Wind Demon (One Piece x Male Reader)

The Sea's Freest Man

"EEEEEEEHHHH!?" Luffy's voice practically shook the walls of Shakky's Rip-Off Bar as he slammed his hands onto the counter, his mouth hanging open in sheer disbelief. "ON THE PIRATE KING'S SHIP!?" His wide, astonished eyes locked onto the older man sitting casually before him, a legend casually revealed as if it were just an ordinary fact.

Rayleigh chuckled, taking a slow sip of his drink, completely unfazed by the outburst. "That's right. I was the Vice-captain of the Roger Pirates." He set his glass down with a small clink and gave them a calm smile. "The name's Silvers Rayleigh. Nice to meet you."

Shakky looked at Hachi. "Hacchan! You never told them?"

"Nyuuu... We just needed him for the coating," Hachi mumbled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh my, didn't you realize?" Robin tilted her head slightly.

"I know that name all too well!" Usopp practically jumped up, gripping his hair in astonishment.

"It's in so many books!" Nami gasped, her mind racing through all the stories, all the records of history.

"There's no way anyone hasn't heard of Silvers Rayleigh at least once," Sanji muttered, taking a deep drag of his cigarette as if it would help him process what he was hearing.

No wonder he was so strong... Y/N thought, swallowing hard. His fingers clenched slightly around his glass.

Brook, on the other hand, placed a skeletal hand on his chin, humming thoughtfully. "Gold Roger... I recall a rookie by that name... or maybe not. Beans, beans." He trailed off absently, though there was a flicker of nostalgia in his empty sockets.

Zoro, arms crossed, narrowed his eyes at Rayleigh. "Why does an octopus like Hachi know a legend like you?"

Rayleigh chuckled again, his voice smooth, relaxed, yet carrying the weight of countless tales. "Over twenty years ago... Hachi saved me when I was shipwrecked." He leaned back slightly, the memory clear in his mind. "I owe him my life."

Shakky smiled fondly. "He was just a kid at the time, but even then, he had a good heart. Since then, we've been friends... up until he joined the Sun Pirates."

"Arlong, right?" Rayleigh added, his expression darkening slightly.

Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke. "But hold on... Gold Roger was executed twenty-two years ago. The entire crew was captured, right?" His sharp blue eyes locked onto Rayleigh. "And yet, the Vice-captain's still standing right in front of us?"

Rayleigh gave a small smile, one filled with quiet sorrow. "We were never captured," he admitted. His fingers traced the rim of his glass before he continued, his voice steady. "Roger gave himself up."

The weight of those words settled over them like a heavy fog.

"The Pirate King... gave himself up?" Nami whispered, barely able to comprehend it. "Why?"

Rayleigh took another sip of his drink before answering. "Because he had already seen the end of our journey."

"Four years before his execution..." Rayleigh's voice dropped slightly, as if recalling a memory he had turned over in his mind countless times. "Roger fell ill. A disease... a fatal one. No doctor could cure it, no medicine could slow it down. He was dying."

"At the time, the most famous doctor... a lighthouse keeper by trade, was a man named Crocus." Rayleigh's gaze drifted slightly, lost in the past. "We found him at the Twin Capes. He was the only one who could ease Roger's suffering, so we begged him to come with us for our last voyage."

"Three years later... Roger's life came to an end." Rayleigh's voice was quiet now, almost distant. "We were told it was impossible. That no one could ever truly conquer the Grand Line. But that day, we reached the end."