made her happier then she could imagine! The first few weeks they had traveled together the boy was reserved, barely

showing her a thing, and since his outburst, he had tried his hardest to mask his emotions from her. Outwardly it was successful but through their connection she could tell how he

really felt.

Still... she was convinced even Angel and Demon had shown more personality then he had!

He had improved in spades since they began getting closer! She was successfully breaking down his barriers, with the help of Mod-chan, and she could see shades of the old

Rosan the Devil Fruit described in the boy now!

His trip on this island was proof of that!

Perhaps he'd never reach his original state but she wanted him to at least be happy.

Rosan and Mod-chan also noticed his gradual shift in personality. Rosan was a bit hesitant, his emotions had caused him much harm, but he realized it was futile to resist Meiko's

charm and he didn't feel like going through the trouble of willingly stifling his emotions.

As such, he just naturally let whatever was happening happen. It's what Mod-chan wanted anyways so he didn't have much of a problem with it.

Mod-chan for her part, loved Meiko all the more for it. She didn't think anyone would be able to make a breakthrough for Rosan in a very long time (not until he met Robin at

least) but she was proven very wrong. This girl was so pure and she understood Rosan in a way, that it honestly scared her. She didn't think anyone would be able to get through

to Rosan as easily as the blonde did, not even his mother!

How Rosan kept finding such amazing people, she didn't know but she attributed it to his magnetic personality. Whatever the case, she was glad Meiko and Rosan had met.

"Rosan," Meiko called getting his attention "You said they are giving you 15% of their total earnings every week right?" He nodded in confirmation.

"I will allow them time to recuperate before I start collecting but yes. Like this we won't have to worry about running out of beri. I will be bounty hunting as well so funds should

not be an issue," he told her.

She nodded then asked "Do you plan on staying in the North Blue?" Rosan shook his head, so she followed up with "How exactly do you plan on collecting the beri then?"

She got the urge that Rosan knew she was going to ask that if the way he puffed up was an indication. "I have a technique for that, it's similar to what I did with the bag I gave

you but on a larger scale," the boy explained, practically preening at the look of awe Meiko shot him.

"Does it have a range limit?" she asked.

"Nope, but at the moment I can only have a set amount placed at a time. This island will be one of the locations, the White Rose will be another and one will be on you," he told

her.

Blinking owlishly, she pointed at herself and said "Me?"

Rosan nodded in confirmation. "Yes my limit right now is 3 and the first was always intended to be for you. This way, if you are ever in danger I will be able to keep you safe," he

finished seriously locking his dual eyes onto her own.

Meiko's face turned an interesting shade of red as her pupilless blue eyes widened to epic proportions. Rosan raised his brow, as the blonde began stuttering nonstop and she

covered her face in embarrassment.

She looked very much like her mother with that blush on her face.

Rosan couldn't identify any lust from the blonde though, so it just left him confused.

"Rosan isn't Meiko just the cutest thing ever?" Mod gushed and Rosan's confusion amplified.

"Did I do something?" Rosan asked his partner.

"You know, it's incredible how clueless you can be Rosan. You're able to notice obscure details so easily. Yet the moment it's right in your face, you can't see it,"

Mod cooed, much to his outrage.

"What exactly can't I see? Why is she so flustered from what I said?"

"Never change Rosan. Never change," The Devil Fruit let out a fond sigh. It was times like this, where Rosan really was a 9 year old boy.

An insane, murderous, 9 year old boy but still a 9 year old boy.

"...What?"

On Meiko's half, she felt her face heat up as her chest pounded harshly. The thought of Rosan made her feel dizzy and she felt her blush deepen as she stared at his face.

His very adorable face.

As she soaked in his appearance, Meiko came to the startling realization that Rosan was no doubt going to attract a lot of suggestive glances when he grew older. Soft spiky locks,

that were a unique shade of red, framed his tan face. He had let them down and the wild hair flowed past his shoulder.

He had let them down at her suggestion. They weren't in a bun like he was used to. He listened to what she had to say and the thought made her lightheaded.

No one liked to listen to her. No one...except for him. It had been like this ever since Daybreak. He was the only one that gave her his undivided attention.

She felt herself getting lost in those bright, mesmerizing eyes.

Royal purple, formerly devoid of feeling, shone brightly with emotion in one eye.

Crimson red, so full of rage, stared at her without any of it. There was only a tender sort of care. Care for her well-being—

Oh.

Meiko didn't think this was a simple crush anymore.

This was unexpected... She needed to find a way to talk to Mod-chan about this… but could she do that without Rosan knowing? He'd probably let her if she just asked, but he'd be

suspicious. She would probably do it anyways, Rosan knew she had a crush on him, but the boy didn't seem to know the full scope of it.

The wise Devil Fruit might know the best way to approach this.

She had thought that maybe this crush would go away over time but, if anything, it only got stronger. The more time she spent with him, the more apparent the feeling got.

Meiko had fallen for Rosan. Hard.

What was she going to do about this?

Looking at the source of her affections, she held her head at the confused look he sent her way.

This was going to be harder then she thought.

"I'm coming with you," Meiko declared, not even thinking about taking no for an answer.

Rosan didn't have his hoodie up so she saw him raise a neat red brow at her. She idly wondered if Rosan had a self care routine, his hair, despite how wild it was, always looked so

well done.

It made her kinda envious.

"Okay," was all he said causing her to look at him in surprise. She had expected him to argue against her decision and she voiced as much.

"When have I ever denied a request from you?" the redhead questioned and the blonde opened her mouth to answer, before shutting it.

He…had a point. She didn't realize but Rosan rarely disagreed with her. Actually, he avoided pointless arguments so, as long as it didn't affect him too bad, he would agree with

most requests.

"It's just I thought you'd be more protective of me and say no," she admitted truthfully, tugging one of her twintails.

"It's true. Your safety is currently my number one priority," he said and she flushed at his honesty. The redhead really didn't seem to understand the effect his words had on her as

her cheeks became hot. "But, you will have the most protection by my side anyways. If I thought anything on this island could get through me, I wouldn't let you go and I

wouldn't go myself."

Meiko smiled at how straightforward he was.

Some might call Rosan arrogant but she knew better! The redhead wasn't arrogant at all, he was just confident in his abilities and he acted accordingly. He didn't make baseless

claims and that's why he didn't let her join him yesterday. It was because he wanted to gauge the power for himself!

Without knowing what he was capable of, it would be easy to confuse the two.

"Are you afraid of flying?" Rosan asked her. She shook her head no and let out a surprised squeak as Rosan suddenly scooped her into a bridal carry. She instinctively wrapped her

hands around his neck and blushed deeply as she realized their proximity.

Rosan snorted at her reaction and said "You always have a blush on your face, it reminds me of Sachie," and her blush deepened, as she pouted.

"What a surprise, a daughter acts like her mother," she said sarcastically and Rosan let out a small chuckle at her bite.

"You two are remarkably similar though, you're not as big of a pervert as she is. I could be wrong though," Rosan teased and she blew a raspberry at the boy.

His only response was to laugh at her misfortune.

"You're a jerk, Rosan," she grumbled and he gave her a completely insincere apology that made her roll her eyes.

"Try not to call me Rosan when we land," was all he said, before he spread his obsidian wings and took off without warning.

Meiko couldn't up let out a scream of surprise as her body was suddenly elevated at a rapid rate. The blonde was clutching onto Rosan for dear life and she let out a squeak at how

far away the ocean was