Archive of Our Own

Gol D Roger the man who had it all.

The King of Pirates, the terror of the seas, the great demon. The man who died and started the era of Pirates.

Once dead and now living again.

How did this happen you wonder, it turns out that the World Government had more absurd plans than anyone expected. Crueler, more disloyal plans than any man could dream of.

They cloned Roger.

You see, Roger's body was in the possession of the marine after his death and one of the scientists had the brilliant idea of using it as a test object. Taking Roger's DNA and creating a new Roger to serve them.

The new Roger has already been cloned as an adult, as has Stussy. His job was simple, serve the will of the king of the world, kill whoever they ordered killed and protect those they ordered to protect.

It is obvious that the orders were not well received, Roger hated following orders and especially when the orders came from the rich, nobles and idiots. The clone's rebellious behavior caused him to be punished several times in the beginning. Normally, Roger stayed in isolation.

A small cell that was close to the sea. Honestly, Roger loved that room, he could hear the sound of the water hitting the rocks, it was almost therapeutic. Stussy sometimes came to try to persuade him to cooperate with the new owners and breeders, but Roger refused to cooperate.

He had no reason to be there.

He had already done everything he wanted to do, his life was full of joy and adventure, everything he wanted to do had already been accomplished. Then there was no point in serving the government, there was nothing else he could want.

Well, Roger had a wish, but he would never say it out loud. He knew IM and the other elders were watching him, they always did that. He would be the World Government's greatest asset if he agreed to be their dog. But Roger wasn't going to cooperate, then he was still trapped.

One day the doors opened and a man walked in.

It was one of the Vegapunks. A large black lab coat covered the man's body and his face was hidden by a helmet. Roger continued looking at the wall without giving any importance to the scientist who had entered the cell.

“You've been here for five months” the scientist began to speak, “I admire your stubbornness, but it won't do you any good”

Roger remained silent, waiting for the scientist to leave the room then that Roger could return to his moment of contemplation. You see, Roger was never a man to sit still for long, he hated repetition and monotony, but if being quiet was going to piss off the governors , then Roger was going to win that game.

Seeing that he did not get any answers, the scientist continued to speak:

"You should give in, just say what you want and they'll give it to you"

Roger wants to laugh, now they were negotiating? Was the world government that desperate to attempt a negotiation? That was pathetic. All of them were pathetic.

That vegapunk didn't receive any response, something told Roger that the scientist already expected this. Before leaving, the scientist said:

“We all have a price, Your Majesty. We are all slaves to something.”

Roger didn't understand at first and he didn't bother trying to understand either. The clone knew that men of science spoke confusedly and ambiguously, following their instructions usually led to certain death.

Shakka, as the scientist himself later introduced himself, began to come every day. The scientist always came up with some random topic, whether it was about a book he had recently read, a strange scientific observation, or about whatever random thing had happened to him the day before.

Roger didn't mind too much at first, having someone else's voice was comforting after so long, especially someone who wasn't in the mood to torture him or question him about One Piece. After 7 days, Shakka started to sit next to Roger and just sat there talking to the walls, since Roger never answered.

There were days when the clone wanted to crush the scientist's skull with his bare hands, these were days when the scientist talked about science, cells and tissues of the human body. Other than his company being acceptable, these were the days when Shakka would talk about a book he read or recited a poem.

You see, Roger was never a man who cared for the arts, but he could appreciate a good story when it was well told and in that great boredom he was experiencing, poetry was pleasant.

It became a routine, Shakka would come after lunch and sit there with Roger for a short while. The clone never spoke, but the scientist liked the sound of his own voice.

This lasted until the twenty-seventh day, when Shakka entered the white cell carrying some papers with him, the scientist seemed excited about something. That day, Shakka didn't sit next to Roger as he usually did, but he sat in front of the clone. Roger was surprised, Shakka wasn't wearing a helmet that day.

“I already know how to make you cooperate, Mr. Roger” Shakka smiled excitedly with the discovery, “for the last three months I have been studying you in depth, your life, your achievements, your failures. And I finally found out what your price is"

The clone didn't respond. But Shakka already expected this.

“Your crew, your family” Shakka had a triumphant smile, like a cat presenting the small bird it had captured to its owner.

Roger felt an electric current running through his body, was that man really going to threaten the lives of Roger's crew? The clone didn't even know that the friends were alive or dead! He didn't even know how the crew was doing at that moment!

But Shakka didn't care, he continued talking as he always did.

“I understand now how important your crew was to you, and for that, I want to be the first to say: I'm sorry.” Shakka opened the papers he was carrying and there they were, newspaper pages.

Roger didn't understand at first, but it all made sense when the clone read the newspapers.“The whitebeard fall”. Newspapers told the story of how a young pirate was unjustly killed and how his captain tried to save him. Roger's hands shook when he noticed his son's face.

That was the first time he saw his son's face.

Such a young child, he hadn't even enjoyed life. Already dead for being the son of the king of pirates. For being his son. The clone felt all the pain turning into fury and the scientist couldn't stop talking, explaining the situation.

“The saddest part of this is: your crew, the people you loved, didn't show up to help you, which is a terrible disrespect I would say” Shakka continued calmly, pleased to see Roger's reactions, “You would do anything for them, but they didn't even hug your son. They never cared about him.”

Roger was no longer listening to the man. The clone just read the newspapers, the child was totally maligned, Edward Newgate, Roger's old enemy fought until his last breath to do the right thing and still failed.

