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Ex Machina (One Piece Gamer OC Insert)

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Y'know, I figured she was connected to high-level revolutionaries.

Blinktwice13 said:
I'm just lucky enough my body can be made to fit it without issue." He paused. "Or intervention from a Scary Godmother.
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I'm pretty sure this was Ivankov (the only confirmed OP character to my knowledge that can pull instant sex-changes). Combined with Revolutionary ideals and Cipher Pol targeting them, it seemed clear Rose had a past in the Revolution, if not one as a member herself.

I didn't really connect how the described facial similarity to Luffy kicked in...but in hind-sight her being a full or half-blooded sibling makes sense. We know basically nothing about Luffy's mom and nearly as little about Dragon; if he got a rebound relationship in the RA after whatever happened to Luffy's mom or if Rose just inherited more features from the maternal side then Luffy did? Pretty much anything could be possible. Though it seems whatever the case, pulling the same move as Ace and keeping Chai's maiden name was a smart move; it was already a bit much that Luffy kept the Monkey name even with Garp shielding him...and that probably only flew because Garp kept floating the idea of Luffy joining the Marines.

I'm pretty sure Luffy is 17 and thus a year older or so? Either way, Garp is going to blow his top when he finds out. Not only did Chai possibly tempt his son to the path of rebellion, she might have also hid another grand-child from him!

Although, seperate from this, I'm not sure Rose is aware of the relation. Just having a mom in the Revolution and a father 'too dangerous' to learn about should have been enough clues together with her facial structure...but they've got a talent for denial in the face of reality (well, that and translating 2d anime to IRL may not work so well, especially not with years to distort memories). And if the (lack of) concerted WG action to find and apprehend her besides the sting that got her Mom is any indication...her possible parentage is QUITE the well-kept secret if you don't have a side-by-side comparison to use. The trust they feel for Luffy that the others think is badly hidden familial affection could just as well be the result of knowing his actions and character inside and out as a beloved protagonist - that they are still trying poorly to conceal their knowledge of.
 
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Nalanaya said:
Y'know, I figured she was connected to high-level revolutionaries.


I'm pretty sure this was Ivankov (the only confirmed OP character to my knowledge that can pull instant sex-changes). Combined with Revolutionary ideals and Cipher Pol targeting them, it seemed clear Rose had a past in the Revolution, if not one as a member herself.

I didn't really connect how the described facial similarity to Luffy kicked in...but in hind-sight her being a full or half-blooded sibling makes sense. We know basically nothing about Luffy's mom and nearly as little about Dragon; if he got a rebound relationship in the RA after whatever happened to Luffy's mom or if Rose just inherited more features from the maternal side then Luffy did? Pretty much anything could be possible. Though it seems whatever the case, pulling the same move as Ace and keeping Chai's maiden name was a smart move; it was already a bit much that Luffy kept the Monkey name even with Garp shielding him...and that probably only flew because Garp kept floating the idea of Luffy joining the Marines.

I'm pretty sure Luffy is 17 and thus a year older or so? Either way, Garp is going to blow his top when he finds out. Not only did Chai possibly tempt his son to the path of rebellion, she might have also hid another grand-child from him!

Although, seperate from this, I'm not sure Rose is aware of the relation. Just having a mom in the Revolution and a father 'too dangerous' to learn about should have been enough clues...but they've got a talent for denial in the face of reality. And if the (lack of) concerted WG action to find and apprehend her besides the sting that got her Mom is any indication...her possible parentage is QUITE the well-kept secret if you don't have a side-by-side comparison to use. The trust they feel for Luffy that the others think is badly hidden familial affection could just as well be the result of knowing his actions and character inside and out as a beloved protagonist - that they are still trying poorly to conceal their knowledge of.
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Yep, that was an Ivankov reference - and that's less any connection to them than a name-drop. Remember, Rose is an OC Insert so she has canon knowledge.

In this chapter, she mentions her mother had a lover before her father, but not what happened there. Chai is a fairly complex character that firmly plants this fic into AU territory. I love what I have going on with her. And there are several things to note.

At one point, Rose notes there was no blood the night of abduction, and so she can't have died. So the exact details of what happened are completely unknown to her. This ambiguity is entirely intentional.

Luffy says his grandpa 'hates Chai' under the assumption it's a tea. Garp knows their mother and does not approve of her at all. It was Chai who had the rebound after, which ended up with Rose. She moved on pretty fast, honestly. So Rose is not Garp's in any sense. He'd probably claim rights by proxy, but... well.

Rose is fully aware, but was willing to treat Luffy as a stranger. Between the knowledge of their connection, knowledge of the kind of man Luffy both was and would become, and Luffy being (bar none) the kindest and most reliable person she met to date... Rose's facade crumbled like powder. Yes, the 'kindest and most reliable' is a very low bar to clear, which has its own implications.

Rose is far too young to be associated with the revolution, but Chai? I've hinted a couple bits at what her major affiliations are. One is here, where Sanji vaguely recognizes the name. Another is in 'Poison Honey' where Rose name-drops Ohara and implies Chai told her about it. Further, Chai says 'Damn my uncle's eyes for working with those idiots!' in a split-second flashback during the Robin conversation. So there is a maternal great-uncle in play as well who works with someone Chai distinctly does not approve of.
 
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Chapter 5: Turn Back the Clock!
  • Threadmarks
    • Given I now have a four-chapter buffer, I'm wrapping up the Little Garden Arc. Drum is fully written at three chapters, and I've started Alabasta. Canon wavers here, but by the time Alabasta starts *rolls it up and chucks* the script is officially flipped.

    Content Notes: Rose Misbehavin', Sanji comes to terms that gender is the least weird thing about his crewmate, and Artistic License Biology/Medicine. (Because Oda was super serial about that kind of stuff, especially dino hunting patterns.)
    ____________________________________________________

    Chapter 5: Turn Back the Clock!

    Dinosaurs as a whole missed out on evolution due to sharp climate change. Mammals were able to take over due to surviving the cold while the reptilian forebears died out. In general though, they were the example of 'the bigger and better armed survive'.
    And then monkeys learned how to use tools.    ​

    I stared down at the status screen. Fifteen floating points and two passives I could choose. That… that was a lot more than I had to work with before. My Strength and Endurance had both gone up by ten, which landed my Hit Points at a solid 400. It wasn't as high as Igaram's when I checked, but it was quadruple what I had before Whiskey Peak. …how did those calculations work, anyway?

    "You look deep in thought."

    I raised my head to see Vivi smiling at me, hands folded in front of her waist.

    "Just figuring out that these 'game' rules are all made up but the points still matter. I've got no clue how things connect, aside from 'this point go up, that point also go up'." I frowned. "So now I have options. I can keep pumping up my physical attributes for survivability, despite not having training. Or I can add to my mental ones to grow my magic pool…"

    "So what do these numbers do?" Vivi asked. She stepped closer to look at the pale screen I had drawn up.

    "Oh. Well, the 'what' I explained to Zoro - physical strength, endurance, agility, intelligence - book learning and information retention, wisdom - situational awareness and critical thinking, and personality - charisma and force of will."

    Vivi nodded along. "Yes. How do they affect you directly?"

    "Hm. Aside from them being tied to gauges - endurance to health, all mental to magic, and strength and intelligence to stamina-"

    "Wouldn't endurance be included in stamina?" Vivi pondered aloud.

    "You would think so, but it's more a limit on using skills than keeping me from fighting or doing things untrained. So far, the only thing that has made use of it is my Rapid Crafting." I scratched my cheek. "Maybe if I trained in physical arts for combat?"

    I felt the grim grip of death on the back of my neck. "You know, you do have a sword," Zoro rumbled. His hand completely covered my nape.

    "I choose life."

    Vivi covered her mouth, shoulders shaking with suppressed giggles. Traitor.

    It had been about a week since we set out, and I'd made… modest gains in stats from just working around the ship. 10 Strength, 10 Endurance, 3 Agility. And the gaming helped with Intelligence and Wisdom, for 4 each. I was under no illusions, however. Once I hit a certain point, diminishing returns would kick in. Not to mention the levels of everyone else seemed to skyrocket compared to Loguetown.

    Which was weird, because Luffy didn't train a bit - how did he get from 14 to 20 that fast? Just living his life? Eating too much food? What are your secrets, you rubbery palooka.

    "Then quit bitching and get more magic. You use it more anyways." Zoro gave a light shove and let go.

    I scowled. "That still doesn't help with what passives to choo-" I paused. I peered at the list in front of me. Wait. Waitwaitwaitwait. Ohohohoho.

    "...Rose? Your smile is scaring me," Vivi whispered timidly.

    Environmental Adaptation: Convection schmection! The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway! Unbothered, Moisturized, In My Lane! Any and all climate effects are reduced to 'temperate' for you, and you have 50% resistance to environmental damage. All terrain counts as 'normal' instead of 'difficult'. Weird shit like acid or lava are still a concern - just less of one. Requirement: Level 12.

    Party Up!: Non-Gamer Passives (anything not pertaining to hit points, damage resistance, etc) can be shared with up to twenty people in your immediate area. So like… a few kilometers or so. I guess. No requirements.

    "Rules," I whispered, pulling out more screens. And… yes. The non-resistance parts of Environmental Adaptation did apply. "Aka. Akaka. Akakakakaka!"

    Vivi leaned away.

    "Rose, you're scaring the princess." I slid the screens over to Nami. She read them. "TAKE THEM NOW."

    Zoro leaned over my shoulder (oh he came back) and gave a menacing grunt.

    "Sharing is optional. Just tell me you're training."

    "Alright." And just like that, he was appeased.

    I tapped the screens, and the change was immediate. The sun seemed to beat down a little less, and the breeze was gentler. It was the epitome of a pleasant day on the sea. I could probably take a nap without care, even on the unforgiving wood of Merry's deck.

    Nami stared at me, wide-eyed. "Rose-chaaaan." Her smile turned disturbing.

    I leaned back, only to bump into Zoro. "Save me!" I whispered.

    He actually seemed to consider it.

    "I own you," Nami hissed.

    He lightly shoved me upright. "Good luck, punk."

    …five to Agility, five to Personality, three and two to Intelligence and Wisdom.

    I bolted.

    "COME BACK AND LET ME LOVE YOU!"

    Sanji made a terrifying noise from the door to the kitchen.

    "RUN, WITCH, RUN!" Usopp hollered.

    The sound of my boots pounding the deck echoed as loudly as Nami's shoes, and I darted around the mast only to run into - a horse-sized duck.

    Wait.

    "Carue, look out!" Vivi called.

    Where the hell has the damn duck been.

    He looked at me. His pupils shrank to pinpoints. "WAAAAAAAK!"

    I barely managed to jump away before Carue lashed out with a foot, back-kicking at me before scampering to a higher deck.

    "Carue!" Vivi scolded, aghast. She looked at me helplessly. "I'm so sorry, he's never been like this before."

    …animals and I did not have a good rapport. If they couldn't get away, they got violent.

    "What's going on back there?" Luffy called from his perch on the figurehead.

    "Captain, help! I'm being oppressed!"

    "Aw, don't be sad!"

    Nami and I both paused.

