Chapter 23: The Captain and the Scout

"Who woulda thought our journey would have ended in disaster so soon?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but all of this could have been avoided if we had just taken my ship."

Rosan stared at his younger brother and Luffy grinned back. Despite the calamity happening around the two, neither of them looked bothered about the situation they happened to be in.

"I never thought of all the things to potentially kill us… this would be one of them," Mod sighed in exhaustion. This was something that could only be achieved with Luffy it seemed.

The redhead was inclined to agree. After all, the two brothers were currently being sucked into a whirlpool that was almost certainly going to kill the Devil Fruit users.

"Let's just leave him to drown," Ram said in a deadpan. She just knew this was going to happen. This sorry little ship was doomed from the start but the rubber squirt was adamant in his ways.

"I've got a better idea," Rosan replied.

"Luffy, get in that barrel and I'll track you from the sky. Once we get out of this whirlpool, I'll retrieve you."

Luffy slammed a palm against his fist at the plan and nodded resolutely. "Alright!" He exclaimed and the boy immediately went and did that, without even questioning his brother.

"Are you actually trying to kill him?" Mod asked in amusement, shaking her head at their antics.

"…" Rosan said nothing and as the barrel lid closed, he palmed it.

"Modify," he uttered and was satisfied to see it get successfully reinforced. The whirlpool would not be destroying the barrel while it was buffed with his Devil Fruit.

He could have just flown with Luffy, but the idiot had wanted to use this ship and so he was going down with it.

"You'll probably wanna take a nap in the meantime," Rosan offered before he kicked the barrel overboard.

"Nice!" Ram beamed. She was pleased with her father's actions.

"You two are genuinely psychotic," Mod said blandly. At least he had reinforced the barrel... Luffy was probably not going to die in the vortex because of that fact.

Ace would not be happy if this was how their youngest brother met his end... especially if he learned that it was Rosan's idea.

Rosan thought maybe it would be funny but he didn't have the humor to be able to tell and the middle brother was scarily protective of Luffy too...

His draconic wings burst from his back and he swiftly took to the skies, lest the whirlpool take him as well. From his vantage point, he watched the whirlpool destroy the ship and the barrel did an admirable job surviving the attack before it vanished from his sight in some direction.

Rosan blinked.

Ram laughed nervously, inching away from her Auntie in case she had to suffer her wrath. "Oops?"

"Oh, the barrels gone," he commented idly and Mod let out a suffering sigh.

"Please go find him."

"Okay."

The tug of his Save Point was weak because of the ocean but he could briefly feel it…

He thinks.

Rosan had definitely kicked him into the whirlpool.

His brother was so mean sometimes!

After getting tossed around alot, Luffy had eventually been spit out of the vortex and he decided to take a nap to pass the time.

It was a really nice nap but he should probably wake up now.

The 17 year old yawned, stretched his arms, and burst out of the barrel that had been his savior.

"That was a great nap!" He exclaimed happily. "Even though Rosan kicked me into a whirlpool, I managed to survive somehow... But man, I really thought I was gonna barf with how dizzy I got!"

Sleeping in his vomit, didn't sound very enjoyable.

The teen paused as he realized that he wasn't alone and Luffy stared at the unfamiliar faces. They gawked at him in disbelief as if they had seen a ghost and the straw hat wearing boy scratched his head.

"Who are you guys?" He asked in confusion. Where was Rosan? Didn't he say he was going to watch him from the sky?

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" They responded in disbelieving fury.

Three of them looked like pirates… and the last one looked too pathetic to be a pirate. Speaking of which… Where exactly was he?

Did he wash up on an island? Who knew that barrel could be so useful!

Oh wait, Rosan did! That's why he made him go there! What a smart scout his older brother was!

Koby watched, with his jaw dropped, as a person burst out of the barrel he had just brought onto the island. H-he had thought it was alcohol! He didn't expect a person to just be taking a nap (who does that?!) in there!

The pink haired cabin boy was internally freaking out because this looked really, really bad for him. If Alvida-sama found out that he had brought someone on the island without her permission, he'd be dead meat for insubordination!

It was as if fate itself wanted to laugh at the boy because a black object came flying into the building they were all hiding out in, breaking it on impact and causing a slight shockwave.

"BACK TO WORK YOU LAZY DOGS!" A booming voice called out and Luffy shouted in surprise as he was sent flying while still trapped in the barrel.

"Whoa!" The rubber boy exclaimed, rolling out of sight with Koby in tow.

"Who's the most beautiful woman throughout all the seas?" A booming voice asked as Luffy disappeared.

"LADY ALVIDA! YOU ARE... OF COURSE!" They chorused but the captain was not smiling. She had a scowl on her rotund face and immediately closed the distance between her and her crew, glaring at them.

"Which one of you had such a great nap?!" Alvida demanded and their eyes widened in fear at her question.

Great nap?! None of them had taken a nap!

"T-That wasn't us! We have an intruder on the island, Captain!"

"Yeah and he was brought here by Koby too!"

Alvida's eyes widened at that information. "Could he be a bounty hunter?! Koby... that traitorous bastard."

Cowardly little boy couldn't even do anything himself... How did he manage to even find a bounty hunter to hunt her down? He never left the island so that meant that...

The woman began sweating a little at the slight implications. Surely it couldn't be... right?

"I don't think a single bounty hunter is bold enough to come here besides the demon swordsman, Roronoa Zoro…" A grunt muttered.

"It can't be though, the Marine's have him locked up!" His buddy retorted.

"...What if it's them?" The grunt asked in terror and his face went white.

"Them? Who's them?" Another, younger, grunt asked, clueless expression on his face.

"You're pretty young so you don't know but... It could be Reaper."

"Don't be ridiculous," Alvida dismissed a little nervously. "Reaper has been off the grid for 10 years and they have a bounty now. There's no way they're coming after us."

"I heard Roronoa Zoro is clever and if he is that clever... he probably managed to escape the Marines."

She nodded to herself at the explanation. It had to have been Roronoa Zoro trying to target her bounty.

There was absolutely no way Reaper was going to come out of hiding just for her. Not even Alvida was that arrogant.

Rosan landed directly next to where he felt his Save Point's presence the strongest. It had suddenly began pulsing, which meant the ocean was no longer fogging it up and he quickly flew over to where his brother was.

