Looking at the girl in the pink kimono-style short dress—Amatsuki Toki .—Romu's lips lifted slightly.
He hadn't expected to run into her.
No—
right now, she should be called a girl.
"Thank you so much!"
Seeing Romu didn't reply immediately, Amatsuki Toki thought he wasn't satisfied with her gratitude. She hurriedly bowed again—ninety degrees, the most formal apology-and-thanks etiquette in Wano.
Romu gave a soft snort. A faint, elegant fragrance drifted over, instantly clearing his mind.
He raised his right hand toward her and smiled.
"Don't worry about it."
"Let's properly meet. I'm Romu."
Toki finally straightened up. She studied him with curiosity—this delicate-looking young man who had clearly awakened Conqueror's Haki. She pursed her soft pink lips, hesitated a moment, then lifted her hand as well.
In a gentle voice, she said, "Thank you, Romu-kun."
Her voice was melodious—just as her temperament was quiet and warm.
Romu nodded, clasping her hand.
Her skin was smooth, cool, and soft.
In the blink of an eye, fourteen years passed.
In those fourteen years, the once world-shaking God Valley Incident gradually faded from memory. The new generation rarely brought it up. Only the survivors who had lived through it still remembered clearly.
But under the World Government's extreme, high-pressure suppression, even those survivors learned to keep their mouths shut. They avoided the topic like a plague.
And the name Romu—like a shooting star that burned out in an instant—vanished from the public eye.
Only a handful of people knew the truth:
He was still alive.
Of course, the world never stopped producing "new headlines." In those fourteen years, countless things happened.
The New Era's Major Powers
First, the remnants of Rocks and other forces began sweeping the seas.
Edward Newgate founded the Whitebeard Pirates, roaming the ocean and taking in the homeless and the lost—determined to build a "family" at sea.
Their influence grew terrifyingly large.
He commanded 43 affiliated pirate crews.
His bounty soared to 5,046,000,000 berries.
Yet the Marines strangely didn't go out of their way to provoke him.
Because after the "deaths" of Rocks and Romu, the World Government—trying to cool the boiling pirate world and prevent pirate power from expanding too wildly—granted the Marines special authority to establish the Seven Warlords of the Sea system.
And above even the Warlords…
there was a title the world itself created:
The Four Emperors.
It wasn't a Government-made system—just the world's name for the four pirate "emperors" who dominated the New World.
The Marines tacitly accepted a rule: don't attack an Emperor lightly.
Whitebeard was one of them.
Next came Shiki the Golden Lion.
Like Whitebeard, he built his own crew: the Flying Pirates, aiming to rule the world by collecting the Ancient Weapons.
To do so, Shiki ambushed Roger in Edd War in the New World, surrounding him with dozens of warships—trying to force information out of Roger and then kill him on the spot, as vengeance for Romu.
But Roger—like some "chosen one of fate"—summoned a sudden, impossible storm.
Most of Shiki's fleet was smashed into the sea, and Shiki himself ended up with a wheel lodged in his head.
From then on, his already "rooster-like" look became a confirmed nickname:
Golden Rooster.
His bounty rose to 4,813,500,000 berries.
Then came Charlotte Linlin.
She "married" 43 husbands, bore 39 daughters and 46 sons, and built the massive Charlotte Family through sheer brute force.
She founded the Big Mom Pirates.
She seized a region of the New World and established a sweets-themed nation—
Totto Land (Whole Cake Island).
She too earned the title of Emperor, with a bounty of 4,388,000,000 berries.
Finally… Kaido.
Kaido used Wano's shogun, Kurozumi Orochi, to wipe out the Kozuki clan, then stole Wano—a fortress of natural defenses, abundant resources, and advanced Seastone processing—as his base.
Through the "artificial Devil Fruit" project, he built a force of over five hundred trained ability users.
A true monster crew:
the Beasts Pirates.
Kaido was the fourth Emperor, with a bounty of 4,611,100,000 berries.
But even after building such terrifying power, Kaido—because he believed Romu had died—became a full-blown drunk. His hobby became… suicide attempts.
Greedy Captain John, trying to swallow treasure alone, was murdered by his own men. Later, Gecko Moria took his corpse and turned him into a "general zombie."
As for Wang Zhi and Silver Axe…
their whereabouts became unknown.
The Most Shocking News: Roger
But among all events, the most shocking was what happened to Roger.
Even after losing two core crew members—Scopper Gaban and Douglas Bullet—that so-called "chosen one" still rode his absurd fortune to become the first pirate in history to conquer the Grand Line.
Last year, he reached the legendary final island, named it—
Laugh Tale,
and became the "Pirate King" in the eyes of the new generation.
At the moment he reached the final island, he saw the complete Poneglyph history and understood the truth of the world.
And yet—
when he had name, treasure, and power…
he turned himself in.
Today was the day the Pirate King would be publicly executed.
Noon — Loguetown, East Blue
High summer. Midday.
The sun was like a furnace, roasting the land without mercy. The stone plaza baked red, heatwaves rolling in layers.
On a normal day, you wouldn't see a soul outside in weather like this.
But today was different.
This smoking-hot plaza was packed with tens of thousands of people.
Not only civilians—there were over a thousand World Government enforcers maintaining order.
No one spoke loudly. Faces were tense. The air felt heavy.
Until—
"Riiiiing—Riiiiing—Riiiiing…"
A shrill alarm tore through the silence.
A disciplined marching rhythm echoed as a formation appeared.
Dozens of Government enforcers in brown uniforms, long blades in hand, walked with grim faces and dead eyes.
