October 10th, 1497, of the Sea Circle Calendar.Today marks the day of Gol D. Roger's execution.
The Navy escorted Roger to the foot of the execution platform. Then, with calm and quiet dignity, Roger climbed the steps alone.The entire square fell silent—everyone present bore witness to the end of the Pirate King.
"Uuuuh…"Shanks and Buggy couldn't hold back their tears the moment they saw Roger.
Seeing them cry, Kaoru Tsubasa gently placed a hand on each of their heads."Shanks, Buggy… just watch. Your captain will use his life to do something great—something that will change the world forever."
The two young men looked up at Roger through tear-filled eyes.Roger reached the top of the scaffold and sat down, smiling faintly.
"All right," he said, his grin shaped like a crescent moon. "Let's get this over with."
He laughed—openly, fearlessly.That smile… no one knew how deeply it would burn into the heart of a certain child watching from below.
"Hey! Pirate King! Where did you hide the treasure you found?"A pirate in the crowd shouted out the question that countless others wanted answered.
"Is it really on the Grand Line?""You got it, didn't you?""The legendary treasure—One Piece!"
"You bastard! Shut up!"One of the Navy executioners snapped at the shouting man, furious that anyone would speak here of all places.
Rogue Town was under the control of Vice Admiral Garp himself—no pirate could hope to escape. But because the Navy officer only barked a reprimand instead of giving the signal to execute Roger, his hesitation led to a world-changing mistake.
"The great treasure… the one and only 'One Piece!'"
"Hahahahahaha!"Roger threw back his head and laughed from the scaffold.
Watching below, Kaoru Tsubasa said softly to Shanks and Buggy,"Look closely. This is history being written. Your captain will use his death to open a new era."
Neither of them spoke, but their gazes never left Roger.Neither Shanks nor Buggy had seen the final island, Raftel—Buggy had fallen ill when they reached it, and Shanks had stayed behind to care for him. Because of that, they were the only two crew members who didn't know what Roger had discovered there.
"Want my treasure?" Roger called out suddenly.
The executioners froze, their nerves tightening."I can give it to you—everything I have!""Go and find it! I left it all… in one place!"
"Execute him!" one of the Marines finally shouted.
Two long blades pierced Roger's body. The Pirate King was dead.
But instead of mourning, the crowd erupted into cheers.The Marines on the platform exchanged uneasy glances—something about the air felt wrong.
"It's over," Kaoru Tsubasa said quietly to the boys beside him. "Shanks, Buggy—go, now."
"Brother Kaoru, what about you?" Shanks asked, confused and worried.Even at his young age, he knew the Navy would never let the Roger Pirates walk away alive after this.
Kaoru rapped his knuckles lightly against Shanks's head."Don't meddle in grown-up matters. Go."
"I'll bring back Roger's body," he added, his voice firm. "After all, I'm the one who carries his sword—Ace. I won't let the World Government desecrate him, even in death."
"Brother Kaoru…" Shanks's eyes trembled, but he nodded. "I understand."He grabbed Buggy's arm and pulled him away.
Buggy wanted to argue, but when he saw Kaoru's expression, he followed without a word.
"The execution's over, isn't it?"Kaoru began walking slowly toward the platform.
Among the crowd stood many faces that would one day shake the world:Gecko Moria, not yet scarred by Kaido.Donquixote Doflamingo, the fallen Celestial Dragon clad in pink feathers.Dracule Mihawk, not yet crowned the world's greatest swordsman.Crocodile, wrapped in his black coat, long before his defeat by Whitebeard.And even Monkey D. Dragon, not yet marked with his famous tattoo—soon to leave the Navy and form the Revolutionary Army.
"What's that kid doing?" Garp muttered as he watched Kaoru step into the light.
"The execution is over," Kaoru said calmly. "Now, I'll be taking Roger's body."
Gasps rippled through the crowd."That guy's insane!""He's actually challenging the Navy!""I've never heard of him, but he's got guts.""Must've gone mad after hearing the Pirate King's words!"
"What did you just say, brat?" one of the Marines barked from the scaffold. "You think we'd hand over the Pirate King's corpse to you?"
Boom!The Marine collapsed mid-sentence—unconscious.
"Ffff… Conqueror's Haki," Doflamingo chuckled in the shadows. "Another man born with the qualities of a king."
Shock swept through the crowd.A true King's Haki—rare and terrifying. This boy had the spirit of a ruler.
"Kid," came a gruff voice.Vice Admiral Garp leaped onto the platform, facing Kaoru directly. "You plan to take Roger's body? Did you ask me first?"
In the crowd, Dragon's eyes widened. Without a word, he turned and left. Every time he saw his father these days, he felt a dull ache in his face.
If Kaoru had known what Dragon was thinking, he would've laughed and said: "Your old man just wants to give you a better tattoo."
"Garp," Kaoru said, raising his sword. "Roger's dead. You've done your duty. Now let me take his body. That's all I ask."
He drew two blades—Ace and Lightning—and leveled them toward Garp.
"That sword…" Mihawk whispered, eyes glinting. "Could it be… Ace, one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades once wielded by the Pirate King himself?"
A faint smile crossed Mihawk's lips."A powerful swordsman indeed… I'll have to challenge him one day."
Kaoru said nothing.He didn't need to prove his strength.Anyone who carried the blade of the Pirate King had no right to be weak.