Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

Inside the Navy branch office in Loguetown.

Garp is in a dilemma. Roger has given him a difficult problem. He knows what Raleigh said to Roger and he knows Raleigh's character. So if Roger's wife and children are found by Raleigh, they will definitely die a terrible death.

However, as a Marine, he couldn't stop Raleigh's actions. After all, this was the descendant of the Pirate King Roger, so killing him was justified. Even if the Marines knew, they would only tell Raleigh that he did a good job.

Garp was caught in a dilemma between Raleigh and Roger.

Raleigh knew exactly what Garp was thinking, but he didn't care anymore.

When he was a naval captain, he really needed to maintain good relationships with these veteran naval officers.

However, things are different now. Raleigh now possesses strength approaching that of a Marine Admiral.

Furthermore, his personality and ruthless methods against pirates have earned him countless followers within the Navy.

Even Garp couldn't face this immense power.

The younger, more radical faction in the navy has come into conflict with these older, more conservative factions.

The younger generation boasts twin stars like Raleigh and Sakazuki, and according to headquarters' projections, these two may become admirals within ten years. But if Garp were to stand idly by in this matter, he wouldn't be Garp.

Garp covered his face in confusion.

Roger, Roger, you've really given me a tough problem.

At this moment, Raleigh had no idea what Garp was struggling with, and even if he did, he wouldn't care much.

Garp is still a Marine, so he wouldn't dare to openly help a pirate.

When it comes to scheming, even ten Garp couldn't outwit Raleigh.

He is currently directing the preparations for tomorrow's execution site. Of course, Roger's execution platform is relatively simple and only requires a little setup.

What took the most time was the construction of the pirate mound, which Raleigh had arranged. He directed his soldiers to quickly dispose of the heads of the pirates killed in the past few days and then begin building the mound.

One by one, the heads of pirates died for unknown reasons, some with their eyes wide open, some with their mouths still open.

The naval soldiers simply sprinkled some stone powder on them to prevent them from rotting over the next few days.

"Raleigh, won't this scare the public?"

Gion pursed her lips, somewhat worried about what would happen tomorrow.

Raleigh took her hand and whispered words of comfort:

"Gion, such a scene will definitely shock the people, but what the people need is a stable life."

Rather than the dignity of pirates.

"If one day people can have enough to eat and wear, and can freely pursue their dreams on this land, then that is the meaning of our existence."

I don't care whether the methods are ruthless or not; what I care about is whether I can achieve my ideal.

After hearing this, Gion felt that she had misunderstood Roger.

To be honest, she was also very scared when she first heard about the plan.

She feared that Raleigh would become one of those emotionless killing machines, but now it seemed that Raleigh's ideals were far greater than theirs.

Gion is not a little girl who can be coaxed with just a few words. She has been with Raleigh ever since the East Blue. It was Raleigh's gradual changes in the area under his jurisdiction that finally moved Gion.

Now, in all the places Raleigh has been, pirates still appear, but both the number and frequency are far lower than before Raleigh's arrival.

With such results before us, no one can say that Raleigh's approach was wrong. Okay, okay, you've worked hard these past few days. Let's go out for a big meal tonight and get some rest.

Raleigh pulled Gion into his arms and whispered in her ear.

Gion's ear was warmed by Raleigh's breath.

Itchy, yet reluctant to give up this ambiguous feeling, I could only let Raleigh do as he pleased.

East China Sea, Rogge Town.

The weather is lovely today, sunny and bright.

As soon as the first rays of sunlight shone here in the morning, all the naval soldiers began to move about.

Today, they are going to execute the heinous Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, here. As marines, they naturally need to take control of the scene as soon as possible.

As the bell rang, the naval soldiers stood in neat rows. One curious citizen after another began to walk toward the execution platform. They weren't pirates, so naturally they wouldn't miss such a spectacle.

Soon, the sun had moved directly overhead.

Noon was Roger's execution time.

At this moment, the road leading to the execution platform was lined with naval soldiers holding swords.

Behind them were crowds of people craning their necks and standing on tiptoe to watch the spectacle.

This included the residents of Loguetown, pirates from out of town, bounty hunters, and reporters from various newspapers—

Raleigh's purge only cleansed a portion of the pirates; a small number escaped his clutches.

