Chapter Text
When the news came that a Whitebeard Commander was sent to his execution, they kept at the ready. Not to interfere directly, but they knew of the friendship between their late captain and the man known as the strongest in the world. They would never be a part of his crew, but if he called for aid? They would answer.
Shanks calling to tell them it wasn’t just any commander sent to his execution, but their late captain’s son, was enough for Rayleigh to start making calls around. To let others know what still remained of their captain’s legacy and how the World Government would have to pry it out of their cold, dead fingers before they would let them execute Roger’s boy.
Rayleigh, closest as his homebase was still Sabaody, arrived just in time to see Sengoku proclaim to the world just who Ace was. It had him frowning, his haki on edge enough that people would start to feel it soon.
Reeling it in, he didn’t want to give away that he was here just yet. Newgate had spotted him, as had Marco. Both of them nodded at him, something relaxing in the tenseness of their shoulders at the knowledge they wouldn’t need to fight alone.
Gabban arrived not long after him, coming to stand at Rayleigh’s left. Leaving room between them for a man that would never appear there again. Even with only Gabban, Rayleigh knew they would be more than able to wreak havoc on the marines. The way they were fighting, they only expected the Whitebeard Pirates to appear. None of them had even noticed Rayleigh and Gaban.
“Shanks?”
Gaban hummed, “Went to stall Kaido, and is leaving room to pick up whoever can make it. Last I heard most of them were on route already. Buggy was in Impel Down, but he managed to get free with the help of Straw Hat.”
Nodding at that, Rayleigh grinned, “I heard they were raised together, Ace and Luffy, he won’t rest until Ace is safe here with us. Let’s see who else arrives before we show the world we’re still here.”
Sunbell, Spencer and Petermoo appeared at their back as Rayleigh finished speaking. It would be enough for now, whoever appeared after this would be joining in regardless. Looking at the sky, at Buggy and Straw hat joining them, Rayleigh knew this would be as good a time as any to make the World Government tremble.
As a moment of quiet reigned over the battlefield, Rayleigh stepped out of the shadow of the Moby Dick, his voice carrying over the battlefield as eyes widened at the group that was still growing at his back.
“Newgate, I sure hope you don’t mind us joining in?”
The old man laughed at that, making a hand motion to tell them to have at it. The grin on his face showed Rayleigh that he was glad to have this kind of back-up. The Roger Pirates, even at an older age, weren’t anything to scoff at.
Knowing he had the attention of not only those on the battlefield, but those watching the live feed, Rayleigh let his eyes wander over the admirals, over Sengoku, before finally stopping to rest on Ace.
“You would be having a much harder time if Roger was still here, Sengoku. But in his absence, I’m sure we can make things hard enough that you’ll think twice to execute one of our own again.”
He was dashing over the square before he had finished speaking. Several of his own, retired, crew at one side and several of Newgate’s men on the other. Luffy mingled in between, his presence making several of the Roger Pirates look twice as he did look like Roger enough if his face was covered by the shade of his hat.
Patting the straw as it appeared next to him, Rayleigh grinned all that wider, “We’re getting him home.”
Luffy nodded once, taking note of all the people around them. He could find Ace’s nakama all the same. But it was the other men and women, those that listened to Rayleigh most of all, that had his attention.
“These are…”
Rayleigh nodded, “His crew, the remnants of it as not everyone could make it in time. We weren’t going to sit and wait and they announced Ace’s execution. I wouldn’t be able to face Roger in the afterlife if I did nothing.”
Pushing Luffy out of the way of Kizaru, a grin took over Rayleigh’s face as Marco and Gaban stood at his side as they took on all three admirals when they appeared. Sengoku and Garp had proven more of a challenge before. Not that he was going to say that out loud, but it did give Luffy time to get closer to the platform they held Ace on without having to keep an eye on his back the whole time.
It had Rayleigh, and most of the Roger Pirates thinking of another man wearing that strawhat at one time. Roger would have stopped at nothing to get his son off of that scaffold, and it would seem that Ace’s little brother wouldn’t either. His perseverance seemed to hype up each and every one of the pirates in the bay and on the square. Believing that they would be getting Ace out of there at the end of the day.
It was the look in Ace’s eyes, that while difficult to see at a distance, was hurting them all. To see him defeated, accepting his fate as if he didn’t want them to come and save him. Luffy’s appearance seemed to have changed that, luckily, but it still hurt to see.