    "One: that's depressed. Two, saying that to someone doesn't work!" Nami shook her fist at Luffy.

    "It worked with Ace!"

    I raised a hand. "Did you also tell him you loved him, and pointed out how he was cool and awesome? And also call him out on his crap?"

    "Yeah!"

    "THAT'S what worked."

    "Ohhhh. That makes way more sense! Hehe, thanks!"

    Nami shot me a weird look. "Wait. Loved him?"

    Hm. I could let this play out, or nudge Luffy into correcting her. Or…

    "Nami, Nami, Nami," I chided, wagging a finger at her. "Not all love is romantic, you know?"

    Sanji craned his neck upward. "Who's Ace?" he called.

    "My big brother!" Luffy called down.

    Nami whipped her head to look at me- actually, everyone but Luffy did. It didn't take a genius to figure out the thought process behind their actions.

    What the shit how did they find out.

    …it must have been when I went boymode. There's just enough similarities that even the different coloring wasn't enough of a red herring.

    Things I know: Luffy is neither smart nor mean enough to do that level of passive-aggressive. He probably doesn't know. Just everyone else. Somehow. What the fuck.

    "Land Ho!" Luffy yelled, pointing forward excitedly.

    I moved away from the crew (and the duck), walking to the side of the ship.

    In the near distance - a towering jungle.

    "IN WHAT WORLD IS THAT 'LITTLE'!?" Usopp yelled.

    "I see where your assertion of megafauna might be well-founded," Nami said in a chillingly polite tone. "Anything else we need to worry about?"

    "Super diseases. Bug bites in particular." I glanced at her. "Unless lyme disease's ugly cousin sounds like a good idea to you, of course."

    She rubbed her arms frantically. "Ugh."

    I doubted it would alter the course of events - a lodestone for Drum was part of the Quest loot, not to mention I was no Jeremiah Cross by any extent of the imagination - but it would be nice. Though… canon was already off the rails due to my existence. I had no idea how my quest would affect things.

    Luffy had no visible mother in the source work, and the story liked to treat it as though the Monkey men just reproduced via budding. The idea that my mother had spawned him in particular, let alone that she met another man and had me - well. Six-year-old me had their mind blown, reincarnation isekai bullcrap or no.

    (No road, no map, no higher power to blame. Just me, here.)

    A roar echoed from the jungle, just as the volcano in the center of the island erupted.

    Nami's head swiveled at me.

    "The lava flow is only dangerous if you get close. It doesn't get too far before cooling, somehow."

    Usopp stood by us, knees knocking.

    "Hm. I wonder what I can make out of dinosaur…" Sanji muttered.

    If I didn't get involved, things should play out fine. But the house Sanji found, and the boat with all of their stuff…

    I slowly smiled. "You know Sanji, I think we should find out."

    "Of co- we?" He blinked at me.

    I looked back at the island. Wax was hardly a power I needed in any amount, and keeping my profile low would be ideal. By the end of Little Garden, he'd get Baroque Works off our back, and I'd get plenty of items. Not to mention, I'd avoid a clash of ideals with the giants.

    It would… be something.

    Working out fine would be a stretch even if I didn't tempt fate.
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    I smiled as I kept pace with Sanji, gazing around the jungle. I brushed plants lightly, adding samples to my inventory.

    Prehistoric Leaf x15! Prehistoric Lumber x30! Prehistoric Fiber x20! Floris Megalo x5! Floris Minoris x5! Color Core x10! Advanced Heal Core x6! 7! 8! 20!

    And I hadn't even run across the Baroque Bungalow yet.

    "So what are you thinking?" Sanji mused. "Leaving the ship unattended…"

    I hummed. "We'll be looking for a building made of wax. If all goes well, the crew will be richer, and we might be able to pull a fast one on Mister Zero."

    Sanji's gait slowed. "Hm?"

    "So Crocodile hasn't met a great number of his goons. Information security and all that - All Sunday is his voice and hands."

    "And plausible deniability," Sanji muttered. He looked up. "You said Mr. 3 was here, right?"

    "Yes." I grinned at him. "And as my voice isn't that deep even as a boy, you're going to do a bit of acting."

    Sanji stared back, only to give a toothy smile. "You're evil."

    I curtsied, lowering my head while keeping eye contact. "Guilty as hell, good sir."

    He chuckled and shook his head. "So…" he drawled. "Who're you rooting for?"

    "Luffy." I didn't even hesitate. In theory, Zoro was my favorite Straw Hat. In practice, the captain was far and away the easiest on my non-existent blood pressure.

    "He's not competing," Sanji scoffed.

    "He'll still bring the biggest one back. It's just who he is."

    Sanji gave me a lingering look. "You really like him, don't you?"

    You have an older brother on Dawn Island. A friend of mine in Foosha keeps an eye on him for me, since I can't visit and my courier of choice is otherwise occupied nowadays. I think you'll really like him, Rosebit.

    "He grew on me faster than I anticipated," I replied slowly.

    "He'll do that. Give an inch and he'll take a mile, and it's good chances you'll thank him for it." Sanji took a pull on his cigarette. "Do you intend to tell him?"

    I decided to throw caution to the wind. "That I care for him, or that he's my sibling?"

    Sanji's gait slowed again, but he didn't stumble. "Either. Both." He looked at me.

    "You guys were the opposite of subtle. What gave it away?"

    "Vivi brought it to Nami and Usopp. They did some weird recon thing and-"

    "Asking about my parents. Ugh, I forgot that those two are smarter than I give credit for. And of course it was Vivi - she's not close enough to the situation to overlook any similarities." I frowned.

    I could spin a yarn and maybe… hm. Hm. Oh that would- but I'd read stories where someone tried to tell Ace to his face Sabo was alive. It never ended well in the immediate span, and could have repercussions in the long term. And Luffy might not mind that Mom kept her distance, but I'd need to give explanations I didn't have to the crew.

    Dragon I got, really. Even Garp to an extent. By all rights, Mom should have raised us together. But then, whatever she had going on got her abducted by Cipher Pol Fucking Nine. With her bounty that I still didn't understand… she might not be on the level of Dragon or Garp, but was definitely not someone anyone would expect in Loguetown. Clearly there was more on the ball there than I could understand at age six, reincarnate or no.

    I settled on: "How much about the innermost workings of the World Government are you privy to?"

    "Not much." Sanji's reply was smooth as he cast his gaze around the jungle.

    "So Cipher Pol would mean…?"

    He stopped. "That sure is a name."

    I came to a halt as well. "They're the ones that took my mother."

    For a long moment, we stood in the jungle. Neither one of us spoke.

    "Your mother's name… sounded familiar." Sanji paused. "Outside of being a perfectly pleasant tea."

    …so my mother likely had some tie to Germa. Which, considering the one relative of hers I knew about, was unsurprising.

    "I think my great-uncle had a contact in North Blue," I replied in as calm a tone as I could muster.

    Sanji looked at me. His expression was carefully blank.

    "You still have a slight accent. Loguetown is, above all, a port city to the Grand Line. Assume I've had some exposure to multiple cultures." The not-lie came as easily as breathing.

    He stared for a moment longer, then minutely relaxed. "I see." He still sounded dubious. "Though I gotta wonder if it's the whole truth."

    Hm. So I apparently fell into some middle ground in his man-woman dichotomy, at least one-on-one. Workable. "It's a truth. Usopp is right, I am an awful liar. And I'm generally sketchy to boot."

    Sanji put his hands in his pockets. "That so."

    "I have suspicions, but nothing I feel the need to go out of my way to confirm. My goal is pretty well set, and the best way to get to it is by traveling with this crew. Bringing up any theoretical pasts would only lead to social strain and general stress. I need neither."

    Sanji pulled a hand out and rummaged in his chest pocket. He pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. He went back for what I presume was a lighter, but his brow furrowed. "Damn. Of all the times…"

    I made grabby hands. "Give it here. I've got it." His eyebrow raised, but he complied. Once the cigarette was in hand, I held it by one end and let pop a single small explosion with the other.

    "Oi-!"

    The tip caught on the first one, thankfully. Not enough to really use any MP, but still not quiet.

    "I wonder what the side effects of those are. I know lung tar ends up being a concern, but one wonders what the effects of cancer are…" I muttered it mostly under my breath.

    "The main side effect is my moron tolerance goes up." Sanji plucked the smoke from my hand and jammed it into his mouth. "I actually smoke less on the Merry than at the Baratie, if you can believe it."

    I hummed distractedly. There were no large life signs I could track this close, all the way down to human. Though that could exclude Goldenweek (despite her being my age).

    "...assuming you haven't already used your powers to suss it out, I don't talk about North Blue unless I have to or it's unrelated to me. Not a lot good happened there." Sanji let out a long breath, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

    "Sanji, I could have figured that out just by watching your reactions. If you don't want me to pry, I'll respect that."

    We started walking again.

    "Oddly enough, you don't seem to mind us poking at your past."

    "It's not so much private as I hate talking about most of it." I frowned. "And there are details that knowing would get you killed."

    "You got a Warlord in the closet, too?" he joked.

    I shook my head. "Not hardly." The Phantom of the Empty Throne was considerably higher-grade than a Warlord. Or for more immediate carnage 'your brother is alive but amnesiac' if I wanted to eat a close-range Fire Fist. Though that one was more telling one specific person…

    "...you'd think we'd have seen something by now," Sanji muttered. "That environmental thing of yours include dinosaur repellent?"

    "No, that's just me." I sighed. "For whatever reason, animals and I… do not mix." I paused. Wait. Chopper was flat-out a reindeer that ate a fruit. Shit.

    "All animals?" Sanji asked.

    "Most of them? Birds and dogs for certain. Cats are finicky, but that's the norm I think."

    "Hm." He turned around to look at me and froze. "So… how about lizards?"

    I blinked. "Hm?" And then I stopped so I didn't walk into him. Something rough nudged the back of my neck, almost like a tree.

    "Rose?" Sanji whispered.

    I blinked again.

    "Do. Not. Move."

    A puff of hot air rolled over my neck, stirring both my hair and Sanji's.

    "GROOMPH?"

    I turned my head up and to the side.

    A massive eye gazed down.

    Ah. A T-Rex.
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    If anyone had asked Sanji what his day was going to look like… he would have said anything but this.

    "Oh he did not." "GROOO." "No! After the kids, too?" "AGROO!"

    Rose drew that massive brush she used on Laboon down the T-Rex's talon. It left a surge of hot pink in its wake, somehow dotting it with sparkles.

    "And she-" "AGROO-RR." "That skank! Some friend she is!" "RR!"

    "So. Uh." Sanji cleared his throat.

    Rose and the dinosaur both looked at him.

    "You speak… Dinosaur?" he asked hesitantly.

    Apparently Rose had an affinity for giant death lizards. And could 'craft' cosmetics. Case in point: the T-Rex now had bright pink mascara, extendable lashes, and an eye-searing dab of lip color in the shape of a pair of lips right on the dead center of its - her - lip line.

    "My 'Observe/Analyze' is doing a lot of the heavy lifting, but mostly I'm interpreting vocal and physical cues." Rose hummed. "And it's giving that skill quite the workout."

