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Portgas D. Rouge
It was a name that lurked in the shadows. One that was known by many but only so few got the pleasure of meeting the woman face to face. She had the ability to walk right next to someone and they didn’t even realize that she was there. She was beautiful, graceful, strong, and smart. Rouge was calculating and willing to do anything that she could to the best of her abilities. The first time that they had met, she had practically swept him off of his feet.
Roger was absolutely smitten the second he’d met her. He had never met anyone else like her. She was someone who easily lurked in the shadows. She could do whatever she set her mind to do. Be whoever she wanted to be.
And, somehow, Gol D. Roger managed to gain this woman’s love.
Having a lover as a pirate was a dangerous game. Not only was it a strength, it was the ultimate weakness. Someone that could be used against him, and Roger did have that fear. The thought was there that someone would attempt to use her against him. Only, Rouge seemed to prove him wrong every time.
Roger did everything he could to protect her identity and kept people from knowing about her. It was the only thing that he could do. He didn’t want her in the line of fire, but he loved having her right there with him. It was comforting to be able to set eyes on her and see it for himself.
Rouge always had a way of showing her heart time and time again, and the lengths that she would go.
The first time, the Roger Pirates had just defeated the Rocks Pirates within the aftermath of God Valley. They were back on the ship and heading away from the fallen island with their treasure on the ship. They were laughing and celebrating their major win.
As they were, Roger had eyed the treasure they had gotten. A treasure chest was sitting among the loot that they had taken during that time. Rouge was happily talking with Rayleigh and celebrating herself as Roger approached the treasure chest. “Alright, let’s see exactly what treasure we got–” His sentence was cut off as he opened up the treasure chest and was greeted with a screaming and wailing baby. Roger wasn’t the only one who was looking inside in just pure, utter shock. Rayleigh and Gaban were right there with him. Roger’s eyes had widened and his jaw had dropped.
Was he seeing this correctly?
That… that was actually a baby.
“What is a baby doing in here?” Roger questioned in surprise. The baby did not stop wailing. Screaming out and little arms and legs were flailing. He could see the wisps of bright red hair on the baby’s head. From what he could tell, the baby looked well-cared for. Who would put their baby into a treasure chest? Roger inhaled sharply as he looked up and turned his gaze to the remnants of God Valley. The island was gone. It had been destroyed just moments after they had gotten off the island. Anyone who had been there or would have been the family of this baby would be… gone. As he looked back down to the baby, panic hit him next. “Hey, hey, now… Calm down, it’s okay.”
What did he do?
He had never cared for a baby before. This had never even crossed his mind at first. The baby continued to cry. Kicking and red in the face. Roger ran every possibility of what to do in his mind as he reached out and took the baby into his arms. The baby appeared to be roughly a year old. Roger had started bouncing on his feet, tapping at the baby’s back, and continued to try and mutter soft reassurances.
Nothing was working.
Then, Rouge walked up next to him. A soft smile came to her face as she reached out and used the back of her finger to wipe the tears away. Suddenly, Roger heard a soft, “Yo-hohoho. Yo-hohoho. Yo-hohoho. Yo-hohoho. Yohohoho.” She had kept going as her soft, angelic voice moved out over the deck. The baby’s gaze had moved to Rouge and sniffled as Rouge kept going, “Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo. Umikaze kimakaze namimake. Shio no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu. Sora nya wa o kaku, tori no uta.”
Roger felt the surprise go through him again as the baby’s cries started to calm down as Rouge continued on singing softly along to Bink’s Sake. She wiped away the baby’s tears as they continued to fall and Roger found himself watching her. Her smile was soft as she leaned into Roger’s side, settling her head down onto his shoulder as she kept going. It gave Roger a thought. So, he jumped in with her, “Sayonara minato, tsumugi no sato yo. Don to icchou utao, funade no uta. Kinpa-ginpa mo shibuki ni kaete. Oretache yuku zo, umi no kagiri.”
Soon, it had caused the baby to lull. Cries turned into sniffles and hiccups but interested eyes stayed on Rouge. Roger inhaled sharply the second that the baby leaned down against his shoulder and practically melted into him. Roger kept on and Rouge swayed with him.
During the shock of the unexpected arrival, Roger found himself staring down at the baby.
What were they supposed to do now?
