Gol D. Roger

Gol D. Roger, known to most as Gold Roger, was the Pirate King, the Captain of the Jolly Roger pirates, and owner of the legendary treasure known as One Piece.

Personality
He was said to be completely fearless, and those who witnessed his execution even claim that he grinned just before his death. Gold Roger's personality is often commented by people who knew him to have been similar to Monkey D. Luffy's personality.

Abilities and Powers
Prior to his death, he was the Pirate King, so it is safe to assume that his physical power was incredibly high. He was also able to battle Vice Admiral Garp,who had a huge amount of super human strength, on many occasions. This is truly 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. Gold Roger was apparently well versed in ancient languages (he was able to decipher Poneglyphs and write in their language). Not much else is known about what he was capable of doing.

The Beginning
Born in Loguetown, Roger was famed as the man who did what no one thought possible - he conquered the Grand Line.

Anime Storyline
One of Roger's famous battles involved 'Killer Giant', a rough man with a large sword who killed hundreds of pirates and was described as a devil. Gold Roger defeated and killed Killer Giant in a short battle, leaving a fatal gash in Killer Giant's skull. In his dying breath, the man praised Roger and dubbed him 'Eternal Pirate'. Other battles included fights against the King of the Eric Pirates, the famous gunner Silver-Silver, and the devilish Kung-Fu Brothers, each described as dangerous men until they met Roger, as told by the Bartender of the Gold Roger Bar.

The Grand Line Journey
Roger's crew is known as the Jolly Roger Pirates. His pirate ship, the Oro Jackson, was constructed by the fish-man Tom, mentor to Water 7's mayor Iceburg as well as its "underground face" Franky, and described as the greatest shipwright of all time. Whilst his crew is depicted as being reasonably sized, so far we know of four members: first mate Silvers Rayleigh, ship's doctor Crocus and Apprentice Pirates/Cabin Boys Shanks and Buggy. Crocus part of the crew only for the three years it took to sail the Grand Line, knowing how to ease the pain Roger suffered from his incurable disease.

He and his crew had allegedly visited most (if not all) of the islands in the Grand Line; he befriended Gan Fall, then "God" of Skypiea, a few years before his death, and left a cryptic inscription near the Poneglyph of Shandora (which was on the golden bell of Skypiea).

Two of the most difficult 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 man capable of matching Roger in combat.

Final Days of the King
Wealth, fame, power. The man who had acquired everything in this world, the pirate king, Gold Roger! -Introduction to One Piece We Are!

4 years prior to his execution, Roger caught an incurable disease and Crocus joined Roger's crew to stablize his health; 3 years later, they completed the Grand Line. After doing this, Roger disbanded the crew and turned himself in to the World Government 1 year later. The World Government, however, may have released to the public as if they had caught him, just to show their strength to the world.

One possibility behind his death is linked to his knowledge of being able to read Poneglyphs. From Nico Robin we learn reading them is forbidden. Even if Roger had not been punished for the crime of raising the Jolly Roger, the act of reading the stones alone would have brought him his final conviction to be executed by the Marines and the World Government. His execution was witnesssed by Smoker and some guy named Anjoh.

By the end of his life wealth, fame, power, Gold Roger the Pirate King had it all. 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'. With the demise of Gold Roger, Whitebeard (the only person who ever tied in a fight with the Pirate King) is now considered the strongest man alive, although, in present storyline, while he remains strong old age is beginning to catch up with him.

Gold 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.

Major Battles

 * Vs. Whitebeard (yet to be seen)
 * Vs. Monkey D. Garp (yet to be seen)

Anime Only
All of these were mentioned as battles in the Logue Town fillers:
 * Killer Giant
 * King of the Eric Pirates
 * The devilish Kung-Fu Brothers
 * 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! -Introduction to One Piece: 4Kids dub

Exactly how Gold 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 American dub he was "hung" (hanged) at the "Roguetown" gallows ; and the American 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.

In the American 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 graphic novel of One Piece, 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, Gold 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 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!"

Trivia

 * Dr. Kureha reveals that his true name was Gol D. Roger.
 * Roger is the first character to be shown with the D in his name, however he is the third to be named (Garp being the second, however, his full name was not revealed at the time of introduction).
 * His possible connection to Luffy has never been revealed to him. His full name, Gol D. Roger, has never been spoken in front of Luffy. Most references on Roger are made in his absence.
 * 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."
 * Oda has been asked at least once on Roger's bounty, but has not stated the amount yet.
 * 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 Logue Town, in which it also rained during his escape.

Related Articles

 * Pirate King
 * Shanks
 * Luffy
 * Will of D
 * Oro Jackson
 * Tom
 * Silvers Rayleigh
 * Crocus