Chapter 2: The Great Pirate Era

Loguetown, central square.

To publicly execute the Pirate King, Roger, and thereby intimidate pirates across the seas.

The World Government and the Marines erected a special execution platform in the town’s central square, ensuring every corner could see Roger’s execution.

As dawn broke, the square was packed with spectators from all four seas and the Grand Line.

Among the crowd, Barzab Seven stood silently beside Mihawk, his heart stirred with excitement over the system’s activation, yet heavy with sorrow at the impending departure of Captain Roger.

Six years ago, Barzab Seven sold sancai dumplings at a stall in his hometown, Sandao Town, when a gang of thugs smashed his cart.

Enduring five thugs’ punches and kicks, Barzab Seven lunged with a knife at their leader, scaring them off.

As he gathered the broken remnants alone, a large hand reached out: “Kid, your fish dumplings are good.”

“Come join my crew.”

In that moment, Roger’s towering figure blocked the blazing sun, a halo hovering behind his head; Barzab Seven stood frozen, unable to recover for a long while.

It wasn’t that he was awed by Captain Roger’s charisma—it was that the benefits for the time-traveler had finally arrived.

【Ding, the Multiverse Trading Platform has been successfully bound. Complete the prerequisite to activate the system.】

From then on, Barzab Seven officially became a chef aboard the Roger Pirates.

He endured dozens of battles with the crew—Ed War, clashes with the Whitebeard Pirates—and later reached the Sky Island, Fish-Man Island, Wano, Elephant Island Zou…

The final island: Laugh Tale.

It was during this journey that Barzab Seven collected the several items needed to activate the system.

Roger’s straw hat—the very one passed to Shanks and later given to Luffy—was swapped with a perfect fake and submitted to the system.

Whitebeard’s beard, acquired in exchange for his own brewed liquor.

Blackbeard Tich’s teeth—three knocked loose by Buggy’s kick—were secretly collected by Barzab Seven, two of them.

After six years of travel, though his personal strength remained weak, Barzab Seven thrived aboard the Roger Pirates.

Anyone who’s sailed the seas knows: never anger the cook. Even if the food isn’t poisoned, it might be made utterly inedible.

Alas, as no feast lasts forever, every journey must end.

Suddenly, a commotion rose in the crowd; Captain Roger appeared, escorted by two soldiers.

Fingertips digging into his palm, Barzab Seven’s body tensed instantly as he watched Roger climb the execution platform step by step; only then did his breathing slowly calm.

He respected Captain Roger’s choice.

The gamble against the World Government.

The World Government and the Marines aimed to intimidate pirates across the seas and demonstrate Marine authority through Roger’s public execution.

The result? Not entirely useless.

But only—

Roger’s words about the great treasure spread instantly worldwide through eyewitnesses’ whispers, ultimately birthing the Great Pirate Era.

Pirates and refugees alike set sail in search of the great treasure; the era grew more turbulent than ever before.

The Great Pirate Era saw the rise of the Four Emperors, drawing the World Government’s attention and granting the Revolutionary Army ample time to grow.

This was the inevitable trend following the Great Suppression Era.

Some say Roger did it deliberately—because Yimu’s Black Domination could only be enacted on the native soil of the dominated.

So Roger revealed the great treasure, luring everyone to leave their homelands and embark on adventures, severing the chains of Black Domination.

Whether they sailed for freedom, for the great treasure, for the Poneglyphs, or to uncover the hidden truth of the Empty Hundred Years—

All of it would ultimately lead to: the Ultimate Final Battle.

Whether the dragon-slayer would become the dragon himself? That depends on who ultimately wins.

But Barzab Seven believed: no matter which side emerged victorious after the final battle, class could never be erased—because that’s human nature.

Someone will always take pride in rising above others.

Just as everyone hates the Celestial Dragons, everyone wants to become one.

Because people don’t hate privilege itself—they hate those who enjoy it… not themselves.

Barzab Seven exhaled a long breath, expressionless, staring at the execution platform until Roger’s gaze swept over him; then his eyes softened with a smile, lips moving without sound.

“Sayonara, Captain.”

Too bad he never learned the Captain’s Divine Evasion, Haku Mikoto, or Kagu-Tsuchi no Megumi…

Especially the latter two—now lost forever.

From now on, only Shanks would ever casually slash out Divine Evasion across the entire sea.

Suddenly, Barzab Seven’s peripheral vision caught a burly figure nearby, grinning confidently: Moria.

“Soon, this guy won’t be smiling anymore.”

A year later, a pirate uprising erupted in Wano; the Beasts Pirates and Moria’s crew clashed fiercely in Suzuran Village; Moria suffered a crushing defeat, losing all his crew.

Fleeing Wano, Moria desecrated the grave of Moonlight Kuma, stealing his corpse and the sword Shusui.

From then on, he lost his spirit.

In the pirate world, strength relies heavily on spirit; once spirit fades, power plummets.

Moria, defeated by Kaido; Jiao, whose skull was crushed flat by Garp—both lost their spirit and saw their power collapse.

“Hey, Pirate King.”

A man in the crowd, resembling Garp, cupped his hands to his mouth like a trumpet: “You’ve got the legendary great treasure, haven’t you?”

“The one and only great treasure.”

“ONE PIECE~!!!”

On the execution platform, Roger sat cross-legged, showing no fear of death, as if chatting casually with his crew on deck.

“Ho ho ho ho ho!”

“My treasure?”

“If you want it, go find it. I’ve put all my treasure right there.”

“Shut up.” The two soldiers hurried to carry out the execution.

The bright sky instantly darkened with clouds; then, heavy rain poured down in torrents.

Crowds from around the world filled Loguetown Square, none seeking shelter—instead, cheers and laughter erupted endlessly, fueled by the news of the great treasure.

Beneath the rain, Buggy wept uncontrollably, desperate for everyone to know he had ties to Roger.

Nearby, Shanks wore the straw hat Barzab Seven had bought for Roger; his youthful face twisted, tears streaming freely.

Barzab Seven wiped his face roughly, feeling the rain today carried an unusual saltiness.

Three fifteen-year-olds bid farewell to their captain, each in their own way.

“Ding, the Multiverse Trading Platform has been activated.”

“Ding, congratulations on receiving your beginner’s gift pack.”

Barzab Seven took a deep breath, tilting his head to let the rain strike his face, washing away his sorrow.

From this moment on, he would leave behind his weak self; from this moment on, no one would ever dare speak loudly to him again.

“Let’s go. Someone’s watching you.”

“Oh, alright.”