And in their center—
a man in heavy shackles, dragged forward step by step.
Messy hair. Messy beard. A worn, weathered look.
Yet his spirit was still there.
Even being led to death, his gaze remained firm.
Each step made the chains clank:
clink—clank—clink—clank.
"So that's the Pirate King, Roger…"
"He doesn't look that terrifying."
"I heard he has the most treasure in the world! Is it real?"
"They say even Admirals couldn't do anything to him. So why would he surrender?"
Whispers spread through the crowd.
Hearing it, Roger lowered his head slowly… but the corner of his mouth lifted.
At the foot of the execution platform's tall steps, he paused and looked up.
Inside, he thought:
Yes.
This is exactly it—let them chase the thing I want them to chase.
Then he lowered his head again and climbed.
One step at a time.
The bell rang—once, twice—its normally clear tone now sounding heavy.
All around, tens of thousands of eyes locked on the man walking toward death.
And within this crowd were many people who weren't ordinary at all.
Hidden Among the Crowd
In a nearby alley stood a mysterious young man leaning against the wall.
Blond hair. Sunglasses. A pink feather coat. Cropped pants. Loafers.
A wicked smile spread across his face.
Not far away in the crowd—
a red-nosed clown, Buggy, and a boy in a straw hat—Shanks—both biting their lips, eyes wet, staring at Roger's back.
Elsewhere—
a black-haired youth with a golden cross necklace stood calmly.
Yellow eyes sharp as a hawk's.
A massive sword strapped to his back.
There was also a purple-haired youth with golden earrings and a cigar—Crocodile.
A pale figure with sharp teeth and bandages around his head—Moria.
A man in a green cloak—Dragon.
And a child with the look of a delinquent—Smoker.
Under all those stares, Roger climbed the final steps.
He turned, seated himself cross-legged on the platform—
thud.
After a short pause, he smiled and spoke in a low voice:
"Get it over with."
No struggle.
No pleading.
Not even the slightest fear.
The final bell struck.
Execution time.
Two enforcers raised their blades, crossing them in front of Roger's face.
The execution was about to begin—
when a voice suddenly shouted from the crowd:
"Hey! Pirate King!"
"Where did you hide the treasure you found?! Is it on the Grand Line?!"
"You got it, didn't you—the legendary great treasure?!"
The enforcers snapped, panic flashing across their faces.
"Shut up!!"
Cold sweat beaded on their brows.
Before the execution, they'd received strict orders:
No one was allowed to spread information about the 'great treasure.'
But the lure of that treasure was stronger than their threats.
The voice shouted again:
"That one-of-a-kind treasure!"
"ONE PIECE!!"
In an instant—
every gaze in the plaza snapped onto Roger.
Rumor said it was the greatest treasure on Laugh Tale.
If you had it, you became the richest person in the world overnight—
and maybe even gained a secret powerful enough to overturn the world itself.
It was the dream of countless people.
The ultimate goal of pirates.
Roger, head lowered, let a smile deepen.
A quiet chuckle—
then it swelled into loud laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
His worn, weary look vanished.
His expression became excited—almost crazed.
Without realizing it, his aura rose.
The crowd froze.
Roger was about to die—yet he looked like a man at the peak of joy.
And that oppressive presence leaking from him made tens of thousands break into sweat, staring in disbelief.
A question filled every mind:
Does ONE PIECE… really exist?!
The Final Words
On the execution platform, Roger's eyes swept across the crowd's greed and hunger.
He wasn't surprised.
This was exactly the result he wanted.
He didn't surrender only because his body was dying.
He surrendered because he wanted to use his death to ignite the entire world.
Because on Laugh Tale, after reading the complete history, he finally understood what the "D" truly meant—
and what its "mission" was supposed to be.
He also understood something else:
Even he… might not be able to complete what needed to be done.
And neither could Rocks.
Then a thought surfaced.
If Romu had been alive…
Roger gave a bitter, self-mocking smile.
Then he snapped his head up and roared to the tens of thousands below:
"You want my treasure?!"
"If you want it, I'll give you all of it!"
"Shut up!"
The enforcers panicked, blades pressed close to Roger's neck.
A touch more and blood would spill.
But Roger didn't stop.
He only grew louder, more savage, more unrestrained:
"Go find it!"
"I left everything… on Laugh Tale!"
The enforcers screamed.
Execution—NOW!
They swung their blades down—
but Roger forced out his last words anyway.
"ROMU!!!"
"YOU WERE RIGHT!!!"
Slash.
Hot blood sprayed.
Roger's head dropped forward—lifeless.
The legend named Gol D. Roger ended there.
His life had regrets… but it still burned bright.
Silence.
Dead silence.
Doflamingo. Mihawk. Buggy. Shanks. Crocodile. Moria. Smoker…
All of them stared wide-eyed.
Not only because Roger confirmed ONE PIECE—
but because of that other name:
Romu.
Who was Romu?
What kind of person made the Pirate King scream his name at death?
Was he… even more important than ONE PIECE?
Everyone froze.
Only the world's "most dangerous criminal," Dragon, lowered his hat.
From his coat, he pulled out a Den Den Mushi—one with a toothpick in its mouth.
From that day on, countless strong figures set sail for the Grand Line, chasing the world's great treasure—
ONE PIECE.
And the Great Pirate Era began.
Twenty years later—
Baltigo, headquarters of the Revolutionary Army.
A red-and-white Den Den Mushi rang.
On a giant red flower, a handsome, sharp-featured man opened his eyes and answered.
A clear, proud voice came through:
"Leader."
The man's brows lifted slightly.
"…What is it, Hancock?"
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