One Piece: Roger's actions after learning the Void Century's truth in chapter 1116 spoilers, explained

Even after almost three decades of serialization, One Piece fans are yet to learn what the homonymous treasure consists of. Fans of Eiichiro Oda’s captivating franchise have formulated countless theories to speculate on what the One Piece is, but the nature of the legendary heritage remains a mystery, except for the fact that it includes some of Joy Boy’s most precious possessions.

The Roger Pirates were the only ones ever able to travel the entire Grand Line and find the One Piece, an achievement that earned Gol D. Roger the title of Pirate King. As Roger, his right-hand man Silvers Rayleigh, and the other crewmembers put their hands on the One Piece, they discovered the truth about some of the world’s greatest secrets, including the Void Century, the Will of D., and the Ancient Weapons.

Despite having come to know such major information, Roger, Rayleigh, and the others didn’t try to use it to change the world. Now, several years later, Dr. Vegapunk is openly blaming the Roger Pirates for their alleged inaction. However, “Dark King” Silvers Rayleigh doesn’t seem to be particularly affected by Vegapunk’s accusations.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1116.

Rayleigh's melancholic cameo in One Piece chapter 1116 refutes Vegapunk's allegations against the Roger Pirates

The first spoilers for One Piece chapter 1116

The now 78-year-old Silvers Rayleigh (Image via Toei Animation)

One Piece chapter 1116 is set to be released on Monday, June 3, 2024, on Shueisha’s MANGA Plus website. Fans can get an idea of the new chapter’s content by taking a peek at the issue’s first leaks. According to the spoilers of One Piece chapter 1116, the broadcast of Dr Vegapunk’s final message to the world continues.

Vegapunk declares that there is one group of people who have learned all the many secrets of the Void Century, and that is the Roger Pirates. The scientist criticizes Roger and the others for not doing anything despite being aware of the real history.

Rayleigh was quite fond of Roger, and never forgot about him (Image via Toei Animation)

In the final panel of One Piece chapter 1116, Silvers Rayleigh appears. The former right-hand man of the Pirate King is shown in the “Shakky’s Rip-off Bar”, the club that his wife Shakuyaku runs in Sabaody Archipelago. As usual, Rayleigh is drinking.

Upon hearing Vegapunk’s words during the broadcast, “Dark King” Rayleigh says that he is just an old man now, and so is Vegapunk. He then adds that old people shouldn’t ruin the fun of today’s youngsters. As the chapter ends, Rayleigh metaphorically addresses Roger, asking the Pirate King if he agrees with what he Vegapunk just said.

There is a precise reason for the Roger Pirates' behavior

Rayleigh, Oden, and Roger (Image via Toei Animation)

At the end of their incredible journey through the Grand Line, the Roger Pirates managed to reach the fated island which houses the One Piece. As they witnessed the legendary treasure, everyone burst into laughter, prompting Roger to name the place “Laugh Tale”. Roger also said that he would like to live in the same era as Joy Boy.

Shortly after, Roger disbanded his crew and surrendered himself to the Navy. He made this choice as he knew that he was doomed to die in any case, due to a fatal illness that he had contracted. Roger died, but the legendary status of his formidable right-hand man, Silvers Rayleigh, remains.

Even weakened by old age and inactivity, Rayleigh remained powerful enough to match Admiral Kizaru and intimidate Blackbeard, one of the Yonko. In his prime incarnation, the “Dark King” can easily be considered one of the strongest characters to ever appear in the series.

Silvers Rayleigh and Gol D. Roger (Image via Toei Animation)

If he wanted to, Rayleigh could have gathered his former comrades and claimed the title of Yonko, but he didn’t. Thus, just like Vegapunk did in One Piece chapter 1116, many fans also wonder why neither Roger, nor Rayleigh and the others, after the latter’s death, did anything to stop the World Government.

During a conversation with Rayleigh, Roger, who at the time had complete knowledge about the secrets of the Void Century, explicitly said this:

“See… we were just too early.”

It’s not like the Roger Pirates didn’t want to act. They just couldn’t, for reasons going beyond their responsibilities. They possessed both the power and the knowledge, but their time just wasn’t the right one to change the world.

