Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1498. January 1st.
Deep within the lowest depths of Impel Down, the great underwater prison, the heavy clatter of chains echoed through the dim, oppressive corridors.
Escorted by two Marine generals, Roger walked steadily toward the staircase leading to the surface.
Seastone shackles bound his wrists tightly, yet his steps remained calm and unhurried—as if this were nothing more than an ordinary stroll.
After an entire month, when he once again beheld the blinding sunlight, he instinctively narrowed his eyes.
The light spilled across his face, illuminating features worn with exhaustion, yet still unyieldingly resolute.
Roger drew in a deep breath. The salty sea breeze filled his lungs, carrying with it the long-lost scent of freedom.
On the waiting warship, Garp stood at the bow in silence.His gaze never left Roger, a complex emotion flickering briefly in his eyes.
"What's wrong, Garp?" Roger noticed his stare and broke into a grin, that familiar, defiant smile spreading across his face."Can't bear to part with me?"
"Tch." Garp snorted coldly. He didn't answer—he couldn't.
Instead, he turned and waved to the soldiers behind him."Prepare to set sail. Destination—Loguetown."
The warship slowly departed Impel Down's harbor. Seagulls circled overhead, their sharp cries cutting through the air.
Roger was placed inside a specially constructed cage at the center of the deck, surrounded by Marines standing on full alert.
His eyes swept across each of them before finally settling on Garp's back.
"Garp—" Roger had just begun to speak when a deep, steady voice interrupted him.
"A new era is about to begin."
Roger stiffened slightly at the sound and glanced sideways.
There, wrapped in layers of bandages, Gern Reginald Sigmar sat cross-legged beside the cage, a cloak draped over his shoulders. The guards who had originally been stationed there had already withdrawn.
"Recovered in less than a month?" Roger's surprise was evident when he saw Gern.But when his gaze shifted to Li Bo beside him—her hands glowing softly with healing light—realization dawned."A Mink with a Devil Fruit ability, huh?"
"If not for Vegapunk's medical technology and Li Bo's healing Devil Fruit, I'd be bedridden for at least half a year," Gern murmured.
He looked down at his palm, where vibration particles briefly gathered—then dispersed.
"You're the first awakened Logia user I've ever seen," Roger said with a faint smile, his eyes drifting toward the distant horizon."But don't overuse it—especially that Heaven-Shaking power of yours. Strength bordering on divinity isn't something every place can withstand."
"If you'd gone all out like that in Mariejois, hahaha—!"
"Unfortunately, you still stopped me," Roger continued softly."And I… lost."
"Lost?" Roger chuckled."You should know—not everyone is me. Others don't have the kind of Haki needed to withstand the pressure of your domain."
"And besides," he added, glancing back,"When I was in my twenties, I wasn't as strong as you."
"Roger—"
"Enough of that," Roger cut him off gently. "This is my final voyage, after all."Then his eyes sharpened slightly. "There's something I'm curious about."
"What is it?" Gern lifted his gaze.
Roger looked straight into his eyes, his tone calm."Gern… you knew long ago that I would become the 'Pirate King,' didn't you?"
Gern froze for a moment—and didn't answer.
Seeing this, Roger didn't press further. He already had the answer he wanted.
Instead, he shifted the topic."This sea… is about to boil over."
"That's true," Gern said as he slowly rose to his feet.
"Heh." Roger tilted his head back, gazing at the sky as if staring at something unseen, his thoughts turning inward."Hearing that from you puts my heart at ease."
"I merely… lit a single spark.As for how fiercely it burns—that depends on those who come after me."
"After all… I arrived at the wrong time."
The warship pressed onward, waves striking its hull in steady rhythm.
Supported by Li Bo, Gern departed. Roger leaned back against the bars of his cage and closed his eyes, utterly unconcerned with the fate awaiting him.
"Roger." After some time, Garp's voice sounded again."What did that brat Gern say to you?"
Roger opened his eyes, a knowing smile tugging at his lips."Him? …He exceeded my expectations."