Roger didn't believe that. Roger didn't want to believe it. Ace was supposed to be safe, Ace didn't need to be killed, Roger was the sinner, Ace didn't sin. This was not making sense.

Shakka smile.

“Well, one tried to help him, it was the clown, but he was useless too" the scientist remained calm, "It's a shame to die so young, he had a bright future ahead of him if it weren't for him be your son"

Roger didn't wait any longer, the clone grabbed the scientist by the neck and pinned him to the wall. The grip was strong, Roger wanted to kill that suffocated man. The clone just wanted him to shut up for a few minutes. Roger could have used his haki for that, but that scientist had irritated him to the point that Roger just decided to kill him with his own hands to satiate the anger he felt at that moment.

Normally, when someone was being choked, the person would use their bare hands to try to free themselves, but Shakka was not a normal person. The scientist held Roger's arms in that position and smiled, as if challenging the pirate king to continue, there was something in that man's eyes that made Roger understand that Shakka did not fear his own death.

“Squeeze harder if you want, your majesty, but I think you'll want to hear what I have to say” Shakka spoke with a cracking voice, he was really enjoying this, wasn't he?

Roger released the scientist and let him fall to the floor, Shakka caught his breath while Roger walked around the cell with the newspapers in his hands. Where had he gone wrong? That was certainly his fault.

“I understand that you must be very mentally troubled, losing a child is an irreparable pain for many parents” Shakka stood up and straightened his clothes. Fuck! That nutcase never shut up?

“But believe me when I say, I have a solution”

In the end Roger agreed to work for the world government, becoming a God's Knight who would obey Figarland Garling. The next day, Roger came out of isolation, was given new clothes and a his old sword, Ace.

Shakka, as expected, was waiting for Roger outside. The almost blinding sun bothered the clone's eyes, Roger stayed a long time with just the white light of those lamps, so the natural light of the day bothered him at first. With slow steps, the clone approached the scientist.

“They're going to send you for a little test, to assess your fidelity and competence” Shakka began to explain, inviting Roger to walk together with him as they made their way towards the big white ship.

"They want a show" Roger commented, that was the first time the clone had answered the scientist since they met.

Shakka looked at Roger in surprise, the scientist didn't expect a response from the silent knight beside him. Roger had never answered him before, it was always the scientist's voice that was heard. That made the science man happy, Roger was really cooperating at that moment.

“Yes, they want a show”

The mission itself was easy and cruel. Roger had to hunt and kill escaped slaves, Figarland was the appraiser. The clone had to admit, it was funny to see the Celestial Dragon Champion's astonished face when Roger killed those people, they thought Roger wouldn't be able to.

"Bring me a stronger opponent next time" Roger said looking into old Figarland's face, "killing weaker and hungry people is no fun"

Roger was accepted among the God's Knights. There were others like Roger, clones that drank blood. The clone recognized some faces. All of them were adult versions of Roger's old friends and enemies, except two, of course. Garling himself and his son, the man with red hair.

But that didn't matter to Roger, the Pirate King's clone was aiming for something that no one there would understand, and it didn't matter who or what Roger would have to kill to obtain.

The wait came to an end two months later.

When, returning from another mission, Roger saw Shakka smiling at him, that scientist's smile could mean a lot, but most of the time it meant success in some experiment.

The scientist did not say a word, no words were needed. As soon as the clone got close he noticed a small child hiding behind Shakka's legs, a small child who must have been at most 7 years old. Black hair framed the little boy's freckled face.

“Go Ace, say hi to your father” Shakka smiled and pushed the boy lightly so that he could talk to the clone. Ace hesitantly approached, looking at Roger with curiosity and fear.

Roger just knelt on the floor and pulled the boy into a tight, almost suffocating hug. That little body gradually relaxed, Roger concentrated on his own son's heartbeat. The clone wanted to make sure this was real, wanted to make sure the child wouldn't leave as soon as the hug ended. At that moment Roger promised that he would do anything to protect that child.

The clone felt the eyes of the redhead behind him on his back, the red haired man was always attentive to Roger's steps and that behavior did not go unnoticed, the clone of the pirate king had given that man very important information to him. Roger was aware of that, but at that moment the clone was more concerned about how his son would see him. As long as Ace looked kindly on him, Roger wouldn't mind if the world went up in flames.

“And don't worry, nobody suspects anything” Shakka spoke again, was that man still there? "They're all too busy with Wano to notice that the earth has been stirred and when they come back, they won't even notice"

Roger knew that Ace was buried next to Whitebeard, his son had been a member of that crew for a brief time. It was lucky that everyone was too busy with Wano to notice the World Government moving around, reckless pirates who stole the show were always useful to the Government's plans, weren't they?

“I took the liberty and bought clothes for your son, as well as toys and books for his recreation” Shakka sounded excited at the idea of Ace there, “everything is already in your room, Mister Roger, the servants have already been alerted and they will help you with everything you need for your child's safety”

Roger wants laugh in that moment. That was just a golden cage and Ace is the bird. The World Government just wanted Roger's strength and they were using a ghost for it. That was low, Roger should fight it, but in truth the clone of the pirate king was tired and Ace needed him. Then Roger would accept that for now.

