sea circle calendar 1498, January 1st.
In the deepest part of the underwater great prison, Impel Down, the sound of heavy chains echoed in the gloomy corridor.
Roger was escorted by two Marine generals, slowly walking towards the stairs leading to the surface.
His hands were tightly bound by Sea Stone handcuffs, yet his steps remained steady, as if this was just an ordinary stroll.
After a month, when he saw the dazzling sunlight again, he instinctively squinted.
The sunlight fell on his face, revealing a haggard yet resolute countenance.
Roger took a deep breath, and the salty sea breeze filled his nostrils, carrying the long-lost scent of freedom.
On the waiting warship, Garp stood on the bow deck, silent.
His gaze remained fixed on Roger, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
"What's wrong, Garp?" Roger noticed his gaze, grinned, and showed his familiar arrogant smile: "Can't bear to part with me?"
"Hmph." Garp snorted, neither answering nor being able to answer.
So he turned and waved his hand to the soldiers behind him: "Prepare to set sail, destination, Loguetown."
The warship slowly sailed away from Impel Down's port, and seagulls circled overhead, emitting crisp cries.
Roger was placed in a special cage in the center of the deck, surrounded by Marines standing by in full alert.
His gaze swept over everyone, finally resting on Garp's back.
"Garp," Roger was about to speak when a low, calm voice suddenly came.
"A new era is about to begin."
Hearing the voice, Roger's expression stiffened slightly, and he looked sideways.
He saw Gern, covered in bandages, sitting cross-legged beside the cage with a cape draped over him, while the original guard soldiers had already retreated.
"You recovered in less than a month?" Seeing Gern's appearance, Roger was clearly surprised.
But when his gaze fell on Libo, who was using healing light on Gern's side, he showed a clear expression, "A Mink Tribe with a Devil Fruit?"
"Thanks to Vegapunk's medical technology and Libo's healing fruit, otherwise I would have been bedridden for at least half a year." Gern murmured.
Then he looked at his palm, and the vibrating particles briefly condensed and then disappeared.
"You are the first Nature Type awakened ability user I've seen." Roger smiled, his gaze turning to the distant sea horizon.
"But you should still use it less! Especially your Heaven Quake, that kind of power almost equivalent to a god, not every place can withstand it.
If you were to play a round on Mary Geoise, hahahaha!"
"It's a pity you still blocked it, and I lost."
"Lost? Hehe. You should know, not everyone is me, others don't have such powerful Haki to deal with the influence of your domain!
Also, when I was in my twenties, I wasn't as strong as you."
"Roger..."
"Don't talk about this, after all, this is my last voyage." Roger interrupted Gern, "I'm also curious about one thing now."
"What is it?" Gern looked up.
Roger looked into Gern's eyes and said calmly: "Gern, you knew very early that I would become the "Pirate King", didn't you?"
Hearing this, Gern's expression froze, and he didn't answer.
Seeing this, Roger didn't ask further, because he already knew the answer he wanted.
Instead, he changed the subject and said: "This great sea... will soon boil."
"That's true." Gern slowly stood up.
"Hehe, getting this from you, my heart is more at ease." Roger looked up at the sky, as if gazing at some invisible existence, muttering inwardly.
"I just... lit a spark.
As for how it will burn, that's up to those who come after... After all, I came at the wrong time."
The warship continued to sail, and the waves slapped against the hull, making a rhythmic sound.
Gern left with Libo's support, and Roger leaned against the bars of the cage, closing his eyes to rest, as if indifferent to his impending fate.
"Roger." After an unknown amount of time, Garp's voice sounded again: "What did that kid Gern tell you?"
Roger opened his eyes, a meaningful smile on his lips: "He... is even more outstanding than I expected.
In that battle, he almost really killed me."
"Don't fool me." Garp's pupils constricted slightly: "What exactly did he tell you?"
Roger smiled without answering, just shook his head gently: "Some words are better left for the future."
Garp stared at him for a long time, finally sighed, and turned to leave.
He knew that he wouldn't get the answer about that battle from Roger.
The sun set, and the sea was dyed golden.
Roger looked at the gradually approaching outline of Loguetown, a trace of nostalgia appearing in his eyes.
This was where he was born, and it was the beginning of everything.
Now, he would draw a close here.
"How ironic..." Roger murmured softly, "What the newspaper calls 'The Town of Beginning and End' is indeed living up to its name now."
Looking at Loguetown, which was within reach, Garp stood at the bow, his back to him, his voice hoarse: "Roger, do you regret it?"
Roger burst out laughing, his laughter filled with relief: "Regret? My life has been magnificent, I've never regretted it!"
Garp said nothing more.
The warship slowly docked, and Loguetown's port was already crowded with people.
...
Loguetown, execution platform.
The crowd surged like a tide, reporters from all over the world, pirates, civilians, and even the Revolutionary Army hidden in the shadows.
These future maritime overlords and elites all gathered here, waiting to witness this historic moment.
Soon, Roger was escorted off the warship and walked step by step towards the execution platform through the passage opened by the Marines in the crowd.
During the process, his steps were firm, and his gaze swept over the crowd, as if searching for something.
Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure in the crowd.
A red-haired young man wearing a straw hat was biting his lip tightly, tears in his eyes.
Roger's lips curved slightly, and he silently said something.
Then, he raised his head and walked boldly towards the end of his destiny, facing the dazzling sunlight.
On the execution platform, the executioner's blade was ready.
The moment Roger knelt down, the whole world seemed to stand still.
At this moment, a key figure appeared in the crowd, shouting and asking: "Hey, Pirate King!
You got that legendary great treasure, didn't you!
That is, "One Piece" was obtained by you, right!?!
Where did you put him?"
"Hehe... Hahahahaha!!" Hearing this, Roger grinned and laughed loudly, his voice clear and resonant.
"Do you want my treasures?"
As soon as Roger said this, Sengoku and Garp, who were in charge, both froze.
Immediately after, Sengoku was the first to react and quickly ordered the execution, but it was too late.
"If you want it, I'll give it all to you!!
Go find it, I've left everything there!!"
Before he finished speaking, two flashes of blades passed, piercing Roger from behind in a cross.
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, fell here.
For a moment, it was as if the world stopped, everyone staring blankly at this scene.
Immediately after, a voice first shouted "treasure", followed by countless people echoing, and the crowd instantly boiled!
Screams, cheers, and cries intertwined, and the eyes of countless people ignited with a crazy flame!
"He said... 'ONE PIECE'?!"
"The legendary great treasure!!"
"The end of the Grand Line — Laugh Tale!!!"
The entire square fell into an unprecedented frenzy, countless people clenched their fists, their eyes gleaming with ambition as they rushed towards the port.
And in the chaos, Shanks clenched his fist and turned to disappear into the crowd.
Garp stood on the high platform beside the execution platform, his fists clenched tightly, the sea breeze blowing his cloak of justice.
His knuckles were white from excessive force, and his nails dug deep into his palms, yet he was unaware.
Looking at the boiling crowd rushing towards the port below, Garp's pupils trembled violently.
Those frenzied shouts, greedy gazes, burning ambitions.
Swept through all of Loguetown like a towering tsunami.
He knew too well what this meant.
The spark that Roger had ignited with his life was now spreading wildly across this great sea.
"You bastard..." Garp's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, his hoarse voice drowned in the roaring human clamor.
He seemed to see the man laughing on the execution platform again, seeing the last light flickering in his eyes.
At this moment, Garp finally understood.
The fall of a legend was not an end, but the trumpet call of a new era.
sea circle calendar 1498, in the embers of the old era.
A "Great Pirate Era" where heroes rose and champions vied for supremacy, descended upon the world in the most shocking way!