Warning: Contains spoilers for chapter #1121 of One Piece.
Summary
One Piecehas just revisited one of itsmost iconic momentsin the entire story and fans may never be able to look at it the same again. The scene of Roger’s execution and his final words that sparked the Great Pirate Era is undoubtedly the most unforgettable moment in all ofOne Pieceand the latest chapter may have recontextualized it forever.
Chapter #1121 ofOne Piececalls back to the very beginning of the series witha flashback to Roger’s executionas Vegapunk talks about the truth regarding the Void Century. In the chapter, Vegapunk speculates that the new generation is the closest to unearthing the truth and wonders if Roger knowingly sent the newer generation to the seas with his final words.
Vegapunk’s words and the subsequent flashback seemingly confirm a long-held suspicion among fans thatRoger intentionally sparked the Great Pirate Era with his last wordswith the goal of inspiring more people, including the next Joyboy, to set out to sea and discover thetruth about the world ofOne Pieceand the Void Century.
“The Fate of the World”: One Piece Just Revealed the True Endgame of the Series
One Piece has just raised the stakes for the Final Saga even higher with the revelation that the One Piece may decide the fate of the world itself.
One Piece Teases The Real Reason Roger Initiated the Great Pirate Era
Created by Eiichiro Oda, Chapter #1121 “The Upheaval of the Era”
One Piece’s Wano Arc, specifically, the contents of Oden’s journal, provided an interesting new inside glimpse into Roger’s journey and also revealed key information about the final treasure that forever changed the way fans saw the treasure forever. The flashback revealed that thetreasure instead belonged to Joyboyand that Roger, for whatever reason, was too early and wasn’t the one meant to find the treasure.
It is impossible to know whyRoger was too early, but clearly, he did know that someone from the next generation of pirates would be the one meant to find the One Piece. Vegapunk’s message in chapter #1121 also suggests that Joyboy intended for a specific individual to find the treasure and Roger likely knew that he was not that fated individual, judging by whatever he found at Laugh Tale and the fact that Poseidon hadn’t been born yet.
Rayleigh had already revealed back in chapter #506 that Roger had disbanded the crew before turning himself in to the Marines, but, it wasn’t until Oden’s flashback in Wano that fans began to suspect Roger had another motive for doing so. Thus, fans began to theorize that Roger had perhaps deliberately given himself up to be publicly executed,giving himself a grand stage to inspire people around the worldto go looking for Joyboy’s treasure which he hadn’t been able to claim.
Oden’s odd reaction to hearing about Roger’s death in chapter #969 also seems to support this theory that Roger’s execution and final message were pre-ordained. Oden oddly appears to be laughing and crying at the same time, almost as though he is grieving Roger’s death but alsohysterical at the fact that Roger had successfully carried out his absurd planin the end.
Even though he was terminally ill, Roger could have quietly lived out the rest of his life with Rouge and his son, but doing so would mean that Joyboy’s treasure would likely be forgotten and would go undiscovered for centuries to come, likely even dooming the world ofOne Piece. Thus, knowing thetruth about the Void Centuryand the looming danger of the world being submerged even further,Roger took on the duty of inspiring the next generationof curious adventurers to continue looking for Joyboy’s treasure.
The Flashback to Roger’s Execution Signals the Beginning of the End
It is very common for series to circle back to the very beginning of their stories before they end as a way of bringing the plot full circle or simply reminding fans of just how far the story has come. InOne Piece’s case, Roger’s execution serves as the iconic opening scene of the series. As such, while it has been apparent for quite some time that the Egghead Arc is the harbinger of the Final Saga, the flashback to Roger’s execution has all but confirmed thatOne Pieceis indeed entering the final stretchof its decade-long tale from here on out.
Overall, there are still many secrets surrounding Roger’s journey as well as his and his crew’s actions, which Vegapunk has questioned in his message. Despite learning the dark truth regarding the world, Roger and his crew laughed in the face of this grim history and went on to not tell a soul about what they had learned. It is difficult to say whether this too was part of a deliberate plan but the Final Saga ofOne Piecewill hopefully answer these questions soon enough.
One Pieceis available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.
One Piece
Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is a multimedia franchise that began as a manga series and follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates as led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy, an enthusiastic pirate with a thirst for adventure, is afflicted by a mysterious curse that gives him various powers he uses to protect himself and his friends. The manga eventually gave way to the anime series, with the two being some of history’s longest-running anime and manga series. Along with over fifty video games made over the years, the series entered the live-action world with Netflix’s 2023 adaptation.