The Roger Pirates disband (Image via Toei Animation)

Not only Roger was going to die in a few months due to his terminal illness, but, there no one had awakened Poseidon’s power yet. During their time in Fish-Man Island, the Roger Pirates learned that someone with Poseidon’s power would be born only a few years later.

Most likely, Roger, Rayleigh, and the others knew that, without at least one of the Ancient Weapons, not even they could overthrow the World Government. They understood that their victory would be extremely difficult, and that they probably wouldn’t achieve a complete and definitive win.

The Roger Pirates truly learned everything (Image via Shueisha)

As Rayleigh explained to the Straw Hats, anyone may come to a completely different conclusion upon learning the true history. This means that the Roger Pirates felt that their interpretation wasn’t necessarily the correct one, and that the deal with the Void Century’s events is more complicated than it sounds.

Admittedly, this is consistent with Vegapunk’s recent revelations. The scientist said that the conflict stemmed from two different ideologies, between which he didn’t feel like judging who was right and who was wrong.

The Straw Hat Pirates are meant to pick up the baton

Shanks gave Roger's straw hat to Luffy (Image via Toei Animation)

Roger, and the same goes for Rayleigh and the others after the Pirate King’s death, probably understood that they just weren’t the right people to stand up against the World Government. They knew that without the return of Joy Boy any effort would be pointless.

As such, instead of making the change with their own hands, they decided to foster it by helping the new generations. After visiting Laugh Tale, Roger whispered a few words to his young apprentice, Shanks, leaving the boy in tears. The content of those words was never revealed.

In the years ahead, “Red Hair” Shanks would become one of the most important and powerful individuals in the world. Interestingly, Shanks only decided to make his move for the One Piece after Monkey D. Luffy awakened the true powers of the Human-Human Fruit Model: Nika, becoming the new Joy Boy.

The mysterious conversation between Roger and a young Shanks (Image via Shueisha)

It should be noted that the Red Hair Pirates stole the same Devil Fruit from the World Government many years before. Shanks was probably aware of that item’s real powers. It’s also possible that he was acting according to the instructions that Roger had left him. Perhaps, Roger, knowing that he and his men were too early, had told Shanks to wait and set the scene for Joy Boy’s return.

Another interesting coincidence is the fact that, after meeting Luffy, Shanks spoke of him with Rayleigh, who immediately took an interest in the young pirate. Rayleigh helped Luffy many times, and even became his personal teacher. During the two-year timeskip, the “Dark King” taught Luffy how to use Haki and helped him develop the Gear 4 transformation.

When the Straw Hats met Rayleigh in Sabaody, the former right-hand man of the Pirate King literally offered to tell them everything about the Void Century. However, Luffy declined to find out the true nature of the One Piece treasure in such a banal way.

Rayleigh meeting the Straw Hats (Image via Toei Animation)

Luffy didn’t want to learn what the One Piece was by hearing someone else’s experience. He wanted to discover it on his own. Knowing anything beforehand would make the adventure boring, as, according to Luffy, the Pirate King was meant to be the freest man in the world, and thus should follow the events as they come.

Most probably, this episode is what Rayleigh was referring to in his brief cameo at the end of One Piece chapter 1116. After all, this was highly foreshadowed from the very beginning of the series, when Crocus, another former member of the Roger Pirates, appeared.

After meeting the Straw Hat Pirates, Crocus, thinking to himself, said:

“Could that bunch be the pirates we’ve waiting for all this time? That boy has a strange air… eh, Roger!?”

The Roger Pirates felt that someone else was meant to handle the war with the World Government. Roger gave his straw hat to Shanks, entrusting him with the task of passing it down to the one worthy of truly inheriting his will. Crocus and Rayleigh were waiting for Roger’s true heir in order to set him on his way.

The Straw Hats met Crocus at the entrance to the Grand Line and Rayleigh at the entrance to the New World, which can hardly be a coincidence. Of course, the “chosen one” would be Luffy, the new Joy Boy, as well as the person that Shanks picked by giving him Roger’s iconic straw hat.