Chapter 17: The Goblin Princess

Maro was excitedly jumping around next to an ever patient Rosan. For once, the two were not in their disguises and donned their regular clothing.

"You know," Aiko began, eyeing the two. "I think this is the first time I've seen you two without your cloaks," she commented as she looked them up and down.

"I had no idea you two could dress so well!" Akemi gushed at the two children before her. Who knew that they looked so good outside of their guise!

Rosan was wearing a buttoned, long sleeve black cardigan that was left open to show a loose, dark purple shirt underneath and some long black baggy pants that were lined with a similar shade of purple. He wore predominantly purple shoes that had a large amount of black on them.

His hair was tied into his preferred bun showing off his ruby red earrings and he had all his other accessories on as well.

Maro (who had no sense of style) had been dressed up by Angel and the 12 year old currently wore a modified blue kimono, that allowed her freedom of movement, with a wave pattern on it. Her azure blue hair remained the same length and style.

The girl didn't see any use in wearing accessories (besides her tiara!) and when she asked Rosan why he wore so many, his reasoning being that each was a memento for someone he loved, made her burst into tears.

Curse her sappy heart!

"Look at you, Maro!" Akemi gushed. "You look like a princess with that setup! It's hard to imagine that you used to be such a skinny little thing and now your so healthy!"

Maro beamed at that. Her evolution was a sight to behold and she was no longer the dirty little girl who had been struggling for food on the daily. Master had turned her into a rather fit person and honestly the Goblin felt like she pretty good looking!

"Gotta admit Rosan," Aiko said dryly looking at the boy. "I didn't think you knew anything besides that black cloak, you look seriously good like this," the gray haired woman praised.

"I've been told that I'm rather vain so a sense of style is needed," Rosan commented idly and he thanked her for the compliment.

"As much as I'm loving being praised," Maro began with a large grin. "We're here for a reason! A little birdie told me that my Super Suit is finished!"

Aiko rolled her eyes at the impatience displayed but she nodded. "Yeah yeah yeah you eager little brat," she grumbled. "They're ready for the both of you so let's just go," the leader of Fregate finished and she prepared to depart the castle.

Rosan and Maro were out of disguise due to the boy wanting to avoid letting anyone know that Fregate was allied with Reaper. Not too much people knew and the redhead knew everyone that did (everyone that had witnessed his arrival the first time).

He scarcely left the castle so no one actually knew when Reaper was on the island barring Aiko and Akemi. It was good just in case things went bad. Rosan didn't want Fregate to be a target due to the Angel of Death.

"I trust you aren't advertising the fact that you have Germa's technology, Aiko?" Rosan questioned idly. "Don't make it obvious, if they launch an attack on you I won't be able to stop them."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Aiko barked out a laugh, not looking worried in the slightest. "Fregate is not really a country big on combat so that's a plus but, we've got measures to make sure they don't notice."

"That scientist is seriously impressive though," the gray haired woman remarked, with an impressed smile. "He managed to get so much done so quickly! This is the power of Germa I guess. Though, the clones take quite a long time to fully develop," she commented, shrugging at the information. She didn't really care about the clones truthfully but some extra firepower was always useful.

"I was lucky to grab a head scientist," Rosan said truthfully. "He just happened to be in that forbidden room so I assumed that he knew multiple things. Hiroshi is adjusting rather well though."

"Mhm," Aiko nodded in agreement. "His old boss must have been a piece of shit because he loves it here so I doubt he'll wanna leave anytime soon."

"That's good to hear," the redhead said and the two went into a comfortable silence.

"Raid suit! Raid suit! Raid suit~," Maro sang in joy as she practically skipped to the location. The blue haired girl was garnering the attention of quite a few people and now the group were being eyed up by observers.

Aiko didn't fail to notice some of the gazes that landed on them and smirked teasingly at the eyes on Rosan and Maro.

"Seems like you two are rather popular eye candy right now," she poked. It wasn't a surprise, she hadn't been lying when talking about their looks. The two were rather attractive and if not for the fact they almost always wore disguises, they'd get a lot more positive attention.

"I'm 13," Rosan said simply.

"I'm 12!" Maro followed up before a blush washed over her face. "A-and I already like someone…" she finished in a near whisper.

Akemi squealed as she heard that and Aiko just knew they were going to have a girl talk about it later.

"Is it Rosan?" she whispered quietly and the boy clearly heard it, but he ignored it.

"I'm attracted to Master but I don't think I'm the one he needs. P-plus I look up to him," Maro whispered back. "The girl I like looks exactly like him though so it's a win-win for me!"

"It's a girl and she looks like Rosan?!" Akemi sounded extremely interested and Aiko suddenly was too. A girl that looked just like Rosan? If the boy was any indication then Maro's crush was no doubt attractive.

Lucky brat.

"Yeah! She's really scary but also kind of sweet when she wants to be and she hates everyone, but a few people and I'm one of them... I think! A-and she's also super cute, like cuter than me and I think she knows I like her…"

"Angel doesn't know," Rosan said suddenly and Maro's jaw dropped at the fact that he was peeping into their conversation.

"M-Master did you hear everything?"

"Yes, I have exceptional hearing. There was no reason for me to comment until now so I chose not too."

"So you uh, heard the part where I said I was attracted to you…?"

"That's correct. Your reasoning for not pursuing me is a smart one as well," Rosan said calmly.

"Though, if you had asked, I probably would have said yes as long as Mod-chan agreed."

"I would have!" Mod smiled teasingly.

All 3 of the girls spluttered at the blunt declaration and Maro especially turned an interesting shade of red.

"W-why would you say yes? Do you think I'm pretty?" Maro asked with a little happiness.

"You are attractive but that's not the reason why," Rosan said blandly. "I would have said yes because a relationship would have been a good opportunity to try and feel something again."

Their eyes went soft as they heard his explanation. That was right, Rosan was still a brick wall and despite his time with Maro, it seemed barely any progress was made. Sure the boy sometimes did something surprising, but that was mostly on memories of how he used to be.

"You and Angel would make a good pairing though," Rosan said softly, making her eyes widen. "You won't let her walk all over you and she likes a person that will stand up to her, though she won't admit that."

"And after all the stress Demon and I put her through, she deserves a little happiness outside of the two of us."

"You're so sweet, Rosan," Mod said with a fond smile on her face.

"Angel is the name of the one you like? Don't worry," Akemi said with a fire in her eyes. "We'll get you and her together at all costs."

"W-wait, I didn't ask for this," Maro stammered and Aiko just loved seeing the look of embarrassment on the cocky girls face. It was a rare sight and the leader of Fregate relished in it.

