Summary
- Roger was a prominent pirate before becoming Pirate King, with many accomplishments.
- Fans speculate Roger’s original epithet could have been “Jolly” or “Gold.”
- Despite his early achievements, Roger is most known for becoming the Pirate King.
In One Piece, fame and notoriety are among the most important elements of being a pirate. Although this isn’t something that the protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, focuses on too often, other pirates become celebrities in the world, using their influence to amass massive fan bases and supporters. With this fame and notoriety comes other elements, including bounties and epithets. Although these are used by the Navy in One Piece to brand pirates as wanted criminals, allowing for their easy identification, in reality, these are used by pirates and their supporters as a badge of honor to show how far they’ve come on their journey.
However, one epithet that isn’t widely discussed in the One Piece community is the King of Pirates, Gol D. Roger’s epithet. While post-Laugh Tale, his epithet is very obviously “Pirate King,” before he claimed the island’s final treasure, Roger was still a notorious pirate who most likely had an epithet. Due to this, some members of the One Piece community have started discussing what Roger’s old title before becoming the Pirate King could have been.
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Roger Was A Prominent Pirate Before Becoming The Pirate King In One Piece
Most Of His Accomplishments Came Earlier In His Career
Despite most audience members thinking of Roger after he became the Pirate King, he was still active for years before his journey to the final island of the Grand Line, Laugh Tale. Mainly, Brook mentioned knowing of Roger as a rookie pirate, which was around 50 years before the start of the series. At this point forward, it wouldn’t be for around another 25 years until Roger was able to become One Piece’s first Pirate King, which would then only continue for a short time after this accomplishment.
You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place, now you just have to find it! – Roger
Overall, it seems strange that a character like Gol D. Roger would be given an epithet only after becoming the Pirate King. Even before this, Roger had many incredible accomplishments under his belt. This includes sparring on equal terms with the former Emperor, Whitebeard, defeating the Rock’s pirates, fighting Shiki, and much more. Despite never being discussed, these moments are arguably plenty to earn Roger both an incredibly high bounty and an epithet, despite neither ever being openly discussed.
Fans Discuss What Roger’s Epithet May Have Been
His Old Epithet Could Have Covered His Origins In The D Clan
- Roger May Have Had Names Like “Jolly” Or “Gold
- This May Be An Attempt To Hide The Name Gold D Roger
From here, fans have been trying to deduce just what Gol D. Roger’s original epithet may have been in One Piece. So far, fans have come up with a variety of solutions, including some from a post on Reddit by petey4527. Some of the poster’s solutions suggest titles like, “Jolly” Roger, emphasizing the pirate’s indomitable smile and joy-filled demeanor.
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However, a comment also presents a fairly strong suggestion, suggesting that his original epithet may have been a play on his name, Gol D. Roger, simply calling him “Gold” Roger. As many fans know, the World Government of One Piece frequently attempted to hide the middle initial, “D”, from the public. This epithet, which was what the world knew Roger as, could have been given to the future Pirate King as a way of hiding his inherited will of the D clan.
Many Fans Recognize Roger From His Largest Accomplishment
Becoming The Pirate King Is What Most People Know Him For
Still, it makes sense that no character refers to Roger by his original epithet, despite being a majority of his pirate career. While he was active for years under this mysterious title, in reality, Roger’s largest accomplishment was his time as the pirate king. Additionally, his death and the reveal of the One Piece treasure are what cemented the pirate as a hugely influential figure and ignited the Great Pirate Era, making the character almost synonymous with the title, “Pirate King.”
He laughed. – Oden referring to Roger on Laugh Tale
In the end, while one of the strongest One Piece characters, Gol D. Roger’s, most memorable epithet is his title of, “The Pirate King,” it’s still interesting to think about what the world thought of him before that era of his life. Whether he was called “Jolly” or “Gold” Roger, many details of the pirate’s life are still kept a mystery. Hopefully, with more important characters being added to the story in One Piece’s Elbaf Arc, more answers about Roger’s life will arrive sooner rather than later.
