24 Years before the current storyline, Gol D. Roger was sentenced to death and executed in Logue Town. We know that Roger had an illness that couldn’t be cured, and he had acquired everything he wanted after completely exploring the Grand Line including the final island, Raftel. Nearing the end of his life, Roger disbanded the Roger Pirates before his execution… or so we think. But what if the Roger Pirates had one last mission? Let me explain.
I. An unfinished mission.
The Roger Pirates were the only pirates ever who successfully explored the final island Raftel. It is likely that this final island is somehow tied to the Rio Poneglyph and the truth behind the Void Century. We know that the Roger Pirates have found out about the truth, but they didn’t act on it. Roger was terminally ill, and no matter what was inscribed on the Rio Poneglyph, he was in no condition to act on it if they wanted to. So what if the final mission of the Roger Pirates was to inspire and guide a successor that could complete their story and their journey by finding out about the truth themselves and having the possibility to act on it?
II. Detailing the plan step by step.
It is possible that some core members of the Roger Pirates are actively pursuing this final mission and seeking its success. I will explain this in the next few sections.
Inspiring the new generation
We all know that no matter what is inscribed on the Rio Poneglyph, some people will only act out of selfishness like Blackbeard. This could be the reason why Whitebeard clearly stated that Blackbeard wasn’t the person Roger was waiting for. It was necessary for the Roger Pirates to find the right person, and it is likely that no capable pirate during their era was suited for the job. Whitebeard had a pure heart but wasn’t interested in ruling the sea or finding Raftel because he only cared about his crew that he saw as his family. Because of this, they needed a certain event that would inspire a new generation of pirates that would ultimately result in a suitable successor. This all resulted in Roger turning himself in and proclaiming that he left all his treasure at “that place” during his public execution. Roger knew that he was going to die, so he made sure that his death wasn’t in vain but actually was the first step in their big plan.
Finding the right person
The next step in this plan, is finding the right person among all the candidates. The person who was likely responsible for this was Shanks. We know that Shanks founded his own pirate crew and rose to power and become a well-known pirate. Shanks travelled the world and saw many places and likely met a lot of people. His journey into East Blue could have been for the purpose of finding Roger’s successor. When he met Luffy, it quickly became clear that he had the willpower, and the spirit that Roger also possessed. Members of the Roger Pirates have even expressed that they see the same spirit in Luffy that they saw in Roger. Shanks ultimately chose Luffy to be the chosen person to complete Roger’s mission.
Further Guidance
It is possible that Shanks his Straw Hat isn’t just a token that ties Luffy to the title of Pirate King, but it is also a sign to other members of the Roger Pirates that he is the chosen person. Some of the Roger Pirate members have possibly set up post along the Grand Line on points that all the big time pirates will pass (Sabaody) in order to guide the possible successor. The first person to do this was Crocus at the entrance of the Grand Line, and later they met Rayleigh at the end of paradise at Sabaody. Rayleigh trained Luffy in haki during the two year timeskip and assisted Luffy in preparing for the New World. Because of this, Rayleigh is responsible for helping Luffy another step further in his journey to the Pirate King title and the final island Raftel. It is possible that more members of the Roger Pirates will show up before reaching Raftel, like Scopper Gaban.
III. Purpose of the mission
It is possible that the Rio Poneglyph contains information about the World Government that turns the world upside down and cause a massive war against the Celestial Dragons and their governing organisation. The Pirate king could become the leader against the ruling forces and because Roger was terminally ill, he couldn’t start this himself but instead decided to devote his crew to finding a person and pirate crew who would be able to do it instead. Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats could ultimately be the people who find the truth and unite various factions from around the world against the corrupt and possibly evil organisation that we know as the World Government.
*Theory by S.
