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Roger stood on the deck of the Oro Jackson, taking in the pleasant day. Rayleigh was lounging nearby, Gaban was holed up in his navigation room, the rest of the crew were scattered around the ship doing their own thing, and the two cabin boys were running around underfoot as usual.
Roger smiled softly as he watched Shanks and Buggy spar. He could hardly believe they were already seven and growing like weeds. Before he knew it, they would be grown men setting out on adventures of their own.
“You cheated!”
“I didn’t! You promised you’d play cards with me if I won!”
“I don’t want to play with you! You always notice when I cheat!”
Roger wiped away imaginary tears at the thought of them leaving the nest someday and let out a booming laugh. He stepped between Shanks and Buggy before they could launch themselves at each other again. That was a problem for another day. Right now, they were still his little boys, and Roger knew them as well as any father knew his sons.
“All right, everyone, gather around!” Rayleigh called. “Let’s split up the haul from our last treasure.”
The crew immediately crowded around, practically buzzing with excitement. They had raided a smuggler ship last week and came away with a pretty impressive haul. After setting aside enough to cover the ship’s expenses, there was still plenty left to divide among the crew.
Shanks and Buggy hurried over with everyone else. They had taken part in the raid too. Granted, their job had been to stay behind and watch the ship, but they had earned their share fair for the first time instead of pestering Roger for berries.
“I want this one!”
As expected, Buggy’s eyes had landed on the biggest, shiniest jewel in the pile.
Gaban crouched down beside him. “Hey, kid. You know officers get first pick.” A teasing grin spread across his face. “And I’ve had my eye on this one too, actually.” He reached for the jewel, deliberately slow, watching Buggy’s reaction.
The Roger Pirates technically had rules like any other crew, but Roger had never cared much for them. And when it came to Shanks and Buggy, the crew was more than happy to let the kids have first pick anyway.
When Gaban’s hand touched the jewel and Buggy’s eyes immediately welled up, Roger had to hide a smile as he cleared his throat. “Ahem. I’m the captain, so I get first pick.” He plucked the jewel from the pile and tossed it to Buggy. “And the captain says it’s yours.”
Rayleigh had already claimed the role of strict parent and Gaban the teasing one, so Roger was more than happy to be the fun dad who spoiled them rotten. He caught a beaming Buggy as he launched himself into his lap.
Buggy was so overcome with joy that he even let Roger scoop him up and steal a smooch from one chubby cheek. Aw, he missed this. The boys had apparently decided they were all grown up now, which meant Roger couldn’t cuddle and kiss them whenever he pleased anymore. Though, Buggy was still easy enough to bribe that Roger could get a cuddle out of him here and there. Shanks, on the other hand…
Roger glanced up just in time to catch Shanks frowning at the jewel in Buggy’s hand. And when those eyes slid over to meet Roger’s, the frown sharpened into a tiny glare.
Roger cursed under his breath. With two boys the same age aboard the ship, they had always been careful to treat them equally. And Roger had just made a fatal mistake.
His eyes quickly swept over the pile and landed on the second-biggest jewel. It wasn’t that much smaller than Buggy’s… hopefully. Roger snatched it up and held it out to Shanks.
“And this one’s for you!”
Shanks didn’t even spare the jewel a glance. “I don’t like jewels.”
Roger began to sweat. Right. Shanks liked gold. Roger still remembered the day they had found baby Shanks inside the treasure chest they had stolen from God Valley. The little rascal had apparently crawled in there all by himself, following the glint of gold.
Roger had even laughed to Rayleigh as he scooped the one-year-old Shanks out of the chest. “Look at this boy, Ray! Already chasing after treasure. He was born to be a pirate!”
So, Roger quickly grabbed the biggest piece of gold he could find and offered that to Shanks. “Gold! You like gold!”
Shanks didn’t even bother looking at the gold and grabbed at Buggy in Roger’s lap instead.
“Come! You promised you’d play with me!”
Buggy scowled and burrowed deeper into Roger’s arms. “Don’t wanna!”
Shanks’s little face scrunched up in anger. He shot Roger an even more murderous glare before turning on his heel and stomping off. On the way, he brushed right into Roger’s outstretched hand, sending the gold tumbling to the floor.
