Gol D. Roger

Gol D. Roger, known to most as Gold Roger, is the late Pirate King, the Captain of the Roger Pirates, and owner of the legendary treasure known as One Piece. He was also the biological father of Portgas D. Ace, the adoptive-brother of Monkey D. Luffy.

Appearance
Roger was a tall man who walked proudly before his execution.

Up until Chapter 506 have his eyes always been hidden, by a shade on the upper part of his face. During most of his appearances he is almost always seen smiling. He had a short neck, thick black hair, and a wide black curved mustache.

Like many other high ranked pirates he wore a long, red captain's coat. Beneath he wore a green shirt and had a blue scarf around his waist. He wore dark blue pants and unlike most other pirates seen in the One Piece World, he wore what appeared to be black sea boots. Before he turned himself in, he also used a pirate hat with his jolly roger on.

When in public and around his men, he wore his large coat with his arms in the sleeves and a cravat around his neck, like a fine English nobleman. When being casual, he would place his coat over his shoulders.

Personality
He was said to be fearless. Those who witnessed his execution even claim that he grinned just before his death. Gol D. Roger's personality is often commented by people who knew him to have been similar to Luffy. When Ace revealed his lineage to Whitebeard, the Yonkou noted that Ace's personality wasn't much like his father's. Roger was also a man who loved 'big, flashy things' and reveled in his title of "Pirate King" despite his oncoming death. Despite all this he seems to have been a merciless enemy as he killed all of Squardo's crewmember's personally.

Crew
He apparently had a strong bond with his crew. Rayleigh, his partner, described him as a "magnificent man". Shanks and Buggy also seemed saddened when speaking of the day of their captain's execution (they both cried a lot at his execution). It is unknown if any of his crew knew that Roger had a son, Portgas D. Ace.

Friends
Most characters who speak of Roger only pass good comments about him as he seemed to have made many friends in his journey. He befriended Gan Fall, the God of Skypiea and left him with wonderful memories. He also befriended Tom and Kokoro, gaining enough admiration for Tom to consider building him the ship, Oro Jackson. The Fishman would later proudly boast that he was proud he had built the Oro Jackson for the late Pirate King even though it had led to his death by making such a declaration. It is also implied that he was in good terms with his Rival Whitebeard as it is seen that they met and talked just like friends. He also offered Whitebeard to tell him the location of Raftel.

Enemies
He saw a rival in Whitebeard and fought regularly with the Marine hero Monkey D. Garp. As a final favor, Roger asked Garp to take care of his son, Portgas D. Ace, saving him from a being branded a criminal just by being born as the son of the Pirate King. Also, Squad carries a bitter hatred towards Roger for killing his entire crew.

However, despite his rivals and battles, he seemed to have much respect even from his foes (Whitebeard decided to adopt Ace and protect him; when Ace also revealed to Whitebeard he was the son of Roger, Whitebeard did not badmouth about Roger, but laughed about how Roger's personality and his son's aren't alike). No one has to spoken ill of him, except Squad and his own son Portgas D. Ace. Even before his death, Roger saw fit to have at least one conversation with Whitebeard and Garp prior to his surrender.

In Chapter 0, there's a flashback in which Shiki the Golden Lion gets in a fight with Roger. Later, upon hearing news of Roger's upcoming execution, Shiki attempts to kill Roger himself because of his respect for his rival -- Shiki believed that dying by the hands of the weak Marines would not be honorable even for Roger.

In Ace's flashback, there were thugs who hated Roger and spoke ill of him. Ace himself had to endure a life of listening to bad remarks about his father and in his own death, confirmed that Roger was not popular on a world wide scale. So it would seem that those who did not encounter him in their lifetime at the very least tend to view him in a bad light.

Portgas D. Rouge
Rouge was Roger's lover. It is unknown if they were ever married, nor how their relationship worked out, but she died to protect Ace from being hunted by the World Government. She also named their child "Gol D. Ace", proving that she wants him to live up to his father's name.

Portgas D. Ace
Ace is the son of Roger. As Roger did not want Ace to be born as a criminal due to family ties, he requested Garp to take care of Ace in secrecy. When Roger spoke to Garp, he said that his (then) unborn child held no sins. However, Ace did not see this as love and detested his father.

Despite his hatred for his father Ace seemed to have respect for him as he severely beat anyone who badmouthed Roger. However, this may have also been due to the fact that said offenders often would begin slandering "the son of Gol D. Roger", thereby unknowingly referring to Ace himself, as well.

