Gol D. Roger

Appearance

Roger was a tall man with a son called Portgas D. Ace, who walked proudly before his execution.

Up until Chapter 506 have his eyes always been hidden, by a shade on the upper part of his face. During most of his appearances he is almost always seen smiling. He had a short neck, thick black hair, and a wide black curved mustache.

Like many other high ranked pirates he wore a long, red captain's coat. Beneath he wore a green shirt and had a blue scarf around his waist. He wore dark blue pants and unlike most other pirates seen in the One Piece World, he wore what appeared to be black sea boots.

When in public and around his men, he wore his large coat with his arms in the sleeves and a cravat around his neck, like a fine English nobleman. When being casual, he would place his coat over his shoulders.

Personality

He was said to be fearless. 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 Luffy. When Ace revealed his lineage to Whitebeard, the Yonkou noted that Ace's personality wasn't much like his father's. Roger was also a man who loved 'big, flashy things' and reveled in his title of "Pirate King" despite his oncoming death.

Crew

He apparently had a strong bond with his crew. Rayleigh, his partner, described him as a "magnificent man". Shanks and Buggy also seemed saddened when speaking of the day of their captain's execution.

Friends

He befriended Gan Fall, the God of Skypiea and left him with wonderful memories. He also befriended Tom and Kokoro, gaining enough admirance for Tom to consider building him the ship, Oro Jackson. The Fishman would later proudly boast that he was proud he had built the Oro Jackson for the late Pirate King even though it had led to his death by making such a declaration.

Enemies

He saw a rival in Whitebeard and fought regularly with the Marine hero Monkey D. Garp. As a final favor, Roger asked Garp to take care of his son, Portgas D. Ace, saving him from a being branded a criminal just by being born as the son of the Pirate King.

However, despite his rivals and battles, he seemed to have much respect even from his foes; no one has yet to speak ill of him, except Portgas D. Ace.

Portgas D. Rouge

Rouge was Roger's lover. It is unknown if they were ever married, nor how their relationship worked out, but she died to protect Ace from being hunted by the World Government.

Portgas D. Ace

Ace is the son of Roger. As Roger did not want Ace to be born as a criminal due to family ties, he requested Garp to take care of Ace in secrecy. When Roger spoke to Garp, he said that his (then) unborn child held no sins. However, Ace did not see this as love and detested his father.

Abilities and Powers

“ Wealth, fame, power.

The man who had acquired everything in this world, the pirate king, Gold Roger!

-Introduction to One Piece We Are!
”

Prior to his death, he was the Pirate King, so it is safe to assume that his physical power was nearly unmatchable. He was also able to battle Vice Admiral Garp, who possessed super human strength, on many occasions. This is 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. It can be assumed that he was the strongest pirate in the world. While Whitebeard is stated to be the strongest man in the world now, he and Roger ended their battle in a draw. The fact that Roger was able to fight on equal ground with Whitebeard, 'a man that has the power to destroy the world', is also a major hint toward how great his abilities were.


Gol D. Roger was able to read Poneglyphs and write in their language. However, he didn't actually know how to decipher the text itself. According to his first mate, Rayleigh, Gol D. Roger was not like the Ohara scholars, who used their intellect to study the Poneglyphs. Gol D. Roger could read the Poneglyphs because he had the ability to "hear the voice of all things".[1]

Since two of his subordinates (his first mate and apprentice) have been seen using Haki with apparent strength, it can be assumed that Roger had some use of the power.

Friends