Slowly, with trembling fingers, Roger bent down and picked up the rejected gold. Shanks didn’t like shiny things anymore. Roger didn’t know his son at all.
***
After a sleepless night and with dark circles under his eyes, Roger finally pulled himself together and decided he simply needed to make it up to Shanks. He was one of the greatest pirate captains on the seas. Surely there was nothing a seven-year-old could want that was beyond his reach.
Until Roger sat down to make a list of everything Shanks had ever asked him for and realized, with mounting horror, that Shanks had asked him to buy him something exactly zero times. Well, he had asked for things, but those were always for Buggy, so they didn’t count.
Roger was so busy tugging miserably at his mustache that he didn’t even notice Rayleigh had appeared beside him.
“Roger? It’s nearly noon. What are you still doing in here?”
Rayleigh’s gaze dropped to the parchment clutched in Roger’s hand with confusion.
Right. Rayleigh. His most trusted partner, the sensible one between them. He would definitely know what to do.
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow after Roger explained the situation and glanced toward the open door. From where they were, they could see Shanks and Buggy racing around the deck together like normal.
“They’ve already made up like they always do. You know Shanks isn’t the type to hold a grudge.”
“He made up with Buggy, not me!” Roger spluttered. “I still need to make it up for him!”
Rayleigh clearly thought he was being ridiculous, but humored him anyway. “Well, if you want to give him something, why don’t you take them to the market when we dock at the island this afternoon? Just let Shanks choose whatever he wants.”
Roger’s eyes slowly widened. Then he lunged forward and pulled Rayleigh into a crushing hug. “Ray! You’re a genius!”
***
“Anything?!”
“Anything!” Roger grinned as he took Shanks and Buggy by the hand and headed toward the market.
He laughed as Buggy bounced excitedly beside him, then glanced toward Shanks. Shanks wasn’t making nearly as much of a fuss – damn it, couldn’t the little brat be as easy to read as Buggy?
“I mean it. Anything,” Roger emphasized to Shanks. “D-do you know what you want?”
Shanks glanced up at him, then over at Buggy. “I’ll see.”
That wasn’t a no. Roger would take it.
Roger started sweating again when they had made it through half the market and Buggy had already put a considerable dent in his wallet, while Shanks still hadn’t asked for a single thing. But he was smiling just as wide as Buggy, so Roger couldn’t really tell whether he was secretly mad at him.
“S-Shanks, do you want anything? Or food? Are you hungry?”
Shanks turned to Buggy. “Are you hungry?”
Buggy, who had been too busy squeezing every last coin he could out of Roger, finally remembered his empty stomach. “Right, I’m starving! Let’s get oden!”
Shanks turned back to Roger with a bright smile. “I want oden.”
Okay. Oden was a start. At this point, Roger was just happy to spend a coin on the boy.
Roger barely touched his own food, too busy watching the boys for any hint he could find. Shanks certainly looked happy enough, stuffing his face alongside Buggy. Right. Roger had been so focused on buying him things that he hadn’t considered that maybe the boy just wanted good food.
“You like oden?” Roger asked hopefully. “How about I tell the cook to make it every day? I can ask this place for their recipe!”
Shanks was still chewing when Buggy wrinkled his nose. “Every day would get boring! Maybe once a week.”
Shanks nodded along, considerably less enthusiastic than before. Roger crossed food off the list. Damn it. Another dead end. What the hell else could a seven-year-old like nowadays?
Roger was dangerously close to giving up by the time they reached the last row of the market. This was one of the larger shopping streets too. If nothing here managed to catch Shanks’s eye, Roger was officially out of ideas.
Just as Roger was about to suggest they head back to the ship, Shanks pointed toward one of the shops.
“Can we check that store?”
Roger whipped around so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. Finally! He scooped both boys up under one arm and gathered Buggy’s mountain of shopping bags in the other, before charging in the direction Shanks was pointing.
“WE ABSOLUTELY CAN!”
Roger was a little surprised when they stepped into a clothing store. He glanced at Shanks as the boys wandered between the racks. Right. How had he never thought of this? Buggy was always turning up in different outfits, while Shanks wore the same white shirt day after day, too plain for a kid his age. He had never complained about it, so none of the Roger Pirates had ever given it much thought. But looking at him now, Roger could see the sleeves sat a little higher on his arms than it used to.