    "...and you're good at words?" Sanji asked weakly.

    The brush came down another talon. "Mmhm. Composition is communication. And it seems Tina here picked up quite the vocabulary from the local giants."

    Suddenly, Sanji was perfectly fine with the fluidity of Rose's gender. This was weirder by an order of hundreds. Not that it caused him much bother at this point anyway, but…!

    "GROOGROOARRR?"

    "Oh sweetheart, if an interesting tyrannosaurus can't have interesting toenails, then I just don't know what this world is coming to!" Rose drew the brush back and admired her handiwork. "And done! Oh Tina, you look glamorous. I just wish I had a mirror so you could see your face."

    The T-Rex fluttered her eyelashes, leaning her cheek into her tiny little claw.

    Rose tapped her chin. "You know, there is one favor I'd like to ask."

    "UROOO?"

    Rose smiled. "Have you seen a wax house as of late?"

    The Tyrannosaurus Rex squinted at Rose, then pointed a single claw due west. It made a guttural rumble.

    Rose stood up, brushing imagined dust off of her skirt. "No fear, no fear. We'll serve them a decisive eviction notice." Her smile turned to a fanged grin. "Right, Sanji?"

    Screw it.

    Sanji pulled the cigarette from his mouth and gave a sweeping bow. "Anything for a lady," he purred.

    "UURAWR!"
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    Obtained: 400,000 Belli! Obtained: High-Class Food (4 Weeks Worth (Luffy Accounted For))! Obtained: Iron Wax x53! Obtained: Mr. 3's Mission Log! Obtained: Medical Cabinet x1! Obtained: Masterpiece Sculpture (Wax) x4! Obtained-

    Enough. Convert all non-usable valuables to Belli.

    Salvage is now 39! Larceny is now 41! Obtained 3,432,100 Belli!

    Good grief. Talk about overdecorating. I poked my head out of the ship. "All clear?"

    Sanji walked over, purposefully dragging a shoe across the ground. "Yeah. I fought a couple of rats. Got this, too." He held up a Log Pose inside an hourglass. "That house didn't have much in it - just some tea."

    I hopped out. "Because all of their shit was in here. I managed to track from their little outpost, so…" I grinned. "You talked to him?"

    "One order from Mr. 0 to the Crap Cafe, accepted and preparing. He wants Mr. 3 to get to Alabasta as soon as possible." Sanji tilted the uncanny compass in his grip. "...you knew he'd get this."

    "Baroque Works has been fomenting this rebellion for over two years. If All Sunday let Vivi peek behind the veil, it's hitting a boiling point." I propelled myself from the boat to the shore, letting the sharp pops from my palms keep me out of the ocean.

    Sanji took a pull on his cigarette. "So he wants all the forces back home."

    "Crocodile is both fortifying his position and tying up loose ends. He probably believes you're Mr. 3, but depending on what happened he might also be planning to kill said operative." I shook my head. "Honestly, that paranoia would be admirable if it didn't amount to so little. It's better to be loved than feared, though fear will do. What one must avoid is being hated, and repeatedly crushing those who fail you will certainly make no friends."

    "Uh-huh." Sanji glanced at me. "Get anything good?"

    I ran through my inventory. "A nice bit of food, some medical supplies we didn't have, their mission log - which to be sure is awful information security-"

    "Where they stored it or having one at all?" Sanji mused.

    "Yes."

    "Right. Continue."

    "And… uh… about 3.5 mil."

    Sanji's head whipped around. "WHAT!?"

    "Fun fact: if I Salvage valuables, they convert straight to currency." I shrugged. "None of the components of his shit were anything I could really use, so…"

    "Don't 'so' me!" Sanji ground the end of his cig in his teeth. "2 mil, 3.5 mil- how much money do we have!?"

    "Yes."

    "THAT'S NOT AN ANSWER!"

    I gave him an 'injured' look. "Sanji-kun, yelling at a woman? Really?"

    "Ghhh…" He hunched his shoulders. "I never thought I'd meet a lady who'd make me consider my stances as a gentleman, but damn if you don't come close…"

    I dropped the look for a wide grin. "I'm touched, really."

    He sighed. "...how much shit are we going to have to deal with?"

    "Currently, Baroque Works doesn't know the two of us exist. The Unluckies only got Luffy, Zoro, and Nami. Usopp also likely engaged-"

    A loud crash echoed from further in the island.

    "The 3 and 5 pairs." I hummed. "I won't lie, I'm glad I haven't had to contend with any combat yet. I'd like a little more training before I try my hand at it." Which… reminded me of something. "Hold on. 'Objectives'."

    A panel appeared in front of me.

    Days Ruined:
    Gem/5(Stabbed in Whiskey Peak. Injury resulted in diminished combat capabilities.)
    Mikita/Valentine's Day(Caught an explosive vial to the face courtesy of Nami pilfering one from you.)
    Marianne/Goldenweek(You stole all her painting supplies. And food.)
    Galdino/3(You stole all his everything.)
    Vivi, Nami(They Met Tina. No one was hurt, but confusion ensued.)
    Carue(Saw you.)

    Remaining:
    Usopp
    Luffy
    Zoro
    Dorry and Brogy
    Sanji
    A Surprise

    "...hm. So apparently I have six items remaining."

    Sanji stared at my list. He looked at me. "...what?"

    "My job is to ruin everyone's day on the island. If I do that, I get stuff."

    He stared at me. He let out a long, tired sigh.

    Sanji(Made him Doubt a Woman.)

    "Thank you~!"

    He narrowed his eye at me. "Don't mention it. Please."

    "Shall we get a dino to go?" I smiled. "Unless you want Zoro to win by default."

    "Like hell."
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    "Gegyagyagyagya!" "Gebababababa!"

    I stared up at the giants.

    Success! Dorry, Level 118. Brogy, Level 118. Co-Captains of the Giant Pirates. Locked in an endless battle to determine who caught the bigger Sea King. Current duration is one century. Statistics are demoralizingly high.

    "Wait. You guys are fighting over who killed the bigger Sea King?"

    The giants stopped laughing.

    "MINE'S BIGGER!" "NO, MINE!"

    I glanced over. "...hm." That totally sounded like an argument about dinosaurs, sure.

    "Little girl? How do you know that?" the… less round? Dorry asked.

    "Shishishi! She's our witch!" Luffy slung an arm over my shoulder.

    "Who apparently gave that T-Rex a makeover." Nami looked dead inside. "Why."

    "Tina is a lovely soul and deserved to feel pretty." I would accept no criticism, dammit!

    Zoro shot me a vile look. "That damn dinosaur knocked over the wax spreader."

    "Away from them!" Usopp hurried to inform me. "She was actually a huge help!" He smiled. "Thanks to you, she made a real difference!"

    "Yeah. I was going to cut down that exploding guy, but she stepped on him first!" Zoro kept scowling.

    I gasped. "No!"

    "Are you-"

    "I JUST got her nails done!" I quickly turned to the giants. "Please make sure the paint job didn't get ruined?"

    They exchanged a look. "Er." "Um."

    "Oh, and you'll want to wrap up your feud soon. At the very least, Oimo and Kashi have been press-ganged into the Navy under the assumption you got captured."

    The giants froze.

    Dorry and Brogy(Their friends are in danger and they feel compelled to put their duel on hold. They are unsure which is less honorable, and now face a massive moral quandary.)

    "Those two I think are at… Eines Lobby?" I rubbed my chin. "That's what I'm reading."

    "Tell you what," Brogy said gently as Dorry stared in the middle distance. "Why don't we help you set sail?" 'Before you get worse' went unsaid.

    Luffy, Usopp, Zoro. Hm. Eh, the rewards weren't that much. I'd be fine without them.

    I cast my gaze about. Nami? Fine. Oh good, no tick. Wait. No tick.

    Vivi, fine. Carue- hiding. Hopefully fine. Usopp, fine. Sanji I knew was fine. Luffy, fine.

    I looked at Zoro. He seemed to be sweating a little, which was weird.

    "Miss?" Brogy prodded.

    "Rose?" Vivi asked, picking up on my confusion.

    "So… the environmental shield. It's held up fine, right?" I said slowly.

    Usopp grinned. "Yeah! It's like, the best kind of autumn day back home to me."

    Nami seemed to relax. "I barely even sweat the whole time," she agreed.

    "S'ok. Why?" Luffy leaned into my space.

    Zoro kept getting redder. I looked down. My throat started getting tight. "Hey Nami?"

    "Hm?"

    "So, I guess something happened where Zoro's legs got injured, right?"

    "Uh oh," Brogy rumbled.

    "Yeah, he tried to cut himself loose at the feet - by taking them off." Her scowl was thunderous. "The idiot."

    Zoro stumbled, leaning on the triceratops he'd slain.

    "So… his ankles leaking bright blue is not, in fact, normal?"

    "No, it wou-" Nami stilled mid-rant.

    OBSERVE.

    Success. Cretaceous Tetanus identified - Observe 39! - early stage. Bright blue pus, localized. Within two weeks, amputation needed as limbs become unsalvageable. Spread accelerates in the following twenty-four hours causing paralysis, starting with the throat, jaw, and lungs. Fortunately, the wounds being so far down slow the progress.

    I stared. "Guys?" I whispered.

    Usopp's smile fell. Vivi went pale at my tone. Nami met my gaze, jaw tight. Even Sanji stopped yelling.

    "We need a doctor. Now."

    Luffy looked at me. I looked back. "What happened?" he asked.

    "If we don't get Zoro a doctor in two weeks, he loses his legs."

    Zoro huffed. "I'll be-"

    "And twenty-four hours after that, we lose a swordsman."

    Luffy, Usopp, Zoro, You(Zoro's gonna die!)

    Clever Girl: Complete!
    Obtained: 100,000 Belli, Drum Lodestone. BONUS: Portable Den-Den Mushi.
    Experience: 1000. Combat Avoidance Bonus: Stealth +5.
    Current Level: 15. 5 ability points available.    ​

    Luffy stood tall. "Everyone on the ship. We're leaving."

    I looked at Vivi.

    "I… we need everyone, if we're going to stop Crocodile." She looked at me, expression stern. Resolved.

    "We can just… at…" Zoro staggered, gritting his teeth. Sweat poured down his brow.

    "Zoro." Luffy's voice was like iron.

    He looked at Luffy for a long moment. He bowed his head. "Understood, Captain."

    "Sanji, help him on board." Luffy looked at Dorry and Brogy. "Is there anything stopping us from leaving?"

    "You have an eternal pose," Dorry rumbled. "So you can get where you need to go. I can't say how far Alabasta-"

    "We'd arrive three days too late." Vivi's tone was firm. "If we had a way to get to- there's an island. A winter island called Drum."

    Craft.

    1,000,000 Belli, Drum Lodestone consumed. 50 SP used. Obtained: Eternal Pose(Drum Island).

    "I got a lodestone as a quest reward. It's set for Drum." I produced the pose. "Nami."

    She snagged it as she stormed onto the ship.

    "We'll give you an exit," Brogy assured us.

    "An exit?" Usopp looked back from where he stood at the water's edge.

    "You'll see," Brogy grinned.
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    We sailed through the remains of the Island Eater. Carnage split around us.

