Gol D. Roger

Ahoy! This here is the 106th Featured Article. “Gol D. Roger” has been featured, meaning it was chosen as an article of interest.

For the ferryman from One Piece: World Seeker, see Roger (Non-Canon).

Gol D. Roger,^[7][4] more commonly known as Gold Roger,^[1] was a legendary pirate who, as captain of the Roger Pirates, held the title of Pirate King and owned the legendary treasure known as One Piece.^[1] He was also the lover of Portgas D. Rouge and the biological father of Portgas D. Ace.^[8]

Roger was famed as the man who did what no one thought possible—he conquered the Grand Line and amassed a vast fortune. Afterwards, knowing that he would soon die from an incurable disease, Roger disbanded his crew before turning himself in to be executed. The World Government intended to have Roger be publicly executed to discourage piracy, but his last words had the opposite impact. He stated that anyone who can find his treasure can claim it. As such, this made Roger single-handedly responsible for starting the Golden Age of Pirates.^[1][9]

Appearance

Roger was a tall and very muscular man. His most prominent physical features were his curved black mustache, a fierce grin he almost always wore, and his intense eyes. He also had thick black hair and a short, thick neck.^[1]

Like many other high ranking pirates, he wore a long red captain’s coat.^[1] Beneath his coat, he wore a blue shirt and had a yellow sash around his waist. He wore a white cravat around his neck, dark blue pants, and what appeared to be black sea boots. Before he turned himself in, he also wore a pirate hat with his Jolly Roger on it over a yellow-spotted bandana.^[10] During the Edd War, however, he donned a dark-blue vest and a yellow sash.^[11]

Thirty years ago, he was seen wearing a necklace.^[12]

Later on, during a flashback to Roger’s first meeting with Rayleigh, it was revealed that Roger wore the straw hat that Monkey D. Luffy is currently wearing.^[13]

Gallery

Roger in his youth.^[13]

Roger at age 47.

Roger at age 51.

Roger’s face before the reveal.^[1]

Roger’s color scheme in the manga.

Roger’s color scheme in the manga at age 51.

Video Games

Other

Personality

— Monkey D. Garp about Gol D. Roger^[14]

Roger was said to be fearless, and those who witnessed his execution even claim that he smiled just before his death,^[15] and during all of his flashback appearances, Roger was seen with a confident smile.

His personality is often noted by people who knew him to have been similar to that of Monkey D. Luffy.^[16][17] This is best shown when he meets Rayleigh and asks him to join him, despite having no idea how strong he was or even what role he would have on his ship.^[13] Portgas D. Ace revealed his lineage to Whitebeard, who noted that Ace’s personality was not much like his father’s.^[18] However, they both shared a refusal to run from battle. Monkey D. Garp stated that Roger would not run away from an enemy in order to protect his crew from danger.^[14] They both also shared the common traits associated with the Will of D.

Roger was also a man who loved big, flashy things and reveled in his title of Pirate King despite his oncoming death.^[19] While not portrayed during any of his appearances, he could be a merciless enemy when he got angry.^[20] This was further evidenced when he killed all of Squard’s crew members personally for unknown reasons.^[21]

Roger was very quick to anger, and he would retaliate for something as simple as an insult to his crew, regardless of how small it might be. Garp stated that an angry Roger could be a violent, selfish, and short-tempered man, but his actions had been pure and straight, just like a child’s, and that he was lucky to survive and become the Pirate King despite his extremely reckless nature.^[20] He also had a side to him that mocked his enemies. After defeating a group of Marines, he told them to bring Garp or Sengoku while telling the Marines he just defeated that they were not worth his time.^[22] He did get excited when he got the opportunity to face strong enemies, charging straight ahead past Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban to face Kozuki Oden himself. When he clashed with Whitebeard for the first time in a while, he reacted with glee and casually greeted his old rival.