“Whatever you like!” Roger announced eagerly. “We can check every other store too!”
Shanks quickly dragged Buggy over to a display. “Buggy, let’s get matching sashes!”
Buggy glanced at the two red sashes in Shanks’s hands and made a face. “Ew, no! I’m not matching with you!”
When the boys looked about ready to launch themselves at each other, Roger hurriedly stepped between them. “Hey, hey, none of that. How about I buy you both sashes, Shanks? You don’t have to match with Buggy!”
Shanks’s enthusiasm vanished instantly. He dropped the sashes back onto the display. “I don’t want it anymore.”
Roger’s heart nearly stopped. His first real lead, and he was already losing it.
“W-wait, Buggy!” He had no idea what had gone wrong. But Shanks was always in a bad mood whenever he and Buggy were fighting. “I’ll buy sashes for the whole crew too! We can make it our new crew look. How about you pick one out with Shanks?”
That made Buggy turn. “A crew look?” He glanced at the sashes again. “I’ll take one then.”
Shanks immediately lit back up and grabbed Buggy by the hand. Roger could have wept with relief. Buggy even agreed to the same style as Shanks, though he drew the line at matching colors and stubbornly picked purple instead. Shanks looked absolutely delighted anyway with an identical sash in orange.
Mission accomplished. There really was nothing a powerful pirate captain like him couldn’t handle. Riding high on his victory, Roger bought every color and style of clothes they had in Shanks’s size.
***
“What are all these?”
Rayleigh stared at the mountain of clothes piled in Roger’s arms.
“They’re for Shanks! He likes clothes!” Roger announced, proudly shoving his haul under Rayleigh’s nose. “See!”
Rayleigh followed Roger’s pointing finger to where Shanks and Buggy were already wearing their new sashes. His eyebrows rose.
“Huh. Shanks said he bought the same white shirts so he doesn’t have to waste time choosing what to wear in the morning. That’s surprising.”
“I know!” Roger nodded sagely. “Kids nowadays are complicated, Ray. We adults have to pay attention!”
Then he waved Shanks over. “Come here! I bought enough for you to wear something different every day for a month!”
Shanks checked the pile. “You only bought one size?”
Roger beamed. “Yep! All in your size! They didn’t have as much in Buggy’s, but luckily–”
Shanks had already turned away. “I don’t like having lots of clothes.”
The entire pile slipped from Roger’s arms and hit the deck with such a dramatic thump that several crewmates turned to look.
Rayleigh gave him a pitying look. “…I could use them as cleaning rags?”
***
Gol D. Roger had been in such a foul mood lately that even rival pirate crews had steered the other way at the sight of the Oro Jackson. He had even paid Whitebeard a visit. The old man had a whole ship full of kids, surely he had some parenting wisdom to spare.
“Rum.”
“…Ray would kill me if I gave a seven-year-old rum.”
Whitebeard snorted. “It’s not about the rum itself.” He nodded toward the deck of the Moby Dick, where Shanks and Buggy were playing with each other. “Even grown men need a little help loosening their tongues sometimes.”
Roger was desperate enough that he actually considered it for a second. Would one drop of rum be enough to coax Shanks into telling him what he wanted?
Unfortunately, Roger had always been painfully easy for Rayleigh to read. The moment he stepped out of Whitebeard’s cabin and found Rayleigh eyeing him suspiciously from across the deck, his courage immediately deserted him. O-only weak men needed alcohol to solve their problems anyway!
“Hahaha!” Roger let out a strained laugh as he very deliberately avoided Rayleigh and hurried over to where Shanks and Buggy were playing with Marco. “What are you three up to?”
Thirteen-year-old Marco crouched in his phoenix form with Buggy clinging to his back. “Are you sure? I’m still not very good at controlling my Zoan form.”
“Just fly already!” Buggy yelled, practically vibrating with excitement.
“All right, then.” Marco chuckled before spreading his wings and launching himself into the air, Buggy’s delighted shriek ringing across the deck as they soared overhead.
Roger laughed as he watched them go, not worried a bit. Marco had gotten good enough at flying to carry a kid around, and besides, he could easily catch them if anything went wrong.