"You have my approval," Rosan said and he paused for a moment before nodding. "Ram says that you can't ogle her and Mod-chan anymore or else she's telling Angel."

Maro moaned in defeat. She just wanted her Raid Suit!

"Maro-sama, Rosan-sama!" Hiroshi greeted "I've finished both your Raid Suits," the scientist finished in excitement, as he led the two to a location in his lab.

Besides asking the two for a rather large blood sample and what they were looking for specifically, Rosan and Maro had been left largely in the dark about the process of the Raid Suit.

While Rosan was fine with that, Maro was rather impatient and she instead had to force herself to focus on other things. The most effective thing was Angel and due to that the blue haired girl's crush was developing more and more.

"Hiroshi." Rosan nodded as greeting. "I trust you are doing well," the teen finished politely.

"Hiya Hiroshi," Maro greeted with an excited grin as she vibrated in anticipation. "How ya doin?!" The bluenette asked as she got close to the man, who stepped back instinctively from her enthusiasm.

"I'm doing fine, thank you for asking," the scientist said before coughing. "I can see your excitement so let's not waste any time!" He finished with an excited grin on his face.

Finishing such an important task for his new boss, filled Hiroshi with an accomplished feeling. He just hoped they were satisfied with the end product. It wasn't the exact same as the Raid Suit's made for Judge and his children but it should still satisfy their needs.

"Oh!" Hiroshi exclaimed as he turned towards Rosan. "Rosan-sama, I managed to get you the weapons you requested!"

Rosan glanced at him momentarily before nodding. "Thank you, I'd like them now if possible," he said softly and the scientist nodded enthusiastically.

"But Maaaaaster," Maro complained. "I want the Raid Suit!"

"So get it."

"But I wanna get it at the same time as you!"

"So wait."

"But I don't wanna!"

"Ram would like to have a word with you about delaying her growth in power."

"Suddenly, I don't mind waiting."

Everyone witnessing the conversation sweatdropped at how quickly Maro changed her mind. Whoever Ram was, they really didn't seem like a person to be trifled with.

Eventually, the group made it to Hiroshi's room and entered without haste.

"Here we are," the scientist began before going to find what he got ready for Rosan.

The redhead looked at the weapon's with an appraising eye. There was a cannon, a pistol, a rifle, and a bow.

Personally, Rosan wasn't interested in the weapons themselves. After all, Ram could already transform into all of these. What he was interested in was the resources the weapons used.

The 13 year old didn't know what it was but Germa's weapons did not use standard ammo. They used some sort of energy and Rosan wanted that for himself.

If Ram could absorb the energy-like properties of the weapon, then the redhead could use them as well.

"If?" Ram said, sounding genuinely offended. "I am the ultimate weapon! Of course I can absorb it all Father!"

"I'm sorry for doubting you, Ram," Rosan said and she scoffed.

"If it were anyone else they'd have to pay! But, since it's you, I suppose I can forgive you."

"What about me?" Mod asked in amusement and Ram immediately froze.

"Of course you are exempt as well, Auntie Mod!" The silver haired girl said nervously. Rosan never disciplined the arrogant girl, so it was up to Mod to do it in his stead.

She had practically raised Rosan, Robin, AND Meiko so Ram was nothing new.

Rosan, done inspecting, extended his left hand and grabbed each weapon. Ram was a selfish girl (she got that from him) and as such, any weapon that wasn't her, that the redhead grabbed, she would absorb it.

Her Father wasn't allowed to use anyone else but her because she was the best!

Everyone watched with a surprised gaze as the weapons were disintegrated and assimilated with the expensive silver ring on Rosan's hand.

Rosan, being so intertwined with Ram, was also being affected. The boy flexed his hands and was satisfied to see the air distort slightly around it. Ram transformed into a set of form fitting gloves and the redhead aimed at a target.

His gloves began glowing and the target didn't stand a chance at the massive blast of energy shot at it and vaporized it on the spot.

"Oh, I like," Ram said crazily, as Rosan glanced at the steaming glove.

It was strong. It would serve his arsenal well.

"Since you've absorbed this energy, you can use it for other weapons as well?" Rosan asked and he reverted the gloves back into his ring.

"Yep! I can switch between them now and this energy source thingy is super useful," Ram gushed and Rosan nodded before focusing his attention back onto Hiroshi.

"Thank you Hiroshi, those weapons were valuable to me," Rosan said with a short nod.

The man stuttered a bit at his casual display of power before recovering. "I-it's my pleasure, Rosan-sama," he said with a bow.

"So your ring is a weapon… Neat," Aiko said unsurprisingly. The teen was full of tricks and a weaponized ring was on the tamer side of what he could do.

"Such a beautiful ring being so dangerous... How scary," Akemi whispered in awe and a bit of fear.

"Ram is seriously impressive," Maro hummed. "It's a good thing I decided to grab those weapons, I had no idea you'd be able to casually use their power source."

"She is my ultimate weapon after all," Rosan commented simply.

"So your ring is Ram and it's a she? How considerate," Aiko laughed shortly.

"You can meet her one day if you want. A fair warning though, she has no respect for anyone but a select few and she can be rude."

"Nah, I think I'm good."

"Raaaaid Suit," Maro complained, having had enough. Master had gotten what he wanted so now it was time for her to get what she wanted!

She was about to throw a fit but a canister dropping in her hand stopped her. It was simply white with nothing extra on it.

Similarly, a simple black canister was dropped in Rosan's hand.

"I would have designed it, but something tells me it won't be staying in it's canister form for much longer," Hiroshi said in amusement.

"That reminds me," Rosan began suddenly. "How exactly are the Raid Suit's biometrically locked? The Green 4 is impossible to open, even with Modification. I've never failed to open something with Modification," the redhead finished and he almost sounded annoyed.

"Well to not get to complicated," Hiroshi began, clearing his throat. "Basically, every single human has something called a Lineage Factor, which is the blueprint of life itself."

That piqued Rosan's interest. "Oh? Tell me more."

"It was discovered by a research team that was led by Dr. Vegapunk and Judge-sama," Hiroshi said.

"Vegapunk," Rosan repeated at the familiar name.

"…" Mod frowned slightly at the name and Ram rubbed her back soothingly.

Maro raised a brow at the familiar name. "This Vegapunk guy is seriously smart huh?" She asked to herself mostly.

Hiroshi nodded in confirmation. "He's an absolute genius! Vegapunk discovered that you could manipulate it from a young age and it would change the growth of a life form."

Rosan thought deeply about this. "Judge's children. They are modified because of this?"