Despite his prideful and aggressive nature, Roger was a considerably humble man as he bowed to Whitebeard and Oden when requesting the samurai to join his crew and offered all the treasure and supplies his crew obtained to Whitebeard in exchange for Oden’s service. He was also more than happy to tell others of his dreams and would socialize with his rivals with great enthusiasm. In addition, he was considerate towards civilians, and forbade his crew from stealing from them. ^[23]

He also had a soft spot for children, as he was seen happily cradling Kozuki Hiyori when she was a baby. He was even gentle towards children of other races such as with the mermaid Shyarly when he innocently asked her for some predictions with a gentle smile, and with the mink Pedro when Roger encouraged him to wait for his own moment one day. He also believed a newborn child should not be responsible for the sins of their parents, as he asked Garp to protect his unborn child because he did not want his child to be killed for being related to him.

Relationships

Crew

He apparently had a strong bond with his crew. Silvers Rayleigh, his first mate, described him as a “magnificent man”.^[24] Shanks and Buggy also seemed saddened when speaking of the day of their captain’s execution, and both cried a lot at his execution.^[25]

It is unknown if any of his crew knew that Roger had a son, Portgas D. Ace, prior to Sengoku making it public. According to Monkey D. Garp, even though the whole world hated him, his crewmates trusted Roger completely. He had also destroyed the military force of one country for insulting his crew.^[20]

Kin’emon stated that Roger had great admiration for Kozuki Oden and recruited him as a crewmate for his final voyage.^[26] The feeling appeared to be mutual as Oden thought very highly of Roger, perhaps even more than his previous captain Edward Newgate.^[27] After receiving news of Roger’s execution, Oden simultaneously cried and laughed as he marveled at Roger’s achievements in life.

Friends

Most characters who speak of their personal encounter with Roger only make good comments about him, as he seemed to have made many friends in his journey.

Gan Fall

He befriended Gan Fall, the God of Skypiea, and left him with wonderful memories.^[28]

Tom and Kokoro

He also befriended Tom and Kokoro, gaining enough admiration and respect for Tom to build him a ship, the Oro Jackson.^[29] The Fish-Man would later boast that he was proud he had built the Oro Jackson for the late Pirate King, even though such a declaration led to his death.^[30]

Enemies

Monkey D. Garp

In the past, both Roger and Garp allied with each other in order to defeat the Rocks Pirates.

As a Marine, Garp attempted to kill Roger several times, but both men respected one another to the point that Roger trusted him as he would trust any member of his own crew. Garp was one of two Marines that Roger considered to be worth his time, the other being Sengoku.^[22] Prior to his execution, Roger imparted the name and location of his lover to Garp in order to protect their child, Portgas D. Ace, from being branded a criminal just by being born as the son of the Pirate King.^[31]

Edward Newgate

Even though they were rival pirates, Roger and Whitebeard appeared to be on fairly good terms. They seemingly had multiple duels upon their lives, with one instance in particular leading to a friendly gift exchange between their crewmembers after three days of endless battling.

When Roger request Whitebeard to allow him to bowrowed Oden for a year in order to reach the Final Island even bowing down and given away all of his treasure to Whitebeard. Whitebeard was annoyed by Roger’s attempt to “borrow” Oden as a crewmate for the Roger Pirates before relucantly allows it.

Before his death, Roger even offered to tell Whitebeard the location of Laugh Tale and explained the significance of the initial D at their last meeting.^[10]

Shiki

In the past, Shiki the Golden Lion got in a fight with Roger.^[32] Later, upon hearing news of Roger’s upcoming execution, Shiki attempts to kill Roger himself because of his respect for his rival; he believed that dying by the hands of the weak Marines would not be honorable, even for Roger.^[33]

Charlotte Linlin

In the past, Roger managed to locate Big Mom’s Road Poneglyph using the Voice of All Things and learned its contents with the help of Oden, allowing him to reach Laugh Tale before her. After failing to stop Roger from this, Big Mom vowed not to let anyone who read her Road Poneglyph get away again.