    "I have no idea if…" I trailed off. "Ugh. My potions work on flesh wounds, but clearly something more potent than my brews stuck to Zoro's blades and got in his cuts." I rubbed my face. "My skill's high, but my personal level would need to be way higher for me to make anything to bank the infection."

    "You know what it is?" Sanji asked.

    Zoro shot me a dour glare from where he lay on a stretcher. I'd thrown it together to keep him off his feet. After consideration, I added in something to keep his back and head elevated - I knew precious little about how this thing spread through the body and wanted to take no chances on accelerating our timeframe.

    "Turbo Tetanus with a side of death." I looked down at Zoro and bit back… a lot. A lot of things I wanted to say.

    It made a painful amount of sense, really. Airborne diseases, things he'd cut on the island - it was a miracle this didn't occur in canon.

    Pus the color of the sky continued to stain the wraps at his ankles. I'd need to change those soon.

    I pulled my hair back, and when I let go I expended a fistful of Belli and fiber to leave it tied up. "I've got no real medical training, but I can do some first aid. I'll do what I can to make sure we get you to Drum in one piece."

    "And I'll do everything in my power to get us there fast." Nami scowled at the horizon. "Vivi?"

    The princess nodded. "I've been there before. I'll tell you what I remember of the surroundings and what we might need to expect."

    Usopp crouched over his tools, almost disconnected from the world. He barely even registered the dead Sea King as the giants' attack pushed it away. Luffy stood further back, uncharacteristically somber.

    New Quest: Feet of Clay
    Objective: Save Zoro's Life and Limbs.
    Secondary Objective: Recruit Tony Tony Chopper.
    Bonus Objective: Open the vault.
    Reward: 7000 EXP. New Weapon Design.
    Penalty: Zoro is removed from the census. Crew morale crippled.    ​

    Zoro yawned and lay down. "Quit panicking. I'll be fine." A sheen of sweat covered his brow, but that was the only sign of what pain he had to be in.

    I ground my teeth. Vivi didn't know about Kohza, and if I remembered right the News Coo with that paper wouldn't come for a little while. I didn't know if she'd change her mind, but… no. Looking at her, she was set on our course of action.

    "I'll make it to Drum." Zoro glared at me. "Just don't fuck up."

    "...I'm going to make some anesthetic. If I have to deal with you conscious much longer, it won't be the tetanus that kills you."

    Luffy distracted me by knocking into my shoulder. "Rose."

    I looked at him.

    "It's gonna be okay."

    How did he know? At least with the Kestia - with Nami - but this was new and unprecedented. Nami would get us there quicker, but- But Zoro (who'd trained with me and not pushed past what I could do and cared even if it was in his own clumsy asshole way-)

    "...that so."

    "Mm-hm. I've got a chef, a navigator, and a witch to make sure of that." Luffy's voice was certain. "I can't heal, or cook, or find my way. I can't do magic or think through complicated stuff. So we'll get to Drum, get a doctor, and they'll help Zoro. And until then, I've got my crew."

    I swallowed. "Okay." I clenched my fists. "...I'll go set up my Chem Station and see if I can buy us any time, or at least take the edge off."

    Zoro gave me a tired look. "Don't put yourself out on my account," he rumbled sleepily.

    I turned away, unable to deal with the surprising amount of sincerity in his voice. "I won't. I'm too selfish not to do something for myself."

    He yawned. "That annoying, huh?"

    I dragged the back of my hand over my eyes. "Immensely."

    And I set to work.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Man, I adore this story. Thanks for updating so quickly! I hope Chopper can overcome whatever predator aura she has going, or at least explain it so that she can understand.

    Even though it wouldn't have worked, a small part of me hoped that Tina would join the crew. :p
     
    Dromuthra said:
    Man, I adore this story. Thanks for updating so quickly! I hope Chopper can overcome whatever predator aura she has going, or at least explain it so that she can understand.

    Even though it wouldn't have worked, a small part of me hoped that Tina would join the crew. :p
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Thank you! Chopper's bit won't be too in-depth, but it will be fun.

    And Tina just wouldn't fit on the Merry. I enjoyed her scene, but they'd need at least the canon Sunny to get her anywhere. All respect to Mean Girl T Rex.
     
    Blinktwice13 said:
    Thank you! Chopper's bit won't be too in-depth, but it will be fun.

    And Tina just wouldn't fit on the Merry. I enjoyed her scene, but they'd need at least the canon Sunny to get her anywhere. All respect to Mean Girl T Rex.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Oh, I knew it was impractical and impossible, but the heart yearns for what it cannot have. Though it would be amazing if sometime in the New World we see Laboon come join/meet the straw hats and have Tina riding on his back to say hello. They could be a totally-platonic power couple!
     
    Stuff changed, but stayed the same. The shape of history fighting against the Will of D. Drama ahead, also, possibly, more shenanigans than you could shake a stick at.

    Still vibes, but, you know, threaded with a medical emergency, a race against time, and possibly dire consequences because tetanus is no joke, and super tetanus more so.

    Rose's crafting skills definitely getting a workout, her observe skills pushed to the limit, maybe evolving into Observation Haki (?), playing Florence Nightingale, only with more cursing and threats to the patient. And, maybe, Conqueror's Haki, because you bet at some point Rose would be, "No. You aren't dying."

    Thanks for sharing.
     
    Blinktwice13 said:
    Thank you! Chopper's bit won't be too in-depth, but it will be fun.

    And Tina just wouldn't fit on the Merry. I enjoyed her scene, but they'd need at least the canon Sunny to get her anywhere. All respect to Mean Girl T Rex.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Plus it would be all the better if they found a Human Human Fruit variants and brought Tina T. Rex the "Human" with them on their journey rather than just Tina the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Just imagine having to explain that Tina is actually a Dinosaur that ate the Human Human Fruit: Amazon Model rather than someone who ate a Tyrannosaurus Devil's Fruit.
     
    Chapter 6: The Days When Mother Was There
  • Threadmarks
    • Here we go, canon is now completely diverged. This chapter is straight downtime, but needed - a flashback was required before Drum. Haven't finished any more writing yet so I have two buffer chapters left - because house remodeling.

    Content Notes: Feelings. Chai's character can generously be called 'complex'. Also, as people probably noticed - Rose isn't stable. A bit more of that becomes apparent.
    ________________________________________________________________

    Chapter 6: The Days When Mother Was There

    "Ah, you got it? Wonderful! That's my little courier boy. …hm? Don't call you a boy? Kashishishi! I'll call you a man when you grow a pair and go after that Roger's treasure. Are you scared? Hmmm? No? Ah. Pafeh, the clown-boy's more fun. He gets so angry at so little!" The woman's smile split her face in two. "On another note, I'd like to call in our other arrangement. If you can check on- yes. Yes, in Foosha. You're a darling, courier. See you after~!"

    Abendstern D. Chai, age 34.

    The Den Den Mushi's earpiece returned to its cradle.

    Chai raised her arms up towards the ceiling, stretching out a few knots in her back. Her long black curls tumbled down, giving more warmth to her bronze skin. Red eyes locked on the Den Den, glittering with intent. Her smile could only be described as 'catlike'. A mixture of lust for life and laughter at its absurdity.

    "Mommy?"

    Abendstern D. Rosehip, age 4.

    Chai turned on her heel, beaming. "Did I wake you, treasure? Oh, who's my sleepy girl?" She crooned over the child, sweeping into the other room.

    A small head of red curls poked out of the bed. "Who was that?" her little flower asked.

    "Just a salty little sea-pup, no need to fret. I sent him to check on your brother." Chai pulled a locket from her dress.

    A work of silver on a chain, it resembled so much as a silver gumdrop. Given the one who gave it to her, it was only to be expected.

    With a smooth movement, Chai knelt next to her daughter and popped it open.

    Inside were two photos. On one was a babe with fluffy black hair, swaddled in a crib. On the other was a picture of her and Rosehip, the girl still so tiny and new to the world.

    Without fail, Rosehip touched her little sea king's photo. She'd been so shocked to hear she had a brother, but to Chai's unending surprise (and glee) she asked to meet him rather than get upset.

    Dragon's response to having a child was predictable. His position was one of impossible danger. After all, with the Elder Stars after his blood, no child of his would be safe. Garp…

    Listen here, you damn dirty wench. You might have gotten my son to be a revolutionary bum, but you won't work your wiles on this kid! I'm taking him to Dawn Island, he's going to be a Marine, and if I hear word of you-!

    Yes. So Chai worked by proxies to keep an eye on little Luffy. He'd grown into a true spitfire, but because Garp could make things complicated… she kept her distance. Luffy was young, and not prone to discretion. One wrong word and her little house with Rose could go up in smoke. Perhaps even literally.

    After all, Rosehip wasn't Dragon's. Luffy was a happy accident, one she'd have kept if the option stood.

    As that was not the case: she moved on, found love, and had a promise. Once Rosehip turned seven, they would join her husband-to-be in his home country.

    Of course, the reason for the wait was so Rosehip could have something of a normal childhood. Her beloved's family was… unorthodox. Memo: call uncle and see how the medicine prototype for 'Mother in Law' was going.

    "Mommy, can I go play with other children?" Rosehip looked up at her hopefully.

    "Hm…" Chai frowned. She'd procured something for Rosehip, but she wasn't quite ready for it yet. And until she had it, Chai truly didn't want her running about. "Not today, my thorn. The Marines are rather busy, and if one sees you and follows to me?"

    Well. One billion, four hundred and forty four million was a dire incentive. Even those who could be swayed by her dreams might turn for that.

    Rosehip sighed. "Do we have any new books?" she asked, half-hopefully.

    Chai smiled brightly. "Of course!" She bustled to the back of their house. "Tell me, would you like to learn about the World Nobles?"

    Oh-ho. Her little Rosehip's intuition must be strong. After all, the mere mention made the girl pale.

    "I don't know if they sound like good people…" her little girl whispered.

    "They're not." Chai smiled. "Which is why you need to know what they might try to do - so that you can escape and stay ahead of them."

    Until she met her brother.

    Until they reshaped the world.
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    Going Merry. Seventh Day.

    Even with knowing Zoro was bad off, most of the crew regained their balance. Sanji made sure everyone had enough to eat, Nami kept them on course, and Usopp had almost finished his new toy. Even Vivi sat and wrote, trying to remember everything she knew about Drum. She wrote a whole six pages so far, so once Nami and Rose got a look at it they'd come up with a plan. Maybe he'd even follow it!

    Luffy knew Zoro was strong. Mystery box or no mystery box, Zoro would last as long as he needed. No leaky ankles would beat him, even if it was weird colors. Sanji agreed, even if he stuck more veggies in Zoro's food. Blegh.

    Rose… Luffy worried about Rose. It seemed to be a theme. It was weird! He didn't worry about his other nakama, because they could take whatever happened! Even with Zoro laid up by the weird blue goo, he knew Zoro would fight. So why was he worried about Rose?

    Frowning, the captain of the Going Merry went into the cabins. He should check on them.

    The bathing room was nearby, so-

    "Damn brat, it's not getting any cleaner," Zoro grunted. It wasn't a yell, so he wasn't mad. He didn't sound too tired, so that was good.

