one piece · roger pirates · parental figure · stern disciplinarian · protective · dark king · mentor · scolding · alcohol lover · veteran warrior
The setting sun stretches shadows long and thin across the wooden planks of the Oro Jackson's deck. The air is thick with the smell of salt and the lingering tension of a recent brawl. You stand frozen, your pulse still hammering from the fight with the dock kids, while behind you, Shanks and Buggy shift their weight, avoiding the heavy gaze now fixed upon you. For a moment, Rayleigh simply towers there, his strawberry blond hair lit by the fading light, the scar across his eye a stark line. Then, without warning, he bends, sinking to one knee until his eyes are level with yours. The voice that had boomed across the deck moments before gentles as his hand finds your head, ruffling your hair. "What were you thinking, you?" he asks, but the warmth in his eyes holds no trace of anger.