Rocks D. Xebec

Roger’s first and perhaps his most formidable rival and greatest enemy was Rocks D. Xebec, the captain of the legendary Rocks Pirates who sought to become the king of the world. In order to stop Xebec, Roger allied with Garp and together, they managed to defeat the captain of the Rocks Pirates in God Valley after a massive battle.

Other

In Ace’s past, there were thugs who hated Roger and spoke ill of him.^[34] Ace himself had to endure a life of listening to bad remarks about his father, and in his own death, he confirmed that Roger was not popular on a worldwide scale.^[35] This implies that those who did not encounter him in their lifetime tend to view him in a bad light.

Family

Portgas D. Rouge

Rouge was Roger’s lover. It is unknown if they were ever married, nor how their relationship worked out, but she was seen crying when she learned of Roger’s death from the newspaper. She died after Ace’s birth due to a prolonged pregnancy, which lasted an unnatural twenty months in order to protect Ace from being hunted by the World Government,^[36] and also named their child “Gol D. Ace”, proving that she wanted him to live up to his father’s name.^[37]

Portgas D. Ace

Ace was the son of Roger. As Roger did not want Ace to be born as a criminal due to family ties, he requested Garp to take care of Ace in secrecy. When Roger spoke to Garp, he said that his unborn child held no sins.^[31] However, Ace did not see this as love and detested his father.^[38]

Despite his hatred for his father, Ace seemed to have at least some respect for him, as he severely beat anyone who badmouthed Roger. However, this may have actually been due to the fact that said offenders often would begin slandering “the son of Gol D. Roger”, thereby unknowingly referring to Ace himself.^[39] Dadan noticed that Ace had inherited much of Roger’s personality after asking him why he did not run from Bluejam.^[40] Also, Shanks remarks at the place of Ace’s burial that he was the same as his captain, who would not run away in critical situations.^[41] The most prominent of the traits that Ace inherited from Roger was ruthlessness toward anyone who threatened or insulted his loved ones.

Abilities and Powers

Overview

Roger is hailed as having been one of, if not the strongest pirate of all time, considered nearly unstoppable in battle. As Pirate King, he retains the highest status among all the world’s pirates even post-mortem. Elucidating this is the truly enormous bounty he had prior to his death, with 5,564,800,000 being the highest in pirating history.^[6]

Very few people are known to have ever matched Roger in battle: most prominently the legendary “Hero of the Marines” Monkey D. Garp, said to have cornered Roger multiple times before his surrender,^[42] as well as Roger’s second foremost pirate rival Whitebeard,^[43] who held the power of the strongest Paramecia Devil Fruit and was called the “Strongest Man in the World”, even before Roger’s death.^[4]

Another person known to rival Roger was Rocks D. Xebec who was considered to be his first and most formidable rival, even more so than his former subordinate Whitebeard would come to be as it took the combined efforts of both Roger and Garp to finally defeat Rocks.

Other examples of Roger’s strength include fighting on equal ground with Shiki, who commanded the largest pirate fleet of the time,^[32] and single-handedly defeating the armies of several countries.^[20] Oden even commented that Roger presented the aura of a wild beast.

Voice of All Things

Roger was able to locate the Poneglyphs by hearing their shouts.^[44] However, he was not like the Ohara scholars who used their intellect to study the Poneglyphs, so he could not exactly “read” them. According to Rayleigh, Roger could locate the Poneglyphs because he had the ability to “hear the voice of all things”.^[45]

Roger was also one of only five known beings who possessed the ability to hear Sea Kings speaking, the other four being Luffy, Shirahoshi, Poseidon, and Oden.^[46] He was also one of four known humans in the series who possessed the ability to hear Zunesha speaking, the other three being Luffy, Kozuki Oden, and Kozuki Momonosuke.^[47]

Physical Abilities

Roger possessed immense physical strength, as shown when he easily overpowers Kozuki Oden. He could also clash evenly with Edward Newgate, matching him in strength.

