44 Roger Executed! The Age of Great Pirates Has Begun!
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A new storm was on the horizon, and the pirates scattered throughout the New World were hit with astonishing news that sent shockwaves through the sea.
...
In the territory controlled by the Whitebeard Pirates, the atmosphere was tense.
"Roger has been captured?!!!" The words left Whitebeard's mouth, his tone a mixture of disbelief and shock, as he stood frozen for a moment. It was hard for him to grasp the news.
"How in the world did the Marines manage to capture someone like Roger? Even with Garp on their side, it should be impossible to catch him." Marco expressed, his voice laced with disbelief.
Whitebeard nodded in agreement: "It's almost unthinkable for Roger to be caught unless he allowed it. There's something strange going on here." He mused, shaking his head in confusion.
Memories flooded back to Whitebeard, recalling the last time he saw Roger. It was a year ago, amidst the beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom in Wano Country.
That was where Whitebeard had come across Roger, fresh from his journey to Raftel.
Their relationship was complex; they were adversaries on the sea but shared a deep bond of friendship. Wano Country was the domain of their mutual friend, Oden Kozuki, and it was there they had their final encounter.
During that meeting, Whitebeard had turned down the path Roger offered him. He chose not to pursue Raftel, for his dream was not the pursuit of some grand treasure. What he truly valued was family, the people he held dear.
"Maybe this is what Roger intended. He's not the type to be easily captured by the Marines. He must have his reasons, and there's no point in thinking about it." Whitebeard concluded, trying to put his mind at ease.
...
Meanwhile, not far from Wano Country, within the territory of the Beasts Pirates, the news of Roger's capture had also arrived, leaving Kaido in a state of disbelief.
"The King of Pirates, captured? He accomplished what even Rocks couldn't, and now he's been caught by the Marines?" Kaido was stunned, his mind struggling to accept the news.
"Yes, Captain. After the Roger Pirates disbanded, it seems Roger ran into Marine Vice-Admiral Garp and was taken into prison." One of Kaido's men reported.
Kaido was furious: "He should have been untouchable after finding that legendary treasure. He likely knows where the Ancient Weapons are. To be captured by the Marines, what a waste! If I had those weapons, I could dominate the world." He raged.
"Captain, what's our next move? Should we try to rescue Roger?" Suggested a man in a steel mask, one of Kaido's crew.
Kaido dismissed the idea with a shake of his head: "Don't get ahead of yourself. The Marines will have tight security. A rescue would be nearly impossible, and even if we succeeded, Roger might not share the location of the weapons with us."
The crew fell silent, pondering their next course of action.
"So, what's our next step?" Jack, who had been with the Beasts Pirates for a couple of years, looked at Kaido.
"How are our connections with Wano Country? We're counting on Orochi to be a reliable ally, right?" Kaido asked.
One of Kaido's subordinates answered: "Oden Kozuki is currently in Wano. Even though Sukiyaki is getting old, tradition dictates that Oden should be the next Shogun. Orochi is eyeing the throne, and if we want to support him, we'll have to deal with Oden first."
After a slight pause, the subordinate continued: "Orochi believes that the Kozuki family, who were the original creators of the Poneglyphs, must know some secrets about the Ancient Weapons. And since Oden sailed with Roger to Raftel, he's bound to know something too, helping Orochi will be like hitting to birds with one stone."
"Then we'll just have to extract that information from him. If Roger wants to bury the secrets of the Ancient Weapons with him, so be it." Kaido said with a sneer.
...
A week after the Marines had started the preparations for Roger's public execution, an unexpected storm hit their base with full force.
"Boom!!"
At Marineford's dock, chaos erupted as an intruder launched an attack.
The commanding officers at Marineford sprang into action at the sound of the explosion.
"There's only one attacker, it's the Golden Lion, Shiki!" A Rear-Admiral yelled out.
Brontes stepped forward: "He thinks he's untouchable with his devil fruit powers, attacking Marineford so brazenly?"
Borsalino, standing beside him, casually asked: "Are you planning to join the fight?"
"We can't just stand by while he tears Marineford apart." Brontes said.
Borsalino, with a lazy smile, said: "Sengoku and Garp are already on it. We might as well sit back and enjoy the show."
With that, Brontes decided not to get involved. With the two strongest Marines already handling the situation, his intervention was unnecessary.
The battle raged from night into the next day, and in the end, Shiki was overpowered and captured by the duo. The Marines hadn't even needed to deploy their full strength, and the Golden Lion was sent to Impel Down.
History marched on, unaltered in its course.
...