The screams of Roger's victims were becoming unbearable, each day the weight heavier on the clone, it was as if all those souls came together to pull him down. Reminding him that he didn't deserve happiness, he didn't deserve anything but the pain he caused others. Roger was no longer covered in blood, but the blood was still there, under his fingernails, permanently marking him.

As he walked through the clean corridors, Roger could see all those bloodstained white walls. Even if they were clean, the blood of the innocent was still there. The clone stopped walking, reaching the destination and pushing the heavy door.

"Dad!" Ace's voice could be heard right away, the boy was sitting on the floor playing with a small red ball.

Shakka had provided some recreational toys, the scientist claimed that those toys were excellent for exercising hand-eye coordination and exercising the mind. Neither Roger nor Ace did not understand what the scientist was trying to explain. Father and son came to the conclusion that the scientist was just too excited about the opportunity to create toys for a child as well as weapons for the World Government. And among all those strange toys, Ace preferred the little red ball.

As soon as Roger closed the door behind him, Ace came up to his father and hugged the clone's legs. The son's cheerful smile made the former pirate king happier and more relaxed.

“Where did you go this time?” Ace questioned curious

“An island in the new world, remember what I told you about the new world?”

"Yes, it's unpredictable to predict the weather there, it can rain a lot and be very sunny in the same day, not to mention that the waters of the new world are full of dangers" Ace tried to remember the explanation he received about the new world.

“Good, good, very good” Roger stroked his son's hair, “Did anything interesting happen while I was away?”

"Nothing, everything is normal" Ace replied, but soon added: "and I dreamed of animals again"

Ace had these dreams with animals very often, it all started with a big boat on top of a tree and in that boat Ace played with a red monkey and a yellow dog that wore a dark blue top hat. On some nights, Ace was sailing with a large white whale that had several birds on its back, Ace described some of the birds, a bluebird, a penguin and a heron.

“What was the animal this time? Or was it with the great white whale again?” Roger preferred to focus on his own son's childhood dreams rather than his own problems.

“It was with a big red lion” Ace began to explain the dream, “I found him on an island, he was very strong, because even with a scar on his face and missing a paw that lion was still impressive. I drew a picture of him!"

Ace hurried to pick up a sheet of paper, the little freckled crow proudly showed his dad the drawing. A big red lion sunbathing on an island and a little boy looking on.

Ace had several drawings that way in fact, the great white whale and his birds were the most common ones for Ace to draw. But there were also large numbers of a red monkey and a yellow dog with a dark blue top hat.

“You're getting better at your Ace drawings” Roger commented proudly, his son had a talent for something that didn't involve piracy.

"I don't have much to do here other than that dad" Ace admitted a little frustrated, he hated that monotony as much as Roger did.

“I know, I'm sorry about that” Roger understood that Ace had a restless mind, a D wasn't created to be locked in a cage.

Ace returned to show the drawings while both shared a few moments of the day. Most of the time they were pleasant conversations, after the conversations the food was served by the servants and Roger always sent Ace to shower before going to sleep. That was their routine.

In the beginning, Ace always escaped the care of the servants for an exploration, but he soon learned that if he broke the rules, it was the slaves who suffered punishment, who were constantly punished with beatings if something happened. According to the red-haired man, that happened because the slaves had to supply all of Ace's desires and whims, if the maid couldn't entertain the child, she should be properly whipped.

The little freckled crow might not admit it, but Ace couldn't live with knowing someone was being beaten up just because he decided to go steal a piece of meat from the kitchen. Because of this, drawing and reading became more common hobbies for the freckled crow, and no one needed to get hurt if he well behaved.

Father and son had already had dinner and now it was time for bed, but Ace wasn't sleepy. Which was obvious seeing how excited and agitated the boy was on a daily basis.

“You have to sleep, Ace” Roger put his son on his bed, “Now where is that book I was reading to you?”

“hum…dad” the boy's hesitant voice made the clone stop looking for the object and look at his son, “when will I be able to play with the other children? Those black-winged kids, I think their hair are pretty.”

Ace wanted to play with the seraphs?

The seraphim were another line of clones, they were cloned from the blood of warlords with the addition of lunarian blood. Seraphim were a big gamble by dr Vegapunk, because they were young, seraphim could still grow and become more powerful than their originals.

Even though Roger and Ace were clones, they weren't clones like the seraphim. Their role was different. Seraphim were made to function among the marine, pirates, and regular people. A glimpse of God's strength over poor souls. Roger and the others' mission was different, they still killed people on government orders, but they acted more directly with celestial dragons annd nobles than with marines and pirates.

Roger knew it was only a matter of time before he was sent to fight a pirate, but the clone didn't want to talk about that right now.

“They are seraphs, Ace” Roger started to explain. “They are the creation of Vegapunk”

"AND? When will I be able to play with them? It's too boring here, it'll be nice to have other kids to play with.” Ace didn't understand what the problem was, those kids looked so nice.

Roger smiled at his son before replying, "I hope you can play together then."

The pirate king's clone understood that the seraphs were weapons of the government, Roger didn't understand the purpose of all that, just like Ace the seraphs were children too, they deserved freedom too. Deep down, Roger also wanted to see those children happy.

It didn't take long for Ace to start breaking into the dorm where the seraphs slept. At first, the children found the boy strange, and apart from the fact that everyone there was cloned, they were nothing alike.

Seraphim were weapons of war, they had no choice but to obey, if they were weak then they would be killed and replaced with an improved version. And about Ace? Ace was only there as a tool of Roger's control, a simple tool used nothing more to hurt the pirate king.

