SailorStar9: Well, with Chapter 130 up, this is Chapter 131 this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.

Pairings: Ace/Sasha, sibling Luffy/Sasha and Sabo/Sasha, possible Ace/Sasha/Law if I get enough votes

SailorStar9: And speaking of votes, the pairing poll for Ace/Sasha and Ace/Sasha/Law is currently... (refers to reviews)

Ace/Sasha: 9 votes

Ace/Sasha/Law: 7 votes

SailorStar9: Well, looks like Ace/Sasha is currently in the lead... again. Just a remainder, anyone who had voted before is not allowed to vote again. This poll ends in the 'Kuma Sends Everyone To Their Training Spots' chapter.

Disclaimers: One Piece belongs to Oda Eiichirō-sensei. Me, on the other hand, own absolutely nothing, except my OC, the pairing and the fic idea.

Chapter 131: Arc 10: Roger and Rayleigh – the King of the Pirates and His Right Hand Man

"Let's hurry and get inside." Rayleigh gestured after the Rosy Life Riders dropped the group off at Shakky's Ripoff Bar.

"We've got to stabilize Hachi." Chopper went into medic mode.

"Hey, Shakky!" Rayleigh called out. "We're back."

"Ray-san, welcome back." Shakky opened the door. "That was fast. I'm really impressed that you guys found him, Monkey-chan."

"Hachi is badly injured, so we have to get him to the bed fast." Rayleigh informed her.

"What happened?" Shakky gasped. "Never mind. I'll get a bed ready for him."

"Say, Pops, you said we'd talk later." Luffy reminded.

"WHAT?" Luffy exclaimed in shock. "On the Pirate King's ship?"

"Yes." Rayleigh replied, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. "I was the vice-captain. I'm Silvers Rayleigh. Nice to meet you."

"Vice-captain?" everyone else echoed in similar shock.

"You didn't tell them, Hachi?" Shakky asked.

"We only needed him to coat the ship." Hachi argued.

"You didn't notice?" Robin questioned.

"I totally know that name." Usopp stammered.

"It's written in so many books." Nami sobbed.

"That's definitely a name everyone's heard at least once." Sanji admitted.

"How does that octopus know such a big shot like you?" Zoro asked.

"Hachi helped me out since I was stranded at sea over 20 years ago." Rayleigh replied.

"He saved his life." Shakky supplied. "He was just a child then, though."

"Hachi and I used to get along pretty well before he joined the Sun Pirates." Rayleigh added.

"Arlong's crew, right?" Luffy inquired.

"But if Gold Roger was executed 22 years ago, how come you, the vice-captain, are still alive?" Sanji asked. "Your crew are captured by the Navy, right?"

"We aren't captured." Rayleigh corrected. "Roger surrendered to them. I supposed the Government claimed that they'd 'captured' him, to show their power."

"Why?" Nami pressed.

"He could see the end of our journey." Rayleigh answered. "It was probably about four years before he was executed. Roger caught an incurable disease. It was a disease that nobody could cure or stabilize. Even Roger suffered from it, but one man, the most well-known doctor of his time, a man called Crocus of the Twin Capes, had the skill to ease his suffering. We asked him for help, and he joined as the ship's doctor for our last journey. And then, three years later, while holding off Roger's disease, we did what they said was impossible and conquered the Grand Line."

"What?" Usopp exclaimed. "I thought that old man had been at those capes for fifty years. So he was part of the Pirate King's crew?"

"Come to think of it, he did say he'd been a ship's doctor for a while." Nami recalled. "So he was a pirate for those three years?"

"If you met him, then that must mean he's still well." Rayleigh noted. "Crocus had only one condition; that we let him look for a certain pirate crew whom he wanted to find. He was only a crew member for three years, but he was, without a doubt, our comrade. At my age, I would really like to see him again."

"So, what happened after you conquered the sea?" Sanji asked.

"After that, Roger became known all over the world of the Pirate King." Rayleigh recounted. "It's not like he'd been called the Pirate King all along. Titles like that didn't mean much for a man on the verge of death. But, Roger was happy about it. He was a man who loved doing everything in grand style. Be it celebrations or battles; even though he knew he wouldn't live much longer, he seemed to enjoy himself. Eventually, at the captain's orders, the Roger Pirates disbanded. We all went our separate ways, and one after another, everyone disappeared. I have no idea what our comrades whom we risked our lives with are now, nor what they are doing. Then, one year after the crew dissolved, Roger turned himself in and was arrested. It was decided that he would be executed in the town he was born in, Lougetown in East Blue. I heard on that day, countless pirates who are famous today were gathered in the square. The Pirate King's execution was the center of attention of the world. I didn't go." he confessed. I'm sure both the World Government and the Navy were surprised. They had intended for the execution to be a warning for all the pirates who saw it, but Roger's last words raised the curtains on the Great Pirate Era. Just a few seconds before the flame of his life went out, it flickered and he turned it into a blazing flare that covered the entire world."

