Inside the Marine branch office at Loguetown, Vice-Admiral Garp was deeply conflicted.
Roger had presented him with an impossible, heart-wrenching dilemma.
He knew exactly what Raleigh had threatened Roger with in that dark cell, and he knew Raleigh's ruthless character far too well.
If Raleigh ever found Roger's pregnant wife and unborn child, their fate would be utterly tragic.
He would slaughter them without a second thought!
But as a high-ranking Marine officer, Garp technically couldn't stop Raleigh's actions.
After all, these were the direct descendants of the Pirate King—even if an infant was killed, the World Government would consider it absolutely justified.
Even if Fleet Admiral Kong knew Raleigh executed a pregnant woman, Headquarters would only tell the Pirate Butcher, "Well done."
Garp found himself hopelessly trapped between Raleigh's absolute justice and Roger's dying plea.
Raleigh certainly knew what Garp was struggling with, but he no longer cared.
Back when he had just been a lowly Captain in the North Blue, he had indeed needed to maintain good political relationships with these senior Marine officers.
But times had changed—the current Christian Raleigh possessed monstrous strength rapidly approaching that of a true Admiral.
Moreover, due to his charismatic personality, his flawless track record, and his merciless, effective methods against pirates, he had gained countless fanatical supporters within the Navy's ranks.
Even a legendary hero like Garp couldn't easily confront such formidable, grassroots influence.
The young, radical faction in the Navy had already formed deep ideological conflicts with the older, romantic conservative faction.
The young faction had terrifying rising stars like Raleigh and Sakazuki.
According to Headquarters' internal estimates, these two would absolutely become Admirals within the next decade.
But if Garp stood by and did nothing to protect an innocent child, then he wouldn't be Garp.
Garp covered his weathered face in anguish. "Roger... Roger, you bastard. You've really given me an impossible dilemma."
...
At this moment, Raleigh had no idea what Garp was struggling with, and even if he did, he wouldn't particularly care.
As long as Garp remained part of the Navy, the old man wouldn't dare openly assist the Pirate King's bloodline in front of him.
When it came to pure, cold strategy, ten Garps combined couldn't outmatch Raleigh's foresight.
Raleigh was currently out in the town square, directing the grim preparations for tomorrow's execution ground.
Roger's wooden execution platform was relatively simple to construct and only required minimal architectural arrangements.
What took significantly more time was the massive "warning" Raleigh had specifically ordered built—a towering mound of corpses constructed from the heads of the thousands of pirates his men had executed over the past few days.
He had instructed his soldiers to briefly treat the severed heads with chemicals before stacking them high into a pyramid.
The severed heads of the pirates—many with their eyes wide open in terror or their mouths agape in a final scream—stared vacantly out at the square.
Marine soldiers sprinkled a thick layer of white stone powder over the mound to prevent rapid decay and mask the smell of blood over the coming days.
"Raleigh... won't this completely terrify the civilians?" Gion bit her lip, looking at the gruesome, towering pyramid of skulls.
She was deeply concerned about the chaotic scene that would unfold tomorrow.
Raleigh took her hand and comforted her softly. "Gion, this sight will undoubtedly shock and terrify people. But what innocent civilians truly need is absolute stability—not dignity for pirate scum."
"If one day, everyone in this world can have enough to eat and wear, and freely pursue their peaceful dreams on this land without fear of being plundered... that is the true, ultimate purpose of our existence." Raleigh's eyes were cold but resolute.
"I do not care whether history judges my methods as harsh. What matters is whether these methods can achieve the peaceful ideal in my heart."
After hearing this, Gion felt she had misunderstood Raleigh earlier.
To be honest, when she first heard his plan to build a mound of skulls, she had been horrified.
She had feared Raleigh was slowly becoming an emotionless, sadistic killing machine.
But now, she saw that his grand, protective ideals far surpassed her temporary moral concerns.
Gion wasn't a naive young girl who could be easily swayed by a few sweet words.
Since their journey began years ago in the East Blue, she had walked step by step with Raleigh, witnessing firsthand how his brutal reforms in every area under his jurisdiction had genuinely saved thousands of lives.
Now, wherever Raleigh had been stationed, though pirates still occasionally appeared, their numbers and frequency were drastically reduced compared to before his arrival.
With such undeniable, life-saving results plain to see, no one could claim Raleigh's methods were truly wrong.
"Alright, alright. You have worked hard these past few days," Raleigh smiled warmly, drawing Gion into a gentle embrace.
He whispered softly into her ear, "Let's go enjoy a nice dinner tonight and get some proper rest."
The warm breath from his words tickled her ear—a sensation both teasing and comforting, leaving her content to let Raleigh hold her as they walked away from the plaza of death.
...
East Blue, Loguetown.
The weather was splendid today, the town square bathed in bright, clear sunshine.
From the exact moment the first rays of dawn touched the cobblestone, all Marine soldiers sprang into high-alert action.
Today, they were to execute the notorious Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
As members of the Navy, they had to secure the area early to prevent any rescue attempts.
As the town bell tolled, heavily armed soldiers formed neat, impenetrable phalanxes around the plaza.
Curious, nervous civilians began streaming toward the execution platform—since they weren't pirates, they naturally wouldn't miss witnessing such a monumental historical spectacle.
Soon, the hot sun climbed directly overhead. Noon was the scheduled time for Roger's death.
By then, the long, central path leading to the wooden platform was thickly lined with Marine soldiers holding drawn swords and loaded rifles.
Behind them stood massive, suffocating crowds of onlookers—stretching their necks and standing on their tiptoes for a better view.
Among the crowd were ordinary locals of Loguetown, disguised pirates who had traveled from afar, bounty hunters, and eager reporters from major global news outlets.
Raleigh's great purge had ultimately only eliminated a large portion of the foolish pirates; a small number of the truly powerful ones had managed to escape his cleansing.
Having narrowly avoided death, these audacious, future legends recklessly made their way into the execution site in disguise.
Raleigh stood tall on a balcony overlooking the high platform, casting an indifferent, calculating glance at the massive crowd below.
His Observation Haki had already detected several monstrous pirate auras hidden in the sea of people, but he had absolutely no intention of taking action against them today.
He needed them to be here.
There was a very specific, terrifying message he needed these future legends to carry back to the Grand Line.
DONG!
A heavy, mournful bell tolled across the square.
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, escorted by elite Marine soldiers with his hands and feet bound in heavy wooden and iron shackles, finally emerged from the Marine branch doors.
"He's here! I see him coming!"
"Where?! Let me see!"
"Stop pushing, I can't see anything!"
"So this is the Pirate King Roger? He doesn't look like he has three heads or breathes fire!"
"Really? I heard Roger had three heads and eight arms!"
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