But Ace didn't give up trying to talk to them. And little by little everyone got used to the boy's presence.

While Ace explored, Roger received missions.

This time Roger would have to face his former first mate, Silvers Rayleigh. Was this another preposterous test of fidelity? Or an unhealthy way to reassert the power they had over Roger? A personal vendetta? The clone would never know the answer, but a man had to do what was ordered by his superiors.

And now here was Roger, going to meet the target with no expectation of running away. Roger knew what would happen if he failed and he wasn't going to let that happen again.

As far as Roger knew, Rayleigh had spent the last few years running the bar with his wife, living the quiet life. It was almost ironic to think about, Rayleigh living a quiet life without much heartache.

“You've aged well” Roger said to the swordsman in front of him.

On that small island full of trees, Roger found the former first mate. The clone also saw Shakky and other women, the clone assumed they were the kuja pirates and the one with the long black hair must be the current leader, Boa Hancock. She is not that pretty, Roger thought as he analyzed all the opponents. Another easy job for him.

“Captain…” Ray looked hesitant and scared.

Roger didn't judge the man for that. The clone also had to go through the stages of acceptance in that crazy new life, now Roger didn't care anymore about the screams of the victims or the constant blood on his hands.

The battle started even before Shakky could see it coming. It was a tough fight as Ray was hesitant to attack and always on the defensive, he got slower Roger thought as he wrestled with his best friend. Tired of that meaningless dispute, Roger then decided to attack more directly, the faster he accomplished the mission, the faster he would return home.

“Captain stop!” Ray was trying as hard as he could to protect those women, “These people want to live!”

Roger stopped suddenly.

Until that moment Roger was just doing his duty, he just wanted to complete the mission and go home. But those words sent him into a deep fury, the pirate king's blood was boiling so much that he just held Shakky's head and said looking at the former mate as he plunged his sword into the woman:

“My son wanted it too”

After that the battle turned to just one big red, no matter how many blows or attacks Roger received. He just fought back as brutally and violently as he could. It didn't take long for everyone to be dead.

When Roger's fury subsided, he just found himself surrounded by blood and debris, he recognized the former first mate's body and saw Ray's blood on his hands. The feeling he felt was strange and confusing, not unlike the feeling he had when killing the other victims. No less, no more. Just the same.

The calm steps took Roger out of that moment of reflection, he already recognized the steps of the red haired man, since he always appeared to assess the damage that Roger had caused.

“Wow, I thought that bitch would petrify you”

“I like blondes” Roger answered simply.

The news of Silvers Rayleigh's death traveled around the pirate world in the worst possible way, as everybody could imagine. Ray was a famous name and a man with an incredible reputation, many friends and enemies, his downfall was as talked about as Whitebeard's downfall.

But Roger didn't care, back to the new house, sitting in a comfortable chair by the sea, the clone watched his son collect shells, that little break was provided by the redhead, a compensation for the work or something like that. The clone noticed the scientist approaching, Shakka hadn't appeared for months so Roger just let the scientist settle down and start a conversation as it always happened between them.

“When I heard who his new target was, I thought you was going to call for help and run away, get your freedom” Shakka was a man of logic, preferring to appreciate the beauty of numbers over social norms, then it was unusual for him to step out of the lab and rarer still when him went to the beach.

Roger took a while to answer, watching his son play with the wet sand.

“I wonder sometimes if I was such a bad captain” Roger replied sadly, “I did my best to take care of them, I turned myself in to the marine so no one would have to die, I stole the world government weapons and hid them, plus all the treasure I collected… and for what? You Vegapunks made more and more terrible weapons, stolen treasure? They raised taxes. And my son…my crew never even gave him a hug. He died for my crimes and he doesn't even deserve a hug, was I such a bad captain?"

Shakka had to admit that he wasn't prepared for that answer.

“The worst part is knowing that the man I considered a son let his own daughter die because the gold and the title of king of pirates was more important” Roger was sad, he didn't want that, he never wanted any of that. He always went out of his way to say that life was more important than anything else, but here were Shanks and Buggy chasing after a title, a simple pile of gold while leaving behind people who should have mattered to them.

“Is this my legacy? Is gold the most important thing in the world?” Roger didn't know what he should say or act, since he was brought back everything was so terrible. He was a selfish asshole and he hurt the only people who depended on him, Rouge and Ace. “I abandoned my son once, doc, I thought I'd protect him by handing myself over to prison, and with that I just admitted that gold was more important than a family”

“I abandoned my son once doc, I don't want to do it again. I'm going to be the father that Ace is now, I don't want to be a selfish captain anymore that the only legacy is… This is my second chance, I want to at least face Rouge with pride this time”

Shakka couldn't think of anything else but those words, the man in front of him was so broken. That goodness Roger had was still there, that good man still lived in there, he was just bruised and broken.

“Doctor…” Hesitantly, Roger started talking again, “I was sick before I died…if anything happens to me…could you make sure they never hurt Ace? He's all I have left now, maybe the only good thing I've ever done, I don't want him to get hurt because of me again."

“I do”

Shakka replied with a tearful voice, even though it was logic he still had a heart. Even with all the research he did and weapons he built, Shakka still had a heart. He was feeling bad for allowing the world government to use Roger and Ace like that.

A few days passed before Roger received a new mission.

Roger was just exercising when the redhead approached with a smile on his face, that meant that something wasn't going to end well for anyone involved. But the clone was already used to that situation.

"I have good news for you" the redhead said excitedly while carrying an envelope that should contain information about the next mission. "Our superiors came to the conclusion that we will need a new justice in this new era, so we need to eliminate the current justice and I separated some targets that you would like" and saying that, the redhead held out the envelope to the clone.

Roger hesitantly took the envelope, and the moment he saw the pictures of his next victims the clone's eyes flashed with hatred. Sakazuki aka Akainu, Sengoku the Buddha and Monkey D Garp.

"As you can already see, the government wants to clean up again and some marines think they know more than they do, they even invented this stupid little Sword club" the redhead noticed the gleam of hatred in the clone's eyes, "We guarantee you that as long as you worked for us your son would be safe, so how about getting rid of those who might be a threat to your son in this new era, hun?”

Roger knew what was going on, he understood the game that was being played there, he was just going to once again get rid of a government inconvenience, killing the marines who are trying to organize, who believe the lie that pirates are evil of the world and that humanity would be safer without them. Roger knew this cleanup was going to be a new lost century. But Roger was too angry with them to ignore the opportunity.

“I heard that Sakazuki prepares to leave, he goes after Aokiji, who is currently affiliated with the Blackbeard Pirates. As Akainu is a sword, he is free to challenge whoever he wants and the marine will not be responsible for his actions. It would be a shame for this meeting to end with the death of everyone involved, no?”

Roger crumpled up the photos with the mention of the pirate's name and his entire crew, a cowardly man who deserved nothing but sheer misery. The pirate king's rage was like a raging sea, a force of nature that only stopped when there was nothing left in front of him. It was because of that violence that they started calling Roger a demon. Perhaps the world was cruel to Ace because they forgot how cruel Roger could be in seeking revenge, then Roger would demonstrate to his enemies just how demonic he could be.

“When do we leave?” Roger's voice came out rough and deep.

"Two days from now" the redhead smiled in satisfaction, using Roger's love for the family as a weapon was the best idea those five elders ever had.

As the information pointed out, Akainu was really going after Aokiji, tired of the mess that the former marine companion had made, Akainu traveled the sea until he found the other logia user and now they faced each other.

And with just one swing of Roger's sword, Ace, a marine ship was ripped in half. That caught the attention of everyone involved who looked scared at the new enemy that was approaching and to their pure astonishment, who was there dressed as a perfect God's knight was the ghost of Gol D Roger.

“What's up guys? Weren't you so brave and fearless?" Roger approached, his haki already making them fall to their knees on the ground. The clone wouldn't measure efforts, everyone there was an enemy, they all deserved to suffer. "Or is there no fun when it's not an innocent child for you to hurt?"

Akainu was confused and irritated, as was to be expected, he didn't understand why those men so similar to famous pirates were wearing the clothes of God's Knights, and the main thing is that God's Knights don't get involved with pirate and marine affairs, then why were they there?

"What are you doing?" Sakazuki huffed in rage as his head throbbed in sheer pain from the former Pirate King's haki. “You can't do this!”

Roger was ready to move forward, but the red haired man stopped him.

“Your services are no longer needed, you're going to die anyway, then I guess I can share this with you, but our supreme ruler takes no pleasure in your corrupt justice” oh how that redhead loved that. He loved the face of terror when the victim understood the truth. “We are the true divine will, the truth personified, what good is justice if it is not aligned with the truth?”

Roger, already tired of that theatrical game, gave the first attack. The fight that ensued was basically a massacre, the former king of pirates had no compassion for the victims, whether marines or pirates, he also didn't care when the young Lord Figarland killed Blackbeard's slaves. Roger already understood the reason, there could be no witnesses.

When the battle was over, the two men sat down on the rubble of the ruins of that island, and drank the cheap sake that was in the pirates' possession.

“What good is justice if it is not aligned with the truth?” Roger repeated, "What the fuck was that?"

The redhead chuckled.

“Too dramatic?”

“Terrible” at the clone's response, both laughed together excitedly, “but how are we going to explain this mess? Akainu was a marine officer and Aokiji was famous too, not to mention that good-for-nothing rat.”

"Don't worry, tomorrow's newspaper already has the explanation" the redhead pulled out a newspaper and handed it to the clone, the headline said that the admiral's fleet and the pirate's fleet had met and fought terribly among themselves, in the end they all died.

Roger didn't believe that blatant lie, but he was sure that many civilians would buy that lie. Like many marines, Akainu was probably going to receive some honor after being killed on duty.

“Well, let’s go to the next one”

Sengoku the Buddha was a little more fun than Roger expected, the man was furious as he realized that all the work he had put in, all the sacrifices he had made in the name of justice, all the people he had killed in the name of justice had been for nothing. Nothing he did made any sense, because in the end the government didn't care. Divine justice and true truth were not the same thing, and what he did all his life was feed monsters becoming as sinful as any other man of the sea.

Nothing was more satisfying to Roger than seeing that face - usually so proud and cold - tearing itself to pieces. There was a pleasure in revenge that Roger loved to feel, to see all of his enemies realizing that the marine was never there to protect humanity, that the justice they loved so much was actually a cheap lie that served to fool idiots and that in the end, marines and pirates were nothing more than a pastime in the hands of the king of the world.

They were on their way to the Garp when the Red Force swung into action.