He hadn't expected Luffy to wash up on an island full of pirates but that was just his little brother's luck and it seemed like he even made a new friend in the process.

"Rosan!" Luffy cheered excitedly, bounding over to his scout with a beaming grin and immediately wrapping his arms around the much taller redhead.

"Luffy... you survived," Rosan commented idly, returning the hug without complaint and eyeing up the other boy there. He was currently shaking like a leaf at the sudden arrival of the redhead and he looked successfully intimidated by the sight of the tall man.

How odd, Rosan knew people could be intimidated by him but he wasn't going out of his way to scare this stranger... Maybe he was just that cowardly?

Luffy suddenly remembered something and the boy angrily retorted, "You totally pushed me in the whirlpool!"

Koby balked at that information and looked at the redhead in renewed terror. HE DID WHAT?! A WHIRLPOOL?!

"I wanted to give you a head start."

"Oh, okay!"

"THAT'S NOT OKAY" Koby finally couldn't keep his silence and blurted that out, before putting both hands over his mouth, as those dual eyes locked back onto him. He really didn't feel very comfortable staring into that unnerving gaze right now. Actually... he didn't think he'd ever feel comfortable looking into them. It made him feel like all his hopes and dreams were just destined to be crushed into the cold sea.

"Luffy, who is this sad, pathetic little boy?" Rosan asked bluntly and Koby depressingly held his head at those harsh words. This Rosan and Luffy were both brutally honest and the pink haired boy didn't think anyone could prepare for them.

"This is Koby. Koby, this is Rosan!" Luffy introduced with a grin and he explained what happened to the cabin boy.

"You accidentally ended up on a pirate ship that you thought was going out for fishing?" Rosan asked slowly and Koby nodded his head in affirmation, looking ashamed all the while.

"Did you hit your head as a baby?" The dual eyed man asked softly, genuinely meaning it.

"Right?! He's so dumb!" Luffy laughed and Koby felt himself falling deeper into depression.

"You shouldn't bully him so much… Not everyone can be born smart," Mod tried to defend him, not realizing that he'd probably be even further upset by her words.

"If he could hear you he'd be even more depressed!" Ram cackled.

Mod scratched her head in confusion at that statement. Would he really...? She didn't see anything wrong with her words so why would he?

"Why don't you try and run? I don't think you're strong at all so that's your next best option," Rosan offered.

"He's a coward too! He can't run away cuz he's scared," Luffy interjected.

Rosan hummed at that, nodding his head at the explanation as he came to a conclusion. "You're really worthless. How are you still alive? Shouldn't you just roll over and die at this point?"

Koby sobbed comically at the two ganging up on him. "You two are really mean!" He cried out. They were right but they didn't have to say it! Who were these two abnormal people!

"?" Rosan tilted his head. "Apologies, I wasn't intending to come off as mean. I'm just speaking the truth based off my own observations."

Koby sank deeper into despair at the seemingly polite, but actually really rude, man.

"As much as I hate to admit it… you two are right. I don't have the courage to float around at sea in a barrel... or to kick someone into a whirlpool…" Koby trailed off and he inspected the two again.

Just what made them decide to travel together if one was willing to kick another into a whirlpool?

"What made you two decide to go out to sea anyways?" Koby asked.

"I'm gonna be the King of Pirates!" Luffy exclaimed bluntly.

Rosan said nothing.

Koby's jaw dropped at the revelation. The pink haired boy looked at Luffy like he had grown a second and he may as well have because he was clearly insane. "K-King of the Pirates?"

"Yeah."

"Wait, you're a pirate?!"

"Yep."

"Where's your crew?!"

"Don't got one. It's just me and Rosan."

"I'm the scout."

The two brothers watched as Koby remained frozen and Luffy began to wave his hand incessantly in the pink haired boys face. Just what exactly was wrong with this weird boy?

"K-K-King of the Pirates is the title given to the person who obtains everything in the world!" Koby suddenly said. "That means seeking treasure of wealth, fame, and power… the One Piece!" He shouted.

"Yup!" Luffy agreed.

Rosan nodded his head and said, "Sounds about right." Both looked utterly unbothered by what the panicking boy was saying and it was almost comical to witness the sheer difference in moods.

"Yup?! Sounds about right?! Don't you know pirates all over the world are going after that treasure?!"

"I thought that was obvious. This isn't called the Great Age of Pirates era for no reason," the redhead commented. This boy was way too jumpy for his own good. Just hearing about Luffy's dream had reduced him to this?

"He really is dumb!" the straw hat wearing boy laughed merrily. "I'm going after it too!"

"No way! No way, no way, no way! Absolutely no way!" The boy exclaimed in utter disbelief. "There's no way you can be King of Pirates in the golden age of Piracy! It'll never happen!"

"He's annoying," Ram commented with a deep groan of exasperation.

Luffy clearly agreed because he shut the boy up with a fist to the head.

"Thank you, Luffy," Rosan said.

"He was being hysterical," Luffy shrugged like it was no big deal.

"You shouldn't walk around doubting people's dreams, Koby," the redhead chastised him calmly. "It's disrespectful."

Koby flinched at his words and had the decency to look ashamed.

"I'm not afraid of dying, Koby!" Luffy exclaimed with a smile. "I've decided that I wanna become King of the Pirates and if I die while trying to achieve it, then that's fine with me!"

Rosan hummed in agreement. "Dreams are worth staking your life on. If you live your life never attempting to accomplish your goal, was it ever worth living?"

The cabin boy stared at the two with wide eyes as he digested that information.

"Now we gotta find a boat," Luffy muttered and he began walking off.

"No, we're using mine until we can get a new, actual, ship that you can call your own," Rosan replied immediately, shutting down his captain completely. "My ship wouldn't have gotten caught in that whirlpool and I expected you to get something better than the barely upgraded raft."

Luffy whined at that but eventually accepted it. Rosan rarely disagreed with anyone so when he made demands, people usually followed them and Luffy was no exception, captain or not.

"Fine, we'll use it until we get our own," the captain agreed and the two prepared to walk off.

"D-Do you think I can do it too?" Koby suddenly asked and the two paused. "If I'm prepared to die for it?"

"Do what?" Luffy asked.

"Do you think even I could join the Marines?" The boy asked quietly.