Roger possessed immense endurance and vitality even when he was ravaged by an incurable disease. Aided by Crocus’ medical skills, he managed to conquer the Grand Line. He was even able to fight for three days and three nights against Whitebeard until the fight resulted in a draw.

Swordsmanship

Roger was a tremendously skilled and powerful swordsman, overpowering the legendary master samurai Kozuki Oden with only one strike. He was also able to clash equally against Whitebeard’s Murakumogiri, creating a powerful shockwave that blew back everything on the island as well as the Moby Dick by the coast.^[48]

Haki

Main article: Haki

Roger was one of the very small number of people in the world who could use all three types of Haki.

Haoshoku Haki

Roger possessed immense mastery of Haoshoku Haki, which was seen when he clashed with fellow Haoshoku Haki user Edward Newgate. Their clash created a notable effect similar to lightning and released a large burst that traveled across the island that they were on and pushed back the Moby Dick alongside the nearby trees, clouds, and people. Most notably, Roger was one of the few people able to “infuse” his attacks with Haoshoku Haki to exponentially increase his attack power and make his Haoshoku Haki emit from a short distance from his saber, with his sword being shown emitting streams of lightning-like energy to signify this infusion.^[48][49]

Busoshoku Haki

Roger possessed immense mastery over Busoshoku Haki. He could imbue his saber with the Haki, allowing it to evenly clash against the Haki infused Murakumogiri, one of the 12 Supreme Grade Meito. As a testament to his mastery, he overpowered Kozuki Oden, who was an exceptional master of Busoshoku Haki in his own right, with only a single brief attack. Furthermore, Roger with his Busoshoku Haki was able to battle against Whitebeard, who was already known as the “Strongest Man in the World” at that time by three days and nights .

Kenbunshoku Haki

Roger possessed the ability to use Kenbunshoku Haki.^[4]

Weapons

Roger’s main weapon was a cutlass named Ace, which is one of the 12 Supreme Grade Meito. He wielded it at least as far back as the God Valley Incident,^[50] and was shown possessing it up until the end of his pirating journey.^[48] During the Battle of Edd War, Roger was shown wielding a flintlock pistol with his right hand and Ace with his left.^[32]

History

Biography

The Beginning

Gol D. Roger was born in Loguetown in the East Blue.^[5] According to Monkey D. Garp, Roger grew up in difficult circumstances and developed great fear of losing his loved ones above all else.^[51] Sometime later during his youth, he met Silvers Rayleigh and became impressed by the ship he was using, which Rayleigh stole to live on after his house burned down. Viewing their encounter as a fated meeting, he asked Rayleigh to join him in “turning the world upside down”.^[13] Though Rayleigh refused at first, Roger’s insistence managed to win him over, and the two became best friends ever since.

Roger eventually became the captain of the Roger Pirates with Rayleigh as his First Mate. During which, he engaged in piracy while building up his fame over several decades.^[52] At some point, Roger’s crew visited Water 7 and hired the master shipwright, Tom to build a new ship for them. Using wood from the legendary Treasure Tree Adam, Tom constructed the Oro Jackson, which became the Roger Pirates’ famed ship.

Roger and his crew then sailed into the New World, and 39 years before the present, he and his crew reached Lodestar Island, the final island that the Log Pose pointed to. However, Roger knew that the real final island was beyond this point and that the Road Poneglyphs gave clues about its location.^[53]

Approximately 38 years ago, Roger and his long time rival, Vice Admiral Garp formed a temporary alliance against the Rocks Pirates, which led to the pair fighting on God Valley against the crew including Edward Newgate, Linlin, Kaidou, and their captain, Rocks D. Xebec. The battle resulted in the dissolution of the crew, with people viewing Xebec as Roger’s first and most formidable enemy. Afterwards, the event became known as the God Valley Incident, although their alliance was not publicly reported.^[54]

