Join—For Greater Power!

Ron said the words "not interested" with absolute finality. Given his status, Garp had heard plenty of similar answers before.

But this was the first time he had seen such undisguised, utterly outrageous disdain... He immediately asked curiously, "Why?! That's the Great Treasure left behind by Pirate King Roger! You... look down on it?"

"Vice Admiral Garp!"

Traîne's face darkened beside him. Was that something you, the "Hero of the Marines," should be saying?! Even if One Piece held an exalted position on the seas, even if Ron chose not to join, as Marines, they should not be saying something so misleading to the young!

Still... as one of the One Piece World's famously "shameless bastards," even Sengoku could do nothing about Garp. The thoughts of a mere First Mate like him were directly ignored as Garp waited intently for Ron's answer.

"Actually, I'm a bit of a clean freak..."

It was impossible for Ron to claim he had no interest in the Great Treasure, One Piece. But for him to spend his entire life striving to become Pirate King because of it...

Heh!

Go cool off somewhere else!

His reasons were as follows...

"If Pirate King Roger had brought the Great Treasure back to the seas, stood against your Marines and even the World Government, and established a kingly dominion like the current Four Emperors of the New World... then, in pursuit of that great power, I might really have given some thought to setting sail and seeking the treasure he left behind..."

When speaking of Roger's actions, Ron's contempt was unmistakable.

"But he took nothing away, revealed nothing to the public, and instead got executed by you people! And right before his execution, he said something like that..."

At this point, the disgust on Ron's face grew even stronger. "...He threw a chicken leg he'd already taken a bite out of onto the ground, then told everyone else: Go look for it! That chicken leg is delicious!"

"Pah! What bullshit dream! