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Gol D. Roger is one of the most pivotal figures inOne Piecedespite being dead for the entirety of the series. Between his adventurous spirit as the first, and only Pirate King, and his heroic execution that launched the Great Pirate Era, Roger represents everything that a pirate should strive to be. Due to this, many of the greatest characters inOne Piececan all be traced back to Roger, especially those who witnessed his execution.
However, the execution of Roger itself, despite being the event where Roger announced the treasure of theOne Pieceto the world, takes place in a strange location given the circumstances. Rather than being held at one of the importantWorld Government facilities, like Marinefordor Enies Lobby, the execution was held at Loguetown. While this decision may seem strange at first, holding Roger’s execution at Loguetown is a better move for the World Government than most would anticipate.
Roger Was Executed At His Home Island Loguetown In One Piece
It Seems Most Other Executions Occur At Marineford Or Enies Lobby
Before the events ofOne Piece, after turning himself into the World Government, the first Pirate King, Gol D. Roger was executed on the East Blue island of Loguetown. As many fans of the series know, this island was the birthplace of Roger and acts as the final island before enteringOne Piece’sGrand Linefrom the East Blue. For these reasons, this island carries a lot of significance for aspiring pirates, especially those looking to follow in Roger’s footsteps, like Luffy.
You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place! Now you just have to find it! - Roger
Overall, it seems like an odd decision for the World Government to execute Roger at a location where they hold less power overall. For other characters in the series, such as Luffy’s brother, Ace, their execution was held onthe main World Government islands, flexing the massive power of the Navy for the entire world to see. Executing Roger on an island like Enies Lobby or Marineford would have been a much better demonstration of the Navy’s power, as well as potentially preventing Roger from even sharing the idea of the One Piece with the world.
Rogers Execution Was Meant To Send An Important Message
This Was An Important Tactic To Deny Pirates From Pursuing Their Dreams
However, there are a number of reasons why executing Roger at Loguetown makes sense. Roger, compared to someone like Ace, turned himself in peacefully. This means that there would be no retaliation or war started over his execution, like what happened withOne Piece’sParamount War. Due to this, there would be no need to have a massive army at the execution site, allowing them to execute Roger at his home island, Loguetown, which would become both the beginning and end of his story.
Symbolically, this choice of executing Roger at Loguetown also carries a fair amount of significance as well. Being the last island before the Grand Line in the East Blue, Loguetown is almost a gateway for the start of any pirate’s career.Executing Roger inOne Piecethere, the strongest pirate may be a way of dissuading any would-be pirates from starting their journeys in the first place. Additionally, since the East Blue is an extremely peaceful sea, executing Roger at Loguetown feels like a way to remind people who live there of just how powerful the Navy is.
The Execution Was Meant To Crush Roger’s Spirit
Roger Still Continued To Laugh Until His Death
Finally, by holding the execution outside of the Grand Line and in the place of his birth, some fans suspect thattheOne PieceNavywas attempting to completely crush not only the spirit of future pirates but Roger’s spirit as well. Executing a pirate in his simple hometown may have been a tactic to finally break the cheerful and jolly pirate, who had been a problem for the Navy for years. Of course, being a member of the D. Clan, breaking Roger like this was a nearly impossible task, as he continued smiling up until his execution.
He laughed. - Oden commenting about Roger on Laugh Tale
However, as many fans already know, these ideas backfired, with Roger using his final words to share the idea of his treasure with the world, ignitingOne Piece’sGreat Pirate Era, as well as inspiring some of the most notorious pirates in the entire series. Although they may have been trying to send a message to future pirates, the Navy ultimately failed at this. Despite it seeming like a bad idea in hindsight, executing Roger atOne Piece’sLoguetown makes logical sense in the past of the series.