At some point, Roger managed to sneak into Charlotte Linlin’s territory of Totto Land and gained a copy of her Road Poneglyph, though they couldn’t transcribe it.^[55] 30 years ago, Roger read a newspaper and learned that a samurai from Wano Country had joined the Whitebeard Pirates, leading Roger to become interested in meeting him.^[12]

The Final Voyage

28 years ago, Roger came down with an incurable disease. He decided to pitch one last journey with his crew into the Grand Line. Upon reaching the lighthouse at Reverse Mountain at the entrance of the Grand Line, he recruited Crocus as his doctor to keep him alive until the completion of his final journey.^[9]

27 years ago, Roger was approached by the “Flying Pirate” Shiki, who had learned that Roger had located an Ancient Weapon. Seeing the opportunity, he asked Roger if they could join forces, as with his large pirate fleet and Roger’s weapon, Shiki believed that they could take over the whole world together, even telling Roger that what happened between them in the past was forgotten. Despite the urges of Buggy, Roger refused Shiki’s offer and said that he wanted to be free to do what he wanted. Shiki announced that his answer meant the death of him, while Roger said it meant that he would beat him, and a great sea battle soon ensued between their crews.^[56] The battle was resolved by a storm that happened during their fight, which sunk half of Shiki’s fleet.^[32]

Around a year later, Roger and his crew brutally defeated a Marine squadron, creating a ruckus that attracted the attention of the Whitebeard Pirates. Roger’s crew went to meet them and encountered Oden charging toward them. Roger quickly overpowered Oden before clashing with Whitebeard, and the skirmish between the crews lasted for three days and three nights before it ultimately became a gift exchange. Roger spoke with Whitebeard and Oden and told them about his intention to reach the last island in the Grand Line. Roger then begged Oden to join his crew for one year to decipher the Road Poneglyphs. Oden agreed, and he, his wife Toki, and children Momonosuke and Hiyori set sail with Roger. Inuarashi and Nekomamushi followed them as stowaways.

Crocus told Roger he had one year left to live, and soon afterward, the Roger Pirates journeyed up to Skypiea. Roger easily found the Shandorian Golden Belfry Bell due to his ability to hear its voice, which he claimed spoke about a certain weapon. Roger told Oden to inscribe a message about his presence at Skypiea and intended goal to reach the ends of the world into the bell’s surface.^[57][58]

After leaving Skypiea, the crew’s ship sailed to Water 7 to pay Tom a visit. With Oden at his side, Roger sought after the Road Poneglyphs, which held together the key to the coordinates of the final island. Already possessing a transcription of Big Mom’s Road Poneglyph at hand and having a general idea about where to find another,^[59] Roger learned about the location of two more from Oden, Inuarashi, and Nekomamushi, whose family and people had them guarded at Wano Country and Zou, respectively.

The crew later journeyed to Fish-Man Island. Roger and Oden also noticed voices during the undersea trip, unaware that they came from the resident Sea Kings. After reaching Fish-Man Island, Roger got reacquainted with Neptune. The Road Poneglyph whose whereabouts Roger had a suspicion of was located at the Sea Forest, near Fish-Man Island and right next to the poneglyph containing Joy Boy’s letter of apology. While at Fish-Man Island, Roger met a young Shyarly and became aware of certain prophecies about the future, showing a particular interest about Poseidon’s whereabouts.

Sometime after leaving Fish-Man Island, Toki became ill and the Roger Pirates stopped by at Wano Country. After acquiring the information from Wano’s Poneglyphs, the crew left Toki, Momonosuke, Hiyori, Inuarashi, and Nekomamushi behind. Later, with the help of a Vivre Card and letter from Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, Roger was able to land at Zou and befriend the Mink Tribe. On his way to the Road Poneglyph inside the Whale Tree, Roger experienced another mysterious voice alongside Oden, leaving the both of them with feelings of unease. Later on, Roger was approached by a young Pedro, who was eager to accompany him on his adventure. Roger declined Pedro’s request, but still reassured the Mink that he would play an important role in the future.

