"I'm not going to die, Partner."

Roger's last words to him echoed in Rayleigh's head. Rayleigh didn't understand what they meant. Roger had been publicly executed. Roger had died, with the entire world watching him. It was a year later, and Rayleigh still couldn't make sense of his last words.

"How you doing?" asked Shakky, setting down a rust coloured drink in front of him.

"Bored."

"Retirement doesn't suit you, Dark King."

"Don't call me that."

"Yeah, yeah."

Rayleigh downed the drink in a single gulp, slamming the glass back down to the table with contempt. Maybe too much contempt. The glass shattered, sending translucent fragments everywhere. Shakky sighed and hurried to the sink, wetting a washcloth and rushing back to Rayleigh's seat.

"Relax, I've got it," said Rayleigh, depositing the larger shards in a pile on the counter.

"You're bleeding, idiot."

Rayleigh stared at the red tinted glass, the droplets leaking their way into the wood of the bar.

"It won't stain, will it?" he asked, cupping his hands together. The blood began oozing from his cuts, and pooled between his fingers.

"No," replied Shakky, handing Rayleigh the towel, and sweeping the rest of the miniscule shards out the door. Rayleigh pat his hands dry, and Shakky handed him a roll of bandages. He expertly wound the length around his hands, and tore it off with his teeth. This happened very often now. He was overly destructive without Roger to ground him. He was too reckless without his captain to guide him.

"Get out of here old man," said Shakky, tying her hair back, "I've gotta clean up before the day begins."

Rayleigh rose from his seat, and headed towards the door, throwing on his cloak and pocketing his dagger. He threw open the door, and a sharp hissing noise from behind him encouraged him to shut it more gently upon exiting the bar. He had reached the edge of Grove 13 when he heard someone shouting off the coast of the Lawless Area. He sprinted towards the source of the noise, and saw a young man on the ground, holding his head and wailing pitifully. Rayleigh became annoyed.

"Calm yourself," he uttered, concentrating his Haki into a small burst. Or, what he thought would be a small burst. The man was knocked out immediately, his toungue dangling out the side of his mouth. Rayleigh saw a patch on the man's shirt. It read 'The Botal Pirates'.

"This is who you died for, Roger!?" shouted Rayleigh, his head tilted towards the sky. "This is your great age of piracy?!"

Rayleigh was frothing at the mouth. He would've kicked the man, but he figured it was a waste of his time. He continued on his way, his hands jammed in his pockets. And then he saw it. A great black barque, the Botal Pirate's symbol emblazoned on the flag and sails. The craftsmenship was exquisite. Rayleigh could tell; the quality was worthy of the famed Water 7, where the Roger Pirate's very own Oro Jackson was created. A man who appeared to be the captain stared down at the Dark King, squinting his eyes.

"You with that traitor?" asked the captain, aiming his gun at Rayleigh.

Rayleigh laughed. This brat had some nerve.

"No. You the captain of this ship?"

"What of it?" asked the captain, raising an eyebrow.

"What of it indeed?" asked Rayleigh, appearing beside the captain, whispering in his ear. The man should've been startled, but instead he looked rather bored.

"Old man, if you're done with your antics, me and my crew need to find a coating professional."

"Old man?" asked Rayleigh, looking around him, "Me?"

"Yeah you. Get off the ship."

Rayleigh blasted him with Haki. It was immature, really. But the captain stood his ground while the lower ranks of his crew fell to the ground. A drop of sweat ran down the captain's face, but he stared Rayleigh down. Rayleigh couldn't decide if this man was immensely brave, or just an idiot. But he had withstood Haki.

"This is your age Roger?" he asked once more, tilting his head to the sky,

"This was your intent?"

"Roger?" asked the captain, "As in Gold Roger? Pirate King?"

"Gol, they've messed up your name," said Rayleigh, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'll do it," said Rayleigh, turning to the captain.

"Do what?"

"The coating."

"For how much?"

"Free for you Rookie. But you just promise me you'll reach the New World."

"Deal," smirked the captain, and the two shook hands.

A.N.: Ah. This is much better~ I love comparing Rayleigh to Zoro. Both are extremely loyal to their captains, and would be extremely lost (quite literally in Zoro's case) without them. I adapted a bit of Zoro's personality into Rayleigh for this piece, because I figured the parallels are canon enough to satiate my canon-needs. In any case, I'm very proud of this one. Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, Birthdays, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated. See you tomorrow for Conis!