As soon as Diarmuid's words fell, Dragon followed his gaze to the far end of the plaza. The crowd had been parted to form a path, with two lines of Marine soldiers standing on either side, acting as a human wall.
At the end of the road, Roger, his hands bound in shackles and chains, still wearing his wine-red captain's coat, walked step by step toward the execution platform under the blazing sun. Behind him were two executioners, followed by four Marine guards.
The moment he appeared, the plaza began to stir. A large group of people pushed forward, trying to get a better look at Roger, the Pirate King. Thanks to the Marine human wall, order did not collapse.
In a spot Diarmuid couldn't see, a white-haired young man squeezed to the front, watching with his own eyes as Roger walked past him. 'That guy is smiling? Isn't he about to die?' Smoker thought, surprised.
As Roger continued to walk, the restless crowd in the plaza became eerily quiet. Roger's charisma and presence, which he exuded every moment, deeply affected everyone. With every step, the clanging of his shackles rang out. He was a prisoner, yet he showed none of the disheveled or wretched appearance of one.
On the contrary, he walked with his chest puffed out and his head held high, a brilliant smile on his face. In that moment, he didn't seem to be walking to his death at all, but rather ascending a throne for his coronation!
The crisp clanking of his shackles sounded like a celebratory salute.
On the clock tower, both Diarmuid and Dragon fell silent, their eyes fixed on Roger. After a long while, Diarmuid spoke with a tone of emotion. "What a regal presence. Truly an unparalleled magnificence. I must admit, he is a rare hero in this world. It's a pity he didn't do what was right."
Hearing this, Dragon snapped out of his trance. He said softly, "That kind of grace is worthy of the Pirate King, after all…"
Diarmuid hadn't had much of a connection with Roger. He had only met him once when he captured him on Baterilla Island in the South Blue. Before that, while he was interested in Roger, they had never met face to face.
When he saw Roger in the South Blue, Roger had shown no sign of his kingly aura; in fact, he looked like a common small-time merchant. At home, he looked like a soft-spoken family man. Diarmuid hadn't felt any of his charisma as the Pirate King.
But at this very moment, as Roger calmly walked to his death, ready to usher in a new era, he carried a presence that was far beyond that of a normal person. Everyone in front of him seemed to lose their own light.
Diarmuid had met many great figures: Sengoku, Garp, even the Fleet Admiral and Golden Lion Shiki. Yet at this moment, if any of them stood beside Roger, they would likely be overshadowed by the light he radiated.
"Some people are born to be the pride of their era… Perhaps there are countless people shining in the vast ocean, writing their own legends and stories, but he is destined to be the most dazzling star of this age… What a pity..." Diarmuid said with a tone of deep regret.
Dragon nodded, then smiled. "A pity? That's not something a Marine should say."
"That's not what I mean," Diarmuid said, waving his hand, his eyes filled with a certain regret. "My regret is that I wasn't born twenty years earlier. How lucky, how interesting, it would have been to live in that turbulent era and contend with him as a rival or a friend, to clash with him across the seas."
Dragon was stunned for a moment, then he remembered his father, Garp. Though they were enemies, he often heard Garp praising Roger. He smiled and said, "You're right. It would have been a pity for this vast ocean to have been without him. Not being born twenty years earlier to contend with him on the seas is truly our regret…"
Diarmuid nodded. In this moment, he suddenly understood Whitebeard, Shiki, and Garp, all those heroes who had been tangled up with Roger. He also suddenly understood why Shiki had gone crazy over this, daring to single-handedly barge into Marineford just to kill Roger with his own hands.
Before seeing Roger's heroic posture on his way to his death, he couldn't understand any of it—Shiki's solo invasion of Marineford, Garp's adoption of his bloodline, or Whitebeard's memories of him during the Summit War.
He couldn't figure out why these people were so obsessed with Roger.
Now, he understood.
To meet Roger was to have your life changed forever.
Because they were all top-tier heroes of their time, men who could stand tall against the world. And the more someone was like them, the more pride they had. Just like Diarmuid now, he was also incredibly proud and ambitious.
Roger was the best opponent and the greatest enemy the era could have given them. For such a man to just walk away after securing his one victory, to calmly go to his death, robbing them of the chance and time for a final showdown—that was the greatest regret of their lives.
For the heroes of this era, it was truly an unacceptable thing.
"If I were Shiki, I might have gone crazy too," Diarmuid whispered softly.
He was born twenty years too late, catching the start of the Great Pirate Era but missing the most brilliant time of Roger and the other great heroes. Diarmuid felt a mix of complicated emotions. He truly wanted to have a grand fight with these heroes and see who was the brightest star in the vast ocean!
"Oh well, his story will come to a close today, and our story is just beginning," Dragon said with a light chuckle.
Hearing this, Diarmuid also laughed, casting aside his complex thoughts. He nodded. "That's right. There can never be only one protagonist in this ocean. The end of one era is the beginning of another. Roger's story is over, and his era is coming to an end. But perhaps a new, even more magnificent era is on its way. Both you and I will shine on its stage!"
"Hahahahaha, you're full of pride," Dragon laughed heartily.
"What's the point of living if you can't leave your own story behind?" Diarmuid also laughed loudly.
Meanwhile, Roger had slowly arrived at the execution platform. He didn't pause; he continued with the same steady stride, step by step, and ascended the towering platform.
"The sun is truly blinding. But… it's a good day to close my eyes," Roger stood on the platform, his hand shielding his eyes from the harsh sun. The clanking of his shackles echoed as he spoke to himself.
Yes, today is a good day to close his eyes. Even in this final moment, at the end of his life, Roger felt no fear of death. He was still as bold as ever.
Diarmuid faintly remembered someone saying that once a person puts life and death aside, anything they do will be full of pride. A heart without fear will always forge ahead!
Without being urged by the executioners, Roger sat down cross-legged, a very relaxed posture. Despite the shackles being a little inconvenient, he still reached up to rub the stubble on his chin, a smile on his face as he surveyed the people in the plaza.
"At least I don't have to worry about dying alone," Roger said with a chuckle. He then saw Buggy and Shanks in the crowd, sobbing and embracing each other. This filled his eyes with a sense of relief and nostalgia.
'We haven't seen each other since that farewell before Laugh Tale. You two little guys have grown a bit taller. Did you come all this way to see your captain off?' Roger thought to himself with a touch of nostalgia.
His story was coming to an end, but Roger knew he was about to bring a new change to the world. A new era, one that would be even more brilliant than the few decades he had lived, was about to be opened by his own hands. The waves of a new era will sweep over everything.
'The new era is up to you now, Shanks… Buggy…' Roger thought, laughing in his heart.
'Will the person I've been waiting for appear?'
As he laughed, his eyes caught sight of the figure on the distant clock tower.
'Oh, Diarmuid? Did you come to see how I die?' Roger smiled again. He had a complicated feeling about Diarmuid.
This man had messed up his plan for his final step in life, but this man had also been merciful enough to spare Rouge and their bloodline. Though they had only met once, Roger thought the Marine was a very interesting person.
'It's a shame. If I didn't have this incurable disease, if I could have continued to live, we surely would have fought in the future.' He thought it would have been an interesting fight.
"Roger, do you have any last words?" an executioner asked.
"Ah… Could you unlock these? My wrists are so itchy. I can't scratch them with these shackles on," Roger said with a carefree laugh.
The executioner's face changed. "What nonsense are you talking about? There's no way we'll unlock them!"
"Tsk, how boring. Do you really think I'd try to escape at a time like this?" Roger grumbled unhappily. After a brief pause, he looked down at the crowd, a grin spreading across his face. "Nothing. I have nothing left to say."
At the same time, in the Loguetown Marine base, Tsuru held a Den Den Mushi. "Only three minutes left. Start the live broadcast. Prepare for the public execution!"
"Yes!" a voice answered from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
Then, the live broadcast Den Den Mushi on the building across from the execution platform was activated.
In that moment, everyone in the world who was watching could clearly see the carefree figure of Roger, the Pirate King who had dominated the seas for over twenty years, sitting cross-legged on the execution platform.
In that moment, it was as if the entire world had gone silent.
The sea breeze swept through the Loguetown plaza, bringing a cool sensation. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the man who was about to become the king of death.
Just then, a single voice cried out, "Roger!!! You're about to die! Before you go, tell us where you hid your treasure!!"
That one anonymous man's voice attracted everyone's attention.
That's right! Roger was the Pirate King. How vast must his treasure be?
"Ahahahahahahaha!!!" Roger suddenly burst out laughing. He never expected someone to ask that question. He had been thinking that at his last moment, he would lift the curtain on a new era himself.
Tsuru's face changed as she watched the broadcast. She yelled angrily into the Den Den Mushi, "Execute him! Kill him now!"
But it was too late.
"You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered in one place! Now you just have to find it!" Roger laughed, speaking his final words to the entire world.
If you want it, go and find it.
Fame, power, wealth, status…
Everything is out there in the sea!!!
If you want to get something, muster your courage and charge toward the blue sea!!!
Roger's heroic laughter was accompanied by the sound of two sharp executioner swords, one from the left and one from the right, piercing his chest. His blood would soon stain this era. And Roger's death opened the door to the new era...
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