alright here's the current theory. Roger was genuinely just a dude. Just some guy. He was definitely strong in his own right and had a good ass crew and ship, but what everyone who's known him keeps on saying whenever he's brought up is true - everyone keeps calling him a monster but he really was nothing special, probably very strong but no more than anyone out of the rocks pirates, and definitely no more ruthless. He had honest to god infants on his crew, he was just some guy going on an adventure.
but during Robin's backstory the ohara archeologists say this: the poneglyphs were written to recount the hidden history, and the hidden history is about a war between the world government and an island that is no more. So why would have four of those been used to give the coordinates for laugh tale? because laugh tale is the island the world government was at war with. And Roger found Oden, and read the poneglyphs, and found laugh tale, and that's why the world government called him king of the pirates and made a show of hunting him down and then killing him where everyone could see, because he'd found out the truth they'd been keeping hidden for eight hundred years
so the theory is that his speech right before he died was his last fuck you to the government. He told the whole world that there was a treasure (and there probably is), and that it was on laugh tale, and they could and SHOULD look for it - so now the government killed one dude who found out the truth, but in exchange for that, if before there were only the archaeologists and the particularly curious to worry about, now there's the whole of the ruthless and lawless and fearless and greedy side of the world's population looking for that very same thing they've been doing their best to hide. And that was a very funny thing to do on Roger's part, imho. Like, after that I'd call him king too tbf
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HI my close good friends have been SO very kind to me about the little oc writing practice excerpt i posted, and its genuinely helped me to be less self-conscious abt it (but i am still posting in the dead of night lol) but!!! because of this i wanna post one more today. again, very much not the final product (who knows when that'll be!) but, well, here's what i got i guess!
the needed context for this excerpt is that it happens after a mission which ended with saiph in the infirmary with a broken arm, after al told him not to be rash!!! but the more IMPORTANT context is that it mirrors a scene just before the mission, where saiph refuses al's help with a t shot, laughing off the question and saying he's not scared of the needle like when he was younger. he's been doing this for so long now after all... (also because im not using fantasy explanations for trans stuff here, he does have to have a shot lol)
anyway,
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The night following a mission's end always proved to be the most exhausting. The adrenaline rush dissipates, leaving only the harsh reality of injury and blood loss. The enervation is an unrelenting burden weighing on the body, and every movement becomes onerous. This is nothing to speak of the emotional fatigue.
Preparing for bed in their shared inn room, neither Saiph nor Al could say a word. A thick, oppressive atmosphere lingered. The dim lamp cast a solemn and hazy glow, adding to the sense of lethargy that seemed to suffocate the air. The cathartic release they had experienced at the infirmary has left a miasma of unresolved tension.
Even in the midst of fatigue and injury, Saiph was determined to do things alone. He managed to change and brush his teeth with his non-dominant arm, completing his nightly routine on his own, without much hassle. Except…
Saiph looked at Al, laying by the lamp with a book, his face partially hidden in the shadows. For a brief moment, the book seemed like a barrier- breaking it felt like a taboo.
Hesitantly, Saiph manages to speak, “Hey,” Al glances up almost immediately, and he continues, “Could you, like…” His words faltered as he gestured towards his bag, finding it hard to look at Al’s face, “I mean, it's just that, y’know, it's hard to do a shot one-handed. So…”
“Huh?” Al furrowed his brow in confusion, before processing these fumbled words. “Oh,” he puts his book down the second he grasps this as a request for help. Saiph hands Al a little pouch, and Al removes a needle and vial.
“You gotta-”
“I know, I've seen you do it.” Al smiles, “Go sit down.”
Saiph nods and takes a seat on his bed.
Al prepares the shot and kneels down, positioning himself between Saiph's legs. He carefully places the very tip of the needle on Saiph’s skin, and Saiph tenses at the touch. The room suddenly felt warmer- too warm. It was difficult to breathe, not just from the physical strain, but also from the intensity of their proximity.
Al stops to focus on the needle for a moment. Before he can press it down, he looks up at Saiph and clarifies, “But still, tell me if I mess up or anything,” with sweaty palms, Al adjusts his grip slightly, adding, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You're fine,” Saiph replied with an uneven voice, unable to vocalize any further sentiment. Avoiding eye contact, he instead chooses to fixate on the ceiling, trying to gain a semblance of composure. He takes a single glance at Al, before immediately looking away again. He blushes at the sight, and he quietly reaffirms, “You're doing fine.”
With that confirmation, Al looks back down. He rests his arms on Saiph's legs and steadies his hands. The low light is making it difficult for him to focus his eyes, and there's a ringing in his ears that just won't settle. Still, he eventually builds enough nerve to stab the needle in, just the slightest bit.
He feels Saiph twitch. “It doesn't hurt?” he asks without looking away this time, keeping his eyes focused on the tiny little prick he just made.
“No, it's- it's fine,” Saiph is no longer capable of averting his gaze either. He maintains a fixed stare below, studying the image of Al between his thighs. Truthfully, Saiph can't even feel the needle; he's significantly more preoccupied with Al's steady breathing, or the slightest parting of his lips in concentration, or the faint flush on his cheeks. He needs to shake these ideas from his head right now.
At Saiph's confirmation, Al pushes the needle deeper, exhaling as he does so. He feels Saiph slightly, incredibly slightly, jolt at the sensation. It must feel different when someone else does it, Al supposed.
With a final push of the syringe, the injection was finished. Al pulled the needle out and set it aside. He, however, stays in place. In fact, neither party makes any effort to pull away. Not even by an inch. The only sound in the room was the quiet hum of electricity, the only movement was in the branches out the window. Was it fatigue that kept them locked in this intimate position? Or something else? That would be too troublesome to contemplate further.
After a long, still moment, Al breaks the silence, “I don't mind helping like this,” His voice was painfully weak, painfully himself, “Ask me for more. I want to help you more,” He declared with more ambition.
“Maybe…”
“Please,” Al lifts his arms and wraps them around Saiph’s waist, still on his knees, clinging desperately, as if Saiph would fall away if he let go. “If there's ever anything… Anything…”
Saiph's free hand warily moved to Al's head, running his fingers through his hair, mixing the black and white strands. “I know,” He said with a faint smile.
Al looked up at him, their eyes meeting for the first time since they entered this dingy room. Al’s eyes were baggy, exhausted, on the verge of tears. Above all, they were begging. For some reason, even in this vulnerable state, Saiph could only think of them- of him, as beautiful. Saiph pushes the thought back and moves his hand to cup Al’s cheek. He tries to give him a reassuring look.
Al closed his eyes at this gesture, leaning into the comfort for only a second. He apologetically stands up, finally breaking away from their entanglement, and returns to his own bed. He doesn’t bother to pick his book back up, making the covers his new barrier.
Saiph remained on his bed, unsure if his reassurance had been received. All he could think to say was a soft, tentative, "Good night."
No, that was a lie. He could think of one other thing, but he didn't say it. It's the fatigue speaking, surely, so he shouldn't say it. It would be inconsiderate of Al too, so he wouldn't say it. Even if it were the truth, he couldn't think it.
Bisected onto separate beds, the room returned to its miasma of unresolved tension.
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