    Zoro was in his underwear, and Rose wore a bathing suit. Zoro was too tired to stand on his own, so Rose was helping with everything.

    He turned into a guy again for whatever reason. Luffy didn't get it - Rose was Rose, so it's not like it changed anything. But it made Nami not-mad, so he'd roll with it.

    Rose looked at the mystery box next to him, frowning. "Okay. This poultice is a disinfectant - thankfully, Nami let me at the medical stores." He held up a vial. "I'm going to spread it over your ankles."

    "And the whole thing's an infection, right?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.

    Rose gave a croaking laugh. "Akaka. Oh I wish this would do the trick, but all it'll do is stabilize at this point. We need antibiotics, and the methodology for that is so beyond me."

    "Antibi-what?" Zoro squinted.

    "It's a form of medicine to treat infections. They usually have ugly side-effects, but they target and kill specific germs. Topical ones aren't as rough, but the oral ones you need a set of probiotics so your guts don't lose good germs and eat themselves." Rose paused. "That's a gross oversimplification, so don't hurt yourself figuring it out." He started smearing the paste he made on Zoro's ankles.

    The blue faded to a nasty pale yellow-green, then turned almost clear.

    "Looks like it works to me. And yeah, that was fucking gross." Zoro scowled.

    "It's working on the external elements. What's inside is outside my control." Rose made that face like he wanted to correct other stuff, but stopped there.

    Zoro was already pretty pale, so it was his face scrunching that showed Luffy how not-okay that information was to him.

    Rose wiped his legs down again, then deftly wrapped his ankles. "Captain. Pants and shirt." Rose's red eyes looked up at him. "Please?"

    "Sure!" Luffy was careful. Zoro was tired, so roughhousing wasn't a good idea. It was like that time Ace got a cold, but worse. So he was careful. Not too careful, because that'd make Zoro mad. But just enough. A thought crossed his mind.

    "Hey Rose?"

    His witch's eyes flicked to Luffy again. "Captain?" Oh, he wasn't doing okay at all. Trying to be all there-but-not.

    "Why're you sad?"

    Rose's hands stilled, right about to button up Zoro's pants.

    "Guilt doesn't suit you, jackass." Zoro leaned against the wall, nudging Rose's stomach with his knee.

    "I was caught off-guard. My… the quest warned about insects and water, but I didn't think to worry about this. So I did take some small precautions. And if I'd gone with you guys-"

    Uh oh.

    "What, you think you could've saved us?" Zoro scoffed, but it wasn't mocking. No, he was mad.

    Rose's eyes flashed. "Well. If my little firework can make chunky salsa out of a Sea King, then that wax dandy couldn't have taken it." He smirked. It wasn't a happy smirk.

    Zoro raised an arm and dropped his fist on Rose's head. It wasn't even a thunk.

    "And we'd have missed out on more money than god. Not to mention, you could've gotten caught too." Zoro squinted. "You were safe. Until you're strong, that's what matters."

    "I can fight at range, like Usopp." Rose actually smiled a little at that. "From the way he was smiling, he must've done well."

    Zoro paused, then grinned as much as he could. "Yeah. A real warrior, our sniper."

    Rose stood. "But…" he hesitated and glanced at the door. He scowled. "Tell Nami that I'd rather have you idiots in one piece over the cash and they won't find either of our bodies."

    "I knew that." Luffy shrugged. Why were they saying things people knew? Unless they didn't? Weird. People always made things more think-y than they had to be. Feelings were feelings, people were people. Even if you didn't understand them, there they were.

    "I think she'd grumble at worst. That money-grubbing witch is attached enough she'd give up a payday for us, but she'd bitch to high heavens about it." Zoro yawned. "Alright, punk. Get me to bed."

    Rose picked Zoro up, body barely straining. "Those weights worked wonders. A week ago, I'd be dragging you by the armpits."

    "You saying I'm fat?" Zoro scowled.

    "No, actually. Muscle outweighs fat, so you're naturally heaviest." Rose blinked, confused.

    Zoro squinted at him, then nodded. "Right."

    "C-... Luffy? The door?" Rose looked at him.

    Luffy nodded. "Good! You guys should cheer up. We'll get to Drum easy!" He went and opened the door. "And once we're there, we'll get a doctor and it'll be okay."

    "That much I have control over. I'll make sure of it."

    Luffy looked back.

    Zoro was already asleep, head against Rose's shoulder.

    Rose… Rose's eyes burned. They looked like the coals of Grey Terminal when it went up, like the fire and smoke that destroyed Sabo's boat. His face might have been calm, he might have held Zoro gently - but his eyes gave it all away. Rose wasn't just sad. He was… mad wasn't it. Scared wasn't it. It was something that was all of it.

    But above all- Rose was hungry.

    Luffy wasn't sure he wanted to let Rose fight whoever was on Drum. There might not be a doctor left if Rose did. Zoro's fights were bloody because swords, but people could come back from that. Rose? Rose would make sure.

    "We both will." Luffy nodded at Rose.

    A blink, and the hellfire went away. All that was left was… trust. Trust, and a little shame. "Of course. I shouldn't have doubted." And he smiled. It was a small smile, just for Luffy. He'd noticed it before, even when Rose himself hadn't. When no one else had.

    Luffy led the way. No one was in the hall. "Rose?"

    "Hm?"

    "Did you know me already? In Loguetown?" Because it was the kind of smile he'd see from Ace or Sabo. Because the more Rose was like this, the more Luffy kept looking in the mirror and finding things.

    "...my mother told me about you. A boy who stayed in Foosha to be friends with another little boy. Maybe even brothers."

    Luffy turned his head.

    Rose was scared. His face was a little pale, and Luffy saw his shoulders move with his breathing.

    They stopped inside the cabin. Rose put Zoro into the bed and gently tucked him in.

    "...Chai." Luffy wasn't smart. Things didn't connect for him like they did for other people, and things that jumped out at folks didn't for him. But things connected for him like they didn't for other people, and things that were obvious to him weren't to others.

    "Yes. That's her name. Abendstern D. Chai." Rose huffed. "Probably where she got my name from. Teas." Rose frowned. "I wonder if o-my grandmother had a name like that too?"

    "Dunno. Gramps said 'Chai was an arrogant, self-centered, self-serving hussy'. That's weird to say about a tea." And Luffy hadn't questioned it then. But if it was a person, that made so much more sense.

    Rose stood and faced Luffy. Not for the first time, Luffy felt a little like he was looking in a mirror again. Especially in the face.

    "I can't say for sure. My mother was… suspicious. Suspect. She got into something that had the head spies of the World come after her, so she must've been dangerous. But… I never knew her, you know?" Rose looked down. "I have so many questions. Why she was taken. Where she went. Who she was, outside of my parent."

    Luffy waited.

    "And… I didn't expect this. Damn. Damn, damn, it's like I'm back with her and- I can't keep this to myself." Rose's eyes watered, and he lifted his head and smiled. "I thought I could stand apart, you know? Ride along till I got where I was going. But somehow, I love this crew. And it all started with you."
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    Loguetown, 10 years ago.

    Six. I was six, and my brain still wouldn't work the way I wanted it to. Needed it to. I remembered most of the plot, enough of it- But who was this woman? Luffy might as well have spawned from the sea for all we knew about his mother in canon at the time I got here. Same with Dragon, to be honest.

    It was entirely possible that due to the existence of 'Chai', I was in an AU. But how close was it to canon? How far?

    'Your brother stayed in Foosha because his grandpa was a mean old coot. I didn't mind, though - he's going to be brothers with a prince~!' So she knew about Ace, Sabo, or both. How?

    I wandered around the house. I didn't leave - couldn't afford to. There was just enough resemblance for it to be dangerous.

    I found her bounty poster, and it looked recent enough. Somehow, somehow Luffy had not one but two terrifying parents.

    'Here-and-Gone' Chai, Dead. 1,444,000,000 Belli.

    The picture was more of a blur, but her dark hair contrasted against a white sundress and wide-brimmed sunhat in the same color. A scarf or shawl blurred her outline, and her eyes were covered with sunglasses. Gaudy, brilliant, and so far from her day-to-day it was worse than useless.

    Dead only. The World Government wanted her gone so badly they'd only take a corpse. Who was she? What was she?

    Caring, obviously. Love was obvious in every word and deed, and she showed no small affection for Luffy. Even after her courier stopped going, she still made calls to a bar in Foosha.

    She was also so… selfish. Her love was selfish. She would take care of others, she would care for them - but only those she wanted. Much like Luffy, in a way.

    I was deeply aware of how lucky I was that she wanted me. She might have wanted Luffy, but Garp was another level. He could flatten cities with a punch, and was the one man equal to Gol D. Roger. No fruit, no hocus pocus, just sheer force. Garp the Fist indeed.

    "Rosehip? Darling?"

    I didn't remember any other name. I remembered flashes of another life. A story in its final paces - at least those memories were vivid.

    "Mama?" I looked up.

    She smiled down, hair tied in a high ponytail. "Look at you! I think you grew a little bit. Do you know what day it is?"

    "Friday?"

    "Right! Another week, and you've done so well studying. Mama's proud!" Chai punctuated her proclamation with a pat on my head. "Now, let's see. Would you like something to eat?"

    "Uh…" Most of what we'd eat was plain and hearty fare. It was of good quality, and everything a growing body would need. But obviously wasting gourmet food on a prepubescent was not in the cards.

    (What did I like? Was there something?)

    "Hm… how about a donut?" For some reason, her eyes sparkled.

    "Donut?" I tilted my head.

    "Kashishishi, sorry, sorry. It was a joke but… hm. Donuts are a little difficult, but how about a cake?" She spun and walked to the kitchen. "Come along! Let's make a cake!"

    I followed.

    "Hm-hm-hmmm… Ah! We need milk." Chai peeked out from the small icebox. "Rosie-dear?"

    I blinked. "Yes?"

    "I have a very important errand for you." My mother smiled, as though there were some joke between her and I. "Your first! I need you to go get a bottle of milk. There should be some for sale in the market." Chai looked up. Her smile didn't falter. "There should be some money on my nightstand. Go get it and buy some, okay?"

    Huh? But… she always wanted me to stay here with her. I didn't understand.

    She closed the icebox. "Are you nervous?" She stood and walked to me, only to kneel. "Rosehip. It'll be okay." She kept smiling. "After all, in a few months - your father will be coming to meet you."

    My father. My 'dangerous, but good' father. 'The handsomest man' she had ever met.

    "Did he call?" I asked.

    "While you were asleep, yes. I told him all about how strong and smart you were." She gently stroked my hair. "So… hm. If you're nervous…" She rummaged in her apron. "Here. Do you know what this is?"

    The fruit was tiny. Take a blackberry. Make the small pieces cubes. Pattern them with spirals almost naked to the eye.

    "Is this… a Devil Fruit?"

    Chai beamed. "It is! My clever girl. I picked it out just for you, years ago. It'll keep you safe, but you need to work with it. Even more than any other. Okay?"

    I looked at it. I hadn't swum before, so it wasn't anything lost on my end. And it would open a new avenue of power - which I'd need. If I met Luffy or not, either way it would be a help.

    I took it, and swallowed it whole. Even so, the flavor was… it was foul. Everything bad in the world. Viscera, pus, mucus, shit, sludge. It burrowed into my stomach, filling it with the vile feeling.

    Prior settings uploaded. System active. 'Observe' unlocked: 15/50. Welcome to the 'game' of life, Abendstern D. Rosehip. I will be your guide.

    I blinked. "Game?"

    Chai giggled. "Yes! The Game-Game fruit. It's just for you, Rosehip. You and anyone who you can trust."

    Like who? The Marines would toss me into a pit just because of my mother. 'Dead' only, remember!? Any pirates-

    …a pirate.

    "Okay." I nodded seriously. "I'll go get the money and be right back."

    Chai's smile gentled. "Alright, sweetheart. Give mommy a hug?" She opened her arms.

    I burrowed in, pressing my face to her neck.

    If I'd known what was coming, I would have held on longer.
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    "Chai said she sent her first son to Dawn Island. Or maybe he was born there. I… it's hard to remember." I looked at Luffy.

    "Ace's mom died."

    "I know."

    "Sabo's mom was a jerk and lived there."

    "I know that too."

    Luffy frowned. I didn't feel any danger, not in the least. But he didn't call me out as a liar. I didn't think I could handle that.

    …and he brought up Sabo on his own.

    For the first time since I left that house… I pulled out my locket. The silver dome with long sides. I popped it open.

    On one side, a tiny baby with a large yawn. A tuft of black hair on his head, held by a man with long dark hair. His face wasn't shown.

    The second photo came later. My- our mother. Her long dark hair, brilliant red eyes. And in her arms… me. My hair already burning bright, and my eyes like hers.

    Luffy reached forward. "...who's this guy?" He was quiet. Maybe it was for Zoro's sake. Maybe it was for mine.

    "Your father. Monkey D. Dragon. We… have different fathers." I held my breath.

    "Oh. What happened to him?" Luffy looked up at me, like it didn't matter. Maybe it didn't, to him.

    "He's alive and well. The government hates him more than you."

    "Is he-" Luffy slapped a hand over his mouth, and grabbed me with the other one. He dragged me into the hall and shut the door. "Is he a pirate!?" He grinned widely.

    "Worse. A revolutionary." I smirked. The tension slowly started to bleed out from me.

    "A what?" He tilted his head.

    "The people who run the world are jerks. He doesn't like that, because he's not as selfish as you or me. So he's figuring out how to get through your Gramps' bosses and kick their butts." Keep it simple.

    "Ohhh. Does he have a crew?" Luffy stared me down. "Does he need help?"

    "He's got a whole army behind him, Luffy." I sighed. "He's… doing okay. But if you were with him, you would have been in too much danger before you could handle it."

    "Like taking on the Lord of the Mountain by myself when I was little," he replied with a sage nod.

    "Chai… she said you weren't intended to be born, but she wished she could have kept you. But the world only hated her a little less." I swallowed. "We hid for a long time. Six years. Then…"

    "Then she was gone." Luffy's voice wasn't kind, but it didn't judge either. It was matter-of-fact. Luffy was a pirate. I was a witch. Our mother was in the wind. "And Gramps thought Foosha was safe. Then I met Shanks, and then he sent me to Colubo, and then I met Ace and then I met Sabo." He nodded.

    "Yes. Sabo…" I hesitated. How much did I say? What could I say?

    "Sabo's dead. I loved him and he's gone. Ace went ahead of me, and I wanna meet him again someday." Luffy crossed his arms. "You need to meet him too."

    I blinked. "...Ace?"

    "Mmhm. We share a mom, so we're brothers, right? Or… what is it when one's a boy and the other's a girl?"

    "Siblings," I whispered, eyes wide. My vision clouded, and I felt wetness mar my cheeks.

    "Yeah. So even though Ace and I shared sake, and you haven't, you're still mine. My sibling. So you're his too." Luffy nodded again, firmly. "And you're not alone. Zoro protects you. Usopp plays with you. Nami likes you and steals with you. Sanji cooks for you. Vivi's here too. And most importantly, you're mine. My witch, my sibling, and my nakama." Luffy put a hand on my shoulder.

    I looked behind Luffy in time to see Carue scramble away.

    "He can get over it." Luffy kept watching me. "Chai… Mom. I never knew her, so I can't say if I care about her or not. But from the moment I saw you, I knew you were mine. I just didn't know how. So whatever it takes, I'll help you find her. But you can't leave after, okay?"

    I hadn't thought of 'after'. "To be honest… I wasn't sure if I'd find answers or revenge. Just closure. The idea of 'living' when 'surviving' was already so hard, I. I just knew I needed to get where I was headed." I swallowed. "I never even considered 'after'. Not until this moment."

    "So you don't know what you want."

    "No. Is… that okay? For me to not know?" I blinked. "For me to… want?"

    Luffy grinned. "Of course! You're my little brother, and a pirate! 'Wanting' is what we do! We dream, and go, and live! If you don't have a dream yet, we'll find one together!"

    I sniffled. "I… want that to be true. I want that for me. For both of us."

    He never faltered. "Then it will! After all, how can I look away when my family needs me?"

    I cleared my tears with a single swipe, and looked him in the eye.

    "Because… I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"

    …I'd never heard him say it like that before. Not directly to me. I had taken it as given because of what I knew - he would face down titans, even triumph over emperors of the ocean. It was just a fact, like reading that the sky was blue and plants used the sun to make food.

    It was like standing under the sun, breaking through the clouds. A warmth that settled in my bones, a surety. The wood creaked under my feet. The sea rolled outside. Luffy… my brother… would find Raftel and be the King of the Pirates.

    And in that warmth, in that smile? I felt it. The first echoes of 'Joy Boy'. The first echoes of one whose freedom did not trample on others, but shattered their own chains.

    Knowing what I did of myself, I should have felt unworthy. I should have felt unclean, unfit to stand there. Instead? A deep possessiveness reared up. This light could not be caged. Should not be stifled. It had to shine brightest, had to be free.

    And to do that, in that moment? No atrocity was beyond me. I would paint the path behind with blood if I had to. Bar sacrificing these new precious lives around me, I would happily immerse all enemies in carnage.

    I smiled back, baring my fangs for the world to see, a deep and terrible hunger welling up. "If nothing else… I will see that done. To the end of the line. Together."

    And Luffy? He kept smiling. Accepting it. Accepting me. "Works for me!"

    And my hunger was sated. Almost.

    "Um."

    He blinked, tilting his head.

    "Can I…"

    He waited.

    "Can I have a hug?"

    His only response was a flurry of limbs, and I staggered under his weight as arms and legs wrapped me in a cocoon.

    "Ack!"

    "Shishishi! Too late! I've got you now, and we've got sixteen years of hugs, and playing, and talking to catch up on! Not letting you go!"

    I let out a huff. "Promise?"

    "It's a promise!" I felt his cheek, stretched into a smile, alongside my own.
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    Chai stared out at the sea.

    "Not long now. Once we get to Eines Lobby, it's time for trial and prison." Jabra leered at her. "Here I thought you'd be difficult to catch, 'Here-and-Gone Chai'." His grimace was lupine, all teeth ready for violence.

    Chai mused on her children. One on Mt. Colubo, ready to grow into a liberator alongside his brothers. One alone in Loguetown, to hide in the dark until the sun found her. A god and a devil. A chain breaker and a devourer.

    Nika and…

    Chai smiled. "Actually, a change of itinerary, my pet."

    Jabra's sneer faltered. "Huh?"

    She lifted her hands, and with a single flex of her haki, the seastone cuffs shattered. A heady blend of conquest and armament, all set to flow. With a shake, the fragments clattered to the ground and her world came clear again.

    Jabra stepped back.

    "You came alone. Did you discover me yourself, or just considered expendable to a superior, I wonder?" Chai stepped forward, smiling.

    Setting Cipher Pol into disarray would cover her tracks. Luffy's trail, ignited by Shanks, would guide him through Loguetown. The stories fed to her daughter would force their paths together. If either were truly her children, they would immediately lay claim to what was theirs.

    Jabra growled. "Don't fuck with me-!"

    A clawed hand closed around his wrist.

    For a split second, there was no Jabra. Just a pile of stinking, rotting, unshapen meat on the deck of the dinghy, headed to a greater ship.

    For a heartbeat, she considered it. Here, where her power was greatest.

    Then she decided that did not, in fact, happen. And opened the box.

    Jabra gasped, clutching his throat. He looked up at her, trembling in terror.

    The secondary ears atop her head twitched. Her tail swayed. "Pet, we really shouldn't delay." She knelt down.

    It was a mockery of the last embrace she had with her precious Thorn. A tender touch to the face, but this time there was no fruit of her mother's to pass on.

    "Egghead is quite the journey, no?"

    And a moment later, unobserved in this closed box, she and her victim were gone.

    Jabra would resurface weeks later, memories a haze - possibly a drunken bender from a bad breakup. At least, until they were prodded with the right words (years and years and years later).

    And Abendstern D. Chai would retreat into the mist until it was safe enough to descend and guide her children once more. She would appear at need, if only to stir the pot and keep it going for their futures. After all, a mother's duty was to give their children strength until they could stand alone.

    When one's enemy was the world, it was a daunting task. But Chai never left a job undone.

    'Here-and-Gone' Abendstern D. Chai
    1,444,000,000 Belli
    Dead
    Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Schrodinger    ​
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    I laughed a little as I untangled myself from Luffy. He kept snickering and grinning, radiating happiness and mischief.

    I thought it over. Considered it.

    A decision lies before you. What path will you take?

    The screen hovered, only in my sight.

    "...Luffy?"

    He hummed cheerfully.

    "Sabo… how did he die?"

    His cheer faltered. "Why do you want to know?"

    "If… if our mother isn't dead, it's because there was no blood or body. So maybe… if I knew what happened…" I knew, of course. I just had to sell it.

    He looked at me. "You're a bad liar."

    Yes. I was. "Yeah. I already know what I'm going to say. And it isn't a lie. I just wanted an excuse to 'puzzle it out' so it wouldn't hurt as bad."

    Luffy stood tall, staring me in the eye. "So it was gonna be 'a' truth. But you wanna tell me the truth."

    "It was going to be that, just… taking the scenic route." I shrugged. "I am what I am."

    "So spit it out already." Luffy tilted his hat back. "I won't promise not to get mad, but if you're worried enough then I won't call you a liar."

    "Gray Terminal was an atrocity. An attack on the people by the nobility." Luffy nodded as I spoke. "The kind of attack your father works to prevent or mitigate. He couldn't thwart it outright, but he made an escape route."

    "Okay. Good for the people who lived there." Luffy blinked, uncomprehending.

    "So he was in the area the next day as well, just to make sure you lived. In the process, he fished one more body out of the water."

    Luffy stopped blinking.

    "A boy with a head injury. He recovered, of course - but one too many hits to the head can have bad effects. Like with memory."

    His eyes widened.

