Gol D. Roger

Gol D. Roger, known to most as Gold Roger, was the Pirate King, the strongest pirate alive, 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. Gold Roger was apparently well versed in ancient languages (able to decipher Poneglyphs). Not much else is known about what he was capable of doing.

History
Born in Loguetown (Roguetown in the English manga and anime), Roger was famed as the man who did what no one thought possible - he conquered the Grand Line.

(Anime-only) 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.

Gold Roger's pirate ship, the Oro Jackson, was constructed by the fish-man Tom the greatest shipwright of all time and mentor to Water 7's mayor Iceburg, as well as its "underground face" Franky. While most of his crew remain a mystery, Shanks and Buggy were revealed to be Apprentice Pirates/Cabin Boys on board his ship. He also encountered the Marine Garp and was cornered many times.

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).

The final act by the King of the Pirates was to be captured and executed; how the marines captured Roger remains a mystery in itself. Considering how powerful Roger was in life, it is hard to believe he was captured at all.

One possiblity 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.

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, he is currently vulnerable.

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)

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
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." The common understanding of these words were that he hid his treasure at "that place", which is generally believed to be Raftel, the last island on the Grand Line.

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 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 after Luffy has left or 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.

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 * Tom