"Ah so you met them!" Hiroshi exclaimed in surprise and Rosan nodded. "Yes, Judge-sama modified all 5 of his children. He modified 4 while his wife was still pregnant and his oldest daughter too."

"It worked for all but one?" The redhead asked and Hiroshi shot him a strange look.

"Yes, it failed on his third son Sanji and he unfortunately died to unknown circumstances," the man informed them all.

Rosan's face betrayed nothing but on the inside his mind was working.

"Died? That kid looked pretty alive to me," Maro hummed in contemplation.

"Probably wanted to make everyone think he was dead so he didn't have to think about him," Rosan thought as he thought about the terrible father.

"I see… Is there anything else you can tell me about Lineage Factors?" Rosan said, avoiding mentioning that Sanji was alive. Let him enjoy his life outside of anything Germa related.

"Hm. Oh yes! Since you have one this information might benefit you. Devil Fruit's actually change the user's lineage factor once consumed!"

"That explains a lot," Rosan said simply. If eating a Devil Fruit altered your genetics to such a degree, it was no wonder Maro was changing the way that she was.

Then Rosan paused.

"So a Devil Fruit combines with a person's Lineage Factor, altering them to their core?"

"Yes, as you'll see with your Raid Suits, it has some changes that fit your Devil Fruits due to the fact that it was made with some of your Lineage Factor," Hiroshi said in excitement. Not even he knew how different they'd be from Germa's own Raid Suit's.

Judge nor his children had Devil Fruits but their suits seemingly had special abilities regardless.

"My Raid Suit will have some qualities of Modification because you extracted my Lineage Factor…," Rosan was deep in thought. Did that mean you could extract a person's Devil Fruit? Unlikely, they would probably need to die…

But maybe he could… hm. It was a thought for the future but he was quite interested now.

"Your mind is a scary place, Rosan," Mod said in wonder. The things he thought about were probably not on the spectrum of normal.

"Maro is about to blow a lid and I'm sure your all curious, so let's use our Raid Suit," the redhead said, as he stored that information away for a later date.

Maro cheered at hearing that. Finally! She had been waiting way too long and now it was time.

"Master, we have to do it at the same time!" The Goblin girl demanded holding her canister up. There was no way she was keeping this inconvenient thing as a can, she'd just have Rosan modify into something more fitting.

"Right," the teen said simply and he held up his own canister. What an inconvenient item, he'd modify it into something more fitting after testing it.

The two, after instructions from Hiroshi, held the canisters to their waists and everyone watched in awe as the canister began glowing and the clothes began wrapping around the two.

Maro was wearing a predominantly white and blue battle dress with sleeves that stopped at her elbow and a skirt. She wore long, knee length white boots and long white gloves that met where her sleeve ended. Combined with her tiara, the girl looked like royalty.

"Oh! I like it! I look so good!" Maro gushed. She looked like the type of princess that wasn't afraid to kick ass, which was funny because her outfit was so white! The 12 year old looked over at Rosan and gasped at his apparel.

The redhead was wearing a long, open black coat with red streaks that stopped at his knees and underneath the coat was a form fitting red shirt that showed his rather muscular frame and the pendant as well.

He had long black baggy pants and stylish red sneakers lined with black streaks. For once, the teen had no gloves on showing his bronze hand and the silver ring on it.

The boy looked at his outfit for a moment and nodded. It looked just fine.

"You look so cool, Master!" Maro gushed as she closed the distance between the two. She was inspecting him up and down and prodding his body over and over again.

"Thank you. It is to my liking as well," Rosan said softly and he inspected his student. "You look good. It's hard to imagine that only a year ago, you didn't even know how to properly bathe."

"Aw Master, yer makin me blush," Maro said bashfully. She knew she looked good but hearing it from someone she looked up to, made her feel a lot better.

"Fascinating! It seems the Raid Suits have changed to match your preferences," Hiroshi muttered and he began jotting something down.

As he began running tests on the two, Rosan hummed.

After a moment, his outfit instantly transformed and Reaper was standing before them. They all jumped at the sudden change and Maro looked at him with wide eyes.

"That was instantaneous," she pointed out and Rosan simply nodded.

"I didn't use Modification either. The outfit simply responded to my thoughts," the redhead informed them, making their eyes go wide.

"I believe due to being made with my Lineage Factor, this outfit's ability is to transform. It's simple but my Raid Suit can be a permanent addition while looking like normal clothing or I can change it to fit the situation," Rosan informed her and to further prove his point, the teen's Raid Suit seamlessly shifted into winter apparel, summer apparel, hell it even transformed into a suit of armor!

So Rosan had an adaptable weapon and adaptable clothing? That was awesome!

"Wait, so what's my special ability?" Maro asked in confusion as she adopted a thinking pose. Rosan's was directly tied to his Devil Fruit so hers must have been too!

Try as she might, she couldn't really think of any special ability this Raid Suit had, that her Devil Fruit couldn't already do.

Then again… Rosan probably could have modified his clothing even without that ability! It just looked so much smoother and didn't drain any unnecessary energy from the teen.

Maro summoned her blue flames and she was shocked to see that her battle dress was producing them too! Did her Raid Suit greatly enhance what she already had?

"Seems like you've come to a realization," Rosan said and Hiroshi nodded enthusiastically.

"That's really the premise of the Raid Suits Maro-sama! They greatly increase your fighting abilities!" He explained and Maro was nodding too.

"Though you two can't swim, they are still waterproof, resistant to fire, bulletproof and your footwear allows you to float and jump far distances!" He explained.

Rosan and Maro could already fly but this still had their uses.

"All of the future commanders Raid Suit's have a special ability inside of them, but you two already have special abilities and so your Raid Suit ability is based off of that," the man finished and Maro's eyes sparkled.

"So with this Raid Suit…I'm practically enhanced?! That's awesome!" She cheered.

The 12 year old stepped away from everyone and immediately transformed into her full Zoan and the dress grew with her. Looking at the monstrous 6'6 figure in a battle dress, was quite the amusing sight but it didn't take away from how terrifying the Dokkaebi looked.

Maro looked at her attire in wonder. It was different from her Grim Disguise. It felt much more...organic in a way! Like it would grow with her naturally! This didn't feel like a disguise that Master gave her to suit her needs. This felt like her very own personal armor.

The physical boost of the Raid Suit extended to her transformation as well! Her Hybrid form would be a force to be reckoned with when she chose to go all out!

"I love it!" Maro exclaimed and everyone, sans Rosan, flinched at the roar. She casually summoned some flames and squeaked at the sheer power behind them.

This was the type of power when she actually put effort into harming someone!