    "And so he remembered two things. His name, because it was on his person somewhere, and how much he hated his home. He begged Dragon to let him stay, to help undo the harm the nobility did to everyone else. Dragon, concerned for his emotional and physical well-being, accepted. And once he completed the basic training, he was apprenticed to the man himself."

    "Y-you… you mean…?" Luffy shivered.

    "That's how Outlook Sabo became the second in command of the Revolutionary Army."

    "How?" It was an obvious question.

    Sub-Quest: Vive la Révolution!
    Objective: Find a Member on Drum.
    Hint: No bears, no dragons, no dragon-lings. But check a chimney or three!
    Reward: Information network! Plausible deniability! Big Bro With a Pipe! No EXP. No loot. You brought this shit on yourself Rosehip, and you'll fight enough to make up the difference.    ​

    I cleared my throat, manifested the panel, and slid it over. "Well, I'll need to think of a way to explain to them pretty fast. Sounds like Drum is freshly noble-less."

    Luffy stared at it. He looked at me. "How." No misdirection. Just answers.

    "Souls are mysterious and I know a lot I really shouldn't." It wasn't the entire answer, but-

    "So Witch Stuff." Luffy nodded firmly. He took a deep breath.

    "SABO… IS ALIVE!!"

    The cry was loud. So loud, it had to echo through the ship. The joy, the pain, the emotion- it all bit into my heart, even as my ears rang.

    Luffy's smile was brilliant, even as his eyes welled with tears of joy. There was no rubber shenanigans as he drew me into another hug, plastering himself to me. "Thank you."

    Of course, that was when a loud crunch echoed, followed by Usopp's shriek of dismay.

    Luffy let go. "Did we hit something? Did it hit us?"

    "More like bit us," I snarled, feeling my shoulders tense. Damn Wapol, we were having a moment-!

    Zoro groaned from the room.

    Luffy and I looked at each other. I don't know what he saw, but I could see the sheer desire for violence in his gaze. "Kick their butts?"

    "With pleasure," I purred venomously. Just because he made wapometal down the line didn't mean I couldn't rearrange his face here and now.

    Luffy's grin was a thing with teeth. "Let's go."

    We dashed outside.
    ____________________________________________________________________________

    Sanji ground his teeth on his cig. Getting close to Wapol was going to be annoying, especially with that archer-

    "Explosion."

    The jester-dressed archer yelped, jumping into the submarine quickly. Just in time to dodge the blistering shockwave that engulfed where he stood seconds prior.

    "Whaaaaaat!?" Wapol's rotund body turned to face the newcomers.

    Rose stood next to Luffy, hand raised. "This is where you leave, tin-jaw. There's only room for one glutton on this ship." He bared his fangs in a vicious grin.

    "How dare-"

    Luffy leapt up, Rose latching on. The two landed across the deck, directly from Wapol. With a grunt, the captain reared back, arms stretching towards the horizon.

    "Let's see… if I can use this spell outside myself! Ready, Luffy!?"

    Luffy growled. "GET OFF MY SHIP!" he barked. His palms, so far back, began to glow gold.

    "Overcharge Spell: Empowering!" Ringlike sigils spun around Rose's wrists - one held high in the air, and the other almost hidden where he placed his hand on Luffy's back.

    "Gum…Gum…!"

    The air crackled, power surging down Luffy's arms from Rose's hand on his back.

    "Double…!"

    Wapol opened his mouth wide, ready to charge. He took a step forward, but as Sanji saw- it was too late.

    "Impact!" Luffy and Rose roared as one.

    With a crack of displaced air, Luffy's hands vanished. Simultaneously, so did Wapol.

    At least, that's what Sanji saw. With a glance upwards, a speck flew into the distance.

    Then the force continued on, sending a cyclone spinning sideways across the sea. Water whorled into the horizontal vortex, taking the submarine away with a chorus of yells as the men inside struggled to seal it. The clouds overhead parted, and the ever-so-mild chill subsided entirely.

    Luffy shook his arms out. "Oof. That was weird. Cool, but weird." He blinked. "MERRY'S RAIL!" His jaw dropped, eyes bugging as he pointed at the railing.

    "Rose, can you make a replacement for me to put on it?" Usopp asked, the first to recover.

    Rose blinked rapidly. "Ah… possibly? Architecture and ship-building are outside my repertoire, but a piece might…"

    Sanji let out a long exhale. "So…?"

    "That was Wapol, the king of Drum. From what he said, he hasn't been back for some time…" Vivi bit her lip. "What happened there?"

    "Well, from the weather and that encounter, we have to be getting close," Nami muttered. She paused. "And I am unfazed. Oh god. Oh why."

    Sanji lit a new cigarette. "So. Orders, Captain?"

    "Rose, Usopp, fix Merry. Nami, Sanji, Vivi - let's keep going. We're gonna get Zoro a doctor!" Luffy punched the air.

    "Yeah!" "Understood!" "Right, then." "You can count on me!" "Let's do this, big bro!"

    …wait.

    "WHAAAAAAAT!?" Everyone who wasn't Rose or Luffy shrieked.

    "Shishishishi!" Luffy slung an arm around Rose's shoulders.

    "Akakakaka! Joke's on you guys! I told him before you could! Akakakaka!"

    Sanji's cigarette fell from his mouth. Somehow, it went out when it hit the deck.

    "Akakakaka!" "Shishishishi!"

    "Kashishishishi!"

    Sanji looked around wildly, but saw no one besides the crew. He waited for a moment, then moved to adjust the sail.

    He squinted suspiciously as Rose knelt by Usopp, and the sniper drew him into conversation. Rose perked up when Usopp showed him some papers, and the two leaned closer together.

    He blinked, and could swear he saw a flash of white out of the corner of his eye.

    "Sanji!" Nami called, focusing him again.

    Right. He could worry about figments of his imagination later. He wouldn't cry over the damn swordsman dying, but the crew wouldn't thank him. He had a job to do.

    …

    …"Kashishishi."
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Well...I was wondering before, but we got a LOT of information with this one. And it looks like I was right that Garp hates Chai because she played some part in Dragon going Revolutionary (and if Ohara was only ~20 years ago to inspire it...Dragon was probably fairly high up in the Marines or WG trying to do the same 'change from within' like Garp before that happened).

    I didn't mention it before, but it also looks like the uncle/inventor that Chai knew is probably Vegapunk (or A Vegapunk? I've not personally caught up that far, but I've heard some things.) If they're the same one that was also involved with the Oharan scholars that Chai was complaining about earlier...well it also fits. From what little I recall on Vegapunk's 'characterization' pre-Egghead, they're deeply devoted to science and learning/making new things...and not much else. Even if they don't care about history, poneglyphs contain plenty of other secrets, to say nothing of their own curiously indestructible (which means quite a lot when the WG has no doubt tried VERY hard to destroy whatever ones they find) nature.

    So, assembling everything...

    Chai is worth 1.44 billion, and has been an enemy of the WG longer the Dragon (being one of the two reasons for his making the RA, along with the Oharan genocide). Despite this, she's cautious and long-term in her planning considering how carefully she set her children up, and how she considered the Oharan Scholars (who probably had quite a bit more going to them that we never saw considering they were familiar with the Elder Stars and could travel some of the most dangerous locations in the world for information) fools being too risky. Ohara might have also been when Vegapunk was 'recruited' if their involvement was sussed out, but they were deemed too valuable to terminate.

    She genuinely loved Dragon and Luffy, but she's rational about moving on or complications...like a bound and determined Garp trying to salvage some of his family for Justice.

    She was most recently in a relationship with some sort of (very likely feathery red-haired) noble(?) whom she was planning on bringing Rose to live with (and further grow/teach her into being a weapon against the WG, because loving her children and furthering her goals are not mutually exclusive for Chai...and they'd probably need it anyway given the WG's obsession with bloodlines). Said new husband has or had a sick(?) mother that Chai was thinking of leveraging Vegapunk to help.

    In addition to her ties with Vegapunk (even after becoming a tool of the WG)...Chai also has connections with Rodger Pirates, notably including Shanks, whom she used as a delivery vehicle for the Nika-Nika fruit (that she KNEW the true nature of) and altering Luffy's aspirations into an anti-government one (which also conveniently pissed Garp off so he sent Luffy to his similarly anti-government brothers-to-be). As this is a PROFOUNDLY delicate and complex series of manipulations...I'm thinking that Shanks might have been the bearer of the fruit, hat, and dream...but Chai was in the background (perhaps literally so, inside a quantum field) nudging things just so. That, or she's got her own sort of prophetic power due to some obscene combination of devil fruit and Haki.

    So the conclusion I'm drawing is, is that Chai is one of the greatest enemies of the WG out there, with a power suited for long-term plans, schemes, and acting undetected, and is personally fairly powerful herself...but not enough so compared to any of the truly heavy hitters of the Marines/WG, nor is her second Lover enough to protect her, whoever they are.

    She has many contacts, friends, and allies to fulfill her goals, and she has many ways of hiding, moving, and observing. Additionally, when she went missing after being apprehended by Jabra...she contemplated simply eliminating him and taking Rose (to presumably vanish again), spurning whatever no-doubt powerful hand was using Jabra in that moment...but she instead decided that Rose growing up and hardening in Logue-town would have a better outcome and/or that keeping (visibly) away is the only way to keep Rose safe. Personally, there's something fishy with those events to me. Jabra being a disposable pawn to inform Chai that she's been found, and to cooperate OR ELSE, makes sense when you know she's as powerful as she is, and likely has all kinds of blackmail...but the World Government are not the types to leave Rose alone for this, even if they're the hostage keeping Chai in place. Especially not since Chai didn't cooperate, though she didn't go back either.

    Finally, two hints for the future...Jabra will apparently get his real memory of events jarred when Rose confronts him, and Rose's devil fruit is also some sort of secretly mythical power-house like Luffy's. Only dark and demonic to suit her generally darker personality and upbringing. And because we all know Gamers are munchkin-ing edge-lords.

    Oh, and finally I guess...
    Blinktwice13 said:
    "Akakakaka!" "Shishishishi!"

    "Kashishishishi!"
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Chai, much like Dragon, likes to keep an eye on things. Only she's a lot closer.

    Hopefully this won't be a case of her only revealing her-self to take a mortal blow in the place of one of her children later...though personally she seems more like a 'stab them in the back before they can land a mortal blow' kind of girl to me.

    Though, her watching makes me wonder how much she knows about Rose's own meta-knowledge. It didn't seem like she knew anything was off about Rose in the flashbacks, but if she's been watching from the 'background', by this point it should be clear Rose knows things she really shouldn't, and that her Devil Fruit couldn't have given her the answers for.

    Alright, I'm done. Ramble/speculation is over.
     
    Nalanaya said:
    Well...I was wondering before, but we got a LOT of information with this one. And it looks like I was right that Garp hates Chai because she played some part in Dragon going Revolutionary (and if Ohara was only ~20 years ago to inspire it...Dragon was probably fairly high up in the Marines or WG trying to do the same 'change from within' like Garp before that happened).