Rouge had become enamored with the newest addition to their ship. They had quickly discovered that the baby was a boy, and without knowing the baby’s name, they had decided to give him one. They had agreed on Shanks. Rouge was adamant about caring for the baby, and Roger had to agree. He was just a defenseless baby. A pirate ship might not be the best place for a baby, but it was better than leaving him on some other island. With the connection to God Valley, it had every alarm bell going off in Roger’s head. It didn’t feel right to just leave him. There was a reason that Shanks ended up on their ship.
It was… fate.
Rouge had become motherly towards Shanks, doing everything that she could for him. Quickly, Shanks had managed to win over the hearts of every single pirate on the ship. For anyone who might not know, it did appear as if Shanks was Rouge’s baby. Shanks was showing an inclination for Roger and Rouge. In a way, it felt like they sort of adopted the boy as their own.
Over the next eight years, it started to show more and more. Rouge had practically taken up the role of being Shanks’ mother. She also showed she had a Mama Bear instinct and would not let anyone harm the boy at all. She was more than willing to fight for him, and Roger would stand there with a proud smile on his face. Shanks was an absolute joy to have around, and it felt like it had completed something among them.
Then Buggy joined them. They had found Buggy as someone that Shanks met on an island, and Rouge became smitten with the idea that Shanks would have a sibling. For eight years, Shanks had been the youngest on the ship. A small child who was surrounded by a bunch of older men. Rouge kept telling him that it would be a good idea to bring Buggy on board. Buggy was an orphan boy that they stumbled across with nowhere to go. Roger was already sold the second he saw Shanks and Buggy interact. They already fought like brothers. He was even more sold from seeing that despite their need to argue with each other, they had each other’s backs. That was all it had taken to bring Buggy on board. Buggy had declined at first, but the second that they were ready to set sail, he came scurrying across the dock with a small torn-up backpack thrown over his shoulder.
Over the next few years, Rouge was a constant motherly figure for both boys. She doted on them frequently, but also kept them in line. If it wasn’t Rayleigh disciplining them, it was Rouge. Roger stood back and watched. He saw the soft smile that would be on Rouge’s face, and a single thought kept coming to mind. She would make a wonderful mother. She already was in his eyes, and probably within her own. She was fierce, and if her boys were threatened, a force of nature.
If anyone could break the very laws of nature, Roger knew that it would be her. Her love and care knew no bounds. Whenever something meant the world to her, nothing would ever stop her decision.
And Roger admired that most about her.
Roger knew that even if he was gone, she would continue to do exceptional things.
Rouge had never envisioned her life as a pirate, but she had been given so many beautiful things in the world due to this life. She had met a great man, ended up with two adopted sons of her own, and had an entire crew as her family. Their time was ticking down. Roger had been diagnosed with an incurable, terminal illness, and his desire to fulfill his dream was setting them full-steam ahead. It was soul-crushing to know that one day, she would lose him.
Their time would soon come to an end.
Rouge knew that even more whenever Kozuki Oden and his family came on board the Oro Jackson. He was the final piece of the puzzle that Roger needed to be able to find the final island. Rouge had spent most of her time comforting Shanks and Buggy after Momonosuke and Hiyori came onto the ship. It was clear to her the jealousy that they had felt. Though, the boys had quickly warmed up to the children, as well as to Oden and his wife, Toki. Rouge was glad to have another woman on-board. It made something strike to life in her. She loved her life. She had everything that she could ever want, but she could feel this longing in her.
It felt like a dream that she would never be able to have. At the same time, she had already experienced it. The more she spoke with Toki, the more that she realized just how much that she did want that.
A baby.
Maybe she had a bit of baby fever of her own after meeting Momonosuke and Hiyori. Despite that, it would never be a replacement for the love she felt for her boys. She had raised Shanks since he was a baby and Buggy came into her life as a small child. They were her boys. Was it selfish? That she wanted another baby?
Rouge did not bring it up throughout the course of their last year. The clock was ticking for Roger to achieve his dream, and Rouge wanted to see it through to the end. Roger had been working his entire life to this moment, and she was ready to see it.
It had taken them a while to gather up everything that they needed, but they had found all fourRoad Poneglyphs which held the map to the final island on the Grand Line. Just as they were about to set sail, Buggy came down with a serious sickness that left him bedridden. Shanks had decided to stay behind, but Rouge couldn’t bring herself to leave her boys alone. So, she had made the decision to stay with them. Shanks had taken up a lot of the caregiving despite what Rouge had said to him. It made her heart flutter from seeing how these two boys could be at each other’s throats, but still care and sacrifice so much for each other.