"In that battle, he almost truly killed me."
"Don't dodge the question," Garp's pupils tightened."What exactly did he say?"
Roger only smiled and shook his head lightly."Some words… are better left for the future."
Garp stared at him for a long moment, then finally let out a sigh and turned away.
He knew he wouldn't get the answer to that battle from Roger.
As the sun dipped low, the sea was dyed gold.
Roger gazed at the gradually approaching outline of Loguetown, a trace of nostalgia surfacing in his eyes.
This was where he was born—where everything had begun.
And now, here, it would all end.
"How ironic…" Roger murmured."So the papers calling it the 'Town of Beginnings and Endings' weren't exaggerating after all."
Standing at the bow with his back to him, Garp spoke hoarsely as Loguetown loomed near."Roger… do you regret it?"
Roger burst into laughter, his voice filled with release."Regret? My life was nothing short of spectacular. I've never regretted a thing!"
Garp said nothing more.
The warship docked slowly. Loguetown's harbor was already packed with people.
...
Loguetown. The Execution Platform.
The crowd surged like a tide—journalists from around the world, pirates, civilians, and even Revolutionaries hidden in the shadows.
Future overlords of the seas.Prodigies and contenders.
All had gathered to witness this historic moment.
Before long, Roger was escorted off the warship and guided step by step toward the execution platform through a corridor cleared by Marines.
His stride remained firm. His gaze swept across the masses, as if searching for someone.
Suddenly, he spotted a familiar figure in the crowd—
A red-haired boy wearing a straw hat, biting his lip so hard it trembled, tears brimming in his eyes.
Roger's mouth curved slightly. He silently mouthed a few words.
Then he lifted his head, faced the blinding sunlight, and strode boldly toward the end of his fate.
On the platform, the executioners' blades were already poised.
The instant Roger knelt—
It was as though the entire world stood still.
Then, from the crowd, a pivotal figure stepped forward and shouted:
"Hey—Pirate King!You found that legendary treasure, didn't you?!You got it—ONE PIECE, right?!Where did you put it?!"
"Heh… hahaha!!"
Roger threw his head back and laughed, his voice loud and crystal clear.
"You want my treasure?"
The moment those words left his mouth, both Sengoku and Garp stiffened.
Sengoku reacted first, urgently ordering the execution—
But it was already too late.
"If you want it—then take it!!Go find it! I left everything there!!"
Before the words had fully faded, twin flashes of steel crossed—
Blades pierced through Roger's back.
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, fell.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed frozen as everyone stared in stunned silence.
Then a single voice screamed, "Treasure!"
Another followed.
And another.
In an instant, the crowd exploded.
Screams, cheers, sobs—intertwined.Madness ignited in countless eyes.
"He said it… 'ONE PIECE'?!"
"The legendary great treasure!!"
"The end of the Grand Line—Laugh Tale!!!"
The entire plaza descended into unprecedented frenzy. Fists clenched. Ambition blazed. Countless figures surged toward the harbor.
Amid the chaos, Shanks clenched his fist—then turned and vanished into the crowd.
Beside the execution platform, Garp stood atop the elevated stand, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
The sea wind snapped his Justice cloak behind him.
His nails dug deep into his palms—yet he felt nothing.
Watching the boiling crowd charging toward the port, Garp's pupils trembled violently.
Those fevered shouts.Those greedy gazes.Those burning ambitions.
Like a colossal wave, they swallowed Loguetown whole.
He understood all too well what this meant.
The spark Roger had ignited with his very life was now spreading wildly across the seas.
"You bastard…" Garp swallowed hard, his hoarse voice drowned out by the roaring masses.
In his mind, he saw that man again—laughing atop the execution platform, that final light gleaming in his eyes.
And in that moment, Garp finally understood—
The fall of a legend was not an ending.
It was the trumpet call of a new age.
Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1498.From the ashes of the old era—
An age where heroes would rise in droves,Where titans would clash upon the seas—
The Great Pirate Era descended upon the world in the most earth-shaking way imaginable.