The Town of Beginning and End — Loguetown!
In the East Blue, near the mouth of the Reverse Mountain river—
Once upon a time, this was just a typical little town in the East Blue.
Until more than 20 years ago.
This ordinary town gave rise to a man who shook the seas—a super figure of legend.
The first man in 800 years to conquer the Grand Line.
The man known to the world as — the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
Because of him, this small town would never be ordinary again.
The Pirate King Roger had set sail from this very island.
And in the end, he would also die in this town—his homeland—by public execution.
Thus, Loguetown became known as the place of both beginnings and endings.
The execution platform in Loguetown, where the Pirate King was sentenced 22 years ago, had become a world-famous site.
However...
Just six months ago—
That platform, which had stood for over two decades, was struck down by a thunderbolt from the heavens.
As if it was heralding the arrival of a brand-new era.
At this very moment—
No one noticed—
A tall figure appeared soundlessly near the remains of that historical site.
...
...
"Could this be... Loguetown?"
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, looked around the surroundings with uncertainty.
Even someone who had conquered the Grand Line and earned the unmatched title of Pirate King—
At this moment, he was utterly shaken by what had just happened to him.
Today was supposed to be the day of his execution.
Escorted by the Marine Fleet Admiral and the hero of the Marines, Garp—
He had been transferred from Impel Down to his hometown of Loguetown.
It was noon.
Under the watchful eyes of the Marine guards, he climbed the steps—one by one—toward the execution platform, which would serve as the final stage of his life.
As the Pirate King, he was to be executed publicly before the entire world.
Below the platform, reporters from across the globe had gathered.
Also among the crowd were several young figures who would later rise to shake the world—
Hawk-Eye Mihawk, Gecko Moriah, the clown Doflamingo, the desert Crocodile, Garp's son Dragon, and even his own legacy bearers—Red-Haired Shanks and the red-nosed Buggy.
His life had only one minute remaining.
Then—
A reporter from the crowd shouted a question:
"Where is the legendary treasure One Piece?"
"You want my treasure? If you want it, come and get it. I left everything this world has to offer... in that place!"
That was his final answer.
With those words, the life of the man named Roger had come full circle.
He had no more regrets.
No—
If there was one regret—
It was that he had never had the chance to meet the child who had yet to be born.
Was it... Ace?
That's what the Pirate King thought.
As the execution blade gleamed and descended toward him—
Just before it could claim his life—
A blinding light engulfed his body.
When he opened his eyes again—
There was no one around him.
Even the execution platform had vanished.
But Roger instantly recognized it.
This was his hometown, East Blue's Loguetown.
This was the square where he had been executed.
"What the hell is going on? Some kind of power?"
Briefly stunned, Roger furrowed his brows in thought.
The location hadn't changed—
So it wasn't spatial teleportation.
It was more likely...
Time.
"A time leap? A Time-Time Devil Fruit? Kozuki Toki?!"
The first person to come to mind was his comrade Oden's wife—Kozuki Toki.
She had wielded the Paramecia-type Time-Time Fruit and traveled 800 years into the future.
If it was her power, it was possible he had been sent into the future.
But why?
Only a week had passed since the Marines had announced his public execution.
Wano Country and Loguetown were worlds apart.
Even if Oden had received the news immediately and informed his wife—
There was no way she could have made it in time.
Besides—
Roger was confident that if Oden had known of his decision—
He would have supported him, not interfered.
"This isn't Toki's doing... then who?"
Even with his vast knowledge, Roger couldn't figure it out.
At that moment—
Roger suddenly sensed something.
He looked up—
And saw glowing letters forming in midair.
[Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1520, September 16th. This is the future—twenty-two years from now!]
Roger's eyes sparkled.
He stood silently, waiting for the puppet master behind the scenes to reveal more.
The next line appeared—
[Portgas D. Ace, 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, is to be executed in one week.]
Roger: "!!!"
His eyes widened to their absolute limit.
His mouth hung open in disbelief.
Emotion surged through him like tidal waves.
"Cough, cough... Cough cough cough!"
The shock triggered a flare-up of his incurable illness.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead from the pain—
Yet his eyes never blinked.
He stared fixedly at the text in the sky.
The man who had endured thousands of perils and never once flinched before death—
Now wore a face twisted in emotion like never before.
All because of that name—
Ace!!!
Portgas D. Ace!!!
"No doubt about it!"
"There's no mistake!"
"Ace is my son!"
"The son of me and Rouge—is Ace!"
Roger took a deep breath.
It took him a long while to finally suppress the storm in his heart.
Then he focused on the other details in the message.
"2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates."
He knew that position well.
After all, he had once snatched Oden—who held that title—onto his own ship.
"My son Ace... took Oden's place... and became Whitebeard's 2nd Division Commander?"
"How poetic... a cycle of karma."
Roger couldn't help but smile wryly.
He had once taken Oden from Whitebeard.
Now, his own son had inherited that role.
Still—
He recalled something else.
Everyone on Whitebeard's ship, aside from Oden, had always referred to Whitebeard as "Father."
Which meant...
Whitebeard was likely Ace's adoptive father now.
"Fine. That's something I owe Newgate anyway."
Roger no longer struggled with the thought.
His gaze returned to the countdown for the public execution.
His eyes gleamed with fierce determination.
"As for me, I can accept death..."
"But who dares execute my son?!"