Within the Rocks Pirates, another Emperor is Kaido.
This young man, who was not even a commander on the ship, has now become the strongest man on land, sea, and air.
He has made Wano Country, with its advanced seastone processing technology, his stronghold.
Through the "Artificial Devil Fruit" project, he has amassed over 500 Zoan-type ability users in his crew.
Thus, he has rightfully earned the title of the "Beast Pirates."
His bounty is 3,411,200,000 Berries.
Apart from them there is another powerful pirate, Shiki the Golden Lion.
Like Whitebeard, he established his own pirate crew, the Flying Pirate Fleet, dedicated to collecting ancient weapons to dominate the world.
However, after so many years, he has yet to find a single ancient weapon.
But during his search, he accomplished a significant feat.
Shiki deliberately set an ambush in the New World at the Edd War, surrounding the Roger Pirates with dozens of warships.
He had heard from others that Roger might know the whereabouts of these ancient weapons.
He intended to force Roger to reveal the information, then lead his crew to find them and ascend to the pinnacle of the world.
But what he didn't expect was that Roger, the traitorous pirate, summoned a sudden storm.
Most of the Flying Pirate Fleet's ships were sunk and Shiki himself accidentally got a ship's rudder stuck in his head.
His once flowing golden hair was now gone, leaving him bald with a receding hairline.
This made him recall the time he mocked Bob for being bald.
He thought if Bob saw him now, he would surely laugh his head off.
His bounty is 3,313,500,000 Berries.
Besides these top-tier powerhouses in these waters, the Rocks Pirates also had three captains: Wang Zhi, John, and Silver Axe.
However, these three were not as fortunate as the others.
John, while searching for Rocks' treasure, tried to keep it all for himself upon finding it, but was brutally killed.
His body was later resurrected as a zombie by Gecko Moria, one of the Seven Warlords, though his strength was greatly diminished.
As for Wang Zhi and Silver Axe, their whereabouts are unknown, and no one knows where they went.
Among all the figures who stirred up storms during the Rocks era, Roger story is the most shocking.
Although he was often criticized as a traitor among pirates due to his actions in the God Valley Incident, he is the only pirate who conquered the Grand Line, completed the journey and reached the final island, Raftel.
With this feat, he became the undisputed Pirate King among all the new generation of pirates.
Upon reaching the final island, he saw the complete Poneglyphs and learned the truth of the world.
However, what puzzled everyone was that after reaching the final island, this great pirate, who had amassed fame, status, and wealth, actually got captured by the Marines.
***
At Marine Headquarters, in the conference hall, after Roger surrender, Kong hastily convened a meeting.
Except for Garp, all the top brass of the Marines were present, seated around a large round table.
"The purpose of summoning everyone here for this meeting is singular!"
"To select the execution site for the great pirate Roger!"
Marshal Kong beard twitched as he swept his gaze over everyone present and began to speak.
Over the past fifteen years, not only had the pirates undergone changes, but the high-ranking combatants of the Marine Headquarters had also evolved.
Zephyr and Sengoku had been elevated to the rank of Marine Admirals, Tsuru to Vice Admiral, and Garp remained in his position as Vice Admiral.
However, this wasn't because Garp was unqualified for the Admiral position, rather, he found it troublesome and voluntarily declined the promotion opportunity.
Yet, this did not diminish his image in the eyes of the Marines, as Garp was still hailed as the "Hero of the Marines" by the soldiers.
As for the three super rookies from the God Valley Incident, they had all risen to become Marine Vice Admirals.
Roger surrender was undoubtedly a momentous event for the Marines.
It could be said that this was the only incident since the God Valley battle that had shaken the entire world.
The selection of the public execution site required thorough discussion and careful consideration.
"I believe the best choice is the Marine Headquarters!" Zephyr was the first to speak.
"The Pirate King, acknowledged by all pirates, has been captured by us. Executing him at the Marine Headquarters would be an immensely morale-boosting event for our forces!"
Although Roger had surrendered, the Marines publicly declared it as a "capture."
The intention behind this wording was clear: to make the pirates realize the might of the Marines. Whether it was a great pirate or the Pirate King, none could stand against the Marines.
This would effectively enhance the Marines' image in the eyes of the public and elevate their status.
Zephyr proposal to hold the execution at the Headquarters was an extremely inspiring decision for the Marines.
"While this is indeed a confidence-boosting choice for the Marines, I believe the primary purpose of the execution should be to crush the pirates' morale!" Sengoku adjusted his glasses, his gaze sharp as he spoke.
"Thus, boosting Marine morale is secondary!"
"Exactly! Executing Roger must serve as a deterrent to other pirates!" Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded in agreement with Sengoku view and added her thoughts.
Hearing this, the high-ranking officials present nodded in unison, including Steel Bone Kong.
"Indeed! I agree with Sengoku and Tsuru proposal!"
"Lately, the pirates have been too audacious. Compared to boosting Marine morale, deterring the pirates is indeed more crucial!"
"In that case, the chosen location must have a significant connection to Roger!"
Kong' thoughts aligned perfectly with those of Sengoku and Tsuru.
He believed that the death of this renowned pirate must serve the greatest purpose.
Ideally, it should have a "killing the chicken to scare the monkey" effect on the pirates.
"There's one place I think is highly suitable!" Sengoku paused, his expression serious.
He then pointed firmly to a spot on the map.
Hearing this, the others shifted their gaze from him to the map on the table.
The place Sengoku pointed to was none other than Roger birthplace.
"Loguetown!"
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