"I knew raiding Germa was gonna be a great idea," the bluenette cheered as she deactivated her transformation. The Raid Suit put her in a whole new realm of strength right now and she was only going to get stronger!

"It seems to benefit you a lot due to your Zoan nature," Rosan explained softly as he deactivated his Raid Suit and went back to his former outfit.

Maro glared jealously as, instead of turning into a canister like it was supposed to, it turned into a black armband.

"It's almost like I have a second Ram," Rosan commented as he got rid of his inconvenience issue. It would be much more convenient if it was an armband that was permanently on his person rather than a canister that would be annoying to carry everywhere.

The girl deactivated her own Raid Suit and soon, she was back in her kimono with a canister in her hand. She glared at it in contempt.

Master had taught her the importance of not wasting time and this Canister was a waste of time.

"What do you want me to transform it into?" Rosan asked, already sensing her demand.

She beamed at him and hugged the teen, before thinking about his question. As she looked at her Master, a shy blush suddenly appeared on her face.

The girl mumbled something so lowly that not even Rosan could pick it up.

"I can't hear you, Maro," the redhead said calmly and she buried her face into his shirt.

"Can ya turn em into some blue earrings like the ones in your ear? I want it to be my own memento for how ya gave me a new chance at life," she said again, voice uncharacteristically soft.

"That is so sweet!" Mod gushed at the adorable blue haired girl.

"Yes! Praise Father like he deserves to be," Ram cheered.

Akemi cooed at the sight and said "I'm so happy for you Maro! You deserve to be where you are right now!"

Aiko sighed at the, admittedly, cute as hell sight and said "You two are gonna be the death of me one day but I guess it's pretty worth it to see stuff like this."

Maro blushed deeper at that and whined at them to shut up.

Rosan stayed silent as he stared at her. Eventually, he grabbed the canister and modified it into the dangling, sapphire blue orbs she requested.

"Here, let me put them on for you," Rosan said quietly and the girl uncharacteristically stayed still for him to do just that.

Once he was finished, Maro hugged him tenderly and he returned it.

"Thank you Master. As long as I'm still breathing, I will always be Grim, the faithful partner of Reaper," she declared softly.

Rosan stared at her and she missed the unreadable look on his face at her declaration. He seemed to almost be deep in thought but he said, "You're loyalty is one a lot of people would kill to have and you chose to give it to me. I am undeserving of such faith, especially after what I put you through, but that just makes me all the more appreciative."

"Thank you Maro, for everything."

The girl couldn't hold back the tears and she sobbed happily into Rosan's chest.

Everyone smiled at the tender scene.

Maro couldn't believe that Master was taller then her now.

The 13 year old bluenette looked at the towering 14 year old with a scowl on her face.

"Did you modify your height?"

"No. Permanently changing something about my physical appearance is not something I'm fond of."

"...Did Master Mod-chan change your height?" She asked instead.

"Mod-chan is as depressed as you at the fact that I'm taller than her now. It's probably because I make a bad little spoon now."

"...Did you modify your height?" She tried.

"You already asked me that."

The 5'9 Maro held her head in defeat. Looking at her, was the 5'11 teen that was Rosan.

This didn't make any sense! His growth spurt had literally blindsided her!

"Everyone is taller than me now…," Mod lamented. Even Ram, who aged at the same speed as Rosan, stood taller than her at 5'9 and was properly filling out as a woman.

She should have made herself taller when deciding on her appearance.

"Don't worry, Auntie Mod!" Ram reassured, sympathetically patting the shorter woman. "You're still hot!"

"Thank you so much, Ram," Mod said dryly. She really needed that compliment to cheer her up.

"I'm not sure why any of you are surprised," Rosan said calmly. "I did say it was only a matter of time before I grew."

"We all thought you were full of shit!" Maro complained and Angel laughed at that. She and Rosan were currently the same height because it seemed like Rosan's female form had finally decided to stop growing taller.

That's the only thing that stopped though because the transformation was still developing and Maro learned that the hard way every time she looked at Angel.

"You saw how tall my female form was," Rosan pointed out bluntly. "Did you think I was going to be shorter than her? I'm likely not even done growing," the redhead said and Maro hung her head in despair.

"B-b-but I'm the shortest on the ship now," Maro whined. "Aren't Zoans supposed to affect my growth! I demand compensation now!"

"Maybe you're supposed to be shorter than you are now," Rosan said, unintentionally bruising her ego more and making Angel double over.

"I think it depends on the Zoan as well and I guess it doesn't apply as much to the Dokkaebi," he offered the inconsolable girl.

"Bullshit, that's what it is," she grumbled.

Angel rolled her eyes at the sulking girl. "Chin up, Maro! It's not like you're done growing we're all still young and puberty lasts a long time," the redhead clone informed the shorter girl.

"I hate puberty. It makes me moody and messes me up on missions so now we can't go on them right now. And it makes Master way taller than me," Maro sulked and Angel sighed at the pathetic sight.

"I'm two inches taller than you, you're exaggerating right now."

"Well instead of going out on missions, you get to hang out with Demon and I! Who wouldn't want to hang out with me?" Angel preened confidently and her twin brother rolled his eyes.

"Egomaniac," the tall, purple haired clone said.

"What did you say?" Angel asked.

"I said Maro was gushing to me about your looks today," Demon replied and the both of them blushed.

"Stop lying, you stupid little brother!" Angel scowled and she prepared to chase her brother down to get a proper answer out of them.

"Demon, don't tease me please," Maro mumbled with an atomic red blush on her face.

"There's an island near," Rosan said suddenly, making them pause. "We can all check it out since we've got nothing better to do. If not, I'll be heading into my mindscape."

"No! Let's all hang out," Angel said enthusiastically, running up to and hugging him in glee.

"I'm such a pervert," Maro sighed in defeat as she drank in the sight of the two attractive siblings hugging.

Demon patted her back soothingly. "I'm sure if you just asked her for a hug, she'd give you one," he whispered.

"Or she'd kill me," Maro countered, voice just as low.

"...That's true," he mused, before shrugging with a small laugh. "You'll never know if you don't try."

"What are you laughing about over there?" Angel asked curiously, still hugging a complacent Rosan.

"Don't wanna tell you," Demon said with a small grin and Angel let out a snort of outrage.

"Who the hell made you this rebellious? Was it Maro?!" she demanded.

"N-no, it wasn't me!" Maro tried defending herself but Angel wasn't having it.

Playing matchmaker was funnier then he thought it would be.

"I never took you for one to be so mischievous, Demon," Rosan said idly, glancing at the two girls of the ship.

"Well I am a clone of you, Master," he replied with a smile and Rosan nodded in agreement.

