Gold D Roger

Gol D. Roger,[7][3] more commonly known as Gold Roger,[1] was a legendary pirate who, as captain of the Roger Pirates, held the title of Pirate King and owned the legendary treasure known as One Piece.[1] He was also the lover of Portgas D. Rouge and the biological father of Portgas D. Ace.[8]

Roger was famed as the man who did what no one thought possible - he conquered the Grand Line and amassed a vast fortune. Afterward, knowing that he would soon die from an incurable disease, Roger disbanded his crew before turning himself in to be executed. The World Government intended to have Roger publicly executed to discourage piracy, but his last words had the opposite impact. He stated that anyone who can find his treasure can claim it. As such, this made Roger single-handedly responsible for starting the Golden Age of Pirates.[1][9]Roger was a tall and very muscular man. His most prominent physical features were his curved black mustache, a fierce grin he almost always wore, and his intense eyes. He also had thick black hair and a short, thick neck.[1]

Like many other high-ranking pirates, he wore a long red captain's coat.[1] Beneath his coat, he wore a blue shirt and had a yellow sash around his waist. He wore a white cravat around his neck, dark blue pants, and what appeared to be black sea boots. Before he turned himself in, he also wore a pirate hat with his Jolly Roger on it over a yellow-spotted bandana.[10] During the Edd War, however, he donned a dark blue vest and a yellow sash.[11]

Later on, during a flashback to Roger's first meeting with Rayleigh, it is revealed that Roger wore the straw hat that Monkey D. Luffy is currently wearing.[12] Ironically, Roger's looks in his youth were strikingly similar to Luffy's and as he grew older, he began to resemble his future son, Ace.

Thirty-eight years ago, Roger held the straw hat on his coat and did not have his trademark mustache yet.[13]

Thirty years ago, he was seen wearing a necklace.[14]Roger was said to be fearless, and those who witnessed his execution even claim that he smiled just before his death,[16] and during all of his flashback appearances, Roger was seen with a confident smile.

His personality is often noted by people who knew him to have been similar to that of Monkey D. Luffy.[17][18] This is best shown when he meets Rayleigh and asks him to join him, despite having no idea how strong he is or even what role he would have on his ship.[12] Portgas D. Ace revealed his lineage to Whitebeard, who noted that Ace's personality was not much like his father's.[19] However, they both shared a refusal to run from battle. Monkey D. Garp stated that Roger would not run away from an enemy to protect his crew from danger.[15] They both also shared the common traits associated with the Will of D.

Roger was also a man who loved big, flashy things and reveled in his title of Pirate King despite his oncoming death.[20] While not portrayed during any of his appearances, he could be a merciless enemy when he got angry.[21] This was further evidenced when he killed all of Squard's crew members personally for unknown reasons.[22]Roger was very quick to anger, and he would retaliate for something as simple as an insult to his crew, regardless of how small it might be. Garp stated that an angry Roger could be a violent, selfish, and short-tempered man, but his actions had been pure and straight, just like a child's, and he was lucky to survive and become the Pirate King despite his extremely reckless nature.[21] He also had a side to him that mocked his enemies. After defeating a group of Marines, he told them to bring Garp or Sengoku while telling the Marines he just defeated that they were not worth his time.[23] He did get excited when he got the opportunity to face strong enemies, charging straight ahead past Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban to face Kozuki Oden himself. When he clashed with Whitebeard for the first time in a while, he reacted with glee and casually greeted his old rival.