A week later, Brontes and Garp were tasked with a solemn duty: escorting Roger back to his birthplace, Loguetown in the East Blue, for his execution.
Loguetown was not only Roger's hometown but also the gateway to the Grand Line for those coming from the East Blue.
The execution was bound to draw a massive crowd, and the Marines were taking no chances.
On the day of the execution, Loguetown was swarming with naval forces, all there to ensure the event went off without a hitch. The town square was under heavy guard as the world waited to witness the end of an era.
...
Finally, the moment arrived when Roger, with a smile on his face and his last words echoing in the air, met his fate.
The sky above Loguetown seemed to sense the gravity of the moment, turning a somber shade as Roger's life came to an end on the execution platform, his blood a stark contrast against the wood.
"Hooo!!"
The sound of the crowd erupted below, a mixture of emotions filling the square. While a few shed tears, the majority cheered thunderously, sensing the dawn of a new age.
"Do you want my treasure? If you want it, I'll give it all to you. I've left everything in that place!!" With these words, Roger ignited the flames of adventure across the world, signaling the end of his era and the beginning of another.
"Damn it!" The frustration was palpable.
"Bang!" In a building at the edge of the square, Garp's expression was dark, and Sengoku's anger was evident as he smashed his fist onto the table.
Every naval officer in the room felt the weight of Roger's words and the impact they would have on the future.
"Why? Why? Roger, why did you do this?" Garp was in turmoil, his face contorted with a mix of anguish and inner conflict.
"This was his intention all along! To set the world on a path to find the One Piece." Sengoku realized, leaning back, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as he contemplated the future that Roger's actions had set in motion.
"A conspiracy, using the last of his life, a life that was nearing its end, to spread the legend of the great treasure to the entire world." Tsuru commented, understanding the depth of Roger's plan.
"Clean up his body and return to Marineford." Sengoku ordered.
...
In Mary Geoise, the Five Elders received the news with wide eyes, shocked by the content of the report.
"So that's how it is. Damn Roger! Damn that Will of D!"
They cursed, sharing the same sense of deception as the Marines. Roger's last act had come at a critical time, especially with the World Conference on the horizon.
The world was on the cusp of a new era, one that was ushered in by Roger's final words. His declaration would change the course of history, no matter what actions they took.
The greatest treasure, a legend that had been whispered about for over seven hundred years, was confirmed to be real and lay somewhere along the Grand Line. Roger had proven its existence, and whoever found it would claim the title of the new King of Pirates.
...
Back at Marineford, the effects of Roger's proclamation were immediate. Pirates began to rise up across the world, their numbers growing at an alarming rate, like bamboo after a spring rain.
"Disperse all marines from Marineford and other bases to suppress them." Came the brief order from Fleet-Admiral Kong.
...
Brontes immediately got to work, heading back to the New World, a place where the ripple effects of Roger's final words were palpable.
Pirates were stirring, their excitement was very clear as they reveled in the dawn of a new age, all of them driven by the dream of finding the immense treasure Roger had left behind.
This period swiftly became known as the Great Pirate Era, a time when piracy reigned supreme, a time for dreamers.
It seemed that everyone, from the most ordinary individuals to the most ambitious adventurers, was eager to set sail and search for the fabled treasure.
"Sir, these are the reports of attacks that have occurred this month. The number of pirate incidents has spiked dramatically since last month." Brontes's assistant reported, organizing the files neatly.
A month had passed since Roger's execution, and the world was in turmoil. Reports of pirate attacks on civilians were becoming a daily occurrence.
At the G-2 base, the presence of high-ranking Marines was thinning out; Vice Admiral Dis and others had been dispatched to deal with the surge of pirates.
The mounting stack of wanted posters at Marineford was a approve to the growing crisis, like snowflakes in a relentless blizzard.
Only a month into the Great Pirate Era, Brontes was already feeling the weight of its impact.
The New World was somewhat stable, thanks to the presence of powerful pirate crews. Brontes had only needed to take decisive action once this month, to crush the remnants of the Golden Lion Pirates. Save for a few who managed to flee, he had decimated their forces.
The real challenge, however, was emerging from the Four Seas. Their vastness made them difficult to patrol and control.
The World Government and the Marines had worked hard to make the Grand Line a treacherous place, a deterrent to would-be pirates, but Roger's proclamation had undone much of their efforts.
"Have the Whitebeard Pirates, the Beast Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates made any moves?" Brontes asked.
"So far, no, sir." The assistant replied, shaking his head.
Brontes sighed, a sense of foreboding settling over him as he gazed out the window at the sky.
"A chaotic era is coming..."