Eventually, Buggy had gotten better and they were just waiting for the Roger Pirates to return. Roger had left them with plenty of money, medicine, and supplies to last for the journey it would take them to get to the final island. Then one day, Shanks came barrelling through the door in glee while shouting that the others had returned. Rouge had walked to the docks while she watched the boys excitedly race each other to be the first to greet the crew.
Rouge hung back until the second that Shanks and Buggy got to the others. They needed that moment just a bit more than she did. Though, she was beyond happy to see them herself, but this was just one of those moments. Rouge stood there as she let her gaze move over them, and she knew that this was the end. It was official.
The Roger Pirates did what no one said could be done.
Roger did that.
Rouge remained standing there even as she saw Roger say something to Shanks, and the boy had immediately started to cry before embracing his Captain. Rouge did not get involved again. This was a moment where Roger needed to do it. Roger and Shanks had a very special bond, and she could not step into that.
Rouge had waited for her moment. It took a bit but Roger’s attention did go to her. He was smiling so brightly at her and she couldn’t help but smile back. The Captain walked over to her, grinning like a mad man as his arms looped her around her waist. She let out a soft laugh as she curled her arms over his shoulders. Her feet were completely lifted off of the ground as he spun around and placed a hand on the back of her head. The second her feet were back on the ground, he had pulled back. Rouge smiled as she whispered, “so, did all of your dreams come true?”
Roger nodded, “Hell, yeah,” he leaned in and connected their lips and it made the spark immediately shoot through Rouge’s body. She melted into the kiss as their lips danced together for a moment. Roger broke the kiss and the pride was showing all over his face. “This is it.”
“Yeah, it is,” Rouge murmured as she reached up and tucked some of Roger’s hair behind his ear. “What do you do whenever all of your dreams come true?”
Roger smiled softly, as he turned his head to press a kiss to her wrist. “Do everything in my power to make sure the dreams of my loved ones come true.”
All Rouge could do was smile.
This might be the end, but it only felt like the beginning.
The Roger Pirates disbanded after Roger had been crowned Pirate King and word quickly spread that they had made it to the island that Roger dubbed Laugh Tale. Roger and Rouge had been the first to depart the ship after tearful goodbyes to the others. One by one, they would all go into hiding. Being dropped off in different places to protect them from the World Government.
Together, the two of them had returned back to Rouge’s home island of Baterilla. During her time away, her home had been taken care of, and now it would be the place where they would spend their final moments. Even as the days started to tick by and she knew that Roger’s time was running out, it did feel like all of her dreams had come true.
They had spent blissful weeks together before Rouge had discovered the news. She was pregnant. It was so bittersweet. Now that the moment was here, Rouge couldn’t help but feel so delighted but heartbroken. It was the final thing that they would do together, and it had solidified Roger’s decision. In their final moments together on the island, they spent one more night together as they played the role of expectant parents. Acting as if it wouldn’t soon end before it even started. That night, Roger had picked out the name of their baby. Ann for a girl and Ace for a boy. Rouge adored the names.
She had watched him leave with tears in her eyes but a smile on her face. She was no longer the Pirate who had traveled the seas. She was an expectant mother who had to do anything for her child. She kept her head up and her determination consumed her.
Rouge had dedicated her life to her nakama… To Roger.
Now, Roger was sacrificing his own in order to protect them all.
Rouge had stood on the cliffside where they had shared their final kiss as she held onto the newspaper. On the front announced the execution of Gol D. Roger. A new era was only just beginning. Roger’s legacy would carry on these seas through the people his words had influenced and the people who knew his name.
Over the last year, it had been the beginning of the end, and now, it was the end of the beginning.
Despite her own heartbreak, she had kept track of everything that she could. They had to separate to protect each other. They were all in hiding now. Rouge knew how to lurk in the shadows. It was a skill she had excelled in for years. Now, she had to do that more than ever.
The newspaper flew out of her hand with the gust of wind as she looked out towards the sea. Her heart skipped a beat as she placed her hands onto her stomach and a smile came to his face. It wasn’t over. There was still one more dream to fulfill.
Their final wish and testament.
Rouge closed her eyes and ran her hand over her still-flat stomach that currently protected her unborn child. It will happen soon. She still had one final mission, and she was determined to make sure her baby lived.
As she stood there, she just simply whispered, “Not yet.”