Three days later.
East Blue,
Loguetown.
Today, the sun was shining bright, not a cloud in the sky, the streets bustling with endless streams of people.
Countless figures surged toward the central plaza of Loguetown.
Today, this would be the place of execution!
And the one to be executed was none other than the man whose name now shook the seas "Pirate King"!
Gol D. Roger!!
On the execution grounds, a massive sea of people pressed forward, shoulder to shoulder.
All the main roads leading into the plaza were crammed with heads, packed tight without a gap.
The crowd here came from every walk of life, from every sea.
And this execution would be broadcast live to the entire world!
The Marines's purpose was clearto show everyone across the oceans!
A complete victory for Justice! The execution of the King of Evil!
Naturally, hidden among the crowd were ambitious men, all of them waiting with bated breath to hear what kind of final words the "Pirate King" would leave behind before death.
Captain Rosen had already secured himself the best spot.
He had no choice with a few fearsome giants of men at his side, most people who saw them would step aside instinctively.
With someone the size of Moria, stepping wrong and trampling them to death wasn't impossible.
...
"He's coming!"
A shout erupted from the crowd!
From the direction of the Marines branch, the sea of people parted on its own.
Two columns of execution guards marched in solemn silence, blades in hand, escorting a man forward.
Clang. Clang. Clang...
Roger! That man! He appeared at the end of the path.
Shackled in chains, he walked slowly but calmly, an unshaken smile lingering on his face.
When he stepped into the plaza, Roger carried that same profound smile as he mounted the execution platform built just for him.
"Roger... I've been waiting for this for a long time," Rosen muttered from afar.
Step, step, step.
Roger ascended the high platform one step at a time, willingly kneeling down at the execution spot.
Facing the ocean of people below, the smile on his lips deepened—showing no fear of death at all.
[Ding! Target "Pirate King Gol D. Roger" detected—eligible for plundered entries!]
[Ding! Would you like to plunder entries?]
Hearing the system's chime, Rosen took a deep breath, steadying himself.
"Plunder entries!"
[Plunder successful!]
[Obtained partial abilities of "Pirate King Gol D. Roger"!]
"Acquired: Supreme Conqueror's Haki!!"
"Acquired: Supreme Armament Haki!!"
"Acquired: Conqueror's Coating technique!!"
"Acquired: the technique 'Divine Departure'!!"
"Acquired: Observation Haki Voice of All Things!!"
"Acquired: Roger's Ittoryu (One-Sword Style)!!"
"!!!!"
Rosen's heart surged like a stormy sea!
This was even more than what he had gotten from his first plunder of Golden Lion more, and far stronger!
Conqueror's Coating and "Divine Departure" had flung him straight into the gates of the topmost monsters.
At this moment, Rosen had no idea just how strong he had become.
"Whew~"
He forced himself to calm down.
"Hm?"
Roger glanced down at a young man in the crowd. His presence was unusually powerful... and oddly familiar.
But after one look, Roger dismissed it. At this moment, nothing could stir ripples in his heart anymore.
"Prepare the execution!"
At the command, two executioners raised their long blades, crossing them before Roger.
The plaza fell utterly silent. Every head craned upward, waiting for something.
Roger only smiled serenely back at them all.
Gulp.
The sound of throats swallowing echoed like waves. Say something!
Suddenly someone shouted from the crowd:
"Hey! Pirate King! Where did you hide all your treasure?! Was it really in the Grand Line? You found it, didn't you the legendary great treasure! The ONE PIECE!!"
The crowd's eyes widened, their greed dripping in sweat, trembling in anticipation say it! You must say it!
"Wahahahahaha!!! My treasure, you ask?!"
Roger burst out laughing.
"Silence!!"
The executioners sensed something wrong and barked at him.
"If you want it you can have it all!!"
"Go and find it! I left everything in that place!!"
"Execute him!!"
Slash!!
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger was dead.
BOOM!!
The crowd below exploded into a frenzy!
Their anticipation had been fulfilled.
Their greed now magnified without limit!
The Marines's attempt at a glorious victory...
...ended up backfiring, smashing their own foot with the stone they had lifted.
The end of the King of Evil
...marked the beginning of an age of madness!
...
Loguetown.
Under the clear skies, the roar of voices was unending.
The crowd's cries shook the heavens, so loud even seabirds dared not alight nearby.
It was a carnival for the ambitious!
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was dead!
To the Marines, it meant the King of Evil was erased their greatest triumph.
To the common folk, it was merely the death of a pirate. Their lives seemed unchanged.
But to the ambitious... Roger's death meant his treasure had become ownerless!
And more importantly! His final words proved it the legendary treasure, the "ONE PIECE," truly existed!!
If one could seize the Pirate King's legacy...
They would gain wealth! Fame! Power! They could have the entire world! They could become the next Pirate King!!
"ROOOAAAHHHH!!!"
The crowd still boiled over, as though they could already see their radiant futures.
Just one sentence from Roger, and they were already lost in fantasies of becoming Pirate King themselves.
Human greed is endless. Even ordinary citizens, swayed by this fevered atmosphere, tempted by unimaginable wealth... their once-still hearts began to stir with restless desire.
Of course, not everyone lost their minds.
"Fufufufufufu!"
"What terrifying last words, Pirate King! A single sentence enough to make the whole sea boil over."
"The Marines' faces must be turning black right about now. Fufufufufu!"
From a corner of the plaza, Donquixote Doflamingo laughed aloud as he watched the crowd spiral into madness.
"Young master, should we adjust the family's business?"
Senior Pink asked at his side.
"Arms. The seas from now on will never stop burning hot!"
...
...
Beneath the shadow of a rooftop, a tall figure cloaked in darkness stood watching.
At this moment, his brows were furrowed tight. Raised in the Marines from childhood, he fully understood just how horrifying the impact of Roger's words would be.
An execution, one man's death... yet it had sparked endless frenzy.
Truly ridiculous, and tragic.
"This world... is sick..."
He whispered to himself, words meant only for his own heart, before turning away.
No longer did he wish to see the madness of the masses.
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T/N:
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