Rosan stared at him with a blank gaze and it almost looked like the ring on his finger was glowing.

"Marines?" the captain asked, after shooting Rosan a side glance.

"Yes! Catching bad guys is my dream! It's been my dream since I was little! Do you think I can do it?!" The teary boy asked them, eyes desperate for their approval.

The glow vanished and Luffy gazed back at Koby.

"How am I supposed to know?" The rubber boy chuckled. He didn't know anything about this guy besides the fact he was a coward!

"Only you know the answer to that," Rosan hummed. He had contemplated killing the boy right here so the world could have one less Marine but his goals were noble enough and he didn't seem like the type to become corrupt.

Also, Luffy would be upset with him for killing his friend.

"Whipped," Ram snorted.

"You don't call him whipped when you're the one being spoiled," Mod pointed out.

"I'm his daughter! It's my right and nobody else's!"

"Whatever you say, Ram."

Rosan ignored them both, sensing the impending argument that seemed to happen hourly with the two.

"No! I'll do it! If I'm gonna be a chore boy for the rest of my life, then I'll break out of here and catch even Alvida-sama — no, Alvida!" He exclaimed loudly. That would show her! He'd escape, become a high ranking Marine and put bullies like Alvida back in their place!

"WHO ARE YOU GOING TO CAPTURE, RUNT?" A voice roared and Koby went pale, watching his sorry excuse of a dinghy be destroyed instantly under the attack of a large figure.

"What... is... that?" Ram asked in horror and Mod softly bopped her on the head.

"Don't be rude, that's a person," the woman admonished with a slight smile.

The figure was a tall and very obese woman with long wavy black hair, and freckles on her cheeks. She wore a white cowgirl hat with a large red plume, a red neckerchief, a pink plaid shirt, and a blue captain's coat over it.

Her statement may have been rather crass but... there was some validity in what Ram said because Rosan would be hard pressed to find someone who looked like her.

"M-MY BOAT!" Koby screeched in horror. He had been working on it for over 2 years and, though it would have certainly not survived even one voyage, all his hard work had gone down the drain!

Alvida sized up the unfamiliar faces with a victorious smirk on her face. "Neither of you look like the bounty hunters Zoro or Reaper but…"

She fixed the redhead with a predatory gaze that had Ram squealing in fear.

"STAY AWAY!" The silver haired woman screamed, jumping into Mod's arms for protection.

Rosan didn't like where this was going. He had been thinking about how the pirate was wary of Reaper, before she began gazing at him with the same eyes many people had fixed him with over the years.

"No, no, no, a million times no. I'm telling Angel," Mod said decisively. There was a limit to what she could take.

Ram gawked at her sheer audacity.

"B-But Father didn't even do anything?!"

"I don't care."

Why was he in trouble? What did he do? Did Mod actually think he would have entertained this? He was just being polite. The redhead was going to let her speak first instead of jumping to conclusions.

"You, redhead. Become my —"

"No thank you. I'd rather not be with a "sack of shit" sorry," Rosan said respectfully and he slightly dipped his head as an apology.

Those were Ram's words, not his. Angel would probably tell him to say something along those lines as well.

The entire area went silent at Rosan's words and Luffy burst out laughing. The captain collapsed on the floor and clutched his stomach as he laughed and laughed.

Alvida's face went red in anger and embarrassment. She hadn't even managed to ask the rude (albeit handsome) man her question and this was what she got?

HER? Clearly he didn't know what he was talking about and it was his loss!

"Koby, please enlighten this fool. Who's the most beautiful of all on these seas?"

"As far as I know... Wouldn't that be Mod-chan?" Rosan wondered. "Maybe not because she's in my mind so not much people know how she looks. Angel then?"

"I think Auntie Mod would win if there was a contest!" Ram beamed supportively.

Mod blushed an atomic shade of red at being harassed by her two companions. "I-I… T-thank you for the compliments but please let's leave it at that!"

She should have known not to say that around Ram.

"Awww our hot little Auntie can't handle a few compliments?" Ram's voice was oozing with false concern and the tall woman capitalized immediately on Mod's embarrassment. "Why not? Don't you see what you're working with! Be glad you're not in the real world permanently because Father would be just as bad as you when it came to attention from suitors!"

Rosan was fairly sure he'd be worse but he wouldn't say that.

"I-I just said stop... Why must you try and embarrass me like this?!"

Rosan listened to Mod malfunction due to Ram peppering her with more and more compliments and he let them have their fun.

Koby looked as if he was about to answer on auto-pilot but the laughing Luffy was doing a great job at distracting everyone there.

"K-Koby," he wheezed between his fit of laughter. "W-Who's this big chunky lady?"

Everyone's jaw dropped even further as Luffy added another insult to the pile.

"Don't be so rude, Luffy," Rosan reprimanded softly.

"YOU'RE EVEN WORSE!" The surrounding pirates roared. This redhead had absolutely said something worse than the straw hat wearing boy and he didn't even seem to notice! Who did he think he was?! Was he unaware?!

"Oh? My apologies, I was just being honest," the 24 year old told them, tilting his head to the side.

The group of pirates collapsed at the utter insincerity in his tone and Alvida looked like she was about to explode on the spot due to their words.

"Rosan, Luffy! You both need to take it back!" Koby panicked, trying to save the two. "Throughout all of the seas, Alvida-sama is…"

He remembered the words of the two strange pirates and stopped what he was saying. It didn't matter if he died, so long as he fought for his dream to the end.

"Alvida-sama is… The UGLIEST OLD HAG EVER!" He finally roared. To hell with her! These two were right! If he died here, then that was the extent of what he was capable of!

Luffy burst out laughing again and fell right back on the floor.

"W-What did you just say?" Alvida hissed, veins riddling her face. The events of today, with the handsome redhead and the scrawny straw hat, were causing her to reach her limit and Koby was putting the final nail in the coffin.

Koby steeled himself and stepped forward with a brave look on his fear filled face. "I-I'm going to join the navy! And then I'm gonna beat up pirates and them I'm gonna catch your lousy ass for everything you've done to me!"

"That was well said," Rosan commented from the side, content to watch this all unfold. Alvida posed zero threat to him and Luffy had it handled so he didn't feel the need to interfere.

"Nope, I refuse to accept that. Knock her out for daring to make a move on you," Mod demanded and Rosan sighed at her tone.