Despite his prideful and aggressive nature, Roger was a considerably humble man as he bowed to Whitebeard and Oden when requesting the samurai to join his crew and offered all the treasure and supplies his crew obtained to Whitebeard in exchange for Oden's service. He was also more than happy to tell others of his dreams and would socialize with his rivals with great enthusiasm. In addition, he was considerate towards civilians and forbade his crew from stealing from them.[24]

He also had a soft spot for children, as he was seen happily cradling Kozuki Hiyori when she was a baby. He was even gentle towards children of other races such as with the mermaid Shyarly when he innocently asked her for some predictions with a gentle smile, and with the mink Pedro when Roger encouraged him to wait for his moment one day. He also believed a newborn children should not be responsible for the sins of their parents, as he asked Garp to protect his unborn child because he did not want his child to be killed for being related to him. He had a strong bond with his crew. Silvers Rayleigh, his first mate, described him as a "magnificent man".[25] Shanks and Buggy also seemed saddened when speaking of the day of their captain's execution, and both cried a lot at his execution.[26]

It is unknown if any of his crew knew that Roger had a son, Portgas D. Ace before Sengoku making it made According to Monkey D. Garp, even though the whole world hated him, his crewmates trusted Roger completely. He had also destroyed the military force of one country for insulting his crew.[21]

Kin'emon stated that Roger had great admiration for Kozuki Oden and recruited him as a crewmate for his final voyage.[27] The feeling appeared to be mutual as Oden thought very highly of Roger, perhaps even more than his previous captain Edward Newgate.[28] After receiving news of Roger's execution, Oden simultaneously cried and laughed as he marveled at Roger's achievements in life.[29]He also befriended Tom and Kokoro, gaining enough admiration and respect for Tom to build him a ship, the Oro Jackson.[31] The Fish-Man would later boast that he was proud he had built the Oro Jackson for the late Pirate King, even though such a declaration led to his death.[32]Gol D. Roger was born in Loguetown in the East Blue 77 years ago.[2] According to Monkey D. Garp, Roger grew up in difficult circumstances and developed a great fear of losing his loved ones above all else.[60] Sometime later during his youth, he met Silvers Rayleigh and became impressed by the ship he was using, which Rayleigh stole to live on after his house burned down. Viewing their encounter as a fated meeting, he asked Rayleigh to join him in "turning the world upside down". Though Rayleigh refused at first, Roger's insistence managed to win him over, and the two became best friends ever since.[12]

Roger eventually became the captain of the Roger Pirates with Rayleigh as his first mate. He was renowned as a rookie around five decades ago.[61] At some point, Roger's crew visited Water 7 and hired the master shipwright, Tom to build a new ship for them. Using wood from the legendary Treasure Tree Adam, Tom constructed the Oro Jackson, which became the Roger Pirates' famed ship. Roger and his crew then sailed into the New World, and 39 years ago, he and his crew reached Lodestar Island, the final island that the Log Pose pointed to. However, Roger knew that the real final island was beyond this point and that the Road Poneglyphs gave clues about its location.[62]38 years ago, Roger and his crew arrived at God Valley to confront Rocks D. Xebec for some past grievance that occurred a year prior as well as to intercept oncoming attacks from the God's Knights.[13] At the same time, he and his longtime rival, Marine Vice Admiral Garp formed a temporary alliance against the Rocks Pirates, which led to the pair fighting on God Valley against the crew including Edward Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, Shiki, Kaidou, and their captain, Rocks D. Xebec. The battle resulted in the dissolution of the crew, with people viewing Xebec as Roger's first and most formidable enemy. Afterward, the event became known as the God Valley Incident, although the alliance and Roger's involvement were not publicly reported.[63] Roger also found a one-year-old Shanks inside a treasure chest they had looted from the location post-incident and decided to have the infant sail with them.[64]

At some point, Roger managed to sneak into Linlin's territory of Totto Land and gained a copy of her Road Poneglyph, though they could not translate it.[65][66] 30 years ago, Roger read a newspaper and learned that a samurai from Wano Country had joined the Whitebeard Pirates, leading Roger to become interested in meeting him.[14] Roger and his crew got into numerous battles with other pirate crews, with one such clash being against the Maelstrom Spider Pirates; this battle ended with the Roger Pirates wiping out everyone on it except for Captain Squad.[67]