Roger stared at the boy before him with wide eyes, taking in the white hair, the red eyes, and the wide, wide, smile. Laugh Tale was not what they were expecting it to be, it was somehow more, somehow less, the contradictions of it all hilarious. His crew left to explore, leaving him here in the place that was surrounded by carved runes of the Poneglyphs and Haki. Only Rayleigh stayed outside, worried like he always was that something would harm him.
But Roger knew no harm would come to him here, not in this place, not now at least. He wasn't sure as to why that was, but he knew it like he knew his name. He ventured in further, following his observation to a large cavern, squinting slightly at the bright light in the middle till he could see a being. It was giggling and twisting, body defying gravity and all sense of nature and physics.
"You took your time reaching me, I was getting so bored." The mysterious being said, childlike. "I thought you would never get here."
"I was expected?" He asked curious, stepping further into the cave, towards this being who radiated light like a sun, whose haki washed over him in such Joy. It was powerful, that much he could tell, and controlled to the point it impressed Roger. It wasn't used to cause someone to Submit but to show emotion, he didn't even realise that could be done.
The being nodded, the smile slipping ever so slightly, the light dimming with it. He no longer had to squint to stare at the being and now that he could see, he noted with a pang that it was a boy before him no older than twenty at least… maybe younger.
"Yes! I have waited forever and ever and ever... I watched the world dry up and collapse till it was reborn once more and when people started to pop up again, I went looking, but it was too early, or you were too late." He stated hands coming up to cover his mouth as his shoulder shook with silent giggles.
The words, the implications that this child has seen the end and recreation of the world multiple times had Roger's heart aching fiercely. What loneliness has this being felt? How many of his friends and loved ones has he watched die, how could he still laugh and smile? Had Roger been in his shoes, he would have surely broken long ago.
"Your time is nearly at its end is it not?" The being giggled still, stepping closer, the soft click of his sandals solidifying. "Your illness is rapidly getting worse. Your crew is disbanding and soon enough, you'll hand yourself over to save your most precious treasures. The great Pirate King, Gol D. Roger's greatest and final act."
Roger didn't know how this being knew his plans or that he was indeed sick, but he shrugged that away, giving the being his answer of affirmative. He watched as the being continued to step closer, his eyes widening as the white bled away to reveal dark red hair, black eyes, and tanned skin clad in red and gold. In his hands was a broken blade, familiar in a way Roger should know it but doesn't.
"What do you want me to do?" He asked warily, picking up the blade and shaking off the voice that flowed from it, the agony, the years of loneliness and cries for people long gone and yet alive once more. The bloodshed is shed in the name of love and crew, in a promise sworn on the sea itself over and over but ultimately failing.
Two wielders, always two.
"You have to kill me, my fruit has to be reborn again for Shanks to find, for my soul to be cast back out into the arms of my mother and into the next life. The Cycle must continue onwards until all that needs to be done, is done. If you do this, you will have to guard Laugh Tale in your death till I return. A lifetime, but less than what I ever have to do, have done." The being explained, slowly wrapping Roger's fingers around the white hilt with sadness.
Roger felt everything in that gesture, the hopes and dreams, the desire for freedom and he felt for the boy. Was this worth it? Being trapped here for a lifetime? But what was a lifetime to the dead, a mere blink he would assume. He looked at the boy and decided yes; yes, it would be worth the wait. Because this being – this boy – has suffered, has been chained for so long and he was a being of liberation. Joy Boy in all detail.
It felt wrong somehow.
"Tell me, what is your name?" He asked as he grasped the hilt tightly, because if he had to kill this child to free him as he wished, then he would like to know his name. He recalls every name of the people he's had to kill, and this will be another, probably the heaviest he'll have to carry with him to his grave. Why? He doesn't know, it's a niggle in his brain that he does indeed know but he still doesn't know how.
The being smiled wide, another giggle. "Many called me Nika, Joy Boy, Monkey D... but the name I loved the most? The names I loved the most... Lulu, Anchor, Captain... the important one though, my name which I was given, is Benn D. Luffy."