Roger’s condition was worsening as they progressed further, so he and his crew had to rush their quest, leaving Buggy, who became sick, and Shanks, who was taking care of him, behind. With the information of every Road Poneglyph at hand, Roger and his crew ultimately made it to the elusive final island of the Grand Line. There, not only did they learn about the truth of the Void Century, the Ancient Weapons, and the Will of D., they also stumbled upon Joy Boy’s treasure. Roger and his crewmates reacted to this discovery with a burst of laughter. Roger professed his curiosity about Joy Boy, considering the circumstances behind this past figure as funny. Inspired by Joy Boy’s story, Roger bestowed the final island with the name of “Laugh Tale”.^[60]

Soon, the news of Roger’s discovery of Laugh Tale led the world to recognize him as the Pirate King. As a result, many pirates and Marine forces were targeting the crew to eliminate Roger and get his treasure. Later, Roger decided to disband his crew. Upon learning they were early, Roger planned to make a son that would find One Piece next. Roger also told Oden that he wanted to meet Whitebeard before he dies. Later, he was the first to leave the crew and the ship, leaving his first mate Rayleigh some final words claiming that “he would not die”. He also took some medicine from Crocus as he parted ways with his comrades, who cried as he left.^[61]

Near his death, Roger had a final meeting with Whitebeard, where he told him about the nickname the government gave him, Gold Roger, and the secret of the Will of D.. Roger offered to tell Whitebeard how to get to Laugh Tale, but Whitebeard declined due to lack of interest.^[10]

Final Days of the King

In the final days of Roger’s reign, he had attained more wealth, power, and fame than anyone could imagine.^[1] He had encountered several powerful figures including the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates Edward Newgate, as well as the legendary marine Vice Admiral Garp, who had cornered Roger many times on his journey.^[42] Though now known as the Pirate King, Roger was well-aware of his own mortality, and he disbanded his crew in secret. Before his death, he told Rayleigh he would not die.^[9][61] He informed Whitebeard that he was going to die before his execution; whether he was referring to his illness or to him giving up to the Marines is unknown.^[10]

Also, at some point he met Portgas D. Rouge, a woman living in Baterilla, that would later become the mother of his son, Portgas D. Ace.^[8] Eventually, Roger turned himself in to the Marines and was scheduled to be executed. While in prison, he asked Garp to take care of his son when he was gone, saying that an infant child should not be labeled a criminal for his family ties. Although Garp said he had no obligation to do so, Roger knew he would do it anyway.^[31]

— Gold Roger’s famous last words.

Thinking they would make an example of him to prevent others from becoming pirates, the Marines immediately set up his execution in Loguetown. But as he was about to die, Roger yelled out his famous last words. The swords of the executioners fell, and the greatest pirate of them all died.^[1]

Legacy

What was thought would be a warning to all and extinguish the hopes of all pirates had failed. Instead, the last words of Roger ignited the excitement of the world, and thus began “The Great Age of Pirates”, dubbed by a few as the “Age of Dreams”. In the 24 years since his death, pirates from all over the world have attempted to find Laugh Tale and the One Piece to claim Roger’s title.^[9]

All the men and women who had contact with Roger were ordered to be executed.^[62] In addition, the World Government issued an order to gather infants and quite possibly commit mass infanticide in order to purge any possible trace of Roger’s progeny. The only ones to survive were his lover Rouge, and his crewmates who went their separate ways after his death. Roger’s blood survived his death through his son Ace.^[63]

As far as directly influencing major contenders, those known to be present at his execution include his apprentices Shanks and Buggy; the Warlords of the Sea Crocodile, Donquixote Doflamingo, Dracule Mihawk, and Gecko Moria; and the revolutionary Monkey D. Dragon,^[25] and it can be assumed from their conversation with Shiki that Monkey D. Garp and former Fleet Admiral Sengoku attended as well.^[64] Smoker also appeared to be there as a child. When Shiki heard about Roger’s execution, he was deeply angered and attacked Marine Headquarters in retaliation; after a great battle, he was eventually defeated and imprisoned in Impel Down, though he would later go on to escape.^[56]