Roger didn't expect that. He just wanted to finish the job as soon as possible to go home, Roger was sure Ace was missing him at that moment.

“How many days can we delay?” Roger asked the red haired man beside him.

“Five days is the maximum delay, after that the next target will change responsibility”

"Good. I only need three”

Roger showed himself to Shanks, several emotions and memories passed in the minds of both captains. Conflicted feelings in all involved, the Red Force were looking to avenge Silvers, but knowing that the assassin had the face of former Captain Roger hurt Shanks in a way they was not prepared for.

“Are you a new line pacifist?” Shanks said, the red haired captain was confused, angry and sad all at the same moment.

"You've grown up, that makes me happy" Roger said with deep pride in his voice, he always considered Shanks and Buggy important people to him. “How is Buggy doing? Are you taking care of him? That boy is too soft to take care of himself.”

Those words caused the redhead to hesitate, Shanks preferred that silent pacifist like Kuma, not someone who got the past thrown into him like that fake Roger was doing.

“Is that your crew? Seems to be pretty strong, I've heard good things from all of you, I hope it's all true” Roger remained with the same affectionate and playful tone of voice from Shanks' memoirs, which only made the job harder.

Roger's fight against the Red Force on that deserted island lasted three days. The clone didn't want to take any longer than that, he still had things to discuss with Garp before returning home, not to mention that he would be late, he would need to buy a present for his son to make up for the delay.

“You've grown up well, that's good” Roger was happy with Shanks' progress, he always knew the boy had great potential. “I have to go now, I have other commitments and responsibilities now”

Shanks laughed. In all his life Shanks never dreamed that Gol D Roger would worry about responsibilities and commitments, the man did what he wanted when he wanted and now he was playing a responsible man. Finally hypocrisy. That definitely wasn't his captain.

And then, to Shanks' surprise, that fake Roger looked sad with laughter. As if the redhead was humiliating him or hurting him deeply, Shanks didn't understand what had happened. He wanted to immediately apologize for the offence, but what he got was far worse than defeat.

"I see. I really was a horrible captain, wasn't I?" Roger looked so downcast, defeated “I taught you and Buggy that money, fame and power was all that mattered in this world, what a fool I was” Roger put his sword away, “I lost my son to that damned pride and I ended up teaching you that material things were more important than your own daughter. I wish I could have been a better captain for you.”

At that moment, Shanks' world stopped. The one in front of him wasn't a government robot, that wasn't a simple pacifist. The one ahead of him was Gol D Roger, not the glorious king of pirates, but the man. The man who was executed years ago. The man Shanks learned to look up to.

"I'm going to be a better man for my son now" Roger continued to speak, but Shanks was barely processing that sentence when the clone completed with the second, "I'm sorry I wasn't a good man for you"

And without looking back, Roger left, returning the path previously interrupted.

Garp's house was small, a small, simple fisherman's house. Roger never understood that idiot marine, but the pirate never paid enough attention to care about his old friend's taste.

As soon as Roger entered the house, Garp was already waiting for him.

“You're late” the marine began to complain, “if you're going to take revenge on someone, be quick and don't keep the victim waiting”

Roger limited himself to answering, seeing a table full of drinks and food and there was also a gift wrapped next to the marine.

“So how is he?” Garp said bluntly, seeing the clone's stoic reaction he decided to continue, “My grandson, how is he? For the love of all seas, Roger! You would only accept working for the government if your family was the bargaining chip, your crew is fine, then Ace is the only thing they could use against you.”

Roger stopped walking and blinked for a few seconds, and then he started laughing.

“Of everyone I met you were the only one who connected the dots…I really was a horrible captain” Roger was sad again, none of Roger's former crew and not even his first mate thought about the likelihood that they were using Ace as an object of blackmail, Roger really was a demon.

Garp set down his sake cup and looked at his former friend.

“It's my fault, I should have been more insistent about them staying with Ace, maybe if I was more stubborn they could have listened to me…”

“It wasn't your fault, we make choices, we make mistakes and suffer the consequences of our choices, it was my choice to be irresponsible, even if I didn't have the consequences...”

Garp laughed bitterly, in his youth he would have loved to hear something like that, but now? He understood what Roger was going through, the marine had made the wrong decisions and that took him away from his own family. He had failed twice, once as a father and once as a grandfather.

“...Does he remember me?”

"No"

“Then I am happy” Garp took the gift beside him and offered it to Roger, “I made the right choice, I chose justice again and again and even when I saw someone dear to me die in front of me I still I made the right choice…I am…I really am an unforgiving person”

Roger took the package delicately, by its size and softness, the clone deduced that the gift was a stuffed animal.

"It's a whale" Garp said without looking at Roger, "I know how much he admired Edward Newgate"

“He was a true man, a true warrior” Roger added.

The next day all the newspapers were talking about just one thing, the great hero of the marine, Monkey D Garp, had committed suicide inside his own house. He was found dead on the couch with a bullet in his head and a gun in his hands. Garp was veiled as a great hero and many mourned his death.

And somewhere in the holy land, unaware of all the sadness of those days, Ace hugged a stuffed whale before going to sleep.

For Roger the world was moving too fast, things had changed a lot in a short time, he himself had changed! Roger was getting tired of those ideas, and those greedy old men who corrupted everything they touched.

He and Ace were now on a big farm, what were they doing there?

