Wealth, Fame, Power. Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates, attained this and everything else the world had to offer. He achieved this by doing what no one had done before: he conquered the Grand Line, sailing from Reverse Mountain to the final island, Laugh Tale. By doing this, he secured his legacy in the world.
But, as with anything, his time in this world was not permanent. Now, on the island of Loguetown in the East Blue where he had been born, the World Government had decreed he would be executed for his crimes. Little did they know of what Roger had planned.
The town was silent, which might have been considered odd given that it was packed with triple the amount of people it usually had, probably more, if it wasn't for one certain fact.
Gold Roger was here. And he was set to be executed.
Most hadn't believed it when they first heard the news. The King of the Pirates, largely considered to be the most powerful man in the world, had been captured? The Navy had actually done it?
But now, no one could deny it any longer. For he was right there. As he walked by, his hands in shackles, a line of guards on either side, the people could feel the aura emanating from him. He was dressed in his long red coat with gold shoulder pads and a white ascot. Even captured, they knew this was no mere man, but someone who had walked where few had gone before, who had done what others hadn't even dreamed of. And all the while, as he walked, he still had that signature smile on his face, as if he couldn't imagine anywhere else he wanted to be. Like it was a victory parade.
People were muttering, the crowd spilling out of the surrounding windows and down the side streets and all the way up on either side of main street. And in the central plaza, the place was packed to the brim. A veritable wall of guards blocked the street, keeping the people back with raised spears, not risking anything. The air was hot and thick, beating down on everyone but barely anyone noticed, so fixated on the event taking place.
Projection transponder snails were also set up, recording the historic event and broadcasting it live to the world so everyone would see it. And all watched in awe as the man made his way to the chopping block.
One young boy with gray hair managed to push his way through the crowd, making it to the front just as Roger was passing by. The boy grinned at watching him, the greatest pirate alive, walk towards his execution. A symbol of how crime would never be tolerated.
Roger turned, spotting the boy, and grinned as well before looking forward once more. He walked into the plaza through the path the guards had made for him, seeing the stairs leading to the platform right ahead.
As he walked up the first step, he could sense certain presences in the plaza. Old friends and foes alike who had come to bear witness.
A young man with a fluffy pink jacket and red sunglasses.
A woman with a green dress and paint markings on her face.
A young man with a bright red nose, tears flowing from his eyes.
A young man with bright red hair and a straw hat, openly crying.
A man with a flowery blue shirt, sea-green eyes, and a trident across his back.
A man with a stoic expression, a sword on his back and a cross around his neck.
A figure with a round helmet and greenish-red armor.
A woman with a white afro and black jacket.
A man with golden earrings and an overcoat, a cigar in his mouth.
A short white-haired man with a stubbly beard.
A pale, grotesque man with wild purple hair, pale skin, and sharpened teeth.
A man with pinkish skin and a cloak with yellow markings.
A man with a greed hood covering his face.
A man with a blank expression, large rings encircling both arms.
Roger smirked. Whatever they thought was going to happen, he knew they would be surprised.
Destiny. Fate. Dreams. As long as there are people who seek freedom in this life, these things shall not vanish from the Earth. It was a something he'd said many times over, something he firmly believed in. And hopefully, after today, those things would become even stronger across the world. If that was the kind of legacy he left behind, than he could die satisfied.
He walked up the final steps and arrived at the top. The two guards posted up there instantly stood at attention, as if he was their commanding officer and not the man they were going to kill.
"Do you have any final words to say?" one of them asked.
Yes, there were. But the time wasn't right yet. So instead, Roger turned with a fierce grin on his face, startling the guard, and held up his shackles. "Would you mind taking these off?" he asked pleasantly. "They're beginning to chafe me quite a bit. Please?"
The guard stood back at attention as he replied, "I can't do that."
"Where am I going to run?" Roger asked him with a barely held-in laugh. Not like he could run for long anyway. Even if he wasn't going to be executed, his time was numbered in days, weeks if he was lucky, thanks to that illness. "That's all right," he said to the guard. "I guess I'm on my own for this one."