"That you are."

"Let's split up to buy necessities," Rosan said calmly. "Demon and I will go together. Angel and Maro you two group up and buy things for your garden."

Maro's jaw dropped at Rosan's statement. Was he serious?! Just like that?!

Angel beamed at the thought of the garden. "Okay! I wanted to try growing strawberries and I wanna plant a mango tree. C'mon Maro, lets go!" She finished, grabbing the bluenette by her arm and dragging her away.

"Be careful," Demon called with a wave before turning towards his face twin. "We rarely hang out huh, Master?"

"That's true. It's probably because we are both so quiet," Rosan said softly as he watched the two depart.

"There's comfort in silence so I don't mind," Demon shrugged. He had been getting much more comfortable around Rosan and he found that the way he acted previously was rather silly.

His Master was just a boy after all.

"Fair warning," Rosan said as they leapt off the White Rose. "Every island I've gone to undisguised recently has had multiple people try to seduce me. Seeing as we look alike, be wary of them."

"Does it really happen that often?" Demon asked curiously.

"More than you could imagine," Mod said with a tired sigh.

"They can't even stand on the same level as Father!" Ram complained at the thought of the multitude of men and woman that showed interest in Rosan.

Honestly, they needed to tone it down. Rosan was only 14!

"This island looks like its in terrible condition so I think we'll be fine," Rosan commented and Demon had to agree.

"Are we really gonna find anything here?"

"Probably not. I simply did this as a way to force Angel and Maro to interact for as long as possible before they realize this island is a dud."

"You're scary, Master."

"Thank you/Thanks!/Thank you," the three voices replied and Demon sighed.

He was never going to get used to that.

Master was a jerk. He knew that she was a bumbling mess around Angel and yet he still chose to do something this conniving!

Maro could barely form coherent sentences around the haughty clone these days. She thanked the stars that this crush formed after the girl could comfortably bath by herself or else she'd be dead from blood loss.

"Ugh, I don't think this island really has anything useful," Angel complained at the sorry state of everything. "Even worse, so much people are staring at us. Have they never seen someone as hot as me?"

Maro almost agreed before biting her cheek. The two were dressed rather lavishly, with Angel wearing an expensive, white fur coat over a red crop top, white latex pants, and red shoes. The tall redhead had some fancy shades on her tan face, an expensive white purse and her read hair flowed freely down her back.

All in all, Angel looked like she had money to flaunt and was aware of that. The girl was stunning and Maro felt under dressed in comparison.

The bluenette had never been huge on fashion, normally letting Rosan and Angel buy her clothing, and as such she normally stuck to her kimonos (being the first outfit she wore that belonged to her).

Currently, she was wearing a short all red kimono with a white obi and some black sandals. Her short blue hair, with white streaks, was in it's ever present chin length style but her bang had grown to cover more of her face stopping a bit below her eye now. Her sapphire earrings dangle idly with every moment and she touched it for a moment before letting it go.

"I think they're looking at you," Maro pointed out and Angel scoffed.

"You say that like you don't look good either," the redhead countered and Maro flushed.

"You think so…?" She asked in confusion, looking down at herself. The bluenette knew that she was pretty attractive but compared to Angel? Or well…anyone else on that ship...

Damn Rosan and his damn genetics.

"Duh! You're hot, Maro," Angel said with a roll of her eyes and Maro went a bit lightheaded at the blunt statement. The redhead really needed to think about what she said these days or the bluenette would catch a heart attack.

The girl steeled herself a bit and was prepared to compliment Angel in return. She turned towards the girl —

Only to see a tiny figure snatch her crushes purse and take off in a direction.

The murder in Angel's eyes, made Maro stop the clone from taking another step.

"Wait wait wait! I'll go get your purse Angel, you just wait here and try not to kill anyone," Maro said steadying the older girl, who forced herself to calm down.

"Deep breaths until I come back okay?" The bluenette requested and Angel nodded mechanically.

The athletic goblin turned on her heel and rushed to find the thief before Angel turned homicidal and dragged Rosan into this. If she did that, well this poor island would become even worse.

Ugh, she just wanted to talk about her crush!

"This island's conditions are poorer then I thought," Rosan mused and Demon nodded in agreement.

"I asked that nice lady who kept eyeing me about it," the purple haired teen began. "Apparently they are being subjugated by a rather selfish king who only cares for himself and the citizens are suffering for it," he commented.

"Anyone who tries to riot deals with his guards and the bandits that he hired."

"I see," Rosan said softly before pausing.

"Are you planning on helping?" Demon wondered.

"No, I am not Reaper today and even if I were, the king has no bounty that would make the Angel of Death interested in him. Besides, I don't care for these people," he said coldly.

"Right," Demon said, nodding at the words of his Master. "Still, I hear the king has quite the perverted streak and regularly picks up woman he garners an interest in."

"Is that so?" Rosan asked before humming. The two were currently seated in a rather lifeless park.

"Something tells me today will be an eventful day," he eventually said and Demon raised a brow at that.

"Why?"

"Maro," was all the redhead said and he glanced at the people in the distance. "Despite everything, my student still has a bleeding heart and she will no doubt empathize with the people here."

"How can you be so sure?" The purple haired clone asked. Maro, under Rosan's tutelage, had become quite the little monster and something like this wouldn't be enough to move her.

"She is my right-hand. Of course I know," was all he said.

Maro had not been expecting the tiny little thief to be a little girl who looked about 8.

She had black grimy hair, rags, and scuff marks all over her pale body. The girl's blue eyes were staring at her with utter terror at being cornered so easily.

Maro cut quite an imposing figure these days outside of her disguise. Not only was she tall, she had feminine figure that showed off her curves and the fact that she worked out.

Her kimonos normally hid that, but she was wearing a short one today and that had the effect of showing off her strong, lithe legs.

These features were out on full display to the cornered little girl before her. The black haired girl's eyes darted in every direction as she tried to find an escape and she clutched the stolen purse. Maro's burnt orange eyes bore into her and the little girl burst into tears.

Scared, dirty, and in the face of someone so much stronger than you.

It was nauseatingly familiar.

Maro bit back a snarl at the memories of her home island and took her own advice. Ever since eating the Hito Hito no mi, Model: Dokkaebi, she had gotten rather quick to anger and so Rosan gave her advice on how to better control that.

The shock on her face when the redhead told her that he also had anger issues, should have been framed.

Maro took a deep breath and reached into her kimono. The thief saw this and began trembling terribly. She looked as if she was about to run through the tall girl but she wouldn't even be able to budge the 13 year old's body.