Luffy, the name sat heavy in his mind, along his tongue when he repeated it. That name had power, that name was important but could not be said, not yet. Something told him that only he was allowed to know, he and only a select few in time. Something also told him that this, this time and place, this interaction between the two has happened before, that it would happen again over and over until something changed until a promise was finally fulfilled.
Another D.
"Tell me, why is that name so important?" Roger asked as he took a seat, he wasn't going to give in to this wish yet, this small command coated in Haki.
Luffy blinked and laughed, taking a spot across from him. "Because it's the name given to me, Luffy by my original parents, Benn by my fathers who adopted me. It's the name of those men who shaped me, loved me, and showed me to love and be happy again in every lifetime. Without fail, without a nudge or manipulation, it's a set thing."
"Then why me? Why not them? Wouldn't you rather I go and get them?" Roger asked and watched as the boy only laughed harder. White seeped into his hair, and into his clothes the longer he did, casting rays of light throughout the cave. Something told him that the laughter wasn't real, that the boy had no choice but to laugh and oh, did that make something in Roger seethe at whatever cursed this boy.
The laughter grew louder and with it, so did the light. It was at this moment that Roger saw something familiar, very familiar, something that shouldn't be here as it currently sat on the head of his son, his son who was not on this island. He stood and moved towards the corner, eyes taking in the shapes of various things in the dark, but his hand reached out for the simple straw hat, tattered but still well-loved.
"How?" He whispered, thumb running over the jagged Z that he had Rayleigh fix not long ago. The fix was still fresh on the hat, but here it was aged, nearly faded with how the straw had shifted and blended back together.
His eyes raked over the crown in his hands, the thing he used to pass on his legacy, he noted every nick and mend in the straw, across the faded red ribbon that was more pink and white than red, and wondered about the story behind them all. It screamed at him, so many voices, so many lifetimes, blood, sadness, and joy. It mixed all together loudly until it was just a cacophony of sounds.
"Shanks is the man who adopted me, who crowned me King and called me son, he gave his arm for me, and in return, the Ocean Blessed us," Luffy explained as he stepped closer eyes soft and fingers brushing light over the straw hat. He had not worn it in years, and couldn't bring himself to, not when he could sense his father's Birth and knowing that the hat was safe with him once again. In time, this one would fade with the elements, like everything else had begun to do.
If the Cycle repeated, if he was stuck to wander again and watch his Nakama die, then they would be replaced, put back on their pedestals once again. Sighing Luffy let his fruit go, casting the light further out to illuminate the entirety of the small crevice to Roger's eyes.
There were so many things on the wall and surrounding the plinths that were the place of honour. Roger felt something within him break as he took in the objects. A broken staff and an odd slingshot, a helm, a violin... Tools and books, faded crumbling papers that were the size of bounties stuck to the front of each one. Two broken swords that matched the one in his hand, a lighter… He knew instantly that these were the items of his crew.
A crew that no longer existed but will in the years to come, how long? He didn't know, but he knew they would find each other again and again. He turned to say something, give the boy a word of comfort only his gaze caught another section, this one smaller, more private.
There off to the side from his crew lay a tattered top hat and decaying orange cowboy hat, a cursed Ōdachi, three daggers, a broken dismantled rifle, and a rusted sword. These were more important to the kid, and as he stepped closer, as his hand went to touch the orange hat, he was stopped. The boy's hand stretched far, eyes sad.
"This is a story you cannot know, but these are all I have of my family. My brothers, my uncle, my heart, and my parents." Luffy explained as he let Roger's hand go, his eyes downcast.
He took in the boy, could feel the truth in the words that were being said, a feeling telling him if he were to touch these items, the voices that whispered from them would scream and he would not like what he would hear. With a nod he began to turn away, pausing when he noticed in the middle of it all was a nest of old tattered blankets and a flag of a jolly roger so worn he couldn't tell whose. Did Luffy sleep here surrounded by things of his loved ones long gone and yet to be?
What a lonely life, it just made the ache all the fiercer, made the resolve all the stronger. Roger would do what the boy requested, no matter the consequences, plans were already forming in his head as he turned to walk back to the boy now sitting by a small pool of water. It smelled of the ocean the closer he got; it smelled like the sea on a clear day off the shore of a small summer island. It was nostalgic and it shouldn't be.
