The sea was calm — almost eerily calm — as the Oro Jackson sailed through the dawn light. The crew sat scattered across the deck, the silence between them heavy with everything they had seen on the final island.
No one spoke for a long time.
Until Roger, leaning against the railing, let out a deep, contented laugh.
"GAHAHAHAHA! What a journey, huh?"
His laughter was contagious — a mix of pride, exhaustion, and disbelief.
Rayleigh smiled faintly. "You say that like we didn't almost die a dozen times just to get there."
Oden crossed his arms, grinning wide. "I still can't believe it. The world's true history… the things we saw… it's more than I ever imagined."
Ada stood a short distance away, her expression unreadable. The wind tugged at her black coat as she stared into the horizon, lost in thought.
She finally spoke, her tone low. "The truth wasn't meant for this era… not yet."
Roger turned to her, smiling faintly. "Maybe. But someone had to find it first."
Ada glanced his way, eyes sharp. "And now the world will tear itself apart to find what you did."
Roger laughed again, full of life. "Then let them! Maybe one day someone worthy will understand it better than we did."
——————-
The world began to stir before the news ever broke.
Rumors drifted across the seas — whispers carried by merchants, smugglers, and bounty hunters. Some said the Roger Pirates had vanished into the horizon. Others said they'd found the end of the world itself.
No one believed it at first.
Until the newspapers came.
"GOL D. ROGER — THE MAN WHO FOUND THE FINAL ISLAND!"
"THE PIRATE KING IS BORN!"
Posters littered every harbor, every port, every smoky tavern from Paradise to the New World. The world had a new name to fear — and to dream of.
—————-
In Marineford — The Navy Headquarters
"WHAT?!"
The sound of crashing porcelain echoed through the room as Fleet Admiral Sengoku slammed the paper on his desk.
"This is madness! That man's turned the entire world upside down!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru remained calm, though her eyes were sharp. "The information's spreading fast. Even if we silence the papers, the sea's already talking. We can't stop it now."
Garp sat nearby, his usual grin subdued. "Heh… that fool really did it."
Sengoku turned toward him sharply. "You're laughing?!"
"I told you," Garp said, smirking. "Roger wasn't the kind of man you could catch with chains. He was born free… and he'll die free."
Sengoku rubbed his temples. "The whole world's going to lose its mind. Every pirate out there will start searching for that damn island!"
Tsuru folded her arms. "Then the age of peace we had… is over."
The newspaper fluttered between them — Roger's smiling face staring up from the front page, the words "King of the Pirates" printed beneath it like a prophecy.
Garp stared at that grin for a long moment before sighing.
"…Roger, you fool. You've just lit the biggest fire this world's ever seen."
——————-
In Mariejois — The Holy Land
The great chamber of the Five Elders was silent save for the rustle of paper.
"So… he found it," one of them muttered, setting down the newspaper. "The island that even the World Government has failed to erase."
Another elder scowled. "Then he's learned everything."
The third spoke gravely. "If he's discovered the Void Century, it's only a matter of time before the world follows his trail."
A moment of silence stretched before one elder whispered.
"Erase every trace of him. Every name. Every route he took."
"The Pirate King cannot be allowed to inspire hope."
The first elder looked toward the window, the holy city gleaming beneath the sun. "We cannot let another learn what he did. The age he's awakened… must be crushed before it begins."
———————-
Across the Seas — Among Pirates
In taverns and hidden ports, the name Roger became legend overnight.
"King of the Pirates? Hah! So it's possible after all!" one pirate shouted, raising his mug high.
"Possible?" another barked. "That means the treasure's real! The One Piece!"
The room exploded with laughter and greed.
Far across the New World, banners of countless crews were raised — each one setting their sights on the sea Roger conquered.
——————
On the deck of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard sat in his chair, the wind tugging at his white coat. Marco, Vista, and Jozu stood nearby, reading the newspaper with wide eyes.
"Pops… he really did it," Marco said softly. "Roger found the end."
Whitebeard let out a booming laugh. "Gurararara! That fool actually found the truth of this cursed world!"
Vista looked down at the paper in disbelief. "He really did it, huh…"
Whitebeard's grin softened. "He said he'd shake the world — and damn it, he did."
—————-
The Roger Pirates sat around a crackling campfire on deck that night.
Laughter filled the air as sake cups clinked and meat roasted over open flame.
"Captain," said Gaban, smirking, "You've really done it. King of the Pirates! Has a nice ring to it."
Roger waved him off, laughing. "Titles don't matter! What matters is the journey!"
"Easy for you to say," Buggy grumbled, flipping through the newspaper. "Now every pirate in the world's gonna be hunting for the One Piece!"
Shanks grinned at him. "You mean we started something huge."
Ada took a long drink of sake before speaking, her tone cool. "You started a storm, Roger. And the world's not ready for it."
Roger smiled at her. "Maybe not now… but someday, someone will be."
Rayleigh looked at the crew, a faint smile on his lips. "Heh… and when that day comes, they'll laugh too."