The Oni ignored this all and summoned 3 apples from the White Rose. Pulling it out of her obi, she offered it to the girl who could only stare at her in shock.

"I need that purse but I know you're hungry so here," Maro offered to the wide eyed child. "I'm not going to hurt you, I understand why you're doing what your doing but the person who that purse belongs, to will not hesitate to kill you," she explained patiently.

"So I'll give you these apples in exchange for the purse okay?"

The black haired girl stared at her, almost not believing her words, before nodding hesitantly. She handed the purse back to Maro, who gave her the 3 apples in return.

The tiny thing wasted no time in devouring one and the bluenette raised a brow at the fervor she was eating it at. The child was very clearly desperate to eat anything.

"Good! Now I have to go before my partner gets really mad," Maro said cheerfully, getting back up and dusting herself. She needed to make sure Angel hadn't killed anyone or else they'd probably have to leave the island. Though, this island was pretty terrible anyways so they'd leave soon regardless.

"Enjoy your meal and try not to steal from scary people! Steal from the ones who won't be able to chase you!" She advised, turning around and leaving.

What she didn't expect, was to hear tiny footsteps shuffling behind her confident ones. She paused and a tiny figure crashed into her.

Maro craned her head and was confused to see the child looking up at her while gobbling up another apple. The Oni looked at the black haired kid and asked, "What are you doing?"

She hid her face behind her dirty hair and didn't answer. Maro simply shrugged, turned around and kept walking.

Angel would deal with her. That girl was ruthless and she didn't care how old you were.

That reminded her…Maro wanted to confess to Angel and she had been this close until getting interrupted. The girl had straight up called her hot! Maro almost squealed from the memory and felt her confidence skyrocket.

The moment she met up with Angel, she would confess to her!

Or at least, that was the plan until she saw 4 men hounding her crush. They all had lecherous grins on their faces and it was clear that they were up to no good.

Based on the look in Angel's eyes, she was seconds away from committing manslaughter —

And Maro was right there with her. The 13 year old let out a furious snarl, summoned her club and charged the 4 with no hesitation.

The first one couldn't even turn around in time before the wooden club (Maro forgot to put an illusion over it in her anger) smashed into his head and sent him careening. He was already unconscious by the time he hit the floor and a steady pool of blood was forming under his head.

"So…," Maro said with a frown. "Wanna speed me up on what's happening here?"

Angel's eyes lit up as she saw her and Maro nearly melted. "Maro! Thank Kami, I didn't want to get my hands dirty with them!" She exclaimed, rushing over to the shorter girl. The redhead looked at them with blatant disgust and a sneer formed on her face.

"They approached me talking about the king wanting to meet me or somethin," Angel scowled in fury. "He's a pervert and he wanted to add me to his collection! The nerve of that slimy bastard," she snarled.

Maro saw red at the explanation and her skin actually began turning green! "Y-you aren't anyone's object! How dare they treat you like one?!" The Oni snarled and Angel looked at her in worry.

"...Are you okay? You seem more upset than me!" Angel pointed out in worry. She clearly noticed the green hue of her budding transformation and wondered why Maro was getting that angry.

"I'll be okay once they're all dead," Maro declared, as she hoisted up her club.

"I didn't expect to go hunting today but hey, the beauty of the world is expecting the unexpected," Maro grinned wildly as she leapt at the closest person.

Her target tried to hold up a sword to block her swing and he was in for the shock of his life as the sword folded under the pressure of the wooden club. That surprise was short lived because it soon smashed into his ribs and broke every bone that it connected to.

The onlooking crowd watched in disbelief at the demolition of their tormentors. They watched as the teen literally suplexed one of the men 3 times into unconsciousness.

Maro laughed at the fear on the last man's face as his weapon broke on her left side. The Oni then grabbed his neck, hoisted him up, and slammed him into the ground over and over again.

Eventually, the girl was satisfied and she tossed his body to the side with a huff.

"Did they touch you?" Maro asked in concern and Angel scoffed.

"If they touched me, you wouldn't have been able to get your hands on them," she declared and the bluenette let out a laugh at the statement that turned into a wheeze as Angel looked over her shoulder.

The redhead's gaze turned murderous and the little girl that had been tailing her squeaked in terror. "Is this the little thief that stole my purse, Maro?! Why is she following you around like a dog?" The redhead snarled and Maro's gaze snapped to said girl.

"Ah don't worry, Angel!" Maro placated the taller teen frantically. "I got your purse back but I felt bad because of how hungry she was and it made me remember my early days," the Oni explained patiently.

"I felt bad so I gave her some apples, now she won't stop following me."

"She won't be following anyone after I break the little shit's legs," Angel decided and Maro had to physically restrain the girl from doing just that. Maro blushed as she was forced to wrap both hands around the redhead's exposed belly.

Her poor target was torn between running for her life, or staying close to Maro. The indecision just made her freeze in her spot and the bluenette wondered how dumb someone could be.

"Um...excuse me?" A raspy voice called, interrupting their conversation.

Maro raised a brow at the old man speaking to them and Angel scowled, causing him to flinch. The redhead, much to Maro's disappointment, extracted herself from the Oni's grasp and glared silently at him.

Looks like Maro was taking the lead on this.

"Sup, old man," Maro greeted the man with a curious look. "Are these your friends? You come to defend their honor? I don't think you could hurt a fly with that figure but I'll bite!" Maro shot off rapidly, making the old man pale.

"No no! I wouldn't dream of fighting such a powerful fighter such as you!"

Maro laughed at the terrified look in his eye. "I'm just kiddin! You look like you're about to keel over!" She cackled before getting composing herself. "What do you want?"

It was then that she noticed the large crowd surrounding her and Maro sweatdropped. It was a good thing she had illusions up when fighting as Grim, Master would probably not be pleased if this was how his identity was revealed.

The man began sweating at the playful girl's demeanor but he hardened himself.

"Please save our country!" He demanded while prostrating himself and bowing.

Maro blinked.

"Huh?"

"So…you want us to save you from your abusive king?" Maro asked hesitantly, a bit surprised that someone was so freely asking her for help.

Grim and Reaper must have been really scary, hardly anyone ever asked them for help and it was never this bold!

"That's right," the old man, who introduced himself as Jun, confirmed. "King Hikari earned his position unfairly and we never approved of it. Unfortunately, he's surrounded by an army and we have no means to attack him," he finished before coughing violently.

"Our island has been suffering for years under his rule and nearly all the resources go to him...please, I'm begging you to save us," Jun was near tears as he finished.

"I'm not a fighter and I don't like any of you, so I'll pass," Angel said uncaringly, making him flinch at her harshness.

Maro had to commend Angel for being so decisive because she herself, was seriously conflicted.

