Chapter Twenty-Eight : Time
"Here I go!" Luffy announced, readying a stance. He stomped his feet on the ground and grinned in a taunting manner.
"For the last time, Lu. Don't go telling your opponents when you're attacking them." Ace groaned loudly, whilst rolling his eyes. He looked bored as far as Luffy could tell but he was about to see a show.
Luffy was practicing this move for the past few days. This was the perfect opportunity to show it off to his brothers. It was Roger who taught him of it. The old pirate explained that he needed to use other parts of his body, not just his fist all the time. And that made sense to the young boy. He thought about using his lower body to not overexert his arms every time.
"Gomu Gomu no..." Luffy rumbled the name. "Whip!"
His grin widened as his left leg had stretched for seven meters. It was enough to reach his opponent. His older brother heaved a heavy sigh. His bored expression didn't falter, it got worse. Once it was on Ace's reach, he instantly grabbed Luffy's stretched leg.
Luffy yelped as Ace threw him into a tree. He hit it with a loud bang. He groaned as pain creeped on his back. He was sure that the bark scratched his back. He rubbed the wound and saw blood on his hands. Ace seemed to have been in a bad mood today and Luffy became his punching bag.
"Still no luck, huh?" Sabo commented as he put a point on Ace's in the chalkboard.
Luffy stood up and rubbed the dirt in his nose. A pout was visible on his face. His attack failed miserably. But he was never the type of a boy to give up. He could always try that move again some other time. He just have to sped up his stretching.
"I lost again?" He complained.
"Obviously," Ace confirmed, smirking smugly.
"It's the first time I've seen you use your legs in a fight," Sabo pointed out. "Did you just realized today that you have them?"
Luffy giggled. "No, Roger did and I've been practicing using them ever since!"
"You know it could work. I know how much you like using fists but that could be an alternative once they deemed to be unusable. Stuff like that happens."
"But you're too slow," Ace said. "Your opponents could easily dodged them."
"That too. Maybe practice your stretching to be faster. You can control your attacks now. Let's focus on the speed."
Luffy beamed at the praise. He nodded firmly, believing everything Sabo had suggested. Ace is fast but not as fast as Sabo. While Sabo relied on his speed and tactics, Ace relied on power and it shows every time he threw Luffy out of the way.
"Oi, Roger! What do you think about my new technique!?" Luffy asked, excitement laced in his tone.
He turned around and looked for him.
But Luffy didn't expect him to be laying face-first on the ground.
"Roger!"
Luffy dashed immediately next to him. He crouched and looked at Roger. Luffy gulped as his eyes examined him. Everything about him screamed pain. His position was curled as his hand was helplessly grabbing his chest. His face was twisted, hiding away from them. His natural golden skin was now pale in color.
"O-Oi..." Luffy stuttered, eyes were wide as he stared.
"Luffy, don't shake him," Sabo ordered sternly. He shook Luffy's hands away harshly.
"What's wrong with him!?" Ace inquired with a yell.
"I-I don't know..." Sabo answered abruptly.
Luffy's eyes turned to Sabo. Whenever Luffy has a question, he was always given an answer almost immediately. Sabo was smart like that. He always had the explanation and answer when it comes to things that Luffy never understood. But hearing those words from Sabo's mouth made Luffy more worried.
"Damn it," Ace cursed, gritting his teeth. "Let's carry him to Dadan's. Maybe, she'll know."
Both Luffy and Sabo nodded quickly. They were used to carrying animals but Roger was not like that. They needed to be careful when it comes to him. Roger was tall and a lot heavier than they had expected.
Their way to the hut was quick. They had almost dropped Roger a few times on the way. Another thing to worry about was the wild animals that may attack them from their hideouts. It was pure luck that none had assaulted them.
"Dadan! Magra! Anyone!" Ace yelled as they finally saw the hut.
But no one went outside to greet them. They were forced to put Roger down for a moment. Sabo was the one who knocked loudly at the door, almost destroying it in the process. It was louder every time and he didn't stop. Finally, they heard footsteps from the inside.
"Sabo?" It was Dogra who greeted him when the door opened. He looked tired as if interrupted from sleep. "What is it?"
"Where's Dadan?" Sabo panicked in an almost scream voice.
"The Boss is not here. She has some business on town."
"Just let my father inside." Ace grumbled impatiently. "We don't know what happened to him. We just saw him laying on the ground."
"Roger?" Dogra flinched at the sight of him on the ground. He turned to his back and ordered some of the bandits. "Get him inside now."
Three of the bandits obliged and carried him on their backs. They carefully picked him up and made their way upstairs to their usual room. They put Roger down and Magra had a look at the former pirate. And all Luffy could do was stare helplessly.
"Is he gonna be alright...?" Luffy asked in a low tone, bowing his head.
Sabo turned to him. A frown on his face as he slowly shook his head. He answered his younger brother truthfully. "I don't know..."
And Luffy saw Ace in the corner of his eyes clenching his fists.
Warmth. That was the first thing Roger felt. It was a different kind of warmth that the trio radiates. The warmness he was currently feeling was something he had missed. While he was in prison before his execution, he sought the same warmness but it never came.
Tender fingers were cascading his black hair. They were soft and tender. He became aware of the sound ringing. It was a hum of happiness. It only grew louder as seconds passed by. And by that time, Roger remembered the tune and he hummed along.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. It was bright and he had to blink a few times to get used to it. And there she was. She looked exactly as he remembered her. She still had the red hibiscus in her hair. It would always be the first thing he would notice about her. Because that flower made her prettier. Her long strawberry blonde hair was down, brushing against his shoulders.