"Okay."

"Luffy, I'll take her out," Rosan suddenly said and the captain looked at him in curiosity.

"Okay!" Luffy agreed easily enough before patting Koby on the back and dragging the petrified boy away. "That was well said, Koby!"

"W-Wait, you're just gonna let Rosan fight her?!" He shrieked in disbelief. He'd die! There was no way the redhead could beat Alvida alone... They'd need to gang up on her!

"Yup!"

"?!"

Rosan sized the seething pirate up and hummed. "You shouldn't show your emotions so freely grandma-san, people will take advantage of that," he offered her and she nearly blew a fuse at his patronizing words.

"You… stop messing with me! I'm only 25!"

The redhead paused as he digested her words. "Did you look like this at 24 too?" He asked curiously.

The deep glare she shot him, was answer enough.

"Ah, then I'm safe."

Alvida let out a hellacious roar and charged him, mace at the ready. Rosan stood there, with his head tilted, as the approaching figure neared his location.

Everyone watching (except for Luffy), could only gawk in horror, at the sight of the redhead casually catching a swing of the big woman's iron mace.

"Ow, I'm in so much pain," Rosan said blandly, idly gripping the mace even harder in his bronze hand to the point where cracks began appearing.

Alvida's jaw dropped in surprise, at the bored expression on his face after effortlessly catching her attack and she tried to take a step back but his grip on her mace, was unforgiving. There was no way... just who was this random person?!

She had swung her mace with everything she had and he was just standing there, mocking her?! Was he... Was he some type of monster?!

"My apologies... I didn't really want to do this so I'll make it quick," the computer man whispered gently. Seemingly not minding the spikes on the mace at all, he tugged it forward and dragged Alvida with it. He clenched his fist and aimed directly for the woman.

The woman's eyes rolled to the back of her skull as a fist blurred and connected to her cheek, upheaving the large woman and sending her tumbling on the floor. He had given her no time to react and in only one attack, she was down for the count and showed no signs of waking back up.

Her crew looked at Rosan in complete fear but he paid them no mind, focused on his mother instead.

"Are you satisfied?" The redhead asked and after a long silence, he sighed again, turned towards the body and punted it a ways away to a different part of the island. It sailed through the air from his strength and everyone heard the thud of her landing.

"Now I'm satisfied."

"You shoulda killed her, Father," Ram exhaled sadly.

Rosan hadn't killed anyone since he was 18. Maybe he was maturing because killing such weak people seemed like a chore to him these days, with his little brothers around, he didn't want to expose them to an even darker aspect of life.

"M-Monster!" Koby whispered in disbelief at the strength Rosan displayed. What was he?! Alvida, the person who had been terrorizing him for two years, had just been taken out like yesterday's trash by someone he had just met... The same person who was claiming to be just the scout.

Everyone watched in terror as Alvida's body soared through the air at the kick he planted. Were they... were they next?! Lady Alvida-sama was the strongest on this island bar none and she had just been taken out in one hit. The redhead in the expensive clothing didn't even look bothered by it, already glancing away from the pirate crew and regarding the straw hat boy again.

Rosan simply said, "We're done here right? I'm going to get the ship ready."

"Yeah! Let's get outta here," Luffy agreed and the two began to walk away, not seeming to care at all about the events that had just happened. To them, it might as well have been just a random Tuesday with how nonchalant they were acting at invading someone's island base, insulting said owner's appearance and beating her down in front of her entire crew with only two hits...

They were both monsters.

"Koby, what are you doing? Let's go!" The captain exclaimed and the pink haired boy blinked owlishly.

"Eh?" He asked intelligently.

"He's slow Luffy so we have to spell things out for him," Rosan explained patiently, causing his brother's mouth to set into an O of realization. "You can't become a Marine here, so we'll bring you to a base where you can become one. Did you get all that?"

Honestly, was it possible that someone was dumber then his younger brother?

Koby fell at his insult before hearing the second part and shooting back up in surprise.

"You two would escort me…?" He whispered, tears brimming in his eyes at their act of kindness. Gathering himself up, he shot a momentary glance back at his former crew and hastily following after the pair.

They were a weird duo but they were surprisingly nice!

"If you whine or panic unnecessarily in my face, I'm going to throw you overboard. If you compliment the Marines in my face, I'm going to throw you overboard. If you tell anyone anything about me, I'm going to hunt you down, rip you in half and then throw you overboard," Rosan informed him patiently and the fact that his expression had not shifted even once, terrified Koby.

"R-R-Right!" He saluted fearfully.

He changed his mind, Rosan was not nice at all.

Luffy laughed at the look on the pink haired boys face.

"This ship is incredible!" Koby awed at the sleek silver ship.

He had never seen a boat like this before! It looked a lot more advanced then what he was used to and it seemed designed for comfort and speed. How did they manage to get such a rare looking ship?!

"Why didn't you use this ship in this first place?"

"Because it's my ship, not Luffy's," Rosan explained. "Even though we could have used it until we got our own, someone refused and got tossed into a whirlpool as a result."

"I thought you said you were giving me a head start?!"

"I was… Unfortunately, you survived."

"But you protected me, didn't you?" Luffy asked knowingly, a large, carefree grin, plastered across his face.

"...Yes."

He wouldn't actually let his little brother die. Luffy was far too spoiled and it was absolutely Rosan's fault that he was. Ace had chided him many a times for going to easy on him but Luffy wasn't someone who'd let that weaken him, so Rosan continued to do so.

Besides, the last three years would have dashed any of Ace's complaints about him going too easy on the rubber boy. He had made good on his words and thoroughly trained up his little brother.

If he was sure the whirlpool was going to kill him, naturally he'd have carried him away but Rosan had seen more dangerous ones.

Koby sweatdropped at the conversation between the two insane boys. There was something deeply wrong with the opposite personalities. The fact that they were so comfortable with each other spoke volumes of their bonds.

"That reminds me... um Rosan-san how did you show up on the island? Did... Did you fly?" Koby asked hesitantly. He hadn't been able to catch it, considering he was looking at Luffy the whole time but one second, there had been no one there and the next, a redhead was standing right next to him.

There had not even been a sound! He was like a ghost!

"You want to be a Marine right?" Rosan asked in return.

Koby nodded without hesitation at that.