Apparently resting. Well actually Shakka and the other Vegapunks were making that place their new laboratory. Understand Roger wasn't there to protect Vegapunk, he was there to make sure he and the other scientists didn't run away. They had already tried once, when one of those scientists tried to sell the seraphs to a pirate in exchange for help in the escape, which ended in death of one of them and now they had to stay under observation. In fact it was only a matter of time before the government had try to killed them.

Since it was a simple task, Roger took Ace with him for the mission. The fresh farm air would do the boy good, a big space for him to run around and explore without fear. And that's exactly what Ace did, he ran, climbed trees, found and played with beetles.

Roger had to admit, it was funny the seraphs's confused expressions when Ace tried to make beetle fights with them. Ace tried to help them choose a name for themselves. How did he do it? Ace stole a book from the library, don't ask Roger how he did it, as the library was always locked and no one seemed to notice or not care, as so far no punishment had been applied.

And at that moment they were sitting on the grass outside the big house with the book open.

"Come on, there must be a name you wanted, s-hawk, you and S-bear haven't chosen one yet" Ace was getting impatient, s-snake had been the first to choose a name for her, Gina, and the rest was following her and now all that was missing were those two stubborn idiots.

“I'm thinking” S-hawk looked at the book carefully, reflecting on the options he had, “I liked the one with the D”

"Dante? Damian?"

“Yes, Damian” S-hawk liked saying his own name, Ace's stealing tendencies show very useful in the end.

"And now you just need S-bear" Gina looked at the other curiously, what name would that boy choose for himself?

“I don't need to choose one, I already have a name” S-bear spoke calmly, shocking all the children around him, “my name is Kuma 2”

"No!" was the general response.

Roger chuckled as he watched those kids, even if no one else called them by the names they chose they would still keep using each other. It was good that those clones tried to live a life beyond the one planned by the government.

They spent three weeks there and during that time Ace managed to explore the entire place, even finding a secret, unused room to hide in. Roger wondered how that boy managed to find hiding places so easily like that.

Everything was at peace and it looked like it was going to be a peaceful night, the scientists had already accepted that there would be no escape and returned to work for the world government, manufacturing more weapons as they always do. Roger did a little night patrol inside that big mansion, outside the window you could see the moon and the stars, the light of the celestial body was the only thing that illuminated those dark corridors and even the pasture of the farm was with a beautiful shine.

It was on those calm nights that Roger missed the sea, the rocking of the waters, the wood always creaking in the background and the smell of the sea air. Maybe he could take Ace with him on the next mission, even if his son just stays inside the boat. It was going to be nice sailing with him for the first time.

It was in the midst of those nostalgic thoughts that Roger noticed a strange silver glow in the distance, the clone concentrated on that point and soon he noticed that silver glow was moving fast. With a brief observation, Roger deduced that it was the revolutionary army.

Could it be that Dragon had feelings for his dead father and was now seeking revenge? There was that small chance, but Roger didn't believe in that theory. There should be something else, maybe Vegapunk? No, if those revolutionaries had common sense they wouldn't trust someone who built weapons for the government. A troublesome enemy was much better than an ally you couldn't trust.

Roger didn't want to get involved in family fights, but if those idiots wanted to fight, then Roger would. Understand that the clone had no option, Ace was sleeping somewhere in that house, if those revolutionaries invaded and started a riot, Ace could get hurt. He didn't want his son with the most nightmares because Dragon and his friends had a savior complex.

With a simple movement Roger opened the window and jumped out, the faster that was resolved the better it would be.

That battle proved more laborious than it should have been. The flames of the revolution hit everything, burning the fields and Roger feared that it would reach the mansion. Ace was sleeping there, it was a small mistake on Roger's part not to notice the fire logia user approaching.

That infuriated the king of pirates, those men were crossing the line.

“Roger, you were once a good man!” Dragon tried to talk, "you don't have to do this"

"As far as I know, I'm known as a demon" Roger replied not giving importance to what the revolutionary wanted to say. With a kick he knocked the man in front of him down, "You know your father was the kindest marine I knew, the stupidest too and you...you don't have his kind eyes"

Roger felt the flame revolutionary coming towards him, he punched the boy as soon as he approached. The clone noticed the dark blue top hat falling next to the boy, the yellow hair and a burn scar on his face. This sparked a strange curiosity in the clone, Ace's strange childhood drawings flashed through his mind.

“What is your name, dog?” Roger approached, the yellow haired boy tried to get up, "What's your name, dog?"

The flame revolutionary looked at Roger with a huge expression of fury, "He was right to hate you" Sabo spat the words as the clone grabbed him by the hair. "You're just a damn demon"

Not getting the response he wanted, Roger threw the young man into the wall. The clone hated it when victims played hard to get. It was just giving simple information, no games needed.

"Dad?!" Ace's crying voice was heard from inside the mansion, Ace woke up and went to look for food but found a bloody battle going on in that beautiful garden. Now the boy was looking for his father in the middle of the confusion.

The realization made Roger's blood run cold, Ace shouldn't have come out of hiding, that was dangerous. The seraphs were controlling the flames and the revolutionaries together with Roger and the other knights so that nothing could reach the mansion. But even with all the efforts, from a simple open window, Ace noticed all the chaos happening while he was slept.

“Damian!” Roger yelled, “Get my son out of here now! Take him to the ship!”

And immediately S-Hawk flew towards the open window to take Ace to safety. Unfortunately, it wasn't just Roger who noticed the boy, but a few revolutionaries as well, including that yellow-haired boy with the burn scar on his face.

