3 Roger

Michael was a shipwright and a freelance bubble mechanic.

He hadn't always been a bubble mechanic - that was a profession more or less exclusive to Sabaody Archipelago, and Fishman Island.

He had migrated to the archipelago from Water 7 after a particularly dreadful Aqua Laguna. There were concerns among the citizenry that the city would not last the next couple of decades, and support for the city by the World Government was negligible.

The city's foundations were weakening beneath the waves, and Michael knew it was only a matter of time before the situation became irredeemable.

He had been a rather skillful shipwright, but the economy there was on tenterhooks, and there were too few sailors who could afford the quality his company provided.

So, he simply decided to sail with a few like-minded friends towards more bubbly pastures.

And he had lived on the mangroves for about four years now. He thought it was about time to move houses into a more peaceful district. His income was now stable, and he could afford a somewhat nicer residence.

His beloved daughter had recently turned three years old, and Michael had just two things to say about her.

She was the most adorable creature in the world, and also exceptionally smart. She could speak just as well as any adult, and sometimes Michael found himself dumbfounded by her insight.

"Dad, can I go with you to work today?" Lily looked up at him with excitement, her pale green eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

Michael simply couldn't refuse her.

So, after getting his wife's permission (as any good husband would), they began to ride their Bon Chari to the shore, making the rest of the commute with their boat.

"Sometimes, sailors want to visit Fishman Island, and our company helps them with that," He started to explain, observing Lily's interest.

Truthfully, he didn't think his profession would sound all that exciting to a three-year-old, but since his daughter had asked him, he would oblige.

"Fishman Island?" Lily asked, tilting her head in thought.

"Right, it's an island hidden underneath the ocean," Michael explained with a smile, "I actually know a Fishman from there - and he's an excellent shipwright"

"There's an island under the sea?!" Lily exclaimed, wondering how she managed to avoid that information for the three years she had been living on Sabaody.

"Mhmm, anyway, look. We're here," Michael said as their boat docked near Grove 51. They had taken the route through the canal between the navy base and the groves on the other side, reaching their destination swiftly.

Lily looked around in curiosity. There were many ships docked at the port. Some were sailing into large warehouses where their jobs could be fulfilled.

This area also had shipwrights, though they were lesser in number. Any good bubble mechanic had to have a good grasp of ship-building to do a thorough job.

Ding. Ding. Krkrkrkr. Whoosh.

The sound of hammering, cogwheels turning, and the sea waves churning hit Lily at the same time.

A bubble floated in front her face, and she held it in her hands before it slipped away and continued its upward float.

"Hey, Michael! We might have the chance for a big commission today!" A cheerful voice reached them, and Lily turned in its direction.

"Well, let's go see, then. No time to waste," Michael picked up Lily in his arms, much to her dismay, and began walking in the direction of the voice.

When they arrived, Lily was met with the sight of a huge and magnificent ship with large red sails sailing in their direction. Those sails were painted with the image of a skull with a large curly golden mustache. Its bow was being propped up by the figures of two mermaids, and on one of the sails, the words 'GOL. D. ROGER' were sewn.

They waited a while for the ship to dock, and for its crew to disembark.

Then, Michael made his way carefully to the man in the lead.

He wore a pink shirt and yellow sailor pants under a large red overcoat. Much like the image on the sails, he had a large curly mustache, and seemed to possess a perpetual smile.

"Woah! What fine craftsmanship! Is this Tom's work by any chance?" Michael immediately made his way to the ship, his eyes lighting up as he placed a palm on the wood, even as he held Lily with the other.

"Wait… Is this… Adam's wood?" Michael couldn't believe what he was seeing. In all his years as a shipwright, he had never seen such an exquisite vessel.

Without any semblance of decorum, he made his way to the captain.

"Sir, are you traveling to Fishman Island? If you are, please allow me and my friends to coat your ship," Michael hurried to shake hands with the captain.

Lily observed the whole interaction, inwardly rolling her eyes. She knew her father was passionate about ships, but she didn't think it would be so bad.