"You won't do it," Luffy sighed, never looking up from his position along the water's edge. "You never do."
Roger jolted forward in surprise, eyes wide and heart skipping a beat. Never does? Does that mean that this is another meeting that has happened before? How many times has this child asked and how many times has he said no? His past selves must have been blind, must have lacked something to not hear and feel the agony with each word and look. How could they ignore the doom dut da da of the drums and hear the cries that go with it?
The sound was wrong, crying out for liberation of its own. This boy was the embodiment of joy the literal god of liberation and it was wrong, so very wrong that he was shackled by his grief, cursed by this torment.
How could Roger refuse?
"I will." He uttered, taking a seat next to Luffy, ignoring how his head snapped up in disbelief. "I can see and hear your suffering, who am I to deny this request? A lifetime stuck here is no hardship, this place is everything and more than what I was expecting."
Stars shone in the boy's eyes and Roger swore he could hear the sparkling of them. "Really!? You will? Maybe this will help change the loop, maybe this time it won't end in the suffering of my Nakama!"
"You never know, big waves start with small ripples." Roger hummed as he pulled the kid close, he was so small, waif-like and every fatherly instinct was screaming at him now. "Can you tell me what it's like, the future? You said Shanks adopted you, what is he like? What about Buggy?"
A soft giggle escaped the kid's lips as he snuggled into Roger's embrace sparking another question, when was this child hugged last? "It was the Golden Age of pirates, your death and words about this place sent many out to sea in search of it. Shanks became an Emperor, Buggy too, they tested all those who wished to claim the One Piece."
Roger raised his brows at that, "what of my crew?"
"I only met Flower and Jiji," Luffy replied with a shrug. "I asked Papai about them once and Shanks said he never saw any of them after your execution. He and Tio separated the day you died after a big fight, Jiji walked away and never looked back. Papai said that he only saw Jiji again once he found me and only because Shanks wanted to tell him he was a grandfather, to keep an eye out for me when I set sail."
It took a moment for Roger to translate the words, head spinning. It had been a very long time since he had heard Eastern, since he had even spoken his native tongue, so used to Grand. What mess did Roger make in his past lives? How many mistakes has he made over and over? His crew was his family, they helped him raise Shanks from diapers from the very day they found him in that treasure chest they stole from God Valley. Rayleigh brought in Buggy, he was found injured and malnourished on a random little-known island in Paradise near the calm belt.
They were his kids, their kids. Did his crew just abandon them completely after his death? He only had two years left to live, his plans already in place for those, his boys were only thirteen now… Did his crew leave his sons to fend for themselves at fifteen? His partner, his first mate, should have taken them with him… but it seemed he didn't and wouldn't see their son till years down the line, and probably wouldn't see Blue for even longer…
How could he leave with all this looming over him? How could… his thoughts screech to a stop as Luffy smacks him, arm retracting back to the regular length, there was a frown on his face, a first.
"Vovô is thinking too loud, all will be well. It always is." Luffy explained shocking Roger to the core because it was now just sinking in that the boy he was holding, was his neto. His son's most beloved treasure in the future, seas he was a grandfather, and his sons are still in childhood. This island defied everything, and he couldn't help but laugh and laugh because if he didn't Roger was going to cry and scream.
"Very well neto," he murmured softly holding him closer, the hand with the broken sword clenching tight. "How do you want me to do this?"
Luffy hummed and turned his eyes to the water. "Quick and then lay me in the water, She needs to take me back. Tell Shanks that the Gum-Gum fruit cannot stay in the hands of the marines, ensure it."
Roger shifted Luffy around till he was being cradled, sending another pang through him. He couldn't get over how small he was, the fact that he could fit the boy in one arm alone. Tears pooled and spilled over as he lifted the broken sword and held it above his Neto's heart, his hand shook and he knew that he would have nightmares about this moment, about the serene accepting look on Luffy's face.