"We're enemies. If I tell you anything about me it's only going to be while your bleeding out and dying," the redhead informed him coldly.

The cowardly little boy shrieked in fear. "R-Right!" He didn't know what Rosan had against the World Government but it would be best if Koby didn't mention them around the man. H-He was right anyways... the two were pirates and he was planning on joining the Navy so they would become enemies.

He didn't have to be so cold about it though...

He turned his attention to the nicer of the two instead.

"Luffy-san, if you're going for the One Piece that means you two will be going to the Grand Line, right?"

"Mhm," Luffy nodded. "Rosan have you ever been to the Grand Line?" His captain asked suddenly.

"No. I was banned from entering until I became an adult," he replied calmly. While traveling between the seas, he had caught glimpses of the strange strip of ocean but he had never personally gone there.

"That's smart," Koby nodded, not knowing who could possibly ban this person from entering. "They call that place the pirate graveyard and for good reason too. If you go there unprepared, you'll die!"

"Yeah. We're gonna need a strong crew… What about that pirate hunter guy? What's he like?" Luffy asked suddenly. What was his name again... Roruano Zero?

Rosan didn't know much about a pirate hunter. He had been lying low for a long time now and only really left Goa to visit his allies or for the occasional trip to different islands with all of them. Outside of bounty posters, he wasn't too well versed in what was happening in the East Blue.

In the past 10 years, he hadn't been keeping up with what was happening around him too much so he wasn't aware that there was another renowned bounty hunter. He did know that a plethora of people had begun bounty hunting (and dying) in order to replicate the fame that Reaper had amassed over the years.

How flattering that he was causing a wave of people to show up. Perhaps he truly was Roger's son in a way.

Speaking of which, Alvida had been relieved that Reaper hadn't been there but the Angel of Death hadn't been active for 10 years. The fact that people were still wary of them was flattering but… it would be best if he didn't reveal his identity until Luffy and his future crew were strong enough to defend themselves.

"Mhm, we'll have to exercise caution lest we attract the whole world's attention before we are ready," Mod nodded.

"They'll get what's coming to them but it'll be on our terms," Ram grinned.

"You want to recruit the pirate hunter?" Rosan asked his captain.

Luffy nodded and said, "If he's a good guy, I'll let him join," and the redhead nodded in return at that. It sounded good enough to him and if he was renowned, he must be somewhat strong.

"What?! I heard he was captured by the Navy!" Koby exclaimed in disbelief, hoping to dissuade the duo from doing something stupid.

"Aww, he's a weakling?" Luffy frowned in disappointment at the revelation.

"No way! He's as terrifying as a demon!"

"How do you know that? Have you met him?" Rosan asked the pink haired boy. Was Koby speaking from experience or was he just needlessly panicking again.

His bet was on the latter.

"N-No…" he answered meekly.

"So how do you know this? Rumors?"

"He's been captured by the Marine's! He's a bad guy," Koby insisted and Rosan just stared at him.

"Your perception of the world is too naive. I suggest not looking at everything in black and white or else you'll break long before achieving your dreams," the man offered his two cents before making his way to a different part of the ship.

"I'll cook dinner."

With that, the redhead vanished from their sights to prepare for food.

Koby stared at his retreating back with a confused look on his face. "Too naive? But Marines are the good guys and if they captured someone, they have to be bad… Right?"

"Koby," Luffy said, uncharacteristically serious. "Don't say that around Rosan. If you do, he'll kill you," the captain warned.

The aspiring Marine flinched harshly at his words and felt a surge of fear at the warning. What problem did Rosan have with the Marines?!

He wasn't sure but he certainly didn't want to provoke him anymore so he would try and keep his mouth shut about them around the mysterious redhead.

"We should be arriving on the island with a Marine base soon," Koby called out.

"Let's sabotage them!" Ram called out excitedly.

"Okay," Rosan hummed as they approached the island.

"It shouldn't be hard... Luffy has eaten everything already so try and take resources while we're at it," Mod interjected and Rosan nodded.

His brothers appetite was too insane and Rosan wasn't a light eater either.

The boy in question, was laughing cheerfully at the prospect of meeting a potential crewmate.

"This is no time to be laughing, Luffy!" Koby admonished. "Roronoa Zoro is being held there… They say he's a demon in human flesh who's chopped up bounties like a bloodthirsty beast!"

Rosan paid no mind to what Koby was saying. Rumors were how Reaper's fame had gotten so out of hand and 90% of them were wrong.

The best way to find out about a person, was to meet them yourself. Everyone was always caught off guard by Reaper's polite disposition because of the nonsense that they filled their heads with. Honestly, some people actually thought he was really the God of Death.

Silly them, Rosan was no God.

Luffy planted his feet on solid ground with an excited cheer. "We finally made it!"

"Are you hungry?" Rosan asked patiently and the teen nodded rapidly. "We can go get some food then in the meantime while we make plans."

The redhead summoned one of his mechanical scouts (it was a bird) and had it go search the Marine base. It's orders were simple. Find Zoro and anything of value so that Rosan could steal it later.

It didn't take them long to find a quaint place to eat and the party of three ate their fill.

"Well Koby…" Luffy began, while rubbing his belly in content. "I guess this is where we go our separate ways. I hope you join the Marines and become a great sailor!"

"Good luck and don't let the power get to your head," Rosan said, eyes closed as he rested his cheek against a hand.

"T-Thank you, you two!" Koby teared up. "I hope you guys become great pirates... even if it means we'll be enemies."

"Oh! I guess we should find that Roronoa Zoro guy while we're here," Luffy said and he paused, as every other patron in the restaurant screamed at the mention of the pirate hunter.

Rosan glanced up at the noise of tables crashing before he closed his eyes again and hummed a quiet tune to himself.

"You probably shouldn't say that name out loud around here," Koby whispered and Luffy hummed in contemplation.

He shrugged and Koby took that as his approval. His eyes lit up as he remembered something and he excitedly said, "I saw a poster that said that Captain Morgan is at this base! I heard he captured a pirate named Captain Kuro years ago —"

Even more tables crashed, as the patrons screamed again at the mention of the name Morgan and the pink haired boy couldn't help but let out a "Huh?" in confusion.

"I'm leaving," Rosan announced suddenly. The table crashes were extremely unnecessary and the screaming was too annoying. It was only a name being said, how could that cause that much fear?