When Roger glanced down at Shanks, however, the jealousy on his little face was unmistakable as he watched Buggy and Marco fly overhead. It suddenly clicked for Roger. Lately, all he ever did with the boys was train with them. When was the last time he had actually carried them around on his back and tossed them into the air? Shanks probably missed playing with his old man!
“Get on, Shanks!” Roger crouched down in front of him and patted his back enthusiastically. “I can jump even higher than Marco!”
Shanks frowned at him, then tipped his head back and called to the sky. “Buggy! Come play with me! I can carry you on my back too!”
Buggy stuck his tongue out at him from between Marco’s wings. “Boring! You can’t fly!”
When Shanks clenched his little fists, Roger saw his chance and immediately dropped onto all fours in front of him. “How about we play horse? I’ll be the horse! Let’s race around the ship!”
Shanks didn’t even spare him a glance before stomping off.
Gaban found Roger still on all fours in the middle of the Moby Dick’s deck several minutes later. “Uh… Roger? We’re leaving soon. Are you planning on coming with us?”
***
Three days later, Roger found himself clutching the weakest bottle of rum he could find. This was a terrible idea, and Rayleigh would skin him alive, or worse, kick Roger out of his bed. But Roger was doing it for their boy! That justified one tiny sip… right?
knock. knock.
Roger nearly dropped the bottle when Shanks’s head poked through the doorway. He hastily shoved it behind his back.
“Roger? Do you have a minute?”
Roger plastered on an innocent smile. “O-Of course! Come in!”
When Shanks put a piece of paper on the captain’s desk, Roger experienced one glorious moment in which all his wildest dreams came true. Shanks had made him a wish list! Then he looked down and realized it was only the chore list.
Roger snatched it up anyway. “T-this…do you not want to do chores?!” Of course! Why had he never thought of that? They had never wanted to make the boys work in the first place. Shanks and Buggy were the ones who had whined until they were given chores like proper pirates. This was more than easy!
Then Shanks shook his head, and all of Roger’s newfound hope came crashing down. “No, I don’t mind chores. But why did you change Buggy’s schedule?”
Roger blinked. “Oh. Right. Buggy’s been interested in maps lately, so he wanted to help Gaban in the navigation room.”
“I know.” Shanks pouted at the chore list. “But now our schedules don’t match anymore!”
Roger stared at him, confused. “Well, yeah? You wanted to practice fighting with Rayleigh instead, right?”
Shanks’s face scrunched up as if he were facing the most difficult decision any seven-year-old had ever been forced to make, before he slowly muttered.
“…I want to work on maps too.”
Roger’s eyes widened. He knew how much Shanks loved sparring and how much time the boy spent polishing Gryphon. But he had forgotten they were seven already. Practically scholars! Their young minds craved knowledge!
“I see! Then Buggy can help Gaban in the morning, and you can help him in the afternoon–”
Shanks’s little face immediately soured.
“…Or you can both help Gaban in the morning?” Roger said instead, with absolutely no idea what the difference was.
Just as quickly, Shanks’s scowl disappeared and his usual sunny smile burst across his face. “Thanks, Captain! You’re the best!” He threw his arms around Roger in a quick hug.
Roger was still beaming long after Shanks had raced back out of the cabin. That hug had to count as progress… right?
***
The next morning, Roger tried to hug Shanks again and received a firm hand to the face when he was busy hugging Buggy. Meanwhile, Buggy wriggled right out of Shanks’s arms and crashed into Roger’s.
“Roger, Roger! Can I have more gold?!”
Roger nodded as he clutched Buggy to his chest and wept into his shoulder. Why couldn’t his other son be this easy to spoil?
Shanks immediately tried to steal Buggy back. Roger frowned as they kicked and shoved at each other before a realization struck him. Why was he trying so hard to pry answers out of Shanks himself? If anyone knew what Shanks liked, it had to be Buggy. He had been asking the wrong person this whole time!
So, after making sure Shanks was occupied with Rayleigh, Roger casually recruited Buggy to help him work on some paperwork in the captain’s cabin.
“…Hey, Buggy,” Roger began carefully. They had touched exactly zero paperwork. Buggy was too busy arranging all the gold on Roger’s desk, while Roger had spent the last ten minutes rehearsing his talk.