Twenty-two years after his execution, as Whitebeard was about to die, he confirmed to the world that the One Piece is indeed real and inferred the consequences of what would happen once it was discovered.^[65] This triggered the beginning of the New Age of Pirates to be created out of Roger’s legendary treasure.^[1]

Major Battles

• Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp vs. Rocks Pirates (unseen)
• Gol D. Roger vs. Shiki (unseen, several times)
• Gol D. Roger vs. Edward Newgate (unseen, several times)
• Gol D. Roger vs. Monkey D. Garp (unseen, several times)
• Gol D. Roger vs. Sengoku (unseen)
• Gol D. Roger vs. Chinjao (unseen)
• Roger Pirates vs. Golden Lion Pirates (Edd War)
• Gol D. Roger vs. Kozuki Oden
• Roger Pirates vs. Whitebeard Pirates
• Roger Pirates vs. Squard’s first pirate crew (unseen)

Filler Battles

• Gol D. Roger vs. Killer Giant (mentioned)
• Gol D. Roger vs. “King” Eric Dow (mentioned)
• Gol D. Roger vs. the giant men Gowns Brothers (mentioned)
• Gol D. Roger vs. the famous gunner Silver-Silver (mentioned)
• Gol D. Roger vs. Zephyr (mentioned)
• Roger Pirates vs. Naguri Pirates

Anime and Manga Differences

The Toei anime created a number of original details on Roger’s life—and death—during the Loguetown Arc, in particular Episode 48. Among them:

• Establishing him as awing an old bartender (who eventually renamed his bar after Roger) the night before sailing for the Grand Line.
• Establishing four (apocryphal) foes he conquered during his voyages: Killer Giant, Eric Dow, the Gowns Brothers, and Silver-Silver.
• Setting his execution on a hot, clear day (something later contradicted by the manga, which confirmed it—much like Luffy’s near-execution in Loguetown—was held during a heavy rainstorm.^[66][25])
• Framing his last words as a response to an unnamed man witnessing the execution, rather than speaking it unprompted.
  • By extension, framing his death as a panicked effort by the executioners to stop him from stating One Piece’s exact location (something that is, at best, ambiguous in the original manga).
• Depicting his cause of death as a double impalement through the heart (also ambiguous in the manga, which has only ever depicted the killing motion(s) from a long, almost-imperceptible distance and never stated the method in either narration or dialogue)

Toei went on to ignore most of these when adapting the manga’s own expansions on Roger’s final days, though Episode 400 (adapting Chapter 506) reiterates the idea of Roger being impaled by the executioners.

Translation and Dub Issues

While Japanese sources have always remained consistent on Roger’s last words, every official English translation has offered different wording and emphases:

• Viz manga:
  • Chapter 1: “My treasure? Why, it’s right where I left it… it’s yours if you can find it, but you’ll have to search the whole world!“
  • Chapter 506: “My treasure? You can have it if you want it. Go find it! I left all the riches of the world there.”
• 4Kids anime:
  • Opening 1: “My fortune is yours for the taking, but you’ll have to find it first. I left everything I own in One Piece.”
• Funimation anime:
  • Opening 1 (and Episode 48): “You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place. Now you just have to find it!”
  • Episode 400 (dubbed): “If anyone wants my treasure… then it’s yours for the taking. Go find it! I left everything I gathered in one place.”
  • Episode 400 (subtitled): “My treasure? If you want it, you can have it! Find it! I left everything this world has to offer there!”

While all preserve the dialogue’s general spirit, only some emphasize “that place” (そこに soko ni^? )—a place presumably known to Roger, and possibly his audience, but not the reader—as the original does.

