#rogsilrou

Garp didn’t know what the fuck was going on. After not speaking to him for some years, Roger just showed up out of the blue saying he was handing himself in. That he had disbanded his crew and gave everything up. Garp couldn’t believe it. Roger was never one to give up on anything. 

Garp needs answers.

Now.

Garp swiftly marched down to the holding cells and told the guards to screw off for a little while. They all quickly scrambled to get out so as to not anger Garp further. Once they were all out, Garp quickly locked the door and shut the air vents. He took a deep breath and then he turned to Roger.

“What are you planning Roger?!” Garp yelled at him, shaking the cell bars, “You disappear off the face of the earth for a couple years and you only come back to surrender?!”

Roger just sat there, saying nothing and looking at the ground. This just made Garp more pissed off.

“Well?! Aren’t you going to say something?! You, Rayleigh, and Rogue just leave me behind and–”

“I’m dying.” Roger said quietly.

Garp paused, “What?”

“I’m dying.” Roger told him again, “My disease finally caught up with me and I don’t have much longer.”

Now that Garp wasn’t in a blind rage, he did notice that Roger looked smaller than the last time he saw him. Exhausted as well.

“I don’t have many regrets, but leaving things the way we did is one of my biggest.” Roger told him softly, finally looking at him, then he continued, “I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry for hurting you. We all are. It’s just… I was told that I only had a couple of years left and… I just wanted to do one last thing before I go. I should have told you.”

Garp closed his eyes and sighed, slowly letting go of his death grip on the bars. After a moment, he looked at Roger again.

“And did you?” Garp asked, “Did you find it?”

“Yes.” Roger replied, “And it was a great last adventure.”

“I’m glad.” Garp told him.

“Really?” Roger asked surprised.

“Yeah.” Garp said while sitting down, “I’m sorry too, for what I said back then. I was just worried about you and everyone else. What the government would do to you when they found out.”

Roger gave Garp a sad smile and reached his hands out for Garp to take them. Garp did. His hands were bonier than Garp remembered, but no less gentle.

“Is that why you turned yourself in?” Garp asked him while softly rubbing the back of Roger’s hands.

“Yes.” Roger told him, “I don’t want to die from this stupid disease. If I’m dying it’s on my own terms.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” Garp said wetly.

“Are you crying?” Roger asked cheekily, some of his old fire returning.

“Oh fuck you.” Garp told him, wiping some tears away, “I was coming down here to beat the shit out of you!”

Roger threw back his head laughing, “Wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”

“Where is everyone else?” Garp asked after a moment.

“We slowly disbanded.” Roger said, “Everybody had someplace in mind they wanted to go to, so they were all dropped off slowly. Shanks and Buggy were dropped off before we even made it to Laugh Tale.”

“Really?” Garp was surprised. Beside Roger, those two were the most excited to find the One Piece.

“Yeah.” Roger said, “Buggy caught the flu. We had already dropped off Crocus so we set up Buggy and Shanks in a sheltered town with a lot of treasure to last them for a while.”

“What about Rayleigh and Rouge?” Garp asked.

“Rayleigh went to Saboady and Rouge… she went to the South Blue.” Roger told him. He looked like he was contemplating something. Garp knew that look, he had it when he told Garp about going to find Laugh Tale.

“What?” Garp asked urgently, “What is it? Is she in trouble?”

“She’s pregnant.” Roger told him solemnly, “She’s having my baby. I’ll never get to meet them.”

“Shit. The rumor is true?!” Garp exclaimed. Then he winced. That probably wasn’t the right thing to say.

But Roger knew Garp and just laughed at him, “Shit is right. I passed out when she told me.”

This made Garp laugh with him. 

“The baby is actually something I wanted to ask you about.” Roger said after they calmed down.

“What is it?” Garp asked him.

“They know I have a kid out there, but they don’t know Rouge’s the mother right?”

Garp nodded, “Yeah. There was just a rumor going around Marineford that you got someone pregnant. It was even in the paper.”

“Good.” Roger said while nodding and then he asked, “If anything happens to Rouge, would you take care of the baby for us?”

“Of course.” Garp told him without any hesitation.

“Good.” Roger nodded again. Then he softly told him, “Thanks again for loving me despite everything.”

“Thank you for doing the same.” Garp replied.

-

After watching one of his closest companions be executed and hung to rot, Garp booked it to the South Blue immediately. He had to get to Rouge before anyone else did. Sengoku told him that the World Government ordered the South Blue to be locked down. That any woman that matched the description in the paper was to be killed if they were pregnant and did not have an iron clad alibi. 

If they didn’t, they would be killed along with the child.

Sengoku tried to reason with them, but there wasn’t much he could do despite being the Fleet Admiral. He was just the scapegoat with a pretty label for the World Government to use for the public to place the blame on.