The teen had seen how much everyone was struggling on this island and her heart went out to them but she didn't know if she should help them out.

"Um...hold on let me talk to my Master about this…" Maro told the old man who's eyes widened at the revelation that the bluenette had someone to refer to.

Was there actually another one as strong as her?

"O-of course, where are they?"

"He should be here any minute…," Maro said, before activating the connection between her and Rosan.

"Master?" She called.

"Yes, Maro?" Rosan replied immediately.

"Could you come here? I wanna discuss something with you," she said hesitantly.

"Okay."

With that, the connection shut and Maro nervously waited for Rosan to appear.

Rosan glanced blankly at the group of people there. Upon his arrival, the nervous energy seemed to only amplify.

An old man was looking between him and Angel and his face morphed into one of dread.

Ah, she must have left a good impression on them all.

Demon stifled a laughter as he caught the old man's look as well.

"Master!" The subject of his thoughts greeted and he instinctively held open his arms to grab his fellow redhead.

"I trust you two had quite the eventful day so far," Rosan asked and Angel scowled for a moment, glaring at a little girl who was hugging Maro's leg.

"That little rat stole my purse and Maro won't let me hurt her," the redhead said, glaring at Maro now. The bluenette shrunk under her gaze and nervously waved at Rosan.

"I'll speed you up on what's happening Master," Maro said and Rosan nodded.

As she retold her tale, the two other inhabitants of the White Rose listened intently.

"This checks out with what I told you Master," Demon said and he held his chin in contemplation.

"You were also right about everything else you said…" The purple haired sounded impressed.

"Naturally," their leader said, before fixing Maro with his dual eyes.

"Why?" Rosan asked suddenly and Maro stumbled a bit at the abrupt question.

"Why what, Master?" She asked in return and Rosan tilted his head.

"Why should I help these people? What do I gain from helping them?" He asked in succession and both Demon and Angel went quiet in confusion.

This was odd of Rosan…

"I don't understand…," Maro mumbled in confusion.

The Mod Mod no Mi user stared at her for a moment before glancing at all the onlookers.

"Didn't I tell you? I'm no hero. I'm not going to help some people out of the goodness of my heart unless it benefits me in some way. So let me ask you again, what reason do I have for helping these people?"

Maro was stumped. She kinda knew this was going to be Rosan's answer so why did she feel the need to consult him in the first place?

"Well...I guess you're right," she said softly causing everyone there to slump in defeat. "There really isn't much of a reason to help them."

The bluenette felt the small girl clutching her and remembered a time when she was in the exact same position. When she was so so weak and tiny and she needed to resort to stealing nonstop just to not go hungry.

"But…I want to help these people," Maro said softly and all the onlookers snapped their gaze towards the bluenette. "I don't want them to suffer under the hand of someone like the King, Master!" The Oni declared resolutely and her orange eyes stared into his red and purple own.

The crowd gasped as she stood up for them and they began looking at the strange girl in wonder.

"Is that your reasoning? Because you want to?" Rosan asked softly and Maro hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"W-we can help patch them up and make them useful for us in the future! We can set up like a base here or another potential trade route! We're still in the North Blue so i-if we can get an ally like Fregate —."

"That's enough," Rosan interrupted and her mouth shut in surprise and he beckoned his group to follow him to an isolated area away from listening ears. They obediently followed him and waited patiently for his words.

"You are kind," Rosan began and Maro flinched at the memory those words brought her. Of when she hadn't been able to kill someone and not being good enough

"I didn't realize it until recently, but you do not have a life outside of me and that is my fault," the redhead said softly.

Demon and Angel eyes widened curiously at the direction of the conversation.

"Maro, you have become over reliant on me and I'm sorry for that," Rosan said bluntly and her eyes widened at his words.

What was he...?

"I neglected your wants and your desires in the pursuit of turning you into my weapon but instead, you became a reliable partner to me. Unfortunately, my methods have left you with a deep dependency on me and I'm the one who caused it."

The bluenette wanted to protest but Rosan shushed her and so, she let him continue.

"The reason I asked you these questions is because I want you to have your own beliefs. It's true that I don't want to help these people but I know that you do and I wanted you to realize that just because I don't want to do something, you don't have to share my opinion," the heterochromia explained quietly.

"If I had emotions, I have no doubt that I would care for you deeply because I care about you now," he admitted and Maro felt tears welling into her eyes at his statement.

"Rosan…," Mod said in awe and she felt her heart pound at the revelation that he cared for Maro.

"M-Master…," Maro uttered simply.

"I am sorry for what I did to you Maro. I took advantage of your conditions and raised you into a valuable asset, but at the cost of you yourself."

Angel and Demon listened to the conversation with unreadable expressions but on the inside, they were a torrent of emotions.

Rosan was growing up in his own ways.

"Master, don't apologize to me!" Maro demanded with tears brimming the edge of her eyes. "Everything you've said, none of that matters to me except for the fact that you gave me a new life!"

"So I may be a bit dependent on you? I don't care! I can grow past that especially now that you pointed it out. You say your sorry for what you did to me but you were only trying to protect me!"

"You're right, I am kind and you knew that firsthand," Maro said softly and Rosan paused to regard her. "That's why you were so harsh with me on that day right? You didn't want anyone to take advantage of my kindness."

"Yes, that's correct," Rosan confirmed. "I wanted you to build a wall around your heart so that not just anyone could take advantage of you."

"And I appreciate that more than you could imagine because it worked! If you never did that, who knows what could have happened to me?" Maro asked before taking a deep breath.

"I love you, Master and I don't want you to think that you failed me because you did the exact opposite. Even now, you are trying to help me grow as a person!"

"You love me?" Rosan asked and Maro confirmed without hesitation.

"Of course I do, you idiot!"

"Of course, how silly of me," Rosan said softly and he seemingly came to a decision right then and there. Angel and Demon smiled at the touching scene and Ram had to support a teary eyed Mod.

"You understand that we are here as Maro and Rosan, not Grim and Reaper so we will fight with that knowledge in mind," Rosan explained to her and her eyes widened.

"So you'll help?!" She asked excitedly and Rosan nodded.

"I will and I have just one request," the Mod Mod no mi user said, much to Maro's confusion. Angel and Demon as well raised a brow at that.

"What is it?" Maro asked curiously.

"When we're done liberating this island, I want you, Angel, and Demon to stay here."

"WHAT?!" Angel roared in disbelief at what she just heard.

"Master?! What are you talking about…?" Demon said in shocked confusion at his words.

"…" Mod and Ram opted to stay silent.

