The calendar pages turned day by day.
Amid the anticipation of countless people worldwide, January 1st, 1498, finally arrived as the golden sun rose by the sea.
On this day, countless people gathered in front of the visual Den Den Mushi, waiting in a tense atmosphere for the arrival of the protagonist.
Outside the gates of the first floor of Impel Down.
Five Marine Headquarters-class warships, each capable of accommodating eight hundred people, were lined up in a row.
Inside, the prison guards were fully mobilized, with armed personnel stationed every few meters.
The jailer beasts and chief guards led teams of prison guards in constant patrols, creating an oppressive atmosphere that was suffocating.
The sixth underground level, 'Infinite Hell.'
"Roger! Roger! Tell me, why were you captured? Tell me—!"
Roars echoed continuously.
Ever since 'Golden Lion' Shiki woke from his coma and sensed the presence of his 'old friend,' he had been consumed by extreme emotions, shouting and questioning relentlessly.
But no matter how much he yelled or asked.
Roger remained silent.
He simply sat there quietly, head bowed, lost in thought and reminiscence.
Until another old friend appeared outside his cell.
"Is it time, Garp?"
Roger looked up, his sharp gaze meeting Garp's.
Garp nodded, "It's time to go. Destination: Marine Headquarters."
Hearing this, Roger's brow furrowed slightly but quickly returned to normal.
"How is Rouge? How is she doing?"
"She's fine. She's living with Tsuru now. Once your child is born, they will enroll normally at Marineford and become an excellent Marine."
At this point, Garp paused, then continued, "However, they will never know who their father is."
"Is that so? Becoming a Marine?"
"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 guys did well," Garp said.
"Then I leave it to you, Garp. Let him follow you from now on."
For now, Roger could only entrust his wife to Garp.
Garp frowned slightly.
But seeing the plea in Roger's eyes, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to refuse.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it!"
After all, they had been rivals for a lifetime. Meanwhile, Shiki's shouts continued, but the two men paid no attention as they left 'Infinite Hell.'
Not long after, the fleet escorting Roger sailed out of the Calm Belt.
As the Gates of Justice slowly opened, they followed the correct current of the massive whirlpool, swiftly returning to the waters outside Marineford's port.
Garp stood on the warship's deck, gazing toward the square within the port.
What met his eyes was a sea of black—a formation of tens of thousands of Marine officers and soldiers from Marine Headquarters.
In front of them, and directly in front of the Fortress of Justice.
A high execution platform had already been prepared, with several visual Den Den Mushi aimed at it from a distance.
Everything was ready.
The warship docked at the port, and Garp personally led the handcuffed Roger ashore.
From there, Roger would have to walk the rest of the way alone.
Roger didn't look back at Garp but instead glanced up at the blazing sun in the sky.
With a wide grin, he seemed quite pleased with the weather.
[Thud, thud, thud]
The Marine formation had parted, creating a straight and spacious path.
It led directly to the execution platform at the other end.
Sengoku, standing on the platform as a Marine Admiral, along with all the Marines present and the countless people watching the live broadcast, watched as Roger walked step by step towards the platform.
At this moment, apart from the sound of boots hitting the ground, there was only the sound of waves crashing 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 this path.
Everyone waited silently, watching as he step by step ascended the high execution platform and finally sat down cross-legged beside Sengoku.
"The view here is quite nice!"
Roger laughed as he looked down at the dense formation of Marines below.
"However, it would be even better if you let Shiki share this execution with me. That way, I'd have a companion on the road to the underworld. I think he has a lot of questions for me."
Upon hearing this, Sengoku spoke gravely, "Today's protagonist is you, the Pirate King Gol D. Roger!"
There was still about half an hour until 11 a.m.
So he didn't mind chatting with Roger for a bit.
"Over the past few days in the cell, I've thought carefully and I'm certain there were no World Government agents on that island."
Roger said, looking at Sengoku.
His Observation Haki had the special ability to hear the voices of all things.
So if there were any spies on the island, they definitely couldn't have escaped his perception.
Then, how did the World Government know about Baterilla Island? Sengoku naturally thought of this as well. Although his expression remained calm.
But in his heart, he couldn't help but wonder if the World Government had some unknown means of reconnaissance.
For a moment, both of them fell silent, letting time pass quietly.
At 10:55, two executioners carrying long spears stepped onto the platform.
Sengoku had already stepped down beforehand, standing below with the other Marines, looking up at Roger.
This was the only respect they could offer to the Pirate King.
Five minutes later.
Far away in the holy land of Mary Geoise, the Five Elders sat on the sofas in the Hall of Power, watching as two sharp spears pierced through Roger's chest, and crimson blood pooled beneath him.
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was dead!
At this moment, the entire sea seemed to fall silent, and everyone stared intently at Roger's body.
The next moment, people from all over the world cheered excitedly.
They threw their hats, newspapers, and even Berries in celebration of the downfall of the world's greatest pirate.
"Worororo, let's go, the next era belongs to me!"
On a deserted island in the New World.
Kaido, who had already formed the Beasts Pirates, stood up with a bottle of sake in hand, laughing as he headed off the island.
King followed closely behind, then Queen, along with about twenty Zoan Devil Fruit users.
In Totto Land, on Whole Cake Island.
"Mama, the next Pirate King will be me, but I'm not foolish enough to disband my crew, nor stupid enough to challenge Marine Headquarters alone!"
Charlotte Linlin, whose figure was still somewhat slender but gradually gaining weight, widened her eyes.
Watching her children, Perospero and Katakuri, laugh heartily.
"Celebrate, we must celebrate! Bring the cream cake over!"
Inside the Chamber of the Moon.
Imu naturally witnessed the end of an era with the fall of the Pirate King.
His mood was quite joyful, and he even indulged in two extra glasses of deliciously sweet red wine.
Thanks to his precautions.
Roger, this time, was unable to utter those earth-shattering words until his death.
This was definitely a great thing!
"With this, the so-called Great Pirate Era should come to an end, and the situation that follows will surely be much more stable than the original timeline."
Readers who have reached this point, please leave more comments. Writing in solitude is quite dull.