“Yeah?”
“Do you, uh… know what Shanks likes?”
Buggy didn’t even have to think about it. “He likes annoying me!”
Roger waited but Buggy’s attention had already drifted back to the gold. “Uh… like what exactly?”
“Everything!” Buggy complained. “He steals my snacks, my time, my toys, my bed. And he keeps wrapping himself around me all night, I can’t even move!”
Roger tried not to laugh. None of that was exactly news. Everyone aboard the Oro Jackson knew their two cabin boys were practically attached at the hip.
“On your tiny bunk bed? That must be uncomfortable.”
Buggy nodded vigorously, and a brilliant idea struck Roger like lightning. How had he never put it together? Shanks always had an arm around Buggy. The boy clearly liked having something to hold!
***
“Roger? Where are you going?”
Rayleigh cracked one eye open just as Roger was tiptoeing toward the door in the middle of the night.
“Uh… p-pee! I need to pee!”
Rayleigh narrowed his eyes at him, but apparently he was too sleepy to care and just pulled Roger’s blanket over his head.
“Don’t make too much noise.”
Roger hovered outside Shanks and Buggy’s cabin door, but worried even the slightest creak might wake them. So, praying no one on the crew had their Observation Haki on right now, he took the more sensible route: climbing over the railing and dangling off the side of the Oro Jackson until he could cling to the boys’ window.
Inside, the cabin was quiet and warm. Shanks and Buggy were curled together in the middle of the bunk. To be more precise, Shanks was hugging Buggy, and Buggy was hugging the pillow Roger had spent all day making for Shanks to hold.
…That wasn’t the plan. But Shanks looked perfectly content in his sleep, his face relaxed as he snuggled closer to Buggy. Probably because Buggy wasn’t squirming away anymore now that he had something else to hold, so that… worked?
Roger smiled softly as he watched the two of them sleep. He shook his head and was just about to climb back up when Shanks stirred.
“Who?!”
Roger startled so badly that his grip slipped, and he dropped straight into the ocean with a splash.
Shanks shot upright immediately. Roger would have been proud of how quickly his little boy snapped alert, as sharp as any grown pirate, if Shanks hadn’t immediately stuck his head out the window. Roger sucked in a breath and dove beneath the surface just in time.
“…Shanks? What was that?”
Shanks peered into the darkness. “I don’t see anything. Probably just a fish. Let’s go back to sleep.”
Roger didn’t dare surface until he was certain both boys had settled down again, enduring the freezing night sea. By the time he finally climbed through his own cabin window, soaked to the bone and shivering, Rayleigh didn’t even bother opening his eyes.
“You’re not getting into bed wet.”
***
“Roger? You’ve been staring out at the ocean all day.” Gaban dropped down beside him on the edge of the ship. “What could possibly be bothering our captain so much that even a drink can’t fix it?”
Roger only let out a miserable sigh as Gaban settled in beside him. When he still didn’t answer, Gaban snorted and raised a hand, ready to give him a hearty slap on the back, only to freeze when he caught sight of… the actual tears gathering in Roger’s eyes.
“R-Roger?! Are you crying?!”
Roger crumpled against Gaban’s shoulder with a strangled sob, leaving Gaban to awkwardly pat his back.
By the time Roger finished pouring out everything that had been tormenting him for the past several days, Gaban looked genuinely impressed.
“…Roger.” He pulled Roger upright. “What do you see?”
He pointed across the deck, where Shanks and Buggy sat fishing side by side, their little shoulders pressed together.
“…I know Shanks always looks happy. That’s why I’m worried!” Roger threw his hands up. “With Buggy, I know when something’s wrong and can buy him things to cheer him up. But Shanks just smiles through everything. What if I don’t notice when he needs me?”
Gaban slowly leaned away from him before rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Okay. Let’s go back a little. Why are you so hung up on giving him something?”
“The boys only have us, Gaban!” Roger exclaimed. “Kids need time and effort and attention and emotional support and material stuff–”
“I know. I agree.” Gaban held up a hand before Roger could work himself into another speech. “What I’m saying is…”
Roger then sat through ten full minutes of Gaban explaining the concept of love language.