    I didn't mention it before, but it also looks like the uncle/inventor that Chai knew is probably Vegapunk (or A Vegapunk? I've not personally caught up that far, but I've heard some things.) If they're the same one that was also involved with the Oharan scholars that Chai was complaining about earlier...well it also fits. From what little I recall on Vegapunk's 'characterization' pre-Egghead, they're deeply devoted to science and learning/making new things...and not much else. Even if they don't care about history, poneglyphs contain plenty of other secrets, to say nothing of their own curiously indestructible (which means quite a lot when the WG has no doubt tried VERY hard to destroy whatever ones they find) nature.

    So, assembling everything...

    Chai is worth 1.44 billion, and has been an enemy of the WG longer the Dragon (being one of the two reasons for his making the RA, along with the Oharan genocide). Despite this, she's cautious and long-term in her planning considering how carefully she set her children up, and how she considered the Oharan Scholars (who probably had quite a bit more going to them that we never saw considering they were familiar with the Elder Stars and could travel some of the most dangerous locations in the world for information) fools being too risky. Ohara might have also been when Vegapunk was 'recruited' if their involvement was sussed out, but they were deemed too valuable to terminate.

    She genuinely loved Dragon and Luffy, but she's rational about moving on or complications...like a bound and determined Garp trying to salvage some of his family for Justice.

    She was most recently in a relationship with some sort of (very likely feathery red-haired) noble(?) whom she was planning on bringing Rose to live with (and further grow/teach her into being a weapon against the WG, because loving her children and furthering her goals are not mutually exclusive for Chai...and they'd probably need it anyway given the WG's obsession with bloodlines). Said new husband has or had a sick(?) mother that Chai was thinking of leveraging Vegapunk to help.

    In addition to her ties with Vegapunk (even after becoming a tool of the WG)...Chai also has connections with Rodger Pirates, notably including Shanks, whom she used as a delivery vehicle for the Nika-Nika fruit (that she KNEW the true nature of) and altering Luffy's aspirations into an anti-government one (which also conveniently pissed Garp off so he sent Luffy to his similarly anti-government brothers-to-be). As this is a PROFOUNDLY delicate and complex series of manipulations...I'm thinking that Shanks might have been the bearer of the fruit, hat, and dream...but Chai was in the background (perhaps literally so, inside a quantum field) nudging things just so. That, or she's got her own sort of prophetic power due to some obscene combination of devil fruit and Haki.

    So the conclusion I'm drawing is, is that Chai is one of the greatest enemies of the WG out there, with a power suited for long-term plans, schemes, and acting undetected, and is personally fairly powerful herself...but not enough so compared to any of the truly heavy hitters of the Marines/WG, nor is her second Lover enough to protect her, whoever they are.

    She has many contacts, friends, and allies to fulfill her goals, and she has many ways of hiding, moving, and observing. Additionally, when she went missing after being apprehended by Jabra...she contemplated simply eliminating him and taking Rose (to presumably vanish again), spurning whatever no-doubt powerful hand was using Jabra in that moment...but she instead decided that Rose growing up and hardening in Logue-town would have a better outcome and/or that keeping (visibly) away is the only way to keep Rose safe. Personally, there's something fishy with those events to me. Jabra being a disposable pawn to inform Chai that she's been found, and to cooperate OR ELSE, makes sense when you know she's as powerful as she is, and likely has all kinds of blackmail...but the World Government are not the types to leave Rose alone for this, even if they're the hostage keeping Chai in place. Especially not since Chai didn't cooperate, though she didn't go back either.

    Finally, two hints for the future...Jabra will apparently get his real memory of events jarred when Rose confronts him, and Rose's devil fruit is also some sort of secretly mythical power-house like Luffy's. Only dark and demonic to suit her generally darker personality and upbringing. And because we all know Gamers are munchkin-ing edge-lords.

    Oh, and finally I guess...

    Chai, much like Dragon, likes to keep an eye on things. Only she's a lot closer.

    Hopefully this won't be a case of her only revealing her-self to take a mortal blow in the place of one of her children later...though personally she seems more like a 'stab them in the back before they can land a mortal blow' kind of girl to me.

    Though, her watching makes me wonder how much she knows about Rose's own meta-knowledge. It didn't seem like she knew anything was off about Rose in the flashbacks, but if she's been watching from the 'background', by this point it should be clear Rose knows things she really shouldn't, and that her Devil Fruit couldn't have given her the answers for.

    Alright, I'm done. Ramble/speculation is over.
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    I love the speculation, so.

    1. Her uncle is Vegapunk, you're dead on.

    2. Consider not only Rose's hair, but teeth. And also consider how the flashes of what 'bad' we see in him are termed as 'hunger'. Otherwise, from a point of view you're dead on.

    3. Rose wasn't home when Jabra showed up. WG knew about Chai, but mommy sent her on her first errand and she came back to a half-done renovation and no bodies.
     
    Really enjoying the changes and the new additions to the world your making and hope to see plenty more of the fic.
     
    Blinktwice13 said:
    I love the speculation, so.

    1. Her uncle is Vegapunk, you're dead on.

    2. Consider not only Rose's hair, but teeth. And also consider how the flashes of what 'bad' we see in him are termed as 'hunger'. Otherwise, from a point of view you're dead on.

    3. Rose wasn't home when Jabra showed up. WG knew about Chai, but mommy sent her on her first errand and she came back to a half-done renovation and no bodies.
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    Well, I was iffy about the reckless inventor of an Uncle being Vegapunk earlier...even I know that Egghead is a dead give-away, and I personally stopped keeping up with the main-story half-way through Dressrosa (albiet, I know about it, because there's some controversy with its narratively nonsensical location, and the general fan belief that Oda is rushing to finish the story, even if that means putting one of the Navy's most critical facilities right next to a Yonko).

    As for point number two...see the above. Red-haired, elongated canines, and 'hungry' emotions all together...I've got no clue who this could be. Probably not a Mink...but it might be funny if it was.

    Finally as for three...I suppose that makes sense. I was thinking in the context that Chai knew someone dangerous (CP Zero, one of the Elder Stars, or some as-yet-unseen WG agent) was behind Jabra, and Chai knew it. Which is why just killing Jabra when he confronted her wasn't an option, and why she was forced to split from Rose, to keep attention off them. I wasn't taking Chai's pre-cog into account. The milk-run was to keep Jabra (and the hand puppeting him) from learning about Rose, and afterward Chai COULD have just gone back for her and gone to live with the new husband...but she chose not to for the sake of getting Rose into the Straw-hat crew in the future. That said, there's still some mystery, because it put Rose through no small amount of misery, and with her powers, Chai should have been perfectly capable of raising Rose into a strong individual and then putting them in Luffy's path (and damn Garp's threats, because by that point it's clear he'd have lost Luffy without Chai even laying eyes on him). But she stayed away with the justification of keeping her children safe until they were strong enough...so there's clearly still more going on.
     
    Ah, ok! So I did drop other hints but:

    1. All of Rose's teeth are sharp, not just the canines.
    2. The locket is gumdrop-shaped.
    3. The hunger is less a nod to the father and more to the grandmother.

    I was hoping to make it super obvious this chapter but if it's not, that's on me.

    As for the last point, you are correct. There is a lot about the situation I deliberately left vague.
     
    Blinktwice13 said:
    Ah, ok! So I did drop other hints but:

    1. All of Rose's teeth are sharp, not just the canines.
    2. The locket is gumdrop-shaped.
    3. The hunger is less a nod to the father and more to the grandmother.

    I was hoping to make it super obvious this chapter but if it's not, that's on me.

    As for the last point, you are correct. There is a lot about the situation I deliberately left vague.
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    Ah. Well. I mean I thought about it, but I didn't think any of Big Mom's children were old enough for that? Or that Big Mom's transformation from sexy giantess from her days on the Rocks crew to herself were the result of some disease or medical malady. And not just a combo of having a bunch of children, getting fat, and having an already naturally bizarre body.

    Well, that, and I still don't know the Father. I've only got bits and pieces of the Whole-cake arc by osmosis, and I don't know of any red-headed Big-Mom sons. I just vaguely thought Smoothy/Katakuri were the oldest kids, and they aren't old enough to have been wooing Chai sixteen years ago.

    Edit: Well the above and I wasn't sure Chai would go for that family? Joining one of the Yonko may be one of the only ways to evade WG pursuit, but Big Mom is kind of... extremely controlling with her family. That said, if this happened before she got the idea to Crusader-Kings-2 her way to victory and the relationship was all just the mystery son's efforts...that might make more sense.
     
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    I wasn't sure because of the red hair, but checking the wiki for an anime screenshot revealed that Katakuri does have red hair, which combined with the other hints does sort of suggest he's Rose's father, so I went ahead and checked his age, and adjusting for the timeskip as well he'd have been about 30 when Rose was born?
     
    Worldwalker Pure said:
    I wasn't sure because of the red hair, but checking the wiki for an anime screenshot revealed that Katakuri does have red hair, which combined with the other hints does sort of suggest he's Rose's father, so I went ahead and checked his age, and adjusting for the timeskip as well he'd have been about 30 when Rose was born?
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    Yep! Which while it's an answer, opens up many more questions. Which I will tackle in the plot.

    Answers that make questions are the best kind of answers.
     
    Now I'm wondering if Big Mom will try to make Rose marry Sanji's sister instead to seal the marriage.
     
    drakonpie250 said:
    Now I'm wondering if Big Mom will try to make Rose marry Sanji's sister instead to seal the marriage.
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    ...I think you've got some mix-ups going on. Sanji's a Vinsmoke, as is his Sister, and both the Germa Kingdom and BM were using them as disposable pawns for an alliance. Big Mom might have some ideas about marrying Rose in, but that only really works if she wants something from her or the Straw Hats, and she's not overwhelmingly pissed off from Chai 'breaking' the marriage with Katakuri (her hypocritical hatred of people whom she perceives as breaking their word being nearly as big a trigger for her as her hanger disorder and the long dead amoral orphanage director she latched on to as a mother-figure.)

    And since things are likely drastically different in the Charlotte family from Chai's interference, up to Katakuri outright leaving? It's not likely a grudge she'll let go. If Luffy wasn't likely to piss her off somehow anyway.
     
    Nalanaya said:
    ...I think you've got some mix-ups going on. Sanji's a Vinsmoke, as is his Sister, and both the Germa Kingdom and BM were using them as disposable pawns for an alliance. Big Mom might have some ideas about marrying Rose in, but that only really works if she wants something from her or the Straw Hats, and she's not overwhelmingly pissed off from Chai 'breaking' the marriage with Katakuri (her hypocritical hatred of people whom she perceives as breaking their word being nearly as big a trigger for her as her hanger disorder and the long dead amoral orphanage director she latched on to as a mother-figure.)

    And since things are likely drastically different in the Charlotte family from Chai's interference, up to Katakuri outright leaving? It's not likely a grudge she'll let go. If Luffy wasn't likely to piss her off somehow anyway.
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    drakonpie250 said:
    Now I'm wondering if Big Mom will try to make Rose marry Sanji's sister instead to seal the marriage.
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    So while Reiju is fun, I don't see her and Rose having any level of chemistry.

    And as for 'marrying in', Rose is a Charlotte by way of Katakuri. I don't think Big Mom in canon would waste a marriage on someone who's already a blood relative. (Setting aside the whole aunts and uncles thing.)
     
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