Chapter 6: The End of an Era, The Dawn of Another

The calendar flipped day by day.

And under the anticipation of countless people around the world, the first day of the year 1498 finally arrived.

On this day, innumerable people gathered in front of video Den-Den Mushi screens, solemnly awaiting the arrival of the main figure.

Outside the Gate of Level One, Impel Down.

Five Marine warships of Headquarters grade lined up in a row across the sea.

Inside, the prison guards were all fully mobilized.

Level Six Underground – Eternal Hell.

"Roger! Roger! Tell me—why were you captured?! Tell me—!"

A furious roar echoed again and again.

Ever since the 'Golden Lion' Shiki had regained consciousness and sensed the presence of an old friend, he had been trapped in a state of emotional turmoil, howling and demanding answers.

But no matter how loud he yelled or how many times he asked—

Roger gave no reply.

He simply sat quietly, head lowered, lost in memory, deep in thought.

Until another old friend appeared outside his cell.

"...Is it time, Garp?"

Roger looked up, his sharp eyes locking with the other's.

Garp nodded. "We're heading out. Destination: Marine Headquarters."

Roger furrowed his brow slightly at those words—but his expression soon relaxed.

"...What about Rouge? How is she?"

"She's doing well," Garp replied. "She's staying with Tsuru. Once your child is born, they'll enroll at Marineford like any normal child… and grow up to become an excellent Marine."

At that, Garp paused for a moment before continuing:

"However... he'll never know who his father was."

"...Is that so? A Marine, huh?"

Roger chuckled. "Not bad. Honestly... a surprisingly merciful move—from you Marines, or should I say, the World Government?"

He grinned widely.

"Yeah. I found it odd too, but this time... those guys actually did something right," Garp said.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Garp. Let him follow you."

Right now, Roger could only entrust his wife—and unborn child—to Garp.

Garp frowned.

But seeing the earnest plea in Roger's eyes, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

"You have my word. As long as I'm here, they'll be safe."

After all, they'd spent a lifetime as rivals.

Meanwhile, Shiki's shouting hadn't stopped—but neither of the two men acknowledged him. Not even as they left 'Eternal Hell'.

Not long after, the fleet transporting Roger exited the Calm Belt.

As the Gates of Justice slowly opened, the ships followed the proper current of the massive whirlpools—racing toward the outer port of Marineford at great speed.

Standing on the deck, Garp looked toward the plaza inside the port.

Before his eyes lay a sea of black-clad figures.

It was a grand formation made up of tens of thousands of Marine officers and soldiers.

At the very front—just before the Justice Fortress—

A towering execution platform had been constructed. Several video Den-Den Mushi were already positioned at a distance, cameras aimed at the scene.

Everything was ready.

As the warship docked at the port, Garp personally escorted Roger—still in shackles—down onto the shore.

From there, Roger had to walk the rest of the way on his own.

He didn't look back at Garp. Instead, he raised his head to glance at the blazing sun overhead.

Then he broke into a bright, beaming smile—clearly pleased with the weather.

[Step. Step. Step.]

The Marine formation parted, creating a wide and straight path.

It led directly to the execution platform at the far end.

Sengoku stood on that platform, the Fleet Admiral watching as Roger walked forward—step by steady step—along with all the Marines present, and the millions tuning in to the live broadcast.

In this moment, apart from the sound of leather boots on stone, only the waves crashing against the port and the hulls of the ships could be heard.

Everyone waited in silence, watching as he walked step by step onto the tall execution platform, finally sitting cross-legged beside Sengoku.

"What a nice view," Roger remarked with a smile, gazing down at the densely packed ranks of Marines below.

"But it would've been better if that guy Shiki were being executed with me. At least I'd have some company on the road to the underworld. I bet he still has a ton of questions to ask me."

Sengoku replied in a low voice, "Today's main character is you—Gold Roger, the Pirate King."

It was still about half an hour before noon.

So Sengoku didn't mind exchanging a few words with Roger.

"These past few days in prison, I've been thinking things over carefully," Roger said, locking eyes with Sengoku. "I'm sure now—there wasn't a single World Government agent on that island."

His Observation Haki carried the unique ability to hear the voice of all things.

If there had truly been any spies on that island, there was no way they could've escaped his perception.

So then… how did the World Government find out about Baterilla?

Sengoku had thought of that as well. Though his expression remained calm on the surface, inwardly, his thoughts were stirring.

Could the World Government be hiding some unknown surveillance methods?

For a moment, the two of them fell into silence, letting time pass quietly.

At 10:55, two executioners carrying long spears ascended the platform.

Sengoku, meanwhile, had already stepped down and now stood below with the other Marines, looking up at Roger.

This was the only form of respect they could offer the Pirate King.

Five minutes later—

Far away in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, the Five Elders sat on sofas in the Room of Authority, watching with their own eyes as two sharp spears pierced through Roger's chest. Crimson blood gushed forth, pooling beneath him.

The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger—dead.

At that moment, the entire ocean seemed to fall silent. Everyone stared, transfixed, at Roger's lifeless body.

The very next moment, people across the world erupted into celebration.

Citizens from every nation cheered with excitement, tossing their hats, newspapers, even their Berries into the air, rejoicing at the execution of the world's greatest pirate.

On a remote island somewhere in the New World—

"Worororo! Let's go! From now on—it's my era!"

Kaido, who had already formed the Beasts Pirates, stood up with a gourd of liquor in hand, laughing heartily as he strode off the island.

King followed closely behind, then Queen, along with some twenty Zoan-type Devil Fruit users.

In the Totto Land Kingdom, on Whole Cake Island—

"Mama, the next Pirate King will be me. But I'm not foolish enough to disband my crew… and definitely not stupid enough to charge the Navy Headquarters alone!"

Charlotte Linlin, still relatively slim but already starting to put on weight, widened her eyes.

She burst into laughter, surrounded by her children.

"This calls for a celebration! Quick, bring over the cream cake!"

On the upper floor of Pangaea Castle—

Imu, too, had witnessed the fall of the Pirate King.

His mood was exceptionally cheerful.

Thanks to his careful preparation—

Roger had died without ever managing to utter that earth-shattering declaration.

That alone was a massive victory.

"This way, the so-called Great Pirate Era should be completely snuffed out. The situation ahead will definitely be far more stable than it was in the original timeline."

With Roger's death, Imu shifted his focus to the agenda of this year's World Summit. To him, that was the true top priority.

Even though what he was planning would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar—sparking backlash from many corners—he believed the number of supporters would far outweigh the opposition. And more importantly, this was something that had to be done. Without it, everything else would be meaningless.

In terms of impact, it could very well rival the public execution of the Pirate King himself.

Besides, what use was opposition?

Still, the details needed careful refinement. That's why, over the past few days, Imu had taken to sitting alone on the Empty Throne late at night, regularly holding 'meetings' with the Five Elders.

At first, the five men had been visibly shaken by Imu's outlandish ideas. But before long, they grew used to it.

After all, their goals aligned perfectly with Imu's: preserving the Celestial Dragons' absolute rule over the World Government.

With that shared baseline, it didn't matter how outrageous the plans might seem on the surface—they would accept them.

Why? Because Imu could see the future. And the Five Elders believed in that without question.