The Death of Roger, The Dawn of a New Era

"The time has come. Send the order—begin the execution."

Sengoku glanced at the clock and gave the command.

The execution time had been set in stone long ago.

Unless something unexpected happened, it would not be delayed.

But now, with mere minutes left, none of their worst-case scenarios had come to pass.

It seemed the execution would proceed without interruption.

This realization brought a wave of relief to Sengoku and the other high-ranking Marines.

Despite all their precautions, none of them truly wanted a battle today.

After all, Loguetown was a small town in the East Blue.

If a large-scale fight broke out, especially against a powerful enemy, the outcome could be unpredictable.

This was not Marineford.

This was not the War of the Best, where the Marines welcomed battle against the Whitebeard Pirates.

No—today was different.

The goal was simple: Execute Gol D. Roger.

Anyone who might attempt a rescue, no matter how strong, was ultimately less important than Roger himself.

The Marines didn't need a secondary show of force—Roger's execution alone would be enough.

Sengoku's order was quickly relayed to the executioners.

Two Marine officers stepped forward, taking their positions behind Roger.

Roger's Final Words

Roger paid no attention to the two men standing behind him.

He remained calm, sitting completely at ease, as if he were merely a guest of honor rather than a condemned man.

One of the executioners hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"Roger, do you have any last words?"

Roger smiled.

He shook his shackled hands and feet, causing the metal chains to rattle.

"Could you take these off? I've been wearing them for so long, they're getting really itchy."

"Stop joking around. That's not happening." The executioner responded sternly.

Roger shrugged.

"How boring. It's not like I'd try to escape. If you can't do it, at least stop acting so serious about it. Just get it over with."

The two executioners raised their weapons, positioning them in front of Roger, preparing to strike.

Suddenly—

"Hey! Pirate King!"

A loud voice erupted from the crowd, cutting through the tense silence.

Roger, who had been lowering his head, suddenly lifted it, his eyes scanning the sea of people before him.

"Not good."

Sengoku's face darkened instantly.

His instincts screamed danger.

"Execute him! Now! Immediately!" he bellowed.

Moments ago, the lack of a rescue attempt had relaxed his nerves.

But now—at this critical moment, with someone shouting out, his instincts warned him:

Something is about to happen.

He didn't know what it was, but he knew it wasn't good.

Despite his urgent command, orders take time to relay.

But Jon had anticipated trouble.

The moment the voice rang out, he had already locked onto the source.

"Finger Pistol—Air Bullet!"

Jon knew—this person had to be silenced immediately.

A compressed air bullet shot through the crowd at incredible speed, striking the speaker down before they could say anything further.

But before he could relax—

"Where did you hide your treasure, Pirate King?! Is it in the Grand Line?! You must have found it—ONE PIECE! You discovered the legendary treasure, didn't you?!"

Jon's expression hardened.

"Damn it—there's more than one of them."

Just as he had suspected, this was premeditated.

The ones asking these questions had to be Roger's people—planted in the crowd ahead of time.

Even if one was eliminated, another would continue the script.

And even if he killed this one—another would take their place.

"It's too late."

Jon clenched his jaw.

Attacking more people now would only cause more chaos.

It was meaningless.

The Words That Changed Everything

"Shut up! SHUT UP!"

One of the executioners roared in fury.

But nothing could stop what was coming next.

A voice rose above the crowd—

"Where is the legendary treasure—ONE PIECE?! Where did you hide it?!"

"DON'T SAY IT!"

And then—

Roger laughed.

A deep, booming laugh, rich with joy and triumph.

Amid the executioners' furious shouts, he spoke his final words:

"You want my treasure? You want ONE PIECE?"

"You can have it! I left everything I gathered…

"…all in one place."

"SLASH!"

The blades came down, piercing through Roger's body.

The Pirate King—who had once ruled the Grand Line—died with a smile on his face.

For a moment—a stunned silence gripped the square.

And then—

A deafening roar erupted.

Thousands of voices screamed in excitement.

Roger's final words had set the world on fire.

"ONE PIECE—the legendary treasure!"

"How much treasure must it be?! The greatest fortune in history!"

In an instant, greed overtook fear.

The intended message of Roger's execution—a warning to pirates—was shattered beyond repair.

At this moment—nothing mattered except the dream of wealth, adventure, and glory.

The execution that was meant to deter piracy had instead ignited a wildfire.

Sengoku's Fury

"BANG!"

Sengoku's palm slammed into the window, shattering the glass.

His face twisted in rage.

"Roger… YOU BASTARD!"

At last, he understood.

Why had Roger surrendered?

Why had he willingly accepted execution?

Why had he insisted on a public execution?

It was all a setup.

They had played right into Roger's hands.

Sengoku could already see the future—the chaos that would spread after today.

"Move the body! Maintain order! Do NOT let this turn into a riot!"

Despite the heavy Marine presence, the crowd was out of control.

Even thousands of elite Marines couldn't stop the madness that had been unleashed.

A New Era Begins

From the shadows, a man in a green hooded cloak watched silently.

Monkey D. Dragon.

His sharp eyes reflected the execution platform.

"Roger… I rarely admire anyone. But today, I admire you."

He turned away.

"Roger has fulfilled his dream. Now, it's time for me to begin my own."

Elsewhere—

A tall man with piercing hawk-like eyes observed the scene.

Dracule Mihawk.

Without a word, he turned and disappeared.

Among the crowd—

A young man in an extravagant outfit, wearing sunglasses, smirked.

Donquixote Doflamingo.

A towering beast of a man, exuding a demonic aura, chuckled to himself.

Kaido.

One by one, future legends had gathered here today—witnessing history unfold.

The Great Pirate Era had begun.

And with it, a new world awaited.

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