One swift motion, that's all it took to slide the blade in. A ragged gasp and a whistling laugh, freer than any he had heard from him to begin with. Panic swirled as Luffy lingered, the drum beats booming in the cave, it should have been instant, he shouldn't be alive still.
Luffy coughed, blood splattering across pale skin, but there was one more thing Luffy had to say. Grasping his Vovô's arm he gave the man a soft bloody grin. "Thank you Vovô, thank you, and don't worry bout Ace, okay? I'll make sure he's loved… he's my most beloved Nii-chan aft…"
He let the tears fall as he pulled his grandson close, tucking him up under his jaw as the last of his haki faded, as his voice vanished, the light fading with it and submerging him in the darkness once more. No matter how much he hated what he did, something within him settled, something told him it was the right thing to do and Roger always trusted his gut.
He desperately wanted to know what he meant about Ace, what did his sword have anything to do with the future? Unless.. Nii-chan… Grand for big brother… Did that mean he has a son? Would Rouge fall pregnant before he dies? More plans would need to be made, his child would have to be hidden and his wife protected for a time till the hunt the Marines would start for them died down enough for Rayleigh to join her.
Perhaps he will have to beg Garp after all, the man would finally get his idiotic wish since they were younger when he became a Marine Captain and Roger a pirate. Sighing softly he sent out a burst of his Haki, summoning Rayleigh within as promised, never moving from his spot in the now pitch-black cave.
"Roger? How the hell did you navigate in here in the dark?" Rayleigh's voice echoed from the entrance, followed by the familiar snick of a lighter.
Yellow light from a torch reached him softly, growing brighter as Rayleigh drew close, his muttered curses cutting off abruptly as he finally reached his side. Roger wondered what image he gave to his partner and first mate, him sobbing and a dead child in his arms.
"What happened?" Rayleigh asked, squatting beside his captain, and laying his hand gently on his shoulder, it only caused Roger to sob harder. "Roger, meu alegria, what happened? Who is he?"
"He's our grandson," Roger uttered, turning to look at Rayleigh with haunted eyes. "He's suffered so much, so many lifetimes of failure and agony. He asked me to free him Leigh and how could I say no? This time will be different, my plans have to be changed, he told me a few things and it will not happen in this lifetime."
Rayleigh sucked in a breath as the news hit him, as his captain's haki slammed into him with all the rage of a hurricane. His captain was angry, at him, at the world, and the current situation they were in.
"I don't know how it happened, this curse of Luffy's but he has lived lifetimes on repeat. He's watched us die, watched his nakama and those he loved perish over and over…" Roger trailed off as his eyes landed on the boy once more, chest tightening as he finally got a good look at him.
He was young, oh so young, twenty at most if he was pushing it, even in death he looked like he was asleep, a smile still pulling at his lips. There was a scar under his eye and a large one on his chest that looked horrific enough that it screamed agony but it was the boy's hair, red, garnet red. He looked like Shanks, so very much and it only drove the spike of pain in further, and from the sharp inhale, Rayleigh saw it too. He understood whose son this actually was.
"He needs to be put to rest in the lake," Roger explained with a gasp, hands tightening around the body. He didn't want to let go, he wanted to take him back to the Oro, to take him to his home waters and bury him there but he couldn't.
"Let me help you meu alegria," Rayleigh whispered, driving the torch into the ground before taking the boy, watching as Roger slipped into the crystal clear water arms held out to take Luffy back.
Once the boy was back in his captain's arms, cradled like a precious treasure, Rayleigh slipped into the waters. He could feel a presence surround them, over them, through them, heavy like Haki but more. Grief settled over him like a shroud, heart aching along with his Captain as they submerged their grandson into the depths, watching as the water seemed to carry him deeper and away.
"What do we tell the others?" Rayleigh asked, pulling Roger close.
"Everything," Roger replied, the grief in his tone and eyes snapping to a spark that Rayleigh hadn't seen in a very long time. "We tell them everything, what happened here, who we found but we can never tell Red or Blue. The Island, the Void Century, Joy Boy, and that he will rise once more but not about him… not what I did, what I promised, or who he was."