At least say a name that deserved it… Like Big Mom. Or Whitebeard.

Yeah... Whitebeard sounded much more intimidating then someone named Big Mom. Kaido sounded scarier then both of them...

Not Shanks though. Idiot redhead couldn't intimidate a child.

Luffy laughed at the actions of the citizens and followed after his scout without delay. Koby quickly shot up and chased the two.

"W-Wait, you two didn't pay!" He exclaimed but they had already disappeared.

Koby held his head at their antics.

"That restaurant was really funny! We should go back there again!" Luffy exclaimed, still laughing at their antics.

The redhead shook his head at the stupidity of the patrons. "Honestly, who just flips tables for fun?" Rosan commented blandly.

"I understand why they were afraid of Zoro, but why did they scream after hearing their captain's name…" Koby mused.

"Maybe they got carried away in all their fun," the captain said.

"WHY WOULD THAT HAPPEN?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" The scout replied softly. "They screamed from fear so they are afraid. Of both of them."

Koby blinked in shock at his blunt answer. "But that's impossible! Why would they ever be afraid of him?"

"…" The redhead said nothing and continued to walk.

"He's a good kid but very naive," Mod mused. "Haven't you been going a little too hard on him?"

"Do you think so?" Rosan commented. "I can't help but want to tear down the fantasies of a person who praises the people I despise the most in the world."

"That's rather spiteful of you but I understand."

"...If I thought he was anything like the Marines that ruined my life I'd have long ago killed him. But for him to pretend like everyone in the World Government is a paragon of justice... It's not only naive but it spits in the face of those who were subject to their power hungry ways."

Time had done nothing. Rosan's hatred of the World Government still remained even with the blanket over his emotions. In fact, the lack of emotions meant that it hadn't even slightly lessened for them.

"You're right about that and it seems like there's a corrupt Marine even here. Maybe this will be what he needs to open his eyes."

They approached the massive gate that blocked the entrance to the Marine's base and sized it up.

"Well, go in Koby!"

"B-But I'm not mentally ready a-and the people sure were scared after hearing the Captain's name…"

Luffy was no longer listening due to the fact that he was climbing the top of the wall to get a closer look.

"What're you doing?!" Koby shouted. W-What if he got in trouble for climbing that and they saw Koby hanging out with him and then they labelled him a pirate and he had to flee!

"Trying to get a glimpse of the demonic beast," Luffy said casually, searching for his target all the while.

"He should be there, I saw him earlier," Rosan interjected and Koby looked at him in confusion.

Saw him earlier? Rosan was with them the whole time though...?

"There's no way he'd be out here… He's probably somewhere in the deepest parts of the prison…"

"I see someone!" Luffy suddenly said and he dropped down to go to a closer location. Rosan followed the hasty teen at a more moderate pace and Koby, still not believing them, chased the two.

Luffy hoisted himself up and Rosan leapt up with a single bound before sitting neatly on it.

"That looks like him," the redhead commented and Luffy nodded along.

"See? I told you, Koby!"

The pink haired boy finally made his way up the wall and when he looked at who the two were talking about, he screeched and fell back down.

"A b-black bandanna and a haramaki sash! It's really Roronoa Zoro!" The boy gasped in terror. He had such a menacing aura and it left Koby shaking just looking at him.

"He can get away easy if we untie those ropes," Luffy pointed out.

"Want me to do it?" Rosan asked with a tilted head. It wouldn't be that hard to get him untied. The redhead had freed people from more difficult things.

"No, absolutely not! That's suicide! If you free him, he'll kill us then wreck the town!"

"How scary," the Mod Mod no mi user said blankly.

"Hey, you guys," the tied up man suddenly called, grabbing their attention. "Come over here and untie me, I've been here for nine days and I can't take anymore."

"Okay," Rosan acquiesced and the redhead actually looked like he was about to do it!

Koby let out a strangled yell and the redhead paused. "D-Don't do it, you two! The moment you untie him he'll kill us and get away!"

"He can't kill us," Luffy said bluntly. "I wouldn't let him!"

"No one on this island can kill us," Rosan added calmly. It'd be an insult if he lost in the East Blue of all seas.

"Huh?!" Zoro muttered in shock at the statement from the two. They were rather bold statements and if he weren't tied up, he'd have challenged them.

Though… he didn't see any blades on either of them so maybe not.

"These two have such massive heads," Koby cried comically. Did no one else have any survival instincts but him?!

Their conversation was interrupted, by the sight of a ladder being planted next to them. They all watched with varying degrees of interest, as a little girl climbed it and whispered for them to be quiet.

Koby screeched in fear at seeing her drop down into the area and tried to call her back. If that child walked up to Zoro... who knows what he'd do to her?!

"Luffy! Do something or she'll be killed!" He whispered urgently.

"Why don't you just do it yourself?" The captain replied.

Rosan saw the child approach the tied up man with what appeared to be rice balls and watched the scene unfold, tilting his head curiously.

"Whadda you want?" Zoro asked gruffly. "Get lost before you get killed!"

If that stupid Marine caught wind of this, the girl would be in trouble and him going out his way to save her, would have gone down the drain.

The child completely ignored his warnings and presented him with the gift in her hands. "I thought you might be hungry so I made these rice balls for you! It's my first time ever making them so I hope you like it!" She beamed.

"I'm not hungry! Get outta here and take that food with you!" Zoro lied and the girl looked saddened by his words.

"B-but…"

"I said I don't want it!" He barked. "Now get outta here before I stomp you to death!"

Good, that should scare her off —

"You shouldn't bully kids, Roronoa Zoro!" a whiny voice called out in the distance. "I'll tell my father on you if you keep doing that!"

"What is wrong with all these people?" Ram asked in horror, taking in the sight of Captain Morgan's son, Helmeppo. Now, she wasn't the most stylish girl around, (thankfully she was naturally blessed by the genetics of both her Mother and Father) but not even she would deign to dress or look this ridiculous! Her black coat was awesome enough and not stupid at all like this walking mushroom!

"Another weirdo," Luffy mused, unknowingly agreeing with Ram.

Helmeppo was a lanky, average-sized young man with a distinctive cleft chin and light blonde hair. His hair was styled into some sort of mushroom style and he was wearing a fancy suit.