His response, when Gaban finally finished, was a blank, “What?”
“What I’m trying to say is…” Gaban slipped into the same patient tone he used whenever he had to explain something complicated to Shanks and Buggy. “You like showing affection by providing for others. Buggy, conveniently enough, loves receiving things. That doesn’t mean Shanks feels loved the same way.”
He pointed across the deck again, and Roger turned just in time to see Shanks finally hook a fish big enough that both boys had to scramble to haul it over the railing. Before Buggy could even get jealous of Shanks’s catch, Shanks was already proudly presenting the whole thing to him, and Buggy’s face immediately lit up. A moment later, the two were laughing together as they struggled to carry the fish toward the kitchen between them.
“See?” Gaban added. “Buggy likes getting gifts. So Shanks’s ‘love language’ is giving things to the people he loves.”
Roger’s face lit up.
***
Roger spent the next day observing Shanks and came to the undeniable conclusion that Gaban was right! Apparently that ridiculous ‘Preacher of Love’ title he had given himself wasn’t all talk after all. That morning alone, Shanks had already given Buggy a pretty seashell, the nicer half of a broken crayon, and two interesting-looking rocks. At lunch, he even gave Buggy the extra piece of meat from his plate.
Roger stroked his mustache thoughtfully. It felt a little strange to imagine himself, a grown man, happily accepting gifts from a seven-year-old. But if giving things was Shanks’s ‘love language’, then from now on, Roger would let Shanks spoil him!
“Shanks!”
Roger wandered over while Shanks was going through his little hoard of treasures. There was a chipped coin Rayleigh had taught him to flip, a bent fishing hook from the first fish he had caught with Gaban, a little knot of rope the crew had taught him to tie, and a scrap of red cloth Roger vaguely remembered tying around Shanks’s scraped knee last year. Then the other half was a marble from Buggy, a bottle cap Buggy had found, a toy Buggy had broken, a card Buggy had drawn on.
Roger squinted at the collection. There was absolutely no pattern to it. He knew Shanks liked to hoard little treasures like some pint-sized dragon, but what exactly qualified as treasure to him?
“Whoa!” Roger proceeded with the plan anyway and pointed to a cheap trinket. “What a nice little anchor!”
Shanks brightened. “Buggy got bored of it in his treasure chest, so he gave it to me!”
“Is that so?” Roger laughed along with him. “I don’t have anything like that in my treasure chest!”
Shanks nodded absently as he continued sorting through his things. “You don’t collect trinkets.”
Seeing that Shanks wasn’t taking the hint, Roger’s smile twitched. “T-that’s right! But I suddenly want to start collecting them!”
“You can find a handful of these on pretty much any island.” Shanks shrugged before looking past him. “Buggy! Done with the maps?”
Buggy wandered over curiously when he saw Shanks and Roger crouched around the little pile of trinkets.
“I like the color of that button.” Buggy pointed to a shiny blue one. “Give it to me!”
Shanks immediately plucked it from the pile and dropped it into Buggy’s palm. “Here. Do you want anything else?”
Roger’s eye twitched as Shanks eagerly spread out the rest of his little treasures for Buggy to choose from. Okay, so he had to be direct like Buggy.
“...Shanks! I like that trinket!” Roger pointed at a random piece that wasn't in the pile from Buggy. “Do you want to give it to me?”
Shanks glanced at him, looking a little confused, but picked up the trinket and handed it over anyway. “Okay? You bought me this one anyway.”
The color drained from Roger’s face. He didn’t recognize this thing at all. It must have been from one of those trips when he handed the boys berries and told them to pick whatever they liked.
Roger stared down at the little trinket in his trembling palm. Giving it back now would look even more stupid. Not only had he failed to receive a gift from Shanks, he had sunk low enough to steal back one he had given him in the first place.
***
Roger finally resorted to the last option which, for whatever stupid reason, he hadn’t tried from the very beginning: asking Shanks directly.
“Shanks!” Roger found him lounging on the deck as the sun dipped toward the horizon.
“Captain!”
Roger smiled at the sight of that wide, cheerful grin. The boy always looked so damn happy. “I-I have a question for you.”
Shanks tilted his head. “Yeah?”
