Chapter Text
Stay stepped onto the Oro Jackson with a grunt. Her small stature didn’t make it any easier for her to climb onto such a large vessel from her small, humble one. She wouldn’t have it any other way, really; the Tracen is her home, after all.
She was called in by her brother a few days earlier. “Can you meet me soon? I need to tell you something.” He said. She wondered what was so important that he couldn’t tell her over the transponder snail, but she was close by anyway, so she might as well meet her brother.
Stay wasn’t a pirate like Roger was, but she loved to travel across the Grand Line and the many islands it inhabits. If she hears about something interesting, she will not hesitate to go and investigate it.
As she steps foot onto the Roger Pirates’ ship, she is greeted by a tall man with long hair and glasses. “Rayleigh.” She says.
“Stay, it’s been a while.” He replies with a nod. “Roger is waiting for you in his room.”
She thanks him and walks across the ship to where her brother is.
“Brother,” she knocks twice on the wooden door, “it’s Stay.”
She hears faint shuffling behind the door before it swings open.
Roger stands in front of her in all his 274cm tall glory. Ah, really, every time they meet, Stay is reminded of how comically large their height difference is; she is only just a little bit taller than half his height. Sometimes she wonders how in the world she and Roger could possibly be related with how many differences they share.
Before she could say anything, he picks her up and gives her a tight hug. Her head is smushed between his arm and his chest. She thumps him with her fist. “Let me go, you’re squishing me…”
She breathes a sigh of relief when she is put back down. Roger looks about the same as she’d last seen him, only, she notices, he looks a bit paler than usual.
Her ears perk up when he clears his throat. Stay looks at her brother. “It’s nice to see you, Stay. Come in.”
She walks into the room. Once the door is closed, she immediately asks him, “Roger, what’s wrong?”
He laughs weakly, not his usual, boisterous one. “What do you mean? Can’t a man just want to see his little sister?”
Stay frowns, unimpressed.
He sighs. “Alright, alright, I’ll tell you. Just, sit down, will you?”
At his request, she takes a chair from the corner of the room next to his bed, where Roger sits. Her ears face forward and her tail flicks, and Roger takes that as a cue to continue.
“I’m dying.”
Silence washes over them like a tide. Stay’s tail goes limp. She blinks – once, twice. Roger looks at her guiltily.
Finally, the silence breaks as Stay sighs. “I see… It’s unfortunate, but I figured as much…”
Wide eyed, Roger asks, “You’re not surprised?”
“I can’t say that I’m not surprised, but I expected something big ever since you called me.” She says calmly. “What is it – a disease? A curse?”
“The former.” He replies. “But that’s not all I have to tell you.”
This gets her attention again. “Stop stalling, Roger, just say everything.”
He takes a deep breath, face looking downwards. “I… I’m going to be a father.”
CLATTER!
At the sudden noise, Roger looks up to see that his sister is now standing up, the chair fell to the floor from the force of which she stood up.
It’s rare to see his usually calm sister this… restless. Her eyes are wide open, showcasing the purple-to-gold gradient that shines in the light passing through the window. Her shoulders rise and fall as she takes short, shallow breaths.
“Roger… Roger, you do know that you’re the most wanted man alive right now, right?” Stay says, walking towards her brother. Even while standing, she still isn’t eye-level with him. But right now, that doesn’t matter. “They’ll come for them, Roger; the World Government will hunt down your child once they find out.”
“I know! I know, Stay, but…” Roger tries to continue but is left speechless. He sighs hopelessly. “Will you do me one last favour, Stay? Will you protect my child?”
“... I can’t, Roger. I travel around the Grand Line, I cannot possibly take care of a child, you know that.”
“What about Dream Journey and Nakayama Festa? The guy you had take care of them; the Trainer guy-”
“Trainer doesn’t even know we’re related, Roger! He’s just a normal guy. What if the Marines find out where your child is while under his care, huh? He can’t fight!” Her heart is beating fast in her chest. She takes a deep breath, sitting back down on the chair. “I’m sorry for yelling at you, brother… I just- don’t know what to do.”
Roger smiles pitifully. He leans over to give his sister a hug, burying her head in his shoulder.
“It’s okay, Stay. I’ll figure something out.”
If Roger notices that she’s crying, he doesn’t say anything.
The execution site roars with noise as people start running towards their ship.
Stay only watches the chaos unfold from afar.
“Really,” she scoffs, “even your death is loud.”
The noise slowly drowns out of her ears as she starts to think to herself. She looks at the platform, where Roger’s body still lies in his own blood.
“The one piece, huh…?” She smirks.
“I wonder if the World Government is ready for a new Gold already.”