“Do you know who raised him?”
Looking at Gaban when he asked this, Rayleigh frowned, “From his relation with Luffy, I’d say Garp. I also expected something like that from Roger, he couldn’t ask one of us or Newgate to watch over Rouge and Ace. It would paint an even bigger target on their back. Not that it mattered a lot in the long run.”
Gaban huffed, “Remind me to have a few words to say to Garp next time we run into him. I doubt he had any good things to say about the captain, least of all to his son, if he’s looking so lost and defeated already.”
Rayleigh nodded at that, he too had a few words at the ready for when he ran into Garp again. He also had some words to say to Roger the next time he saw his captain, even if this was in the afterlife, that was if Rogue didn’t have words with him yet.
“Let’s focus on getting the brat out of here, we can see who we go to intimidate after.”
Blocking at attack from Kizaru while Gaban kept Aokiji at bay. Marco in the meantime was holding his own against Akainu, until they could hear commotion back on the Moby.
Exchanging looks, they turned to Marco, “Go, check on the old man, we’ll be fine.”
Marco nodded once, before he was winging his way back to Newgate. His screech at whatever was going on there enough to get them distracted. Before a hit landed, it was caught on a blade, the battlefield once again stopping as Shanks appeared on the scene. Standing in between men that had raised him since he was a toddler. On equal footing and relaxed knowing that Rayleigh and Gaban could keep up with him.
“Dealt with Kaido, you brat?”
Shanks just hummed, “He took off rather fast at the sight of so many of the Roger Pirates on board the Red Force. I think he might have had flashbacks to God Valley, which serves him right.”
Rayleigh grinned at that, never forgetting that Kaido had quite the beatdown at the hands of them all too. Especially after his captain fell and he wouldn’t let up in an effort to claim his treasure. He never did manage that, but found out that the Roger Pirates had made their name for a reason.
“Good, he deserves that, I don’t think any of us, or Newgate and his men forget what he has done to Oden.”
The three of them nodded, keeping an eye on Luffy as he first dealt with his own grandfather, before managing to get Sengoku to back off and free Ace.
That required Raylaigh, Gaban and Shanks to take extra care that the admirals weren’t leaving their sight. They wouldn’t put it above someone like Akainu to hit them where it hurts most. He might have succeeded too, if Shanks wasn’t so stubborn as to not let him leave.
Only backing up once Ace and Luffy raced past him into the heart of the pirates behind them. Surrounded by allies, and in no way easy pickings for the admirals and other higher tier marines.
“I think we’re done here.”
Slowly backing up, they made their way to the ships in the bay; either the Red Force or the Moby Dick. Looking over the ruins that once was Marineford with smirks on their faces. Served the marines and the World Government right if they were going to let them execute Ace just like that.
Rayleigh, having stepped on board the Moby to check up on both Luffy and Ace, nodded at Marco and Newgate as he passed them. Newgate was sitting in his chair as Marco attached all the medical equipment to his father. The frown on the first mate’s face one Rayleigh was familiar with. It had been the same frown he had sported when things started with Roger’s health.
As much as it pained him to admit, he too had gotten old. Newgate even more so, time would come that he wouldn’t be there anymore.
Seeing Luffy and Ace seated while another doctor looked them over, one he seemed to recognize as being on Ace’s original crew some years prior, he hummed as he sat down next to the two of them.
Not minding Ace’s guarded expression, and taking joy in Luffy’s elated one.
“How are you brats?”
Ace’s scowl was the same one Roger could be seen sporting at times, but he had a feeling he shouldn’t mention that. Luffy on the other hand assured him everything was fine, to which the doctor looking them over told him he certainly was not! The look in his eyes was the same one Crocus used to have whenever Roger insisted he was fine.
“Good to hear that! I’m sure the both of you will be healed up before long.”
Luffy hummed in agreement to that, before falling asleep against his brother’s shoulder. Ace just looked at him, something unreadable in his eyes.
“Despite what you heard about him, your father was a great man. One who would adore you to bits. I meant what I said that we did this in his honor, to keep his legacy alive, that however does not mean we don’t value you as a person just as much. Think about that for a bit, brat.”
He stood to leave Ace alone to his thoughts, hoping that his words had helped in more ways than one. The future would show them just how this impacted it all. He was just happy Roger’s legacy could live another day.