He walked the final few paces before turning and sitting cross-legged on the platform. He knew the top brass at Navy Headquarters were getting a kick out of this, the King of the Pirates in such a position. They were probably watching through all those snails. Well, he would wipe those smiles in a minute.
"Alright, let's get this over with," he said, smile still in place.
The two guards crossed their spears once before raising them overhead and crossing them with a clanging noise again, the ritual begun. Below, all the townspeople gasped, looking with unbelieving eyes. Half had expected some sort of escape attempt or something, but no. He was just sitting there, happy, as if about to be served tea instead of an execution.
And then, one man, who couldn't hold it in any longer, suddenly shouted out. "Hey!" he cried. "Pirate King!"
The guards and Roger looked up, their eyes finding the man below. Everyone else turned to him as well, almost gaping at him.
"Tell us where the hell you've hidden all of your treasure. Is it in the Grand Line or someplace else? You found it, didn't you?"
"You there!" one guard yelled. "Shut up!"
"The legendary treasure. The One Piece!"
Those two words echoed across the entire plaza and practically the world, sending shivers down the spines of all those present. For years they had heard rumors of the One Piece, the infamous treasure of Gold Roger that helped make him the King of the Pirates. And only in their wildest dreams could they think to own it. But now…
All eyes were on the man for a moment before they shifted back up to Roger, whose ever-present smile seemed to have grown larger. He chuckled for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing loudly. This was it. The moment where it all came together. He just hoped it would work.
A few seconds after he was done, there was utter silence as everyone stared at him with wide eyes, waiting with baited breath. Little did they know how powerful his next words would be.
"You want my treasure?" he asked.
"Just shut your mouth!" the guard snapped, him and his companion lifting their spears into position.
"You can have it!" Roger continued, ignoring them. "I left everything I gathered in one place." As he talked, the guards raised their spears, ready to strike. "Now you just have to find it!"
"Execute!" the guard said at the same time and the two guards stabbed Roger in the chest just as he finished talking.
It was a good life, Roger thought to himself. In his prime, he could have taken these spears without much problem. But now, his body weak and ravaged by disease, he could already feel himself slipping away. My only regret is I won't be able to see my son. I hope you have a good life too, one filled with joy and friends and family, like mine.
At first, everyone stared in shock, not able to say anything at all. And then, a great cheer rose from the crowd, even reaching Roger as he died. In his last second of consciousness, he knew. He had succeeded. His legacy was secure.
The guards looked in shock, first at the cheering crowd, and then at Roger who smiled even in death, his blood now pooling across the platform. Many cheered because the Pirate King was dead. But plenty others cheered, knowing that the treasure was out there. And some cheered at Roger's audacity.
The man with the sword and cross allowed a slight smirk to appear as did the man with cigar. The man with the pink jacket grinned openly. The man with the rings tilted his head, curious as to how this would affect the world. The man with the green hood bowed his head in respect. And two young men smiled while still crying for their captain.
In the days that followed, every newspaper spread Roger's final words so that soon, there was no one who hadn't heard it. To every corner of the North, South, East, and West Blue and across the Grand Line, the word spread.
Men and women of all ages suddenly felt an urge inside, an awakening. A longing for adventure. And so, they set out to sea to find the One Piece and claim Roger's treasure for their own.
The World Government and Marines were in an uproar. The public execution they had set to serve as example and warning to other pirates was instead became the opening ceremony to a new era.
The Great Pirate Era.
It was an era that would stretch on for more than twenty years and change the course of history and ensure that Gold Roger would go down as one of the most influential figures of his time. His words stretched not just across space but time as well, continuing to inspire more pirates year-after-year to chase their dreams and sail the seas for adventure.
Three years after Roger's death, in a small village on an island in the East Blue, a boy was born. A boy who was destined to have an even greater impact on the world. A boy named Monkey D. Luffy.