The Great Pirate Era Begins With Me

As Mo Xingchen silently lost his mind, two executioners escorted a middle-aged man with the bearing of a dragon and tiger forward. With his head lowered, he strode briskly up to the execution platform and sat down cross-legged. There was not a trace of hesitation or fear in his steps; he simply sat there in silence.

The noise from the enormous crowd in the plaza gradually died down until the place was silent as a grave. Marine Hero Garp arrived at the execution platform carrying a jar of wine, while a Marine officer began reading out Gol D. Roger's crimes.

Everyone looked up silently at the man the World Government had branded the Pirate King. Yet at that moment, he seemed less like a criminal about to be executed and more like a general inspecting his troops.

Mo Xingchen also watched the Pirate King. To be honest, he did not sympathize with Roger, nor did he feel much about the man himself. Roger could be called a hero of the seas, a powerful man, a leader worth following—a boss.

But he was absolutely not a good husband or father. Knowing he was terminally ill, why did he have to go and get someone else involved? For the sake of her child, she had to carry the pregnancy for ten months without giving birth. To ensure the child could be born safely, she had to watch the pregnant women across an entire island die in misery. How could an ordinary woman bear such torment? And Ace had grown up without either father or mother, forced to face the entire world slandering his father. How innocent was he?

For the sake of his brothers, merely because a soldier had insulted one of his men, he could wipe out an entire kingdom's army. Honestly, Mo Xingchen could not understand it at all. What kind of grudge was that? Couldn't he have just killed the main culprit? Soldiers lived by orders; the other soldiers did not deserve to die. Besides, it was not as if his Conqueror's Haki was just for show.

By then, Roger's charges had been read out. Garp poured a bowl of wine and handed it to Roger, saying expressionlessly:

"Roger, all these years I chased you, you always wanted to drink with me. Today, this old man will keep you company. Drink up, and be on your way!"

Roger smiled without saying anything. He accepted the bowl, drained it in one gulp, and tossed aside the empty bowl. Garp looked at the crowd below, then at Roger, and asked:

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

At that moment, Mo Xingchen's sharp eyes spotted a random passerby in a blue sleeveless vest. The man had cupped his hands around his mouth and was about to shout toward the execution platform. Good grief! This bastard is stealing my line! Mo Xingchen immediately gathered his breath in his dantian and let out a thunderous roar:

"Gol D. Roger!"

That tiger-and-leopard thunderclap interrupted the passerby's casting and drew everyone's attention. Smiling, Mo Xingchen said to Roger:

"Pirate King, where did you hide all the treasure you found?"

The people in the plaza stared blankly at Mo Xingchen after he spoke those words, then turned fervent eyes toward Roger atop the platform, eager to hear his answer.

Roger was stunned for a moment as well. Then the corners of his lips slowly curled upward, widening into wild laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! My treasure? If you want it, you can have it all! Go find it! Everything in this world is there!"

Seeing the situation about to spiral out of control, Garp shouted:

"Execute him!"

Two steel blades plunged into Roger's heart, and the Pirate King finally lowered his proud head.

Yet the plaza displayed every shade of human nature. Women covered their mouths at the bloody sight. Elders shielded children's terrified eyes with their palms. Men charged toward the beach with fanatical expressions, while the ambitious closed their eyes and grinned as they welcomed the coming age of chaos. The entire plaza was in utter turmoil.

Meanwhile, Mo Xingchen, the protagonist of this tale, wore the smug grin of a weasel that had stolen a chicken as he thought:

Hehe, that iconic scene belongs to me now. Time to scram!

Just as Mo Xingchen turned to slip away, a dark shadow fell over him, followed by a resounding voice from above his head.

"Kid, do you want the One Piece?"

Hearing that, Mo Xingchen looked up and saw Garp standing right in front of him. With the light behind Garp, he could not make out the man's expression. But combined with Garp's height, his imposing presence instantly reached its peak!

Mo Xingchen thought that, as a mere small fry at Qi Refining Early Stage, he definitely could not stand up to the current ceiling of combat power. His momentum was instantly crushed to pieces by Garp's, and he could only twitch his mouth awkwardly and say:

"Mr. Garp, you misunderstand. I was just curious."

"Curious?"

"Yeah, curious! Aren't you curious?"

"Not curious."

"No, you are curious!"

"Not curious."

"No, you—"

Bang! Garp's iron fist directly interrupted Mo Xingchen's skill casting.

"I've chased Roger for so many years. How could I not know? He didn't have a damn treasure! Even if he wanted to dig one up, when would he have had the time?"

As Garp spoke, he observed Mo Xingchen, thinking, This kid isn't bad. There was some anger behind that punch. Even ordinary Field Officers couldn't withstand it, but this kid looks completely fine. He's at least as strong as an officer. A good prospect. Uh... how do I trick him into joining the Marines?

"Say, kid, do you want to become a Marine?"

Still holding his head with both hands, Mo Xingchen heard Garp's question and stared at him with a conflicted expression. As he pondered how to answer, Garp saw that he had been staring without speaking for quite a while, and his gaze gradually turned dangerous.

"What, you want to be a pirate?"

"Of course not. I have no respect for that trash who burns, kills, and plunders. It's just that... I feel the Marines aren't very free."

Mo Xingchen answered quickly.

"Freedom? Tell me, what kind of freedom do you want?"

"What I really want is to travel everywhere, to see just how big this world is, to see different scenery and different people, and to do a few chivalrous deeds along the way.

"But if I become a Marine, I'll have to keep taking missions, catching pirates, and patrolling a fixed sea region. That isn't the life I want."

Hearing this, Garp patted Mo Xingchen on the shoulder and burst into laughter. Then he hooked an arm around Mo Xingchen's neck and headed toward the Marine Branch, saying as they walked:

"Isn't that simple? If you want freedom, first, you need to become an officer. That way, you'll have plenty of authority to choose or refuse missions. Of course, you'll need an officer's strength and accomplishments to match.

"Second, you need an old guy with enough clout to help you bear the pressure from above. Don't worry about that. I've taken a liking to you, kid, so I can cover for you.

"Third, you can take leave. Once you have accomplishments and enough standing of your own, you can travel wherever you want. Catch a few pirates along the way and turn them in to fulfill your duties.

"Fourth, if you aren't happy doing it, you can apply to resign from the Marines."

Well, that was some top-tier leadership brainwashing—logical and well-supported. Mo Xingchen had originally been torn between joining the Marines and becoming a traveler.

Both had their own advantages and drawbacks. Setting traveling aside, the Marines were indeed not a bad place for him before he had fully grown stronger.

And if he could join the Marines and follow Mr. Garp from the very start, life would probably be pretty laid-back.

So he nodded and agreed. He would go in and take a look first. If he really ended up hating the job, he could always just quit.

"By the way, Mr. Garp, Roger's execution is such a major event. Why did Headquarters only send you here alone? Aren't they worried something might happen?"

"Yohohohoho! Those capable of saving him either want him dead, or know they can't save him. As for everyone else, this old man alone is more than enough."

Thinking about it, Mo Xingchen realized that was true. There were only a handful of people on these seas who could break through Mr. Garp and rescue Roger. Whitebeard would not come. Golden Lion had probably just been thrown into Impel Down. Roger's remaining crew knew he had turned himself in because he did not have long to live, so they would not come either.

Kaido and Big Mom had not yet reached their peaks at this point. Expecting the two of them to join forces to rescue Roger? He might as well hope for the end of the world. As for everyone else, they were still children!