Great Pirate Era

Loguetown, central square.

To publicly execute King of the Pirates Roger and intimidate the pirates of the seas.

The World Government and the Navy had erected a special execution platform in the center of town, ensuring that Roger's execution could be seen from every corner.

At the break of dawn, the square was already packed with onlookers from the Four Seas and the Grand Line.

Amid the crowd, Seven stood expressionlessly beside Mihawk. He felt both exhilarated that the system was about to be activated and heartsick over Captain Roger's imminent departure.

Six years ago, Seven had been running a stall selling Three-Color Dumplings in his hometown of Housha Town when a group of thugs smashed his stand.

After enduring the punches and kicks of five thugs, Seven stabbed the ringleader with a knife, frightening them into fleeing.

As he cleaned up his stall alone, a large hand reached out. "Brat, your Fish Balls are pretty good."

"Come aboard my ship."

At that moment, Roger's towering figure blocked out the blazing sun, a halo seeming to hang behind his head. Seven stood there in a daze for a long while before recovering.

It was not that he had been captivated by Captain Roger's charisma. Rather, the benefits promised to transmigrators had finally arrived.

[Ding. The Myriad Worlds Trading Platform has been successfully bound. Please fulfill the prerequisite conditions to activate the system.]

From then on, Barzeb Seven officially became a cook aboard the Roger Pirates.

He went through the Edow Sea Battle with the crew, as well as dozens of battles large and small, including clashes with the Whitebeard Pirates. They later reached Skypiea, Fish-Man Island, Wano Country, Zou...

Laugh Tale, the Final Island.

It was during this journey that Seven gathered several items required to activate the system.

Captain Roger's straw hat—the one later passed to Shanks, then given by Shanks to Luffy—had been secretly swapped out by Seven with an identical fake and submitted to the system.

Whitebeard's beard had been traded for homemade liquor.

As for Blackbeard Teach's teeth, Buggy had kicked out three of them, and Seven secretly picked up two.

Although his personal strength was lacking during those six years at sea, Seven had gotten along exceptionally well with the Roger Pirates.

Anyone who had spent time at sea knew better than to provoke the cook. Once a cook was angered, even if they did not poison the food, they could still make it unbearably disgusting.

Unfortunately, just as no feast lasted forever, every journey eventually came to an end.

A sudden commotion rose from the crowd. Escorted by two soldiers, Captain Roger appeared.

Seven's fingertips dug into his palms, and his body instantly tensed. Only after watching Captain Roger climb the execution platform step by step did his breathing gradually return to normal.

He respected Captain Roger's choice.

It was a contest with the World Government.

The World Government and the Navy intended to intimidate the pirates of the seas and display the Navy's authority through the public execution of the King of the Pirates.

As for the result, it could not be said that it was entirely useless.

It could only be said—

Captain Roger's final words about the One Piece spread rapidly across the entire world through eyewitness accounts, ultimately ushering in the Great Pirate Era.

In search of the One Piece, pirates and refugees alike took to the seas in droves, and the era became even more turbulent than before.

During the Great Pirate Era, the Four Emperors of the Sea emerged one after another, successfully drawing the World Government's attention and giving the Revolutionary Army ample time to grow.

This was the prevailing trend after the age of great oppression.

Some also said that Roger had done it deliberately, because Imu's Black Turn Domination could only be carried out in the hometown of the person being dominated.

That was why Roger spoke of the One Piece, luring everyone away from their hometowns and out to sea on adventures, cutting off Black Turn Domination.

Whether they set sail for freedom, to seek the One Piece, gather Poneglyphs, or uncover the truth of the concealed Void Century.

All of it would ultimately lead to one destination: the final great war.

As for whether dragon slayers would become dragons themselves, that depended on who the true victor would be in the end.

But Seven believed that no matter which side truly won after the final battle, classes could never be eliminated, because that was human nature.

There would always be people who took pride in standing above others.

Just as everyone hated the Celestial Dragons, everyone also wanted to become a Celestial Dragon.

Because what people hated was not privilege itself, but those who possessed it... rather than themselves.

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Seven stared expressionlessly at the execution platform. When Captain Roger's gaze swept over him, Seven's eyes and brows filled with a smile, though his lips moved without making a sound.

"Goodbye, Captain."

What a pity. He had never learned the Captain's Kamunabi, Aragami, or Kagutsuchi Keishi...

Especially the latter two—they would lose their legacy from this day onward.

From now on, across the entire sea, only that guy Shanks would be able to casually unleash Kamunabi with a single slash.

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Seven spotted Moria not far away, broad and powerfully built, his face brimming with a confident smile.

"After this, that guy won't be able to smile anymore."

A year later, pirate turmoil erupted in Wano Country. The Beasts Pirates and the Moria Pirates fought a great battle in Ringo. Moria suffered a crushing defeat and lost all his companions.

While fleeing Wano Country, Moria dug up Shimotsuki Ryuma's grave and took away his corpse and Sword Shusui.

From then on, he lost his fighting spirit.

The Pirate World's power system depended heavily on fighting spirit. Once it was gone, one's strength would decline accordingly.

Moria, defeated by Kaido, and Chinjao, whose pointed head had been flattened by Garp's fists, both lost their fighting spirit, causing their strength to plummet.

"Hey, King of the Pirates."

The man in the crowd who looked remarkably like Garp cupped his hands around his mouth. "You got that legendary One Piece, didn't you?"

"That one and only One Piece."

"ONE PIECE~!!!"

On the execution platform, Roger sat cross-legged, utterly fearless in the face of death, as relaxed as if he were chatting with his crew on the deck.

"Wahahahahaha."

"My treasure?"

"If you want it, go take it. Go find it. I left all my treasure there."

"Shut up." The two soldiers hurriedly carried out the execution.

The sky, which had been bright and sunny moments before, was suddenly covered in dark clouds. Then, rain as large as beans came pouring down.

Crowds from all over the world packed Loguetown Square. No one showed any sign of seeking shelter from the rain; instead, upon hearing news of the One Piece, cheers and laughter rang out without end.

Under the curtain of rain, Buggy cried so hard his body convulsed, as if afraid no one would know he was connected to Roger.

Not far away, Shanks wore the straw hat Seven had bought for Roger. His still-youthful face twisted, tears having long since burst through the dam.

Seven reached up and wiped his face haphazardly, feeling that today's rain was somehow saltier and more bitter than usual.

The three fifteen-year-old boys bid farewell to their Captain in their own ways.

"Ding, the Myriad Worlds Trading Platform has been activated."

"Ding, congratulations on receiving a beginner's gift pack."

Seven took a deep breath and raised his head, letting the rain pound down and wash the sorrow from his face.

From this moment on, he would bid farewell to his weak former self. From this moment on, he would never again allow anyone to raise their voice at him.

"Let's go. Someone has their eye on you."

"Oh, okay."