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[Gol D. Roger]: "????????"
[Gol D. Roger]: "Hold on! Repressed King what is that supposed to mean?! Shouldn't I be the Pirate King?!"
The title hanging on the sky-screen short-circuited Roger's brain.
Good news: he made the list and he's first.
Bad news: his "King-level" title wasn't Pirate King but [Repressed King] and that didn't sound flattering in any language.
[Gol D. Roger]: "Can someone explain how I ended up with that? Where's my Pirate King title?!"
[Silvers Rayleigh]: "If we take it literally, it implies… you're suppressing something to an extreme. Emotionally."
[Gol D. Roger]: "Suppressing? Me? I'm the definition of sunny and carefree!"
[Rocks D. Xebec]: "Pfft—'sunny boy' You've been dead for ages, old man. Don't embarrass yourself."
[Gol D. Roger]: "Not the point! Why would the system slap Repressed King on me?"
[Shiki]: "Kekekeh~ Calm down, Roger. If the system says it, there's probably a reason."
[Edward Newgate]: "Gurararara~ You've clown-car'd this viewing since it started. Maybe sit tight for once."
[Big Mom]: "Mama-mama~ True. From the moment the chat opened you've been tripping over yourself. Never noticed you had such a knack for comedy."
Roger's pride took another hit. In a single frozen hour, he'd:
(1) Discovered his son wouldn't acknowledge him.
(2) Got labeled [Repressed King] in front of the entire world.
He drew a long, invisible breath and forced himself steady. If the projection promised an explanation, he'd watch it head-on.
The black screen brightened.
This time, it wasn't the cold system tone. A low, magnetic male voice rolled across the world like a theater narrator.
"Some men seem every inch the Pirate King glorious, untouchable, larger than life."
"But behind the legend…"
"…lives a man hopelessly hung up on love; a romantic so repressed he turns into a tireless pursuer."
"He chases a woman across the seas, drags his crew through storm and cannon smoke, and keeps trying even after being rejected again and again."
"He will even rival a dear friend for that love, refusing to back down though her heart leans elsewhere."
"In short: the trendsetter of an age of bottled-up desire… a shameless, incorrigible flirt."
"Welcome to [Repressed King] Gol D. Roger."
[Gol D. Roger]: "????????"
The chat detonated.
[Rocks D. Xebec]: "So that's the 'repressed'—your love life! Bwahahaha!"
[Shiki]: "Kekekeh~ Knew it wouldn't be a compliment, but this is savage."
[John]: "Oof. Being crowned the King of Bottled-Up Romance has got to sting."
[Kaido]: "Worororo~ I can already guess where this is going."
[Big Mom]: "Mama-mama~ Let me guess the woman is Shakky, yes?"
[Shakky]: "Oh? Me? How unexpected."
[Edward Newgate]: "Gurarara~ And the 'dear friend' would be Rayleigh, I assume?"
[Silvers Rayleigh]: "Heh. You caught that, did you? Awkward."
[Portgas D. Rouge]: "Roger… care to explain what I'm hearing?"
[Gol D. Roger]: "Uhhh—Rouge, listen, all of that was long before I met you. Ancient history, really, so… so—"
[Portgas D. Rouge]: "Ancient history? So the narration is true, then?"
[Portgas D. Ace]: "Hah. Figures. What a stellar role model."
Roger's stomach dropped through the deck. Ace already wouldn't call him father; now the [Repressed King] label poured oil on the fire. He clenched his jaw and tried not to imagine the world laughing.
The title card dissolved.
Glittering motes of light came together, forming a man with a hawk's gaze, a black mustache, and a reckless, sun-bright grin. Red coat, white shirt open at the chest a straw hat hanging at his nape.
Gol D. Roger.
The image held for a beat then the montage began.
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[Dimensional Chat Group System]
[Playback commencing: Subject — Gol D. Roger]
[Segment: Why "Repressed King"]
The voiceover continued over shifting scenes, ports at dusk, tavern lights, the glow of cigarette smoke, the clatter of glasses, Shakky's bar.
"He met a woman who could read him like a map and refused to be swayed."
"He smiled brighter, tried harder, sailed farther."
"Refusal never stopped him. It only tuned him sharper."
The projection cut to Rayleigh, laughing with Shakky, the easy rhythm of two people who understood each other without trying.
Roger hovered a step behind grin bold, eyes complicated.
"Even knowing her heart leaned toward another, he pressed on."
"He wasn't cruel, only relentless. Not a tyrant just a man who couldn't let go."
[Silvers Rayleigh]: "You always were stubborn, captain."
[Shakky]: "And disarmingly honest. That was the trouble."
[Edward Newgate]: "Gurarara~ Romantic, yes. Repressed? Even more so."
The montage flashed: Roger dragging his crew across seas on detours transparent to anyone with eyes; Rayleigh face-palming; Shanks and Buggy trading looks; a trail of bars that suddenly closed early when rumors said "Roger's in town."
Laughter rolled through the chat.
[Shanks]: "Captain, I did tell you we were making too many 'supply stops.'"
[Buggy]: "We nearly starved chasing your crush, you lunatic!"
The screen paused on Roger's grin again brave, foolish, dazzling.
"Legend on the surface. Underneath—"
"—a heart that wouldn't admit what it wanted… or how much it hurt to want it."
[Dimensional Chat Group System]:
[Judgment Criteria Satisfied.]
[Title Affirmed: Gol D. Roger — Repressed King.]
[Rationale: Persistent romantic pursuit despite repeated rejection; rivalry with a close friend; prolonged, self-imposed restraint and denial.]
Roger swallowed. If the world weren't frozen, he would've scratched the back of his head and laughed it off. Instead, he stared at his own reflection in the sky.
[Gol D. Roger]: "…Tch. If loving someone stubbornly is a crime, then lock me up twice."
For once, the chat quieted.
Even the mockers had to admit it:
Whatever else the Pirate King was, he'd always been honest with his heart even when it hurt.
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