Rosan was of the opinion that he had absolutely no style at all. The walking mushroom should take some tips from Angel... but his little sister would probably stomp him out if he even dared to approach her.

"He must be some high ranking Marine! That little girl will be safe with him," Koby sighed in relief, but the man's next actions completely dashed his ease.

The pink haired boy watched in horror, as Helmeppo bullied the girl into giving him a rice ball, spit it out after finding out there was sugar instead of salt, stomped on the remaining one, threatened to have the crying child executed, ordered a Marine to throw her over the fence, and threaten to tell his dad when the man, understandably, hesitated.

"So safe," Rosan commented softly. "I feel like I can sleep peacefully with him in charge."

Koby flinched at the man's words but couldn't say anything besides, "How horrible…"

The girl stepped back in fear as the Marine approached her and he whispered, "I'm sorry, please curl into a ball."

With that, he hoisted her up and launched the child over the wall. Luffy immediately reacted and grabbed her before she hurt herself and the teen absorbed the impact of the blow, as they crashed into the ground.

"Are you okay?" Koby asked in concern and the little girl nodded with teary eyes.

Rosan wasn't looking at what was going on behind him. He was listening in on the conversation between Zoro and the Marine Captain's son.

"I'll live the whole month, so you better keep your promise," Zoro warned and Helmeppo laughed annoyingly at him.

"Good luck surviving the whole month, Roronoa Zoro," he replied condescendingly, already walking away.

Tied up for a whole month? What a strong but stupid man. The Marine brat had no intention of keeping his promise. Rosan could hear the lie in his voice but apparently he was the only one able to.

Well, he supposed he couldn't blame them. He had always been pretty good at detecting lies and his former experiences were useful in identifying when a person was doing so.

Like right now.

Luffy approached the prisoner with a curious smile on his face and Zoro glanced at him in annoyance.

"You still here?" He asked gruffly. "Better not let Helmeppo's father catch you," the green haired man warned.

"Stuck out here for all to see… Are you really all that strong?" Luffy wondered. Didn't look like it... how did he even get captured? He wasn't even a pirate!

Zoro felt his annoyance spike at this annoying kid's words. "Mind your own business!" He growled at the teen before him and Luffy just laughed in response.

"I'm looking for good men to join my pirate crew," the captain suddenly said and Zoro raised a brow.

"Pirate crew? You think I'd lower myself to that level?" He asked incredulously. There was no way he'd ever stoop down to becoming a pirate. Those guys were scum of the Earth and caused trouble that he wanted no part of. He had one goal and one goal only. Being a pirate wouldn't help him at all so the idea was a no brainer.

"But becoming a pirates my dream! What's wrong with it?" Luffy asked with a furrowed brow, tilting his head to the side and regarding the man with confusion.

Zoro stared at him and smirked. "So what? You think if you untie me, I'm gonna join your pirate crew?"

That wasn't enough to get his loyalty and this kid would be stupid for thinking that. He had his own set of beliefs and some kid wasn't going to change them just by setting him free.

Luffy's only response was to shrug and say, "Well I haven't decided if I'll ask you yet… You know you got a pretty bad reputation?"

Zoro snorted. He didn't care about what people thought about him so hearing he had a bad reputation, didn't phase him in the slightest.

"It doesn't matter and I don't need your help to free me. That Captain's idiot son promised to free me if I lasted a month here, then I'll be free to pursue my dream," he said confidently.

Luffy smiled good naturedly and said, "I don't think I could last one week without food."

Rosan personally thought Luffy was giving himself too much credit. He was sure his little brother couldn't last a day.

"I've got more willpower then you so go look for a crewmember somewhere else," Zoro dismissed and Luffy laughed.

"What a strange person," he mused and the rubber boy began to walk away from the bound up prisoner.

"Wait a minute," Zoro suddenly said and the captain paused. "Pick that up for me," he requested, nodding his head towards the rice ball that the little girl had made.

The pirate glanced down and pointed at the food. "You're gonna eat this? It's mostly a dirt ball now though…" Luffy stated with a puzzled look on his face.

"Just shut up and feed it to me! And don't miss one grain of rice!" Zoro demanded.

Luffy shrugged and tossed the discarded rice into the green haired man's mouth without hesitation.

The pirate hunter coughed for a solid minute after consuming the dirt filled rice and the rubber boy simply said, "Told you so, are you trying to kill yourself?"

That seemed like a dumb way to die... but who was Luffy to judge? Lots of people said his dream was dumb!

"T-Tell the kid that it was delicious and I ate it all," Zoro said, through a fitful of coughs.

Luffy simply laughed as a response and walked away.

"What do you think?" Rosan asked calmly to his brother climbing back over the fence.

"He's interesting!" Luffy said honestly with a big smile and Rosan nodded in agreement.

"So you want to invite him to the crew?"

The rubber boy shrugged. "I don't know yet. How do you feel about him?" He asked in return

Rosan hummed and tilted his head, as they began walking back. "He's a bit stupid but I think if you can convince him to become a pirate he'll be a valuable asset. He's got a lot of drive inside of him."

"I think so too!" Luffy grinned.

Roronoa Zoro… Rosan wondered what he'd do when he found out Helmeppo was lying.

He'd probably die. Those ropes sure looked tight.

"He really ate it all?!" The little girl, Rika, asked in wonder. She was currently torn between looking at Luffy and glancing pleadingly at the tiny bird resting on Rosan's finger. It was rubbing its cheek against his own and preened in satisfaction at being praised by him.

The redhead allowed his scout to fly over to Rika and she squealed in joy at the little bird entertaining her.

"Yeah! He ate every last bite!" Luffy exclaimed and the child let out a relieved sigh.

"I'm so happy!"

Koby looked conflicted and for good reason. What he had just seen and heard probably shook up his naive viewpoint of the world.

"Is Zoro really as evil as everyone says…?" Koby muttered to himself, causing Rosan to glance over at him momentarily.

"He's figuring out the world isn't as pretty as he thought. Marines good? Pirates bad? I wish life was that simple."

"It's good that it's happening this early. I'm sure his disappointment if he found out months after joining the Marines, would deeply affect him."

"It might even break someone as softhearted as him," Ram snorted.

"He's not evil!" Rika denied vehemently and a sad look crossed her face. "Everyone in town is afraid of him but he didn't do anything wrong… He was thrown in prison because I got attacked by Helmeppo's dogs!"

