Several people stepped into the small town, but the sight that greeted their eyes made them stop in their tracks.
Firelight flickered between broken walls.
Bloodstains wound across the ground, gleaming with a dark red luster.
And in the center of the battlefield--
A black-haired youth was weaving around a formidable enemy at blinding speed with rapid movement.
Ronan.
He wielded a wooden staff, his footwork so fast its trajectory was almost impossible to see.
The pirate captain was covered in injuries, his body looking as though it had been beaten out of shape by a hammer, and blood streamed across his face.
As for the remaining pirate grunts around them, they fell into pools of blood one by one, moving no longer.
The few who survived were so terrified they could not even grip their weapons properly, not daring to step a single step closer.
From afar, an old man caught sight of that upright back, his pupils shrinking:
"It's him!
The young man who saved me just now!
...I never imagined he was so strong..."
The straw-hatted youth beside him lit up, the corners of his mouth splitting into an exaggerated arc.
"Ooh-- this guy looks really strong!"
"Hey, Zoro, this guy is pretty good, right?
Should we ask him to join us?"
Zoro's gaze locked onto Ronan, a faint, razor-sharp light flashing in his eyes.
He broke down Ronan's movements crystal-clear:
That strange footwork, those fierce techniques, and a reaction speed surpassing ordinary people--
"His technique is very high."
Zoro nodded, giving his evaluation.
"His movement technique and moves both have some know-how... but-- his power is a bit too weak."
No sooner had the words fallen--
A hoarse roar suddenly erupted from the center of the battlefield.
The pirate captain lashed out with a final angry slash, and though the blade's momentum was still heavy, it appeared sluggish from total exhaustion.
A fighting spirit suddenly flared in Ronan's eyes.
His figure glided, effortlessly dodging that heavy-handed slash.
The next moment--
The wooden staff spun in his palm, emitting a buzzing tremor as his force caused the shaft to rapidly revolve.
Xingyi - Spiral Force!
When the wooden staff thrust forward, it sounded like tearing wind.
The pirate captain widened his eyes, his throat failing to produce a sound in time--
The tip of the staff had already ruthlessly pierced his windpipe.
"Crack--!"
Blood spattered.
The East Blue pirate captain notorious for a bounty of 3,200,000 belly.
By a youth holding a wooden staff--
Ended in a single strike.
Luffy's pupils flashed with light, his entire body as excited as if he had discovered a treasure:
"Zoro! I've decided!
This guy-- I want him to be our crewmate!!"
The torn sail pirate captain clutched his throat, blood gushing wildly from between his fingers, his eyes filled with disbelief and terror.
He staggered back two steps, and finally crashed heavily to the ground under Ronan's calm gaze.
Ronan smoothly pulled out the wooden staff, blood dripping down the tip.
After a brief silence--
The remaining pirates instantly collapsed!
"The captain's dead! Run--!!"
They scattered to flee like wild dogs with their throats squeezed.
Ronan took a single step forward, preparing to pursue and kill them--
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Blade light flashed, a figure weaving back and forth like teleportation.
Cold blade rings and splashing blood formed a continuous line in the air.
The next instant--
All the fleeing pirates toppled over in unison, each bearing a terrifyingly precise blade mark on their chest.
Ronan felt his heart jolt.
When that figure finally came to a complete stop, he caught sight of that head of green hair and the three swords at the waist--
His pupils abruptly contracted.
--Roronoa Zoro!!
The green-haired swordsman slowly shook the blood off his blade, steadily returning the Wado Ichimonji into its scabbard with crisp and calm movements.
He raised his eyes to look at Ronan, clearly noticing the emotional shift in Ronan when he saw him, a hint of scrutiny and inquiry in his gaze:
"Do you know me?"
Ronan's Adam's apple bobbed.
As a fan of pirates from his past life, he recognized Zoro at a glance.
Only, he never imagined--
He would actually see Zoro in such a real world.