Throughout her three years of life on Sabaody, she had more of an idea on what human interactions were like, especially since she had been taught by her mother, who would take extra care to teach her.

"Dad, you're being too jumpy. You should at least start with introductions," She slid down her father's leg and scolded him for his behavior.

"Ah -" Michael froze, then looked at his daughter in embarrassment. He was simply too excited at that moment that he had lost himself.

He scratched the back of his head, stammering, "Y-you're right… Ah… don't tell your mother about this, okay…?" Michael's eyes shifted awkwardly.

"AAAHAHAHAHAHA!" A laugh, larger than life, sounded right by them.

Lily turned to look up at the man with the curly mustache, his silhouette illuminated by the sunlight.

The man ceased, wiping a tear from his eye from his laughter, and spoke in a carefree manner.

"No need to worry about manners with a bunch o' rogues like us, little girl," he spoke to her, then turned to her father, "and yeah, Tom-san built this beauty for us, ain't she a prize?"

"Name's Roger, by the way, little girl," He said with a smile.

"Lily, and my idiot father here is Michael," She said, giving her father a light kick.

"Lily, dear, you don't have to be so harsh…" Michael pouted comically, and then turned to Roger, his demeanor instantly shifting to work-mode, "Well, would you like to employ us for our services?"

"Sure, we'll be staying here a while to resupply. A day, two at most," Roger said with another chuckle as he made his way back to his men.

"We'll get it done by today!" Michael called out to him, then turned to his colleagues, "Well, you heard the man, let's start!"

Lily hesitated for a moment, then asked the question that was burning in her mind, "Dad, why did he say they're rogues? Are they bad people?"

Michael looked at his daughter, picking her up again, and sighed.

"Well, they're pirates, but…" Michael thought about how to answer, "If Tom built their ship for them, they can't be bad people. That man takes pride in his work."

"What's a pirate?" Lily asked after giving it some thought, "I read that they're bad people who steal, kidnap, and kill," Her eyes turned a darker shade as she recalled her past life and the man who kidnapped her, subjecting her to a life of unfathomable cruelty.

"Hmm… most pirates are probably like that. Honestly, Dad isn't too sure himself. There aren't too many of them around thanks to the navy, and the dangerous ones all sail the new world," He said.

"So… You just accepted to do the job for them because their ship was nice? You wanted to take a closer look at their ship?" Lily asked with a raised eyebrow, feeling a little incredulous at her father's simple-mindedness.

"N-no… It's just that I trust Tom…" Michael's eyes shifted, trying to think of a better excuse.

"So, a pirate with a nice ship is trustworthy? Got it," Lily nodded her head, and then continued, "guess I should tell Mother what I learned today."

 "L-Lily? D-Don't tell your mother what happened today, okay? Please? Pretty please? I-I'll get you some good snacks… okay? Please?" Michael's sweat began to trail down his brows.

"Snacks? Hmm…" Lily considered it for a while, then began to haggle with her father.

"Ain't she a strange one, Ray?" Roger observed the father-daughter interaction as he talked with his crew.

Gulp. Gulp.

"Absolutely. Anyway, I'm gonna go and find better booze; haven't had a decent swig in a while," Rayleigh said as he finished the last drops of ale from his small canteen.

"Hey, Rayleigh, heard from the locals you can get something decent at a place on Grove 13! Called Shakky's or somethin'. Rip-off or some such. Bring us a pint too if you're goin'," a crewmate called to Rayleigh, and he nodded.

"Well, then Cap, you heard the man. I'm off," Rayleigh spoke and left to find the bar.

Roger scratched his chin as he looked at the child who was still bickering with her father.

'Impressive Haki for a child…' He thought, and then shrugged, and called out, "Let's go, men! Let's have some fun!"

He looked around at his crew and frowned slightly.

"Where's Oden?"

The crewmates looked at each other awkwardly, before Scopper Gaban spoke up, "Uhh... He jumped off the ship before we docked... something about an amusement park..."