She explained what happened between Helmeppo and Zoro and they listened with varying degrees of curiosity.

"So Zoro's in jail because he attacked that guy's dog to save you?" Luffy pondered.

"That makes sense! He's really scary but he still only hunts people with bounties and you can't get thrown into prison for that…" Koby said.

"I thought once you were imprisoned, you were evil," Rosan suddenly said, glancing blankly at the pink haired boy. "Isn't that what you said? The Marines locked him up so he's evil, right?"

Koby flinched at his words and opened his mouth but immediately closed it. There was nothing he could say to defend the Marines here because he was seeing it with his own eyes what was happening.

Helmeppo and his father were awful. They flaunted their power without a care in the world and as a result, the people here had to suffer. They were supposed to be the good guys so why did their actions seem so… evil?

Koby didn't know but he was sure that Rosan did. That's why the redhead had chastised him so often because to him... the aspiring Marine must have sounded downright ignorant.

Their conversation was cut short, at the sound of glass crashing in Rika's mother's restaurant and they made their way inside to see what the commotion was.

"I'm hungry! Let us all eat for free," Helmeppo laughed condescendingly as he leaned into his chair. There wasn't a hint of care on the spoiled brats face and he was treating the restaurant like he owned it.

"I'm glad that I raised you to be better than this," Mod sniffed.

Ram laughed at her bothered tone and patted her.

"Anyways, I decided to hold a public execution for Roronoa Zoro," Helmeppo told the people listening to him (not that they had a choice).

Luffy raised a brow in confusion.

"Didn't you make a promise to him?!" The captain asked and the onlookers gasped at watching someone have the bravery to question the spoiled brat.

"Eh, promise?" Helmeppo raised a brow and dug a finger into his ear. "That promise was just a joke! He's just a dumbass for believing it!"

"Wait, don't kill him. We don't want to attract attention to ourselves so soon."

Rosan hadn't been about to kill him on the spot... Just put him into a coma for a few days, but Mod successfully stopped him. To so casually dismiss a promise in front of him… Helmeppo was so very lucky that his Devil Fruit had been there to sway him.

Luffy did not have a voice of reason like Rosan.

His brother immediately rushed Helmeppo and punched him square in the cheek, flooring him and making the spoiled kid tumble before he crashed into a table. The blonde squealed in pain and tears formed in his eyes at the pain.

"How come Luffy gets to do what he wants?" Ram pouted. This was so not fair! The moment Ram tried to do something, her cheek got mauled by her terrifyingly strong Auntie.

"Because Luffy's thoughts aren't kill first, ask questions later," Mod explained slowly. It was punch first actually but at least punching wasn't killing.

"...You still believe that Luffy thinks?" Ram questioned and the purple haired woman sweatdropped.

W-Well that was true...

"Rosan, I've decided to ask Zoro to join my crew," Luffy declared, glaring at Helmeppo even while being held back by Koby.

"Okay," Rosan nodded in compliance. He didn't have a problem with the recruit and if Zoro proved unruly, he stood no chance against the two.

"Y-You hit me! You actually hit me!" Helmeppo gasped through teary eyes. "I'M CAPTAIN MORGAN'S BELOVED SON. I'M TELLING DADDY ON YOU!"

"This is a grown man," Ram pointed out in deadpan. Daddy? Seriously? Was he some kind of kink freak? Kami, she was glad her Father was so cool and normal... Well, as normal as an emotionless man with two extra voices inside his head could be.

"Don't go crying to your dad! Face me like a man," Luffy declared but Helmeppo was already being dragged off by his subordinates.

"You two just made enemies of the whole Navy!" Koby fearfully declared.

"We're pirates," Rosan replied simply.

"It was gonna happen eventually!" Luffy smiled. "Now I've gotta talk to Zoro. Rosan, what are you gonna do?"

The redhead hummed. "We're running low on supplies, I'm going pillaging."

Luffy grinned.

While Luffy was talking to the pirate hunter (he just knew that man was being forced to join the crew), Rosan was in the process of robbing this Marine base dry.

They needed the resources after all. The Marines could use their hefty funding to buy more stuff.

Rosan was walking through the Marine Base like he owned the place, expertly avoiding the eyes of the soldiers here despite not being camouflaged.

Well, he would have been avoiding their eyes… if there were any Marines here. He had run into far less than he had expected (0) and that made him pause in contemplation. He had already ransacked the kitchen and stolen all the necessary food from the fridge, freezer and pantries but there hadn't been anyone there to silence in case they saw him.

How unfortunate. He wanted a reason to destroy a couple of Marines.

"Modification: Scan," he uttered and his radar shot out over the entire vicinity of the base.

Three in the courtyard, one in the base (besides him), and a plethora of people on the roof…

Rosan hummed at the influx of information and summoned a bug to go to the roof. He wanted to see what had them so invested up there, that they would make every single Marine vacate the interior.

In the meantime, he would go check on the one other presence inside of the base —

A resounding crash echoed throughout the building, halting his thoughts, and he heard Mod let out a suffering sigh.

...

"...Modification: Scan," Rosan said again and he closed his eyes at the new information.

Two in the courtyard, one in the base, and one extra person added to the plethora of people on the roof…

"Don't ever take Luffy on a stealth mission with you," Mod warned in a resigned manner, causing Ram to cackle hysterically.

"At least I got all the food," Rosan muttered as he began moving through the corridors. He was curious about the only other source in the base and, knowing Luffy, he was being chased right about now. The place would soon be flooded with Marines but he wasn't worried about being spotted. He had managed to evade the eyes of much more formidable foes...

Should he help his brother?

"Nah," Ram said and he nodded in agreement before dashing off in the opposite direction of his captain.

Luffy would be fine. What was really surprising, was that Koby appeared to be in the courtyard now with Zoro. Had the kid finally opened his eyes at the corruption happening around him?

Good for him.

It didn't take Rosan long to track the one presence that had sparked his curiosity and he paused at the entrance of what was probably the Captain's room.

Crouched in front of a safe, was a pretty, orange haired girl wearing a white and blue striped shirt, an orange mini-skirt and brown high-heeled boots. She was rummaging around for something and he heard her muttering to herself.

Oh? This didn't look like a Marine...

How interesting.