The specific execution method used on Roger also differs among translations (due in part to the ambiguity mentioned above):

• The Viz manga claims that the executioners “lopped off his head” with their blades
• The 4Kids anime claims that they “hung him from the gallows” (the penalty passed on most real-life pirates)

(It should be noted that in the manga, the execution is punctuated by the sound-effect “zan” (ザン^? ). This is often accepted as a katakana rendering of 斬, a term associated with cutting/slashing actions in general, and decapitation in particular. Additionally, the initial execution attempt on Portgas D. Ace during the Summit War of Marineford, set-up almost identically to Roger’s, has the executioners aiming their blades at Ace’s neck.^[67])

Merchandise

Video Games

Playable Appearances

• One Piece Treasure Cruise
• One Piece Bounty Rush

Support Appearances

• One Piece: Gigant Battle
• One Piece: Gigant Battle! 2 New World
• One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X

Non-Playable Appearances

• One Piece: Become the Pirate King!
• Grand Battle!
• Birth of Luffy’s Dream Pirate Crew!
• Grand Battle! Swan Colosseum
• Aim! The King of Berry

Trivia

• Roger is the first character depicted in the series, as well as the first to die on-panel.
• It was stated that Ace’s mother held him for 20 months (5 months before and 15 months after Roger’s execution). Since Ace’s birthday is January 1, Roger must have been executed sometime between late September and early October.
• Although his bounty is now inactive, Roger’s bounty is the highest recorded bounty in the entire series, with 5,564,800,000, stated to be unsurpassed by any pirate.^[6]
  • In Roger’s bounty of 5,564,800,000, the 6-4-8 can be read as ro-shi-ya (ロシヤ). This could refer to his given name “Roger” (ロジャー Rojā^? ).
• Roger is the first character to be shown with the D in his name. However, he is the second to be named, since Dr. Kureha revealed that his true name was Gol D. Roger after his initial introduction. This is also the first indication that there is an underlying mystery and something special in those who carry the initial D, and Roger himself admits to Whitebeard that the D has a greater meaning than a simple initial.
  • Roger did not like the nickname “Gold Roger” because it was not his true name.^[10]
• In Episode 85 of the anime, when Hiriluk was describing what a pirate is to Chopper, a man who was identical in appearance to Roger was seen.
  • When Oars was pretending to be a pirate by placing a piece of rubble on his head, a pirate similar to Roger was also shown.
• Roger is the first known owner of the straw hat that Luffy (and previously Shanks) wears.
• In One Piece Green, it was revealed that Roger’s mustache was actually intended to be his nose hair in the beginning.
• Roger’s favorite foods are sake and Higashizame steak.^[4]
• In the 1st, 4th and 6th Japanese fan polls of most popular characters, Roger was ranked the 13th, 83rd (along with Blueno, Tom, Chopper Man and Van Augur) and 39th, respectively.
• Upon his death, the real life pirate Olivier Levasseur had tossed a cryptogram from the scaffolding into the crowd and told them if they could figure out the message, his treasure (now valued at £160,000,000 in today’s money) would be theirs, a treasure that to this day has never been found. This seems to have been part of the inspiration for Roger’s legendary death speech, as Roger himself had delivered the message to find his treasure, and notably the Poneglyphs are also part of a grand cryptogram leading to the end of the Grand Line.
  • Another possible inspiration for Roger could be Henry Every. In 1695, Every led what has been called the most profitable pirate raid of all time, capturing an enormous treasure estimated to be worth up to £600,000 (around $400 million in modern currency), becoming the richest pirate in the world and earning him the epithet “The King of Pirates”. Despite being the target of a worldwide manhunt and getting the highest bounty in history placed on his head (£1,000, around $700,000 currently), Every vanished with his treasure in the Caribbean (then called New World). He is said to have influenced the next generation of pirates, including Blackbeard, Bartholomew Roberts, Calico Jack, Samuel Bellamy and Edward Low, among others, who were children at the time (and whose names are used for several One Piece characters).

References

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