Oden laughed loudly, holding his cup high. "Then let's drink! To the end of the world — and the fools who found it!"
"TO THE END!" the crew roared back.
Their laughter carried across the waves — wild, unrestrained, and full of life.
————-
In bars, harbors, and islands around the world, people whispered the same name.
"Gol D. Roger… the man who reached the end."
"The King of the Pirates."
For some, it was fear.
For others — a dream.
And across the seas, sails were raised, compasses set, and a thousand new journeys began.
——————
Ada leaned against the railing, watching the sunrise. Roger stood beside her, his coat fluttering in the sea wind.
"Do you regret it?" she asked softly.
Roger smiled without hesitation. "Not for a second."
She looked at him — truly looked — and for the first time, she smiled faintly. "You're insane."
Roger laughed. "That's what makes life worth living!"
Behind them, the crew's laughter rose again — wild and genuine.
The sound rolled across the horizon, echoing into the dawn of a new age.
——————
A Few Days Later.
The world's oceans trembled again not just from the laughter of pirates — but from the thunderous stamping of the World Government's presses.
"NEW BOUNTIES RELEASED — THE PIRATE KING AND HIS CREW!"
Posters fluttered across the Grand Line, nailed to tavern walls, scattered by the wind, passed hand to hand in trembling awe.
——————
Sengoku slammed his palm against the table.
"These numbers are absurd! Are we trying to declare war on the world itself?!"
Tsuru adjusted her glasses, calm but stern. "They've already declared it for us."
Across the table, the bounties were laid out in crisp stacks, the ink still drying.
Gol D. Roger
5,564,800,000 Beli
Wanted Dead or Alive
The Pirate King. The man who conquered the Grand Line and reached the world's final island.
Silvers Rayleigh
4,480,000,000 Beli
Wanted Dead or Alive
The "Dark King." Roger Right hand. The man said to command storms at Roger's side. Unrivaled swordsman and strategist.
Nyx D. Ada
5,300,600,000 Beli
Wanted Dead or Alive
Former Rocks Pirate Vice Captain. Part of the Pirate King's crew. Known for her unmatched Observation and Conqueror's Haki. Has the power to pierce the world itself. Feared across the seas.
Kozuki Oden
2,847,000,000 Beli
Wanted Dead or Alive
Daimyo of Wano. The only man to decipher the Poneglyphs. Dangerous knowledge makes him a global threat.
Scopper Gaban
3,100,000,000 Beli
Dead or Alive
The left hand man of the Roger Pirates. Tactical genius and relentless fighter.
Crocus
1,020,000,000 Beli
Wanted Dead or Alive
Ship's doctor of the Pirate King's crew. Former Mercenary.
Sengoku stared at the posters grimly. "We've made legends of them."
Garp leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Heh… you can't stop legends with ink, Sengoku."
——————-
Aboard the Oro Jackson.
The bounty papers arrived days later, delivered by a trembling merchant who could barely stand under the weight of his fear.
Rayleigh unrolled the poster with a chuckle. "Four billion, huh? Guess I'm finally worth more than a small country."
Gaban laughed heartily. "Damn! Three billion for me? I should've asked for a raise!"
Oden stared at his own bounty, wide-eyed. "Two billion… My wife's going to kill me."
The crew erupted in laughter.
Roger, leaning against the mast, studied his poster in silence before grinning. "Five and a half billion… Guess they really don't want us walking free."
Ada stood at the edge of the deck, her own poster fluttering in her hand. The image was striking — her eyes cold, her hair whipping in the wind, a faint smile curving her lips.
Rayleigh leaned over her shoulder, smirking. "Almost caught up to the captain, huh?"
Ada didn't look up. "Almost."
Roger laughed, loud and unrestrained. "You deserve it, Ada! They're terrified of you — more than me, I bet!"
She finally turned, her expression calm but her tone laced with dry humor. "If they're scared of me, they should've set it higher."
The crew burst out laughing again, but behind her faint smirk, Ada's mind was elsewhere — thinking of how far they'd come, and how close the end now felt.
——————-
Meanwhile — Around the World
Everywhere, people gasped at the posters plastered across taverns and ports.
"Five billion?! For one man?!"
"No, look at her — The Crimson Shadow! five billion herself!"
"These aren't pirates… they're monsters!"
From pirate crews to fishermen, everyone whispered the same name — Gol D. Roger, and the crew who conquered the world.
——————
As night fell over the Oro Jackson, the laughter slowly faded into quiet reflection. The bounty posters lay scattered across the deck, fluttering in the sea breeze — proof of a legend that had shaken the world.
Roger stood at the bow, his gaze lost in the endless horizon.
"Ada," he said softly, "our journey's almost over."
She didn't look at him, only stared ahead as well. "You finally found what you were looking for… but you still can't stay still, can you?"
Roger smiled faintly. "No pirate ever can."
Behind them, the crew's voices drifted in the night — laughter, music, and the sound of waves crashing against the ship's hull.
The Pirate King's era was drawing to a close.
But the echoes of their adventure… were only just beginning.