Abilities and Powers
Wealth, fame, power. The man who had acquired everything in this world, the pirate king, Gold Roger! Prior to his death, he was the Pirate King, so it is safe to assume that his physical power was nearly unmatchable. He was also able to battle Vice Admiral Garp, who possessed super human strength, on many occasions. This is a big clue to Roger's abilities, as Garp claims to have gotten old since then, while still possessing incredible super human strength. He is also the one responsible for giving Whitebeard the huge scar he bears on his chest. It can be assumed that he was the strongest pirate in the world. While Whitebeard is stated to be the strongest man in the world now, Roger tied with him. The fact that Roger was able to fight on equal ground with Whitebeard, 'a man that has the power to destroy the world', is also a major hint toward how great his abilities were (though it is unknown if Whitebeard possessed his Devil Fruit powers back then).

Gol D. Roger was able to read Poneglyphs and write in their language. However, he didn't actually know how to decipher the text itself. According to his first mate, Rayleigh, Gol D. Roger was not like the Ohara scholars, who used their intellect to study the Poneglyphs. Gol D. Roger could read the Poneglyphs because he had the ability to "hear the voice of all things".

Since two of his subordinates (his first mate and apprentice) have been seen using Haki with apparent strength, it can be assumed that Roger had some use of the power.

Weapons
While fighting Shiki and his massive fleet, it has been shown that Gold Roger wields a pistol in one hand, and a sword in the other.

The Beginning
Born in Loguetown, Roger was famed as the man who did what no one thought possible - he conquered the Grand Line. It would seem that he had been around for some time, considering that Brook refers to him as a rookie, 40-50 years before the original storyline.

Unavoidable Fate
Twenty-six years ago (four years before Roger's death), Roger came down with an incurable disease. He decided to pitch one last journey with his crew into the Grand Line. Upon reaching the lighthouse at Reverse Mountain, at the entrance of the grand Line, Crew member Crocus was responsible for keeping him alive.

Their journey took them to Skypiea and later Water 7 where the shipwright Tom built them a ship called the Oro Jackson.

Two of the most powerful opponents Roger faced on his journey were the Marine Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp and the pirate Edward 'Whitebeard' Newgate. The former is said to have cornered him many times on the journey, and the latter was the closest rival to his title. It is said that Whitebeard was the only pirate capable of matching Roger in combat and Garp the only Marine capable of matching Roger in combat.

During one of his journeys, Roger met Squad and killed his entire crew, earning Squad's hate. Before reaching Raftel on his final journey, Roger was approached by the "Flying Pirate" Shiki, who had learned that Roger had located an Ancient Weapon. Seeing the opportunity, he asked Roger if they could join forces. With his large pirate fleet and Roger's weapon, Shiki believed that together they could take over the whole world. Roger however refused Shiki's offer saying that he wanted to be free to do what he wanted. Shiki then announced that his answer meant the death of him, while Roger said it meant that he would beat him and a great sea battle soon ensued between their crews. Due to a storm that happened during their fight, half of Shiki's fleet sunk. Despite this and getting a piece of a steering wheel lodged into his head that almost killed him, Shiki came to have great respect for Roger. Near his death, Roger has a final meeting with Whitebeard, as he tells him about the nickname the government gave him, Gold Roger, and the secret of the Will of D.

Final Days of the King
In the final days of Roger's reign, he had attained more wealth, power, and fame than anyone could imagine. Though now known as the Pirate King, Roger was well-aware of his own mortality. As if seeing the end, he disbanded his crew in secret. Before his death, he told Rayleigh he would not die and turned himself in to the Marines. He also informed Whitebeard that he was going to die before his execution. Whether he was referring to his illness or him giving up to the marines, is unknown. Here he also informs Whitebeard of the meaning of the people carrying the Will of D. At some point before his execution, he asked of Garp to take care of his son when he was gone, saying that an infant child should not be labeled a criminal for his family ties and although Garp said he had no obligation to do so, Roger knew he would do it anyway.

Thinking they would make an example of him to prevent others from becoming pirates, they immediately set up his execution in Loguetown. But as he was about to die, Roger yelled out his famous last words. Upon his final words, possibly the greatest achievement Roger made was to start the "Great Age of Piracy", dubbed by a few characters as the "Age of Dreams".

In the last moment of his life, he turned his fading "flame of life" into a huge fire that enveloped the world. I've never laughed more than on that day...!! I've never cried more than on that day... I've never drank more either..!! He was our captain... and he was a magnificent man...!!!

At his execution, many faces of now infamous pirates & revolutionaries were to be seen. Gecko Moria, Juracule Mihawk, Donquixote Doflamingo, Crocodile, Shanks, Buggy and Dragon were all present. With the demise of Gol D. Roger, Whitebeard was now considered the strongest man alive, although by the time the current storyline started, while he remained strong, old age is beginning to catch up with him.

Gol D. Roger's treasure dubbed later as One Piece remains unclaimed and its location unknown. Many pirates have since set sail hoping to find that treasure, become the Pirate King and make all their wildest dreams come true.