Roger was right to ask about his name, the bellow he gave was loud and sharp. The boy got up in anger and attacked Roger with fury, the revolutionary blamed the clone for Ace's fate.

"What you do with him? Ace was never going to submit to that! He always sought freedom!” Sabo said as he attacked, not caring that the former king of pirates managed to fend off every blow he landed.

"He still thinks about you and draws about the tree house" It was the only thing Roger said, the blond in front of him looked like he was going to cry at any moment.

The battle after this became easier, many revolutionaries were captured that night. Some were arrested and others killed outright. The boy in the top hat, the second in command of the revolutionary army, was duly arrested, apparently Figarland wanted him alive for questioning.

“Those motherfucking revolutionaries nearly killed Kuma 2!” S-flamingo complained in frustration.

Seraphs were supposed to be indestructible, unfortunately in an unguarded moment - when the flames were low - Kuma 2 took a heavy hit and was now out of use for a while.

"I appreciate your concern for me Tony, but the doctors say I'll be ready to return to duty within two weeks" S-bear remained calm, he didn't like to talk much but he was going to thank S-flamingo properly for the concern.

“I'm not worried about you, we'll just have to do your job until you get better you idiot” S-flamingo replied rudely.

“Oh…if that is the reason, then forgive me for the work”

“Tony, stop yelling at Kuma 2” S-crocodile ordered, irritated with that boy's voice.

“Kuma 2!” Ace's voice caught everyone's attention, the boy was entering that big dorm accompanied by his father "I was told you were resting, so I stole these books for you to read"

"You have to stop stealing things, Ace" S-Snake looked at the smaller boy in disbelief.

Roger sat in the corner and watched the kids interacting, they all looked so relaxed, like normal kids and not clones of the world government. That was a good and perfect moment.

"I don't know why you care, Ace" S-flaming started talking while eating the cookies Ace had stolen from the kitchen.

"I care!" Ace responded quickly.

“Tony is right” S-Hawk said, “there is no place for us in this world, Ace”

Roger understood those words, they were clones and the seraphs were still lunarian clones! The world was going to treat them rudely just because of that, Roger and Ace still looked human but those kids didn't and everything would be harder for them for that reason.

But to everyone's surprise, Ace didn't believe that.

“If such a place does not exist, then I will create it!” there was a strange, strong determination in Ace's words at that moment, “One day we will flee the government and live in the land I conquer! If no one wants you, then I want you and let's sail together as a family!”

The reactions to those words were as varied as possible, some like S-flamingo laughed at that idea, others - like S-Crocodile and S-Hawk - were quiet reflecting on that strange promise. And then there was Roger, who recognized that strange, absurd determination, as he also recognized the gentle look in his son.

Roger had only known one man who could promise the impossible while dreaming of peace time, Edward Newgate. Silently the pirate king's clone cursed his old friend, Damn you Edward Newgate. You influence my son even though your dead you idiot! Ace is my son, not yours!

With the arrival of the revolutionary Sabo's execution date, it was already predicted that the captain of the Straw Hats would try to stop the execution of his older brother. The world government was more prepared this time for a pirate rebellion. It means, seraphs and knights willing to fight in that war.

Roger had to admit, that pointless fight was fun. It had been a while since he last faced people as dumb and determined as those pirates, not to mention the irony that Garp's grandson was the one leading them. That old monkey failed terribly at raising children, didn't he?

The clone realized that as soon as Sabo shouted “he's alive! They're holding him prisoner" caused the Straw Hat Pirates to riot, the clone carefully watched as the boy transformed into something shiny.

Honestly it was fun facing him in that form. The problem happened when Luffy got tired, Roger noticed that his body got tired too fast and soon a swordsman and a man in a suit were running close to their captain, reasoning fast Roger understood that Luffy needed short periods of rest after using that transformation.

That was almost dishonest.

Roger guided everyone to victory by not letting anyone near Luffy and also forcing the boy to fight when he couldn't anymore. It was almost cowardly. In the end, the world government was once again victorious, many pirates were killed and others arrested.

“We have to stay alert, even having arrested those freaks will try to escape or start a revolution inside the prison” the red haired man spoke while leafing through the newspaper, “I put their captain in total isolation and lie about where he is , but we still have to watch out for that drunken idiot trying to break the kid out of jail.”

“Whatever” Roger didn't understand why he was listening to that.

"You do not care? The boy was being the world's big bet on being the next king of pirates, the one who would find One Piece "

“You think I care about that treasure? I died, whoever wants that gold go look for it” Roger didn't give a damn about that madness.

The red haired man's laugh was loud, he always enjoyed seeing Roger's anger in action.

And unaware of the news that ran around the world, Ace messed with the things that the God's Knights had brought from the last mission. Ace was a curious boy and since he never went anywhere, he was always curious about the missions of the other children and his father.

At that moment he found a very peculiar item. It was a straw hat. It had three marks on top, as if someone had pierced the straw with a blade and annother someone had sewn it up. Ace touched the hat carefully, examining that strangely familiar object that he had never seen in his life.

Touching the straw hat carefully, Ace vaguely remembered the smell of earth wet with rain, a forest where he could run freely, the laughs he and other boys had on some sunny afternoon. The images looked like his dream, but this time more colorful and full of emotions, with a slight headache Ace started to crywhen everything didsense.

"Lu..."