Having narrowly escaped a deadly attack, they recklessly returned to the execution site.

Raleigh stood on the high platform, giving the crowd below a cold look.

He had already detected several pirates using his Observation Haki, but he didn't want to take action today.

He needed the pirates to bring back some information.

"Thump!"

A heavy bell rang out, and Pirate King Roger, with his hands and feet injured, was escorted out of the Marine branch by Marine soldiers.

"He's here, I see him."

"Where is it? Let me see."

"Don't push, I can't reach anything."

Is this really Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King? He doesn't even look like he has three heads.

Is it true or not? Didn't they say Roger had three heads and eight arms?

Why would I lie to you? You'll see for yourself.

The noise and shouting continued, and the naval soldiers tried their best to maintain order.

They won't stop people from arguing, but anyone who crosses the red line will be considered an enemy.

From afar, the people standing in the front row could see two naval soldiers carrying the naval flag walking at the very front.

Following closely behind were eight elite soldiers wielding long swords, while in the middle stood the Pirate King Roger, who was tightly bound by heavy chains.

Roger's expression was very calm at this moment, and there was even a slight smile on his lips, as if he was not the one about to be executed.

His optimistic demeanor angered the public.

Damn it, is this the most evil king in One Piece? He deserves to die.

"Arusha, did you see that? Today, the world's strongest pirate died in Loguetown. The Marines aren't turning a blind eye to pirates."

A gaunt man wept bitterly, and the people around him comforted him, saying that every family of theirs had members who had died at the hands of pirates, and that as ordinary citizens, they hated pirates the most.

At that moment, Roger ignored the sounds around him and simply walked slowly forward, looking around.

Nobody knows what he's thinking right now.

Except for Raleigh.

Raleigh knew that Roger had deliberately allowed himself to be captured by the Navy and had the Navy broadcast the event live worldwide, all in order to usher in the Age of Exploration.

But Roger could never have imagined that, besides pirates, there would be a group of marines waiting for this era to arrive.

Only when the Age of Exploration arrived did Raleigh have the opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

Only when the World Government and the Navy's main focus is on the New World can they ignore Raleigh's outstretched hand toward the Four Seas Branch.

Before the execution platform, after the soldiers made way for him, Roger walked up the steps one by one.

"Kneel down."

Two soldiers suddenly kicked Roger's knees. The long period of fasting and the effects of illness had left him extremely weak, and even his once straight back had collapsed.

Under the tactic of the naval soldiers, the once invincible Pirate King Roger knelt on the execution platform.

Captain Roger!

Shanks, who was hiding in the crowd, suddenly clenched his fist. If Buggy hadn't covered Shanks' mouth in time, the Marines would probably have been looking over at that moment.

"Shanks, we can't save the captain, and besides, the captain doesn't need saving."

Bucky, seeing his furious friend, quickly said, "Have you forgotten what kind of intelligent man Captain Roger was? If he didn't want to be captured by the Navy, then the Navy would never have been able to capture him. In other words, the captain deliberately allowed himself to be captured for some reason."

If you don't believe me, just look around. None of Mr. Raleigh and his men have shown up.

Bucky was just making up a lie to quiet Shanks down, but he didn't know that it was precisely the summary of the whole incident.

After hearing Buggy's words, Shanks pulled his straw hat down to hide his angry and tearful eyes.

Besides Shanks and Buggy, Doflamingo and his group, who were just about to leave the North Blue, were also here.

There's also Crocodile with a missing arm, and Moria from the New World.

Unlike in the original work, the young Hawkeye does not appear here; instead, another future Shichibukai, Kuma, is present.

And then there's Long, who is now the leader of five revolutionary soldiers. At this moment, he is watching this execution from an extremely secluded high-rise building.

The fact that these leading figures of various forces in the future world have all appeared in Loguetown at this moment shows how much they care about this matter.

Roger showed no fear whatsoever; he maintained a smile even at this point.

Like a wise man, he looked down at the foolish masses at his feet.

Raleigh directed the executioner to give the order.

The elite soldiers standing on either side of Roger immediately raised their long swords, ready to execute him.

Just then, a young voice suddenly came from the crowd.