Roger rubbed his sweaty palms against his pants before taking a deep breath. “Do you want anything? Anything at all. Something I can buy you, or make for you, or somewhere I can take you!”
Shanks didn’t even have to think about it. “No! The crew already gives me everything I need!”
When Roger only stared at him blankly, Shanks’s little brows furrowed. “Is that all, Roger? I’ve got watch with Buggy tonight.”
Roger’s head practically sank between his shoulders as he weakly waved Shanks off. Gol D. Roger, captain of the Roger Pirates, conqueror of countless seas and one of the greatest pirates alive, had finally encountered an opponent he couldn’t defeat: his own seven-year-old son.
***
Rayleigh stirred and sleepily reached for Roger. When his hand landed on Roger’s arm, though, he felt the man trembling.
“What the–”
Rayleigh cracked his eyes open to find Roger lying unnaturally stiff beside him. It was the middle of the night, and Rayleigh was really not in the mood to deal with another one of his captain’s middle-aged crises.
“…Ray,” Roger whispered into the darkness. “Am I a bad parent?”
Rayleigh woke fully at that and pushed himself up on one arm. Roger glanced over at him with a miserable expression, all nine feet of him looking like a kicked puppy.
“Are you serious–” Rayleigh stopped himself when Roger’s face crumpled even further. He rubbed at his temple. “If this is still about that whole Shanks thing, then it’s just... Actually, go watch them.”
Roger mumbled, “I always have my Observation Haki on when they’re on watch…”
“Not with your Haki.” Rayleigh planted a foot against Roger’s side and shoved him toward the edge of the bed. “Go watch them with your own eyes.”
Roger pouted slightly, but his partner in his sleepy state was really unsympathetic. He glanced toward the window. It was well past midnight already, he should get the boys to bed anyway. With a sigh, Roger dragged himself up and headed for the door.
When he stepped out onto the deck, the night was pleasantly mild, with a warm breeze drifting over the calm sea. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let the boys take watch no matter how much they whined about it.
Roger glanced up, and from the deck he could see Shanks leaning against the railing of the crow’s nest, his gaze fixed on the dark horizon. There was something in his eyes Roger recognized immediately. Love.
The image of baby Shanks crawling after anything that glittered faded away, replaced by the boy standing high above the deck with the sea stretched endlessly before him. When had he even gotten that tall? Roger knew that look. It was the same one he reserved for the partner who had climbed aboard a tiny boat with him all those years ago and stayed by his side until they had conquered the seas together. The same one he saw in the crew he had chosen for himself, men who loved the freedom of the sea and the promise of another adventure just as fiercely as he did.
Roger had never placed any expectations on his boys. He would indulge Buggy’s cowardice, his dramatic outbursts, and every greedy little request for as long as the boy was safe and happy. He knew his status could become a burden on their shoulders, which was why he had kept their names and faces out of the world’s attention. But looking at Shanks now, Roger knew his legacy – the free spirit that had carried him across the seas would live on in his first son. Knowing long after his own journey ended, a piece of him would still be out there, sailing farther than Roger himself would ever live to see.
Roger smiled with all the tenderness in his heart, and quietly climbed toward the crow’s nest, careful not to break the moment. That much, at least, he could give them. For as long as he was here to carry them, he would give his boys all the adventure and open sea their hearts could ever ask for.
When Roger’s head peeked over the edge of the crow’s nest, he finally remembered Shanks wasn’t alone. Buggy had dozed off against his shoulder, his sleeping face filling most of Shanks’s gaze, with the sea little more than a background. And the look of love Roger had seen from below was unchanged.
Shanks glanced over at Roger without moving his head, and pressed a little finger to his lips. Roger gave him a thumbs-up and quietly climbed the rest of the way before scooping both boys into his arms.
“You’re done with your shift,” Roger whispered. “Let’s get you to bed.”
When Roger finally settled into bed with Shanks and Buggy tucked under one arm and Rayleigh under the other, all three were fast asleep against him in no time. Being nine feet tall could be a damn inconvenience aboard a ship, but moments like this, when Roger could gather his whole world into his arms, he wouldn’t have traded it for anything.
***
Life aboard the Oro Jackson continued with more adventures, louder parties, and considerably more betting now that Shanks and Buggy were old enough to wield weapons. Roger was nursing a drink one evening when he spotted their cabin boys perched together on the railing, arguing over something between bursts of laughter. He had almost forgotten about his whole ridiculous crisis by then, until something in Shanks’s eyes caught his attention.
Roger knew the look of love. He was just as familiar with the look of greed. Pirates burned ships and spilled blood for treasures, the World Government guarded its power with an iron grip, even common folk could turn ugly with greed.
Roger hadn’t seen that look in Shanks since the boy was small enough to bury himself in a treasure chest. Now, with one hand resting on Buggy’s back and his eyes fixed on the other boy as he laughed, Roger finally realized it had never disappeared. The target had simply changed.
Roger took a long gulp of his drink, unsure why he didn’t dare step forward and changed course instead. He couldn’t decide which of the two boys he ought to worry about more. A person’s heart was the most precious treasure anyone could ever hope to claim, and being on the receiving end of such fierce devotion could be as terrifying.
***
“What the hell am I running away for? I’m their captain!” Roger muttered nonstop as he paced around his cabin.
Rayleigh glanced up from the News Coo. “I thought we were done with your crisis over Shanks?”
Roger seized him by the shoulders. “That’s the problem! I was worried about the wrong one! Buggy’s the one I need to check on!”
Then he straightened, slipping into protective-parent mode. “I need to make sure Buggy knows he’s allowed to set boundaries.”
Rayleigh watched his captain march out of the cabin. He considered saving him the trouble, but decided some things Roger was better off figuring out for himself, and returned to his newspaper with an amused smile.
Roger found Buggy alone on deck and sighed in relief. Wait, why was he relieved? He was the captain! If he wanted to talk to Buggy alone, he could just tell Shanks to give them some space… right?
“Buggy!” Roger cleared his throat. “What are you doing?”
Buggy perked up and proudly held up a handful of coins. “Roger! I traded my share in for berries! Look how much I got!”
Roger laughed and crouched down beside him. “Well, if you do a good job on the next mission too, I’ll make sure you get double!”
“Really?!” Buggy’s eyes turned into berries. “Then Shanks and I can buy that giant telescope!”
Perfect. He had brought up Shanks on his own. Roger quickly seized the opening. “Right! About Shanks… You two are, uh, okay, right?”
Buggy scoffed. “He won today’s spar, but I’d definitely win tomorrow!”
“Yeah, I believe in you!” Roger nodded quickly. “I mean more like… your schedules are exactly the same, right? How about I change things around a little so you can spend more time with the others too?”
Buggy blinked at him. “Why? It’s not like we can spar with the adults.”
“…Right!” Roger racked his brain for another excuse. “How about… your bed! You’re both getting taller now. That bunk must be getting pretty cramped, right? How about I get you separate beds?”
Buggy slowly turned to glare at him with the exact same murderous look Shanks had given him whenever Roger hogged Buggy’s attention.
“What? No! Why are you suddenly asking about our bed?” Then Buggy shot to his feet. “Did Shanks complain that I drool on him?! How dare he?!”
“No, no, no!” Roger quickly waved both hands. The last thing he needed was the boys thinking he was trying to turn them against each other. “Shanks didn’t say anything! I was just wondering… does Shanks ever get, you know, too much? Like you want him to leave you alone for a while?”
Buggy nodded immediately. “Yes! He’s annoying!”
Before Roger could happily assure Buggy that he could always count on him to deal with Shanks, Buggy turned toward the other end of the deck.
“Shanks, come here!”
Roger’s mouth snapped shut when Shanks appeared from nowhere the moment Buggy called, skidding to a stop beside them. “What?”
Buggy pointed at the coins scattered around him. “I want that telescope we saw at the market. Give me your share.”
“Okay.” Shanks agreed without blinking.
“And you’re carrying it for me because it’s heavy.”
“Okay.”
“And you’re playing cards with me after dinner. Drop your training.”
“Okay!”
Roger remained awkwardly on the spot as Shanks happily followed every demand from Buggy. When neither boy paid their captain any more attention, Roger slowly stood up, turned around, and shuffled away with his arms dangling uselessly at his sides. He didn’t know where his parenting had gone wrong. He had somehow raised two greedy little pirates.