Legacy
His death sparked the Great Age of Pirates that lasted until Whitebeard's death 22 years later. In his death he left behind Rayliegh, Crocus, Shanks, Buggy, and Rouge who was pregnant with his son. Ace was Roger's living legacy before his death at the hands of Akainu. He also left behind the great treasure One Piece, his only lasting legacy.

The execution stand in Lougetown, where he met his end, became a tourist attraction and a monument until it was destroyed 22 years later.

Major Battles

 * Gol D. Roger vs. Edward Newgate (unseen)
 * Gol D. Roger vs. Monkey D. Garp (unseen)
 * Gol D. Roger vs. Shiki
 * Gol D. Roger vs. Squad (unseen)

Anime Only
All of these were mentioned as battles in the Loguetown fillers:
 * Gol D. Roger vs. Killer Giant
 * Gol D. Roger vs. King of the Eric Pirates
 * Gol D. Roger vs. the devilish Kung-Fu Brothers
 * Gol D. Roger vs. the famous gunner Silver-Silver

Translation and Dub Issues
My fortune is yours for the taking... but you'll have to find it first I left everything I own in One Piece!

Exactly how Gol D. Roger died is a subject of debate, however. In the anime, two men jabbed spears into his heart, impaling him (though utterly failing to make him stop smiling); in the 4Kids dub he was "hung" at the "Roguetown" gallows ; and the English-language manga says the Marines "lopped off his head" (decapitated him). The original Japanese manga never reveals precisely how he was executed (though it depicts the scene), but it remains to be seen whether this will become an important plot point in the future, or if it was simply a way of lessening the visceral impact of the character's death. The only other character to be seen under going the same method execution was Montblanc Norland.

In the 4Kids dub, Roger's last words before he died were: "My fortune is yours for the taking, but you'll have to find it first. I left everything I owned in One Piece." In volume one of the English manga, Roger's last words were: "My treasure? Why, it's right where I left it. It's yours if you can find it. But you'll have to search the whole world!" So with his legendary treasure One Piece now up for grabs, people took to the seas in search of it. The words "In One Piece" are an American interpretation.

In the original Japanese opening, Gol D. Roger states "My wealth and treasures? If you want it, I'll let you have it...search for it! I left all of it at that place". "That place" is a way of describing somewhere that is known to the listeners (although it is not revealed to readers until later) - others who have talked about the location of the treasure have been clear that it is at Raftel, the last island on the Grand Line.

In the FUNimation opening, Roger's last words were: "You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place. Now you'll just have to find it!"

Anime/Manga Difference
In the anime, there is a filler episode concerning Roger, where it is revealed that a 12-year-old Smoker witnessed Roger's execution. Also in the anime Roger's appearance is shown a little bit more, revealing that he had hairy upper arms, and wore an anchor necklace. However none of this has ever been confirmed in the manga canon.

Trivia

 * Roger is the first character to be shown with the D in his name, however, he is the second to be named. Dr. Kureha reveals that his true name was Gol D. Roger. Which also is the first indication that there is an underlying mystery and something special in those who carry the initial D. Roger however has admitted to Whitebeard that he knows what the D means.
 * The series' emphasis on what 'wealth' and 'treasure' are, and how the definition changes for some people (such as Luffy's hat as his treasure), leads some fans to believe that his treasure may be nothing more than something Roger himself treasured. This also challenges the English translation of "in One Piece."
 * During Shanks' flashback back to Roger's death and the day he last saw Buggy, rain can be seen falling down on the town at that moment. This is echoed by Luffy's departure from Loguetown, in which it also rained during his escape.
 * It was stated that Ace's mother held him for 20 months (5 Months before and 15 months, equaling to 1 year and 8 months) after Roger's execution. Since Ace's birthday is January 1st, Roger must have been executed sometime from late September to early October.
 * Roger was the first named character shown in the One Piece series.
 * In the 4th Japanese popularity poll, Roger (Along with Chopperman and Van Auger) ranked 83rd.
 * A parallel can be drawn with Dr. Hiruluk, Chopper's "father". Both were plagued with an incurable disease, but they chose to go out their own way, (Roger to the Marines, Hiruluk to Wapol) leaving their sons in the care of others before they died, both of whom would later become major parts of the storyline (Chopper and Ace).
 * It seems that Roger didn't like the nickname "Gold Roger" because it wasn't his name.

Related Articles

 * Shanks
 * Buggy
 * Monkey D. Luffy
 * Will of the D.
 * Oro Jackson
 * Tom
 * Silvers Rayleigh
 * Crocus
 * Portgas D. Ace
 * Portgas D. Rouge
 * Edward Newgate
 * Shiki

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Gol D. Roger