"Just like one of the 'D' bloodline." Sasha smiled wistfully.

"Indeed." Rayleigh agreed. "I've never laughed as hard as I did that night. I've never cried as much as I did that night. Nor have I drank as much as I did that night. He led a marvelous life as my captain.

"Seems like we heard quite a story." Nami let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "It sounds like a completely different story coming from someone who was involved."

"Then, it's almost as though Roger intended to start this pirate era." Usopp noted.

"I can't say anything for sure about that." Rayleigh replied. "Roger died. The ones creating the current era are the ones who live right now. I'm sure there are a lot of people who received something from Roger in the square that day. Shanks, whom you know well, is one of them."

"Pops, you know Shanks?" Luffy asked, his mouth stuffed with a banana.

"If you're from East Blue, then maybe you know a pirate named Buggy as well?" Rayleigh added. "Those two were swabbies on board our ship."

"Shanks was on the Pirate King's ship?" Luffy was taken by surprise the second time that day.

"He didn't tell you?" Rayleigh blinked. "It was about ten years ago, I encountered him by chance on this island. He'd lost his trademark straw hat and his left arm. When I asked him why, he excitedly started telling me about you. Ever since then, Monkey D. Luffy, I've wanted to meet you someday. If Shanks hadn't told me all those things about you, I wouldn't have told you any of this either. Anyway, you did well to make it this far. He must be waiting for your arrival in the New World."

"I knew it had to be Shanks who bragged about aniki." Sasha grinned.

"Well," Rayleigh got up from his seat. "The situation is like this, so I was supposed to coat your ship, right? I suppose I'd better get to work then."

"Come to think of it, ship-coating costs a lot of money." Hachi pointed out.

"No, it's fine, Hachi." Rayleigh assured. "I won't take any money from your friends."

"Rayleigh-san," Robin voiced. "I have a question. Exactly what is the 'Will of D'? On the Poneglyph I saw on Sky Island, Roger's name was engraved with the ancient language. How did he know the letters? Do you guys know what happened during the 'Void Century' 900 years ago?"

"Yeah, we knew." Rayleigh admitted. "We learned the entire history. However, young lady, don't be hasty. Please push forward with your ship, one step at a time. Perhaps, we, as well as Ohara, were too impatient. If I were to tell you the entire history here and now, it's not like you can do anything the way you are now. After you've taken your time to see the world, the conclusion you'll reach might be different from what we found. If you still want to hear it, then I'll tell you about the world now."

"No, don't tell me." Robin decided. "I'll continue on the journey."

"You'll see it all eventually." Rayleigh stated. "It's too bad about what happened to your homeland, Ohara. But Roger couldn't actually read those letters. We were pirates. We couldn't possibly compare to the genius Clover or the other Oharans' intelligence. He could hear the 'Voice of All Things'. That's all there is."

"Hey, old man!" Usopp called. "I wanna ask something too. The legendary treasure, One Piece, is it really..."

"Usopp!" Luffy yelled, silencing the sniper. "I don't wanna hear where the treasure is. I don't even wanna hear if there is a treasure or not. I don't know anything about it, but everyone sets off to sea to find out for themselves. If Pops were to tell us anything here, I'll quit on becoming Pirate King. If we're gonna have a boring adventure like that, then I won't do it."

"I got it!" Usopp stammered. "I just got carried away."

"Can you do it?" Rayleigh posted the question. "The Grand Line far exceeds anything you can imagine. The enemies will be strong too. Can you conquer such a terrifying sea?"

"I don't wanna conquer anything." Luffy grinned. "It's just that the person with the most freedom in the sea is the Pirate King."

"I'm really a big fan of yours, Monkey-chan." Shakky beamed.

"The ship is in Grove 41, right?" Rayleigh confirmed. "I'll be going there. What about you? The admiral is still coming to this island, you know."

"We'll just cause trouble if we stay here." Nami pointed out. "So, let's go somewhere."

"She's right." Franky agreed. "In order to get off more smoothly, it'd be better for us to split up in town."

"Then, we'll just randomly split up into groups and gather up there when he's done, right?" Zoro suggested.

"Shakky, you have that, right?" Rayleigh reminded.

"Yeah, I've got one." Shakky confirmed.

"This is a Vivre Card." Nami recognized the slip of paper.

"I'm a wanted man, too." Rayleigh reminded, his coating tools were heaved over his back. "So I think I'll move the ship from Grove 41 and work on it somewhere else. The coating should take three days. Shall we say sunset in three days? I'm not sure which grove I'll be in, but just follow the Vivre Card and I'll be waiting for you with the ship coated. You'd better go buy whatever supplies you'll need for your underwater trip to Fishman Island."

"Rayleigh-san," Sasha caught up with the retired pirate as he walked off to work on the Thousand Sunny. "I have a personal question about the narration earlier. About Roger's disease, is it... genetic?"

SailorStar9: Any OOC-nes is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Well, Sasha's question in the end has been bugging me ever since I watched episode 400. Reviews are much appreciated.