Gold Roger
Gol D. Roger, known to most as Gold Roger, is a fictional character in the Japanese manga and anime series One Piece. He is the first character introduced, and the very reason for the "Age of Pirates" that is the setting of the story.
The Pirate King
Gol D. Roger was the Pirate King, the strongest pirate alive, and owner of the legendary treasure known as One Piece. 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. Even before setting out, he was the only man who truly did not fear the dangers of the Grand Line and was even excited about venturing out there. Even with warnings about ships never returning from that ocean, he did not care; in fact, he even declared that was the reason for him going.
He was said to be completely fearless, and 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 Monkey D. Luffy's personality.
As the original Japanese prologue states:
"Wealth, fame, power.
The man who had acquired everything in this world, the pirate king, Gol D. Roger!"
Life of the King
Gol D. Roger was apparently well versed in ancient languages (able to decipher Poneglyphs). 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).
Gol D. 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.[1]
Roger was cornered at sea by Garp several times.
Interestingly enough, oro is the Spanish and Italian word for "gold," so Gol D. Roger's pirate ship's name, Oro Jackson, can be translated to "Gold Jackson."
Both Red-Haired Shanks and Buggy the Clown served him during their youth, and witnessed his execution.
The Death of the Great Pirate
The final act by the King of the Pirates was to be captured and executed; He was brought in by Vice-Admiral Garp. 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. The Rio Poneglyph, the most important of them all, was taken by Roger to the end of the Grand Line, to Raftel. Each of the Poneglyphs (ancient stone tablets) reveals something lost to normal history. 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.
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 American dub he was "hung" (hanged) at the "Roguetown" gallows; and the American manga says the Navy "lopped off his head" (decapitated him). The original Japanese manga shows him being stabbed in the heart whilst trying to tell people to look for his one piece, 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, 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." 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. It should also be noted that Roger may well have been about to name the island or place in question, if not for his short speech being interrupted by his execution (this is only shown in the Japanese anime).
- Note:His final words differ from the original version in the first introduction and in the later flashback by Smoker during the Logue Town arc fillers. In Smoker's flashback, he is evidently about to say where One Piece is located, after he is asked by one of the crowd.
Upon his final words, possibly the greatest achievement Roger made was to start the "Great Age of Pirates", dubbed by a few characters as the 'Age of Dreams'.
With the demise of Gol D. 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.
Roger's legacy
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.
For some reason, some of his former crew members were able to escape capture. While the number of members who escaped, how many are alive and who they are a mystery, at least two are known to be active. Both Buggy and Shanks went off to become pirates and set up their own pirate groups: Buggy's Band of Pirates and Red Haired Pirate Crew. Red Haired Shanks is currently very powerful, being a Yonkou himself along with Whitebeard, the "strongest pirate in the world".
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."
Later on in the manga, Dr. Kureha reveals that his true name was Gol D. Roger. The significance of the middle initial "D" (which is shared by Luffy, his brother Portgas D. Ace, Luffy's father Monkey D. Dragon, his father (Luffy's grandfather) Monkey D. Garp, Blackbeard (Marshall D. Teach), and the giant Jaguar D. Saulo) could suggest either that Gol D. Roger was related to Luffy in some way, or perhaps that their fates are all somehow intertwined. The real reason is unknown, and is the subject of much speculation amongst fans.
Luffy has never had this possible connection revealed to him. His full name, Gol D. Roger, has never been spoken in front of Luffy and most references on Roger are made after Luffy has left or in his absence.
References
- ^ One Piece Manga - Vol.37 Chapter 357, Who built Roger's ship?
