The rain continued to fall, showing no sign of letting up.
If anything, it seemed even more desolate after that earth-shattering slash.
Kane paid no more attention to the Single-Minded Swordsman he had tricked into joining the Marines, nor did he glance at the future tyrants below the platform, each harboring their own schemes.
He sat back down on the damp high-backed chair at the very top of the Execution Platform.
His coat draped casually over his shoulders, his gaze pierced through the curtain of rain, fixed intently on the long street leading to the square.
He's here.
Clank... Clank...
Iron chains dragged and scraped against the wet, slippery stone slabs, clattering loudly.
Two Marine soldiers in crisp white uniforms escorted the man who terrorized the entire sea, their steps splashing through the puddles.
Gol D. Roger walked.
He walked in the center, his wrists and ankles shackled with heavy Sea Stone chains.
His red Captain's coat was worn and tattered, yet still vibrantly, glaringly bright.
He walked slowly.
Each step seemed laborious.
It was the pain left by his terminal illness and countless fierce battles, mercilessly devouring the vitality of this legend.
But there was not a trace of fear of death in his eyes.
He even looked around with keen interest, flashing a wide grid at some familiar faces in the crowd.
His demeanor was not that of a man going to his death, but to one last raucous party.
The square was already in utter chaos.
Some wept bitterly, some cursed, some whistled.
Rotten tomatoes, rotten eggs, and empty liquor bottles rained down, only to be blocked by shields raised by the Marine soldiers standing guard on either side.
Go die already! You damn pirate! You scum, go to hell and repent!
Roger paid no heed to the torrent of curses surrounding him.
Dragging his feet, he looked up at the towering Execution Platform above.
His gaze landed precisely on the young Admiral sitting at the very top, draped in a coat of justice, legs crossed, smoking a cigar.
Their gazes pierced through the rain, meeting across the distance.
Roger grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. A laugh rumbled from deep in his chest, hoarse and bold.
Now this is a send-off with some pomp!
He walked up the rough wooden steps, the planks groaning under his weight.
Reaching the top level, Roger sat down cross-legged without a care for decorum, his hands resting on his knees.
Two Executioners wearing hoods and holding long Spears flanked him. The long shafts crossed, their cold blades poised against the arteries of his neck.
Tens of thousands of spectators watched from below.
In a dark corner on the outskirts of the crowd, a Red-Haired Boy wearing a straw hat bit his lower lip fiercely, scalding tears mixing with the cold rain as they fell.
Beside him, the boy with a red nose had long since cried himself into hiccups, snot bubbles popping one after another.
In the shadows of an alley, Doflamingo's flamboyant sunglasses reflected a cold light.
Crocodile narrowed his eyes and lit another cigar.
Gekko Moriah grinned widely, his gaze darting back and forth between the Executioner's Axe on the platform and the Admiral.
Tens of thousands present, along with dozens of transponder snails distributed across the globe, awaited that final command.
Time for the execution.
Kane's icy voice fell.
The two Executioners raised their Spears. Those blades symbolizing the World Government's authority were about to pierce the heart of the legend.
A deathly silence fell over the square.
The breath of tens of thousands was collectively held.
At this very moment.
In an inconspicuous corner of the crowd, Stussy, having long since changed into civilian clothes, pulled her hat brim lower.
She subtly shifted a step and elbowed the Thug-like man beside her hard in the ribs.
The man, clutching an Amplified Den Den Mushi in his arms, seemed to get a shot of adrenaline the moment he received the signal.
The money was too damn good!
Even facing the pressure of a Marine Admiral, he dared to risk his life to shout this line!
The man suddenly threw his head back and roared into the den den mushi in his arms, a shout that tore through the curtain of rain:
Hey—!! Pirate King!!
The shout startled everyone. The Marines on guard nearly opened fire.
Before anyone could react, the man continued roaring according to the script:
Where did you hide all the treasure you stole?! That legendary great treasure... you really got it, didn't you?! That! The great treasure all connected as one! One Piece!!!
A single phrase stirred up a thousand waves.
A tidal wave of uproar erupted all around. These words struck the most sensitive nerve of every pirate, every bounty hunter, every impoverished commoner present.
Greed for wealth. Craving fame. Pursuit of power.
The scent of desire fermented rapidly in the damp air.
The officer in charge of security, furious, drew his Command Sword and pointed it below, roaring, "Quick! Arrest that troublemaker! Executioners, proceed immediately!"
The two Executioners on the platform paled. Hesitating no longer, they thrust their Spears down with a whoosh!
Wahahahaha—!
Roger threw his head back and laughed uproariously.
The laughter, brimming with a boldness that looked down upon the world, shook the wooden platform.
Struck by this intangible aura, the two veteran Executioners' arms actually went weak, their movements slowing by half a beat.
Roger suddenly raised his head. His eyes burned with a final light, a spark capable of igniting an entire era!
You want my treasure?
His voice pierced through the rain, through the transponder snails, reaching every corner of the world.
If you want it...
Before the two Executioners could react.
Swish—!
No one even saw what happened.
There was just a blur before their eyes. A tall figure draped in a coat of justice appeared behind Roger as if teleporting.
The two Executioners felt a sharp pain in their wrists. The Spears in their hands snapped cleanly in two.
Kane stood behind Roger.
The black blade named zangetsu had already pierced through Roger's body without hindrance.
Thud.
The sound of the blade entering flesh was faithfully amplified countless times by the Amplified Den Den Mushi.
Blood gushed out along the blade, instantly staining the Execution Platform red.
The entire world fell silent at this moment.
Not the Executioners, but the Admiral himself performed the execution?!
Kane's face was expressionless, not even a flicker of emotion in his eyes.
Only he knew that this seemingly fatal thrust had precisely avoided all vital organs, merely looking terrifying.
But this was enough.
Kane lowered his gaze, looking down at the Pirate King beneath his feet, his heart cold as ice.
He held the cigar between his teeth, its ember flickering between light and dark.
Without pirates, what use are hunters?
If this great sea were filled with law-abiding citizens, what reason would a fully-armed Marine have to demand massive military funding? If the world were peaceful and uneventful, what means would Marineford have to expand its power?
Water too clear, fish die. Water too turbid, nets are cast.
Only with pirates as numerous as stars, only with the Celestial Dragons trembling in fear, sleepless at night, would the World Government cling to the Marines like a lifeline, begging them to suppress the chaos.
Only then would the power in an Admiral's hands rise above the norm, expanding boundlessly.
Shout it, Roger!!
Shout your famous line!
Stir this stagnant pond into utter chaos!
Let this great sea give rise to thousands upon thousands of ATMs that can provide me with discipline points!
Roger sensed the precision of the thrust from behind.
A large mouthful of blood surged into his mouth—the final special effect for this performance.
Using the last shred of strength in his life, he issued a declaration of a changing era to the stunned spectators below, to everyone in the world watching their screens:
...I'll give it all to you! Go find it!! I left everything this world has to offer... All in that one place!!!
Boom—!!!
A clap of thunder split the sky at the perfect moment. A stark white flash of lightning illuminated Roger's face, forever frozen in a wild laugh, and also lit up Kane's face, cold and stern as a deity or demon.
With that thunderclap, Roger's head slumped heavily.
The Pirate King had fallen.
But something even more terrifying was born.
After a brief second of deathly silence, Loguetown square erupted completely.
One Piece really exists! You can have everything if you find it! Set sail! To the Grand Line!
The eyes of civilians who had come merely to watch the spectacle glowed red. Pirates who had been hesitating drew their swords.
The crowd went utterly mad.
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