September 8, 1498 Sea Era.
The day of the execution of the "Pirate King," Gol D. Roger.
Area 28 of the Sabaody Archipelago was packed with people.
Around the hastily erected, crude execution platform, Navy officers and soldiers formed a defensive line.
They formed a ring, keeping all the spectators outside.
They had also left a long passage leading all the way to the shore.
Both sides of the passage were crowded as well, especially with reporters holding cameras and long lenses, ready to capture every unmissable moment.
A large Navy Warship slowly docked, and a man wearing a red pirate coat stepped off, his hands in shackles.
Marine Vice Admiral Garp and Marine Vice Admiral Kuzan walked on either side of him—or, more precisely, escorted him.
Despite the enormous crowd, it was so quiet that a pin dropping to the ground could have been heard.
An invisible pressure made everyone hold their breath, their eyes fixed on Roger.
Even among those present, many could not see Roger clearly, and people carrying binoculars were everywhere.
On the other islands of the Sabaody Archipelago, crowds gathered before giant screens.
People around the world were watching the live broadcast too.
In the Kronos Kingdom, Hades quietly watched the broadcast.
Among the Whitebeard Pirates, Newgate drained a bottle of liquor in one gulp.
At the Flying Pirates' vast, empty palace, only a handful of people were present, Shiki among them. Silent, he stared at the broadcast, his thoughts unknown.
Every power on the seas, everyone, was watching this moment.
The man who had conquered the Grand Line, which was said to be "impossible to conquer"!
The universally acknowledged "Pirate King," Gol D. Roger.
Even the members of the Roger Pirates, scattered across the world, were watching.
None of them had expected this to