"M-Master?" Maro stammered quietly. "W-What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. I want you to become their Queen, Maro," Rosan informed them softly, looking at all 3 of his companions.

"But what does that have to do with Demon and I?!" Angel demanded furiously. "Don't think you can just push us away as you please, Master!"

"I have caused all 3 of you nothing but stress," Rosan suddenly said and it shocked them into silence. "I never intended for the 3 of you to rely so strongly on me. It's gotten to the point where my suffering, has caused you all to suffer."

"The life I live is dangerous and so I want you all to live a life that doesn't solely rely on me," he said truthfully, as he stared at his hand.

"If I die, what will happen to you 3, who cannot live without me?" The teen asked rhetorically and their silence was all the answer he needed.

"Since the moment I've created you two, you've only known me and if you were merely clones of me, that would be acceptable. But you two aren't just clones of me. You two share my face but are completely different people."

"Demon is kind and gentle and he wants to pursue a path of medicine in honor of Meiko. You are a good person and you have been afraid of me for most of your life," Rosan said bluntly, causing Demon to flinch.

"Angel you are haughty and confident. You won't let anyone tell you what to do if you don't want to do it. When Meiko died, you nearly tore yourself apart from the stress of Demon and I and you made a promise to save me at all costs that I didn't ask you to make."

Angel's jaw dropped at his statement. "You... You're talking about the day you found me crying aren't you...?" She whispered and he nodded. S-So he had wanted to separate them for that long?

"Maro, I don't want you to only be Grim, the faithful partner of Reaper."

The bluenette's eyes widened in realization. "You've been planning to split up Grim and Reaper for a while now, haven't you?" Maro said quietly and the hurt in her voice was unmistakable.

"That's right," Rosan confirmed. "You are 13, I cannot have you confined to me for the rest of your life. That is not living," he explained quietly.

"You 3 are young. I want you all to grow in an environment that doesn't have me as your leader in it. You are all humans, not slaves to Rosan."

"Angel and Demon. Maro needs you far more than I do. She can't rule this country alone and you two are both capable of assisting her," Rosan said, facing the two that he created. Since the moment he had seen Angel's resolve, he had made the decision to eventually separate from them. The middle triplet was fully intending to save him no matter the cost and Demon would always support her.

"You two should not be stuck taking orders from me until I die."

The two held their heads at that. He was making too good of a point and they couldn't refute anything.

"Master I don't understand...why are you pushing us away?" Maro asked because that's all it looked like to her. The tears in her eyes began flowing. "Do you not want us anymore."

Rosan stared blankly at her and something in his eyes flickered. "I don't want to do this," the redhead admitted softly and they all flinched.

"But it's necessary. I want you all to grow into your own people who can be separated from Rosan or Reaper," he said quietly.

"Ever since Meiko died, you've all just been trying to fight a losing battle with me and I won't stand here and watch you all eternally dig at walls that refuse to break," Rosan said, referring to his emotions.

They all flinched as they heard that.

"Angel and Demon feel like it's their obligation to make me open up again and you were dragged in it Maro. I can't put that burden on you three anymore."

"Do you want to know why I'm pushing you all away?" Rosan asked and before they could answer, he said, "Because I love you."

"All three of you, I love you and I refuse to let you waste away your lives on someone who has no will to live."

Angel and Demon collapsed at that and Maro felt a bit lightheaded herself.

"All of this...is because you love us?" The Oni asked and Rosan nodded without hesitation.

"Of course. It would be a complete failure of your leader if I continued to let you guys fester in such a toxic environment. You all need something fresh and for it to be fresh, I cannot be there."

His words hurt but they were true. Rosan was their pillar and everything they did, related to him in some way. He understood that more than anyone and he wanted them to gain an identity outside of "Obey Rosan."

"You're a fantastic leader, Master," Maro said suddenly and Rosan bowed his head.

"I disagree, but thank you."

"As much as I hate this, Rosan is right," Mod said. The three reeled at the fact that Mod was agreeing.

"You all deserve this much so if not for him, please do it for me. Live your lives the way Rosan wants you too!" Mod said with a watery smile. It felt like she was allowing her children to fly free.

"Ram and I will take care of Rosan, you can believe us!" The Devil Fruit told them all with full confidence.

"Of course we will! It's my duty to protect Father," Ram said and though she sounded ever confident, her voice was far more subdued.

"Even Master Mod agrees," Demon said and he finally began contemplating it.

"It's not like I'm going to disappear off the face of the planet," Rosan explained.

"This island needs a lot of work and I will assist in making it as prosperous as I made Fregate."

"He just wants the best for you all and right now, he's not what's best," Mod continued.

"It's okay to worry for Father, of course it is. But worrying for Father dominates you guys to an unhealthy level and he knows that more than anyone," Ram said.

"You guys will be able to see me whenever you want, I've already placed a Save Point on Maro's tiara," Rosan finished.

"Promise you'll visit often," Angel whispered and Demon and Maro's gaze snapped to the girl.

Angel was the most attached to Rosan! For her to be the first one to come to terms with it, spoke volumes and it had them finally come to terms with it themselves.

"I promise," Rosan said without hesitation and Angel let out a choked sob.

"I'm sorry Master for treating you in such a negative light," Demon said sadly.

"I'm sorry for not trying to fix it right away," Rosan countered and the purple haired clone teared up.

"I'm gonna miss traveling with you a ton, Master," Maro said quietly with tears falling.

"This is not the end Maro. One day we will travel together again because you are Grim, the faithful partner of Reaper."

Rosan let them all cry and he cut the connection. They made their way back to the confused crowd and they all tensed at the sight of the intimidating redhead.

"Maro and I will deal with your king," the redhead declared, making them all gasp in shock. "In return, I ask that you comply with the decision to make Maro your queen of the, soon to be, vacant throne."

The crowd, after hearing Maro's touching declaration just earlier, roared their agreement without hesitation, much to the shock of the blue haired Oni.

"Anyone who is injured, speak to the purple haired boy, he will tend to your injuries," Rosan said, pointing at Demon, who waved kindly.

"Anyone who is trying to avoid injury, do not speak to the red haired girl," he warned, pointing at Angel.

Angel flushed at his warning and scowled lightheartedly.

"Let's not waste any time," Rosan said, finished with his instructions. "Maro, let's go and turn you into a usurper."

"Right!" She declared as she cracked her knuckles.

"T-thank you sir, ma'am," the crowd bowed lowly.

"There is no need to call me sir," Rosan said calmly. "I am only 14."

"Please don't call me ma'am," Maro said, looking vexed. "I'm 13! Not 23!"

The crowd heard that and reacted in the only way they knew how.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"