Not far away, the youth wearing the straw hat walked over briskly, his smile still bright;
While the orange-haired girl stood with her hands on her hips, sizing up her surroundings with a helpless yet vigilant expression.
Ronan froze for half a second.
--Luffy.
--Nami.
Faces that had appeared countless times on screens in his past life now appeared vividly before his eyes, and he could even hear their breathing and footsteps.
The moment Ronan froze, the old man and his grandson had already run over.
The old man's eye sockets were red with emotion, and he grabbed Ronan's hand:
"Young man! You... you're safe!
This old man is... truly thanks to you!"
Ronan nodded slightly, still digesting the shock within his heart.
Nami walked up, glanced at the corpses on the ground, then looked at Zoro, curling her lip as she said:
"Zoro, that "Pirate Hunter" title of yours really isn't just for show.
Quite a few people know you."
Zoro let out a hum, but shifted his gaze back to Ronan.
"Your moves just now... were very special."
He stared at Ronan's wooden staff and stance, his tone serious and direct:
"What's your name?"
Ronan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down slightly.
"My name is... Ronan."
The moment the words fell--
"Ronan!!!"
An overwhelmingly excited voice suddenly exploded.
Luffy sprang toward Ronan like a spring, his eyes shining like two lamps, his face filled with unmasked joy and anticipation.
He reached out a hand, his tone exceptionally solemn:
"Be our crewmate!!"
His voice echoed in midair, carrying a heat capable of igniting a person's heart.
Ronan froze.
Zoro raised an eyebrow.
Nami pinched the bridge of her nose.
The old man and child were dumbfounded.
And Luffy stared only at Ronan in that moment, issuing an unreserved invitation to him.
Ronan gazed at the straw-hatted youth before him, a momentary trance washing over him.
This figure who once existed only on screens and manga pages now stood before him with real body heat and radiance.
He looked over again at the orange short-haired girl beside him, clever yet carrying a hint of vigilance--
Nami.
And looking around, he did not see the figures of Usopp or Sanji--
Ronan instantly calculated the current timeline in his mind.
--The Straw Hat Pirates had just formed, Sanji had yet to join, and Usopp was still blowing wind in his own village.
This meant...
He was right at the purest starting point of the Straw Hat Pirates.
For someone possessing a system, but whose strength remained limited upon first arrival--
A reliable crew was the most solid pillar of support.
And this crew before him, who regarded "crewmates" as more important than life itself, was undoubtedly the most worthy existence to entrust oneself to in the pirate world.
Ronan raised his head, looking into Luffy's eyes filled with sincerity.
In that moment, a certain string in his heart was plucked.
He gently exhaled, speaking solemnly:
"Alright."
"Starting today... please take care of me."
No sooner had the words fallen--
Nami immediately crossed her arms over her chest, looking him up and down with undiminished vigilance:
"Hey, you're agreeing so readily...
You don't have any other motives, do you?"
Her tone was utterly unsparing, but that pair of eyes flashed with a fleeting trace of a guilty conscience.
After all, she currently had her own secrets as well.
Ronan gave a faint smile, neither offering excuses nor getting annoyed.
And right at that moment--
"Hahahahaha!!"
Luffy suddenly burst into laughter, patting his chest with an air of absolute certainty:
"Nami, don't worry!"
"The guy I've set my sights on-- definitely won't be a bad person!!"
"Starting today, our pirate crew is-- four people strong!!!"
The youth's passionate declaration reverberated across the ruined small town.
Zoro let out a light hum, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he silently accepted the existence of this new companion.
Nami rolled her eyes, but did not continue to stop them.
Just like that--
Amidst the ruins where the fires of war had yet to completely extinguish, Ronan officially joined the Straw Hat Pirates.
And at this very moment, the surging blood within his body gradually settled.
The cultivation multiplier ended.
[Strength: 11 → 12]
[Physique: 11 → 12]
[Speed: 11 → 12]
Ronan silently clenched his fists, feeling the surging vitality within him that was practically overflowing.
This was the One Piece world...
New cultivation...
The new journey was truly just beginning.
Before you continue