"Hey! Pirate King!"

Where have you hidden the wealth you've accumulated over so many years at sea?

"Have you obtained that mysterious treasure that has been rumored throughout the Grand Line?"

"That's it, the great treasure that's all connected!"

"ONE PIECE!!!"

Upon hearing this obviously shill-like remark, Roger's lips began to curve into a wide smile.

At that moment, he forgot about Raleigh's threat.

Laughing wildly, he raised his head and looked at everyone below, saying:

Hahahaha!

"Want my treasure?"

"If you want it, you can have it all!"

At this moment, everyone present pricked up their ears, not wanting to miss a single word.

Roger unleashed the last ounce of power within his body, which, accompanied by Conqueror's Haki, spread in all directions:

"Go find it!"

"Lao Tzu has placed everything in the world there!!"

"ONE PIECE!!!"

With a soft thud.

Two sharp longswords pierced Roger's body, which had already exhausted its life force.

However, at this moment, both the people present and those watching the live broadcast around the world were in an uproar.

The wealth of a pirate king who has sailed the seas for many years, and the legendary "ONE PIE" series...

CE!

Every message was arousing to those who heard it.

People all over the world have begun preparing what they need to go to sea, hoping to find this treasure before anyone else.

The crowd was also excited, and just as they were about to leave, they saw Raleigh float lightly down onto the execution platform.

"Hey, wait a minute. Lieutenant General Raleigh seems to have something else to do."

"What is he going to do?"

"Let's wait a bit before leaving, and see what happens first."

And so, the previously agitated crowd quieted down, ready to see what the vice admiral was up to.

Raleigh's voice wasn't loud, but it reached the ears of everyone present clearly.

"Everyone, let's take a look over there before deciding, okay?"

Following the direction Raleigh pointed, something covered by a tarpaulin came into their view. In fact, they had already spotted the hill, but their attention had been focused on the Pirate King Roger, so they hadn't paid much attention to it.

Only after Raleigh finished speaking did they look at the mysterious hill.

After receiving orders, the naval soldiers around the hill each grabbed a corner of the tarpaulin and then suddenly ripped it off.

Splash!

As the tarpaulin was lifted, everything underneath was revealed.

"Ugh, ugh!"

"Oh my god!"

Several people with weak mental fortitude vomited, while others were so frightened they stood frozen in place.

They never imagined that there were human heads lying at the foot of this small hill.

In an instant, the hearts of the people felt as if they had been struck hard by a hammer.

Raleigh said with an icy expression:

"Gentlemen, these are the heads of pirates killed by our naval soldiers these past few days. I've placed them here to serve as a warning to the world!"

"Being a pirate is no good thing. If you become a pirate, you'll face endless pursuit from our Navy!"

We don't care about sacrifices; we will use every means to kill those who choose to become pirates, even if...

They were once ordinary people too.

Even those who have become the Pirate King, the strongest beings standing at the pinnacle of this world, can still be captured and beheaded by our Navy. Roger, who is standing next to me, is a prime example.

Then, Raleigh drew his sword, Mikazuki Munechika, and slashed at Roger's head.

"Raleigh!"

When Garp saw Roger's body beheaded by Raleigh, he was so enraged that he flew over from a distance. He didn't want Roger to die such a miserable death, with even his head left there to be seen.

boom!

Raleigh kicked Roger's head to the very top of the mound of skulls.

He then swung his sword backhand at Garp's fist as he lunged forward, and the two top-tier experts separated in an instant.

Raleigh asked coldly:

"Vice Admiral Garp, what are you doing? Attacking a comrade is tantamount to betraying the Navy! Don't bring this upon yourself!"

Garp stood on the execution platform, somewhat at a loss.

He was well aware of the seriousness of the problem, but he couldn't bear to see his old rival's head chopped off as a trophy.

At this moment, Fleet Admiral Sky Admiral and Sengoku of Marineford were both furious, staring angrily at Garp in the camera lens.

Air Marshal even took out a Den Den Mushi and dialed directly:

"Garp, what the hell are you doing?! Get down here right now!"

"Is it not enough to embarrass ourselves at Naval Headquarters? Now we have to embarrass ourselves in front of the whole world?!"