Twenty-two, he counted in his mind. That was the number of her freckles. Funny how she and Ace had the same amount. It was splashed across her cheeks and nose. Her gray eyes were staring down at him.
Her humming stopped. A huge smile was on her face. "Hello, Roger. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Rouge..." He breathed out.
The first thing he did was hugged her tightly. He missed her. He missed her dearly. There was never enough time for the two of them. As if fate never allowed them to be together. But now, she was in his arms again. That was all that matters. He smelled her sweet scent and he realized he was home.
"I missed you." She said. Sadness was in her voice.
"Me too." He replied. There were no words to described how much it was. Silence followed as he was lost in the moment. And after a while, they let go of each other.
That was when he realized his surroundings. They were in a field. It was filled with flowers of different kinds and shapes. And in the distance, he saw few trees.
"Where are we...?" Roger asked, astonished. This place was something he had never been to before.
"It's where you think it is."
"Y-You mean?" He asked with a shaky voice. "I'm dead?"
"No. Not yet, my love." She shook her head. "Ace... You'll still be able to say goodbye to him."
"When will it be? My death?"
She seemed to be hesitant. She bit down her lips as tears started falling out of her eyes.
"Shh..." Roger hugged her again. He was gently rubbing her back, a way to comfort her.
"Midnight." She answered.
"Midnight? W-When?"
"Today."
"Today!?"
"You're technically dead, Roger," Rouge replied with a sad smile.
"I guess going now is for the better." Roger sighed heavily. "I can't let them see me suffering from my disease. That'll be too cruel."
"Your time is limited, Roger. You already know that you'll not be there for Ace as he grows up..." She whispered.
"I know..." Roger sighed heavily.
"But don't be saddened by it. It's not about how long you know a person. It's more on the impact you will leave behind." She explained wistfully. "You change Ace."
"You always know the right things to say." He finally let out his signature laugh.
Rouge murmured. "Not telling Ace and his brothers about your disease... You messed up that one."
"I was just trying to protect them."
"There is no comfort in hiding the truth. But you can't change the past now." Rouge stared at him straight in the eye. "Time's up."
His surroundings became blurry again and slowly, everything was fading away. He was unsure of what was happening but he can't do anything about it.
"Tell Ace that I love him..." Rouge said with a bright smile.
And he woke up.
It had been past lunchtime and Roger was still not awake.
Luffy never realized the impact Roger had on them. They spent the whole morning waiting besides the unconscious Roger. Their time was mostly filled with silence as no one wanted to talk. Luffy never liked the silent atmosphere but still, he cannot find his voice to speak or questions to ask because the answer would be the same.
All Ace did was fidget back and forth. He was biting down the fingernail of his thumb. He had the deepest frown than them. Sabo, on the other hand, appeared to be a calmer one. He was reading a book in the corner and scribbling something in his notebook. And all Luffy could do was watched them in boredom.
"You three brats still here?" Dadan questioned as she entered the room. She was carrying a tray in her hands. It had meat and rice, enough for the three brothers. She had come back earlier. And the first thing she did, was to check on Roger. But even she didn't know what made Roger lose his unconsciousness.
"There's nothing else we could do." Sabo shrugged as he put down his book.
Ace accepted the tray from her and laid it down on the floor. "Hey, let's eat. It's past lunch."
"Am not hungry..." Luffy replied.
Ace stared at him, almost dropping his bowl of rice on the floor. His gray eyes irking in irritation. "Okay, that's new."
"Luffy," Sabo called out in a softer voice. "You need to eat. Worrying will not do you any better."
Luffy huffed. "If Roger is not gonna eat, I won't too!"
"That's the stupidest thing I have heard today." Ace said while rolling his eyes.
"Brat, you can't do anything about him." Dadan scoffed loudly. "I'll try to get a doctor in town later."
"That won't be necessary."
Luffy's eyes widened before biting down his lips. "R-Roger!"
He stretched his arms and launched himself towards the older man. He hugged him tightly and started babbling.
"You slept so long! And you look like you're sick! We saw you laying on the ground earlier so we carried you and—"
Roger sat up. He looked down and stare at Luffy. He had a sad smile on his face as he slowly patted his head in a circular motion. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Luffy."
"It's alright. You're fine now, right?" Luffy smiled, hoping to make him feel better. Sabo mentioned to him one time that smiles can do that.
He felt Roger's flinching. His eyes were wide as he slowly sighed. He looked at the others in the room. His voice sounded nervous. "I know that this is sudden but..."
"What is it?" Ace replied. His brows were furrowed closer.
"Seems like bad news to me," Dadan stated as she lit a cigarette.
"What is it, Roger-san?" Sabo asked.
With a heavy breath, he spoke up. "I'll be gone tonight."
And the room went silent.
A premonitory chill traced its way down Luffy's backbone. The way Roger had uttered those words, scared him. It was laced with seriousness and melancholy. It was something Luffy had never seen from Roger before.
"Wh-What?" Luffy choked out. "What do you mean by that?"
"I'll be dead."
"Dying?" Sabo echoed before gulping.
"Stop joking around!" Ace yelled as he quickly stood up. He stomped his feet hard on the wooden floor, enough to break it.
Luffy looked back at Ace. His older brother was always prone to anger due to his temperament. Ace's jaw was clenched, veins around his neck were throbbing. There was blood on his lips as he bit it. The last time he saw that expression from him was from Sabo's presume death. Luffy hoped to never see it but it was happening again. And this time, there seemed to be no escape or loopholes because Roger never lied to them.
"I wish I was," Roger simply stated.
"You can't just say that thing to us and expect me to react nicely about it!" Ace disparaged as he slowly stepped back. "You just can't!"
"I'm sorry..."
With one last snarl at his father, Ace ran away leaving them again in tense silence.