Rayleigh spun Roger to face him, hand coming up to cup his cheek, thumb rubbing under his eye. "You said he was our grandson, you explained he was cursed, but what did you promise, who is he exactly."
"His name is Benn D. Luffy and I promised I would wait a lifetime here after… well after… till he returned. I can wait a lifetime if it means he can be free." Roger ignored the way Rayleigh's hand tightened and the way his eyes sparked then dimmed with understanding.
"Then I will have to come visit as often as I can after," Rayleigh murmured, jerking back as his Captain's gaze snapped to him, the glare that was rarely ever seen was suddenly directed at him.
"Luffy told me what happens you know, when I die. He didn't meet any of the crew after Shanks claimed him besides Crocus and you. He told me that Red and Blue fought the day I died and you never looked back, not till Shanks sought you out years down the road to tell you about Luffy." Roger was furious, his voice quiet and deep but it still seemed to echo off the cave walls. "This can't happen this lifetime Leigh. You need to stay in contact with Red and Blue, don't make them feel abandoned like we were. Rouge will need you too."
Rayleigh looked away in shame for something he had yet to do but knew it would have happened exactly like that. Roger was the love of his life, this little shit who convinced him to take the seas by storm with their little stolen houseboat. He knew his Captain was dying, Rayleigh knew Roger was going to spend the next two years landlocked once this adventure was done with Rouge. Rayleigh would be able to join his partners for a little while before having to lead the Marines on a merry chase… But Rayleigh knew the day Roger died, something in him would break, that he'd be a hollow husk of who he used to be.
And though he did love Rouge, it was nothing compared to the depth of his love for the man before him now.
"I'll try Roger," Rayleigh managed to get out through a dry throat.
"No, not try, do Rayleigh," Roger replied with a frown. "I know, I know how much it'll hurt because I would be the same but our kids must come first before the grief. Shanks barely knows of the world beyond what he's seen with us and we shielded him from most things. Yes, he knows the life of a pirate, but life things… we failed in that aspect. He grew on the Oro, he's never lived on land, don't subject him to that fate."
"And Blue knows about the way of the world in a way his brother doesn't, but it was you who brought him into the family, you who he looks up to and admires." Roger continued, his voice passionate. "He was already abandoned by one set of parent's don't let your grief make him lose another on top of losing me."
Rayleigh closed his eyes, letting one tear spill past before nodding. "Very well, Captain."
"Good, now, let's find the crew. I need to tell them everything, the plans, what's to come." Roger ordered as he got out of the water, holding his hand out for Rayleigh to take.
He knew that in time before Rayleigh could join him and Rouge on Baterilla, that he would need to bring the Oro back to Laugh Tale, to bring his sword and hat here as placement being they hold the memories of himself, of his life in the form of how much of his Haki he has imbued them with.
A ship for a ship, a life for a life and a hat for a hat. Memories and tokens of who they were for this place to keep him here so his grandson could be free. Roger only wished he could see the lives his sons would have and the Storm his grandson would bring.
Plans upon plans began to form, plans that his entire crew but his kids would know, plans that only Rayleigh and Rouge would know, then the plan that only he would know. He wasn't too sure if that would work out, it depended on what happened when Luffy stepped foot back on Laugh Tale once more… so many things depended on certain events that he couldn't predict. Roger could only hope for the best.
"What do you need to talk to us about Captain?" Scopper asked once they were all together.
A wide D grin pulled at his lips, his eyes flickering from one crew member to another, watching as their own smirks began to form. They knew him too well when he smiled like this and when he laughed like this. This would be his last official order before they disbanded, but though they may no longer sail together, they would always be family. They would always look after their family and there was one that would need them all in years to come.
"Well, boys! This is what I wanted to talk to you about…"
OOOOO okay, so what was originally going to be a quick one shot... *side eyes* is now... this monster *mutters so much for 2k*. I'll be updating probably every 2-3 weeks depending... but boy... this... Sorry not sorry!
meu alegria - My Joy/Happiness
vovó - Grandfather
Please come join me on Discord! You'll get snippets of future chapters and other stories! - discord . gg/TXJyfKmHf5
