One year later.
Sea Calendar 1498.
Roger's life had reached its end.
But he didn't want to die like this.
Before his death, he wanted to do something meaningful.
To make his death valuable.
Thus, he sailed alone in a small boat to the harbor of Marine Headquarters.
Marineford.
When that small boat slowly approached the harbor, alarms instantly blared throughout the entire base!
"Enemy attack!"
"Intruder!"
"It's... it's Pirate King Roger!"
The entire Marineford descended into chaos.
Countless Marine soldiers swarmed from all directions, surrounding the harbor completely.
Guns were aimed at the small boat, swords were drawn, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Roger stood at the bow, arms crossed, grinning widely.
"HAHAHAHA! Where's Garp? Tell Garp to come out and speak!"
The crowd parted as a tall figure strode forward.
Garp.
His face was expressionless, but his eyes were filled with complexity.
"Roger, why have you come?"
Roger looked at him and laughed:
"Garp! I'm here to surrender! Aren't you Marines going to welcome me?"
Garp froze.
The surrounding Marine soldiers also froze.
Surrender?
The Pirate King... surrendering?
Just then, the sound of orderly footsteps approached.
Fleet Admiral Kong strode forward, followed by Sengoku, Tsuru, and other Marine high-ranking officers—
Akainu Sakazuki, Aokiji Kuzan, Kizaru Borsalino... those future Admirals were still Vice Admirals at this time, but already displayed astonishing Haki.
"Roger!"
Kong's voice thundered:
"You're under arrest!"
All the Marines simultaneously raised their guns, aiming at the man standing at the bow.
Roger laughed heartily.
He jumped off the boat, walked up to the Marines, and extended his hands.
"Come on."
Sea Stone handcuffs clicked into place with a "snap."
The Pirate King was arrested.
Garp stood at the back of the crowd, watching that retreating figure being escorted away, indescribable emotions welling up in his heart.
He had pursued that man for twenty years.
Twenty years of chasing, twenty years of fierce battles, twenty years of grudges.
He had imagined countless times that they would eventually have a final showdown, that he would defeat him with his Iron Fist, and personally arrest him.
But he never expected—
It would end like this.
Impel Down, the lowest level solitary cell.
The cell made entirely of Sea Stone was airtight, without a glimpse of daylight.
Roger sat in the corner, resting with his eyes closed.
Footsteps approached.
The cell door opened.
Garp walked in.
He stood with his arms crossed, expressionlessly looking at Roger.
Roger looked up and grinned:
"Garp! Can I trust you?"
"My child is about to be born."
"I want you to protect my wife and child."
Garp's expression changed, and he roared:
"Don't joke around! How could the Marines take care of a pirate's child?!"
Roger's eyes were firm as he grinned:
"No, you will help me."
"Garp, I'm entrusting the mother and child to you."
Garp looked at him, for a long time.
Then, he turned and strode away.
Behind him, Roger's laughter echoed through the prison cell.
He knew.
Garp would definitely help him.
This was his final request before his death.
...
Soon, news spread across the world.
Everyone was shocked the moment they saw that newspaper.
Pirate King Roger Arrested by Marine Hero Garp! Public Execution Scheduled in One Week at Loguetown in East Blue!
Somewhere in the New World.
Golden Lion Shiki's territory.
Shiki stared at the newspaper in his hands, unable to believe it.
"Roger... was arrested?"
The pirate beside him trembled as he answered:
"Y-yes, Boss Shiki. That's what the newspaper says."
"Stop joking around!"
Shiki tore the newspaper to shreds and roared:
"How can we believe something like that?! You all know Roger's strength! How could he possibly be arrested?!"
"Boss Shiki... where are you going?"
"To Marine Headquarters, of course, to confirm it myself!"
He activated his Float-Float Fruit ability, shooting skyward as a streak of golden light, racing toward Marineford.
Behind him, the pirates exchanged uneasy glances.
"Boss Shiki is going alone..."
"That's Marine Headquarters..."
"He'll be fine... right?"
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The gloomy sky began to drizzle.
A sudden alarm blared!
Woo—Woo—Woo—
The piercing alarm cut through the air, plunging the entire base into combat readiness!
"Intruder!!!"
"The enemy is... Four Emperor Golden Lion Shiki!!!"
In the plaza, Marine soldiers' bodies lay scattered.
Golden Lion Shiki stood atop a small hill made of Marine corpses.
A cigar dangled from his mouth, smoke curling around his wild, unbridled face, making him appear especially ferocious.
"Roger..."
"How could he be captured by trash like you? He's a man I acknowledge!"
He raised his head, eyes burning with furious madness:
"Sengoku!! Garp!! Get out here!!!"
As his words fell, he drew the twin swords at his waist—Withered Tree and Cherry Ten.
He swung both arms!
"Wave Cut—!"
A crescent-shaped golden Sword Qi swept out!
Boom!!!
The Sword Qi slammed into the fortress of Marine Headquarters.
The entire structure was split down the middle, sliding apart!
"Ah—!"
"Help—!"
Marine soldiers who couldn't escape in time screamed as they fell, buried under rubble.
From the dust, two figures stepped forward.
Sengoku and Garp.
Cloaked in their Justice mantles, they stood before Golden Lion.
"Admiral Sengoku! Vice Admiral Garp!"
The surviving Marines saw them, hope instantly shining in their eyes.
Sengoku looked expressionlessly at Golden Lion:
"Roger has already been imprisoned in Impel Down. In five days, he will be publicly executed at Loguetown in East Blue."
"If you don't believe it, we'll send you to Impel Down right now so you can be neighbors with Roger."
Golden Lion's pupils contracted sharply.
"Stop joking around—!"
He roared:
"Roger can only die by my hand! If you want to throw me in Impel Down, let's see if you have what it takes!"
He brandished both swords, leaping into the air!
"Lion's Might: Sea Swirl—!"
Rumble—!!!
Seawater from the port was lifted by his floating power, surging skyward!
A massive volume of seawater rapidly gathered, compressed, and took shape in the air—
Forming a colossal lion's head hundreds of meters tall!
The lion opened its abyssal maw and lunged toward Marineford!
Sengoku stepped forward, palms pressed together.
Golden light erupted!
His body instantly swelled, transforming into a ten-meter golden Buddha.
His skin gleamed like molten gold, his brow bearing both the compassion of the Buddha and the fury of a monarch.
He thrust out his right palm, golden light coalescing into a vortex in his palm—
"Buddha's Impact—!"
Boom—!!
A golden shockwave shot forth like a solid pillar of light!
It collided mid-air with the colossal lion's head towering hundreds of meters high!
The resulting shockwave spread like a hurricane, shattering clouds for kilometers around.
The residual force of the explosion pulverized the floating debris into dust.