So Garp loaded his ship with his most trusted crewmates and headed to the South Blue. He knew it wasn’t going to be pretty, but he wasn’t expecting such a hellscape. That so many people would turn on each other just to save themselves.

Paranoid neighbours were saying it’s the family next door. Strict parents placing the blame on their unwed daughters for having children outside marriage. Friends abandoning each other for the safety of their own families. Men, fathers themselves, turning on their own wives and children. Mothers who were all too ready to give up children they never wanted in the first place for their own lives. Children, no infants, being murdered for simply being born after Roger’s died.

Garp spent almost two years in that hell trying to find Rouge. While he did this, he tried his best to save as many as he could. Some of the marines were much too happy to be murdering children and terrorizing women. The search had ended some time ago, the government thought both child and mother were dead by now.

Eventually, he made it to Batterilla. It was one of the last places he needed to look. He was hoping that Rouge made it out of the South Blue with the baby by now, but he was making sure everywhere was checked before he moved to look outside the South Blue borders. 

Luckily and unluckily, he found her in a cottage by the sea while he was on his own.

She had no child living with her.

Garp hoped he wasn’t too late.

“You made it.” Rouge said calmly upon recognizing him. She was outside hanging up some laundry. She didn’t look any different than when Garp last saw her.

“Are you alright?” Garp asked, “Where’s the–”

“Shush you idiot!” Rouge exclaimed while smaking him on the head, “Get in the cottage before someone hears you!”

Rouge grabbed the empty basket and pulled Garp by the ear into the cottage. It was small, but very cozy. It only had one room besides the bathroom across from the entrance. There was a bed against the right wall under a window and a small kitchen to the left. Other than a closet, a bookshelf, and some wall decor, there wasn’t much else in the house. No sign of a child or anything child related. Garp started to worry. 

“Where’s the kid?” Garp asked her.

“Still in me.” Rouge told him.

“Oh, okay.” Garp nodded, then he choked, “What? What do you mean it’s still in you?!”

“The will of D is an amazing thing Garp.” Rouge told him as she did the dishes, “I’ve been stalling them for as long as I can. But I fear I don’t have much left in me.” 

“Oh Rouge…” Garp said softly. He slowly placed a hand on her shoulder and gently guided her to sit at the small table she had. She sat down without much fuss which worried him even more. The Rouge he knew would punch anyone if she was treated delicately.

Now that he had a closer look at her, she looked just as exhausted as Roger did almost two years ago. She was also silently crying. He never saw her cry. Ever.

“How much longer do you think you’ll last?” Garp softly asked her.

“A month. Maybe two. They’re almost full term.” She said, weary from the hell she had been living in.

“Well, no matter how long it is. You’re not alone anymore, I promised Roger I’d take care of you.” Garp told her, “Both of you.”

“Thank you.” Rouge quietly said before finally breaking down sobbing and holding onto Garp.

He gently picked her up and placed her in the bed. Once she was comfortable, Garp went to do the dishes. Later he would find a book about childbirth on Rouge’s bookshelf and thoroughly study it. Just because he gave birth to Dragon doesn’t mean he knows how to help someone else give birth.

-

Garp had spent a month with Rouge before she was ready to give birth. It was a couple days after Christmas when she started to feel pain. Garp helped her walk laps around the house outside. He also told her about when he gave birth to Dragon to try to help her through it. He even got a couple of good laughs out of her. But he could tell she was starting to fade.

On December 31st, she was ready to start pushing. Garp coached her through it and after a whole day of labour, a baby boy was born on January 1st. Garp made sure to loudly shout it to her so as to keep her awake. He quickly snipped the cord and cleaned the squalling baby up, wrapping him in a blue blanket Roger had bought when he first found out years ago.

“Let… Let me hold him.” Rouge wearily demanded. Garp quickly helped her to sit against the headboard padded by pillows and gently set the baby in her arms. The little boy quickly calmed once he knew it was his mother holding him.

“Oh my baby. My little angel.” Rouge said while crying, “You’re so beautiful, I love you so much. Your father would have loved you so much. You look just like him.”

“Did you pick out a name?” Garp asked after he had cleaned up both Rouge and the birth supplies.

“Yes.” She told him, “Roger wanted to name him Ace.”

Rouge lived until January 4th. She died in her sleep holding Ace. The baby was holding a piece of his mother’s hair. Garp left with Ace after he confirmed with Sengoku that what was left of Roger would be secretly sent to Baterilla to be buried alongside Rouge.

-

Garp didn’t know what the fuck he was supposed to do now. He was too old to be waking up for midnight feedings. He was old enough to be a grandpa for christ sakes.

A grandpa…

Garp had a plan. He only had one kid who wanted children and hopefully Dragon would agree.

-

It’s not that Garp doesn’t have faith in his son, it’s just that he doesn’t have faith in his son’s romance skills. It’s just that he is pretty sure that Dragon will die alone at the rate he’s going. 

His son is thirty-three and hasn’t had a date in his life, although he’ll admit it’s not for a lack of trying on Dragon’s part. He’s just really intimidating to some people and it didn’t help that he inherited Garp’s eyebrows. Although Dragon did start to shave them off some years ago, so maybe his son has some game now. He doubts it though.

Garp thought he could help his son along in life and get him in a better headspace. He has noticed that Dragon has become more withdrawn after Roger’s death and the massacre of Baterilla. Not to mention what happened at God Valley.

Maybe giving Dragon a kid will help him focus on life rather than all the death of the past few years. It will also help Garp worry less of his son being alone if anything ever happens to Garp or his siblings. 

So Garp brought Ace to Dragon who was taking a break back home on Dawn Island. He had already called ahead to Sengoku and told him what was going on so he would give Dragon the break for “working too hard.” A load of bullshit really, which Dragon probably knew, but he was Garp’s son and wouldn’t deny a free vacation.

“What do you need, dad? This was supposed to be my break.” Dragon asked opening the door for his father. He was in his pajamas and trying to rub the crust out of his eyes.

Garp quickly moved to sit on the couch and made sure Ace was still sleeping where he was hidden in his coat. Dragon then shut the front door and sat on the chair across from him, still not paying all that much attention to him.

Good. 

A sleep deprived Dragon will have a late reaction, so Garp will be able to escape.

“Now Dragon, I know we’ve talked about children before and you’d said you would have them later.” Garp slowly said, “But I’m getting on in my years and I worry about you. You know you don’t need to get married before you have kids right?”

“Yes dad! I know!” Dragon replied, pinching his nose. He was tired of having this conversation with his father, they’ve been having it since he was twenty-five and his father told him he wasn’t a “spring chicken” anymore. “Maybe I don’t want to be a single parent and would like to share the experience with someone I love?”

“Yes, I know you’re a hopeless romantic.” Garp said, “But I’m old and I want grandchildren before I die.”

“What do you mean?! I’m not a hopeless romantic! Who told you that!” Dragon exclaimed.

Shit, he was alert now.

“You did.” Garp stated.

“No I didn’t!” Dragon replied.

“Well not directly.” Garp said, “But you did write about it in your diary a lot. I mean you dedicated a whole twenty pages to your dream wedding.’

“I can’t believe you!” Dragon yelled standing up, “Those are private!”

“Yeah well I missed you!” Garp yelled back, “Now sit back down, I’m not finished.”

Dragon huffed, but he sat back down in the chair and crossed his arms. Garp would have made fun of him for pouting, but he had to keep being serious.

“You remember Roger?” Garp asked him.

Dragon looked surprised but answered, “Yeah why?”

“Remember how the government announced they killed his child?” Garp continued.

“Yes?” Dragon sat up straight wondering where this was going.

“They lied.” Garp said while revealing Ace, “This is Ace. Rouge stalled her pregnancy for almost two years and died four days later holding him. Roger and Rouge entrusted him to me.”

Dragon didn’t know what to say to this. He met Roger and Rouge years ago. They were so lively and encouraged him to do what he thought was right. 

“Now I’m too old to be taking care of him.” Garp said, “So I thought that you might be willing to take him.”

“Wait, me?!” Dragon exclaimed, “I don’t know anything about babies!”

“No first parent does!” Garp laughed joyfully, “It’s part of the journey! You can just say he is the result of a one night stand!”

“Why can’t you?!” Dragon asked.

“I got my uterus removed after I had you.” Garp told him.

“Wait… Then where did Kuzan come from?” Dragon asked, confused, “I know Dadan was adopted, but I thought you birthed Kuzan?”

“I told you I found him in a field!” Garp said laughing.

“I thought that was an euphemism!” Dragon said.

“Nope.” Garp said, “Look, I know this is short notice, but Roger and Rouge wanted Ace to have a safe childhood like any other child. You can give him that. So please think about it. Otherwise I’m giving him to your sister.”

“No! I’ll take him.” Dragon said without thinking. It’s not that Dragon thinks Dadan would be a bad parent, it’s just that she lives in the jungle and she doesn’t want children of her own.

“Great!” Garp said before handing Ace over to Dragon, “I’ll go get the supplies! And don’t worry about calling Sengoku for parental leave, I already did!”

Before Dragon could think about what he just agreed to, Garp was out the door and out of punching range.

He jumped a bit when he felt a little hand grab his finger. He looked down and melted at what he saw. Ace was making soft cooing noises and his little hand didn’t even go around half of Dragon’s finger. He was the cutest thing Dragon had ever seen.

Shit, Dragon thought, I guess I’m a dad now.

-

Thank you for reading!❤❤❤❤❤