Chapter 7: Stopping the Great Pirate Era!

The calendar pages turned one by one.

Under the anticipation of countless people across the world, January 1st, 1498, finally arrived the moment the new sun rose over the sea.

On this day, countless people gathered in front of their Transponder Snails, waiting in a heavy atmosphere for the arrival of the protagonist.

Impel Down, outside the main gate on the first level of the sea.

Five Marine headquarters-class warships, each capable of holding eight hundred men, were lined up in a row.

Inside, the jailers were out in full force, with one standing guard with a rifle every few meters.

The Jailer Beasts and the Chief Wardens were patrolling constantly with squads of jailers, the entire atmosphere so oppressive it was suffocating.

Level 6, the "Infinite Hell."

"Roger! Roger! Tell me, why were you captured! Tell me—!"

Roars echoed repeatedly.

Ever since "Golden Lion" Shiki had awakened from his unconscious state and sensed the presence of his "old friend," he had fallen into an extreme emotional state, shouting questions incessantly.

But no matter how he shouted or asked, Roger offered no response.

He simply sat there quietly, head bowed, lost in thought and memory.

Until another old friend appeared outside his cell.

"Is it time, Garp?"

Roger raised his head, his sharp gaze meeting the other man's.

Garp nodded. "It’s time to depart. Destination: Marine Headquarters."

Hearing this, Roger’s brow furrowed slightly, but he immediately returned to his natural state.

"And Rouge? How is she?"

"She is well. She is staying with Tsuru now. Once your child is born, they will enroll in Marine training at Marineford as usual and become an excellent Marine."

Having said this, Garp paused, then continued: "However, he will never know who his father was."

"Is that so... become a Marine, huh?"

"Not bad. Though, it’s surprisingly merciful of you Marines—or rather, the World Government."

Roger grinned.

"Hmm, I find it strange too, but this time, those people did well," Garp said.

"Then I leave it to you, Garp. Let him follow you from now on."

At this point, Roger could only entrust his wife to Garp.

Garp frowned, but seeing the plea in Roger’s eyes, he ultimately could not bring himself to refuse.

"Rest assured, as long as I am here!"

After all, they had been rivals for a lifetime.

Meanwhile, Shiki’s shouting continued, but the two men present ignored him until they left the "Infinite Hell."

Not long after, the fleet escorting Roger sailed out of the Calm Belt.

Once the Gates of Justice slowly swung open, they continued along the correct current of the massive whirlpool, returning to the harbor outside Marineford at high speed.

Garp stood tall on the deck of the warship, looking toward the plaza inside the harbor.

What met his eyes was a sea of black—a phalanx composed of tens of thousands of Marine officers and headquarters soldiers.

In front of them, and directly in front of the Fortress of Justice, a high execution platform had been prepared, with several Transponder Snails aimed at it from a distance.

Everything was ready.

The warship docked at the harbor, and Garp personally led the handcuffed Roger down.

The rest of the way, the latter would have to walk himself.

Roger didn't look at Garp again, instead tilting his head to glance at the scorching sun in the sky.

He immediately grinned, revealing a brilliant smile, looking quite satisfied with the weather.

[Step, step, step]

The Marine phalanx had already parted to form a wide, straight path.

It led directly to the execution platform at the other end.

Sengoku stood on the platform as a Marine Admiral, watching along with all the Marines present and the countless people watching the live broadcast as Roger walked over, step by step.

In this moment, aside from the sound of leather boots hitting the ground, there was only the sound of waves splashing against the harbor and the warships.

Oh, and the cries of the seagulls flying in flocks.

No one counted how long it took Roger to walk that path.

Everyone waited in silence, watching him step by step onto the high execution platform, finally sitting cross-legged beside Sengoku.

"What a view!"

Roger looked down at the sea of Marines below and laughed.

"Though, it would have been better if you’d let that guy Shiki be executed with me. That way, I’d have had company on the road to the underworld. I can see he has plenty of things he wants to ask me."

Sengoku replied in a deep voice, "Today’s protagonist is you, Pirate King Gol D. Roger!"

It was still about half an hour until 11:00 AM.

Therefore, he didn't mind chatting with Roger for a moment.

"I’ve been thinking it over carefully in my cell these past few days. I’m certain there was no one from the World Government on that island."

Roger looked at Sengoku and said.

His Observation Haki possessed the special ability to hear the "Voice of All Things."

If there had truly been any intelligence agents on the island, it would have been impossible for them to escape his perception.

So, how did the World Government know about Baterilla?

Sengoku naturally thought of this as well. Though he maintained a calm expression on the surface, his heart subconsciously began to wonder: did the World Government possess some unknown means of reconnaissance?

For a time, both men fell silent, letting time slip away quietly.

At 10:55, two executioners holding long spears stepped onto the platform.

Sengoku had already stepped down beforehand, standing below and looking up at Roger just like the other Marines.

This was the only respect they could afford to give this Pirate King.

Five minutes later.

Far away in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, the Five Elders sat on the sofas in the Authority Room, witnessing with their own eyes as two sharp spears pierced Roger’s chest, crimson blood gushing out to form a pool beneath him.

Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, dead!

In this moment, the entire ocean seemed to fall silent, everyone staring intently at Roger’s remains.

The next moment, people from countries all over the world cheered in excitement.

They threw their hats, newspapers, and even Berries in sheer ecstasy, celebrating the downfall of the world’s greatest pirate.

"Worororo, let’s go. The era that belongs to me begins now!"

On a deserted island in the New World.

Kaido, who had already formed the Beasts Pirates, stood up clutching a wine jug, laughing loudly as he headed off the island.

King followed closely behind, followed by Queen and about twenty other Zoan-type Devil Fruit users.

Totto Land, on Whole Cake Island.

"Mama, the next Pirate King will be me, Mama! But I’m not stupid enough to disband my crew, and I’m certainly not foolish enough to storm Marine Headquarters alone!"

Charlotte Linlin, still relatively slim but gradually putting on weight, widened her eyes.

She looked at Perospero, Katakuri, and her other children, laughing heartily.

"Celebrate! We must celebrate! Bring the cream cake here!"

Inside the Room of Flowers.

Im naturally witnessed the end of the Pirate King’s era.

Their mood could be described as quite pleasant, and they even had two extra glasses of delicious, sweet red wine.

Under their preemptive precautions, Roger had failed to utter those earth-shattering words before his death.

This was absolutely a great thing!

"In this way, the so-called Great Pirate Era shouldn't come to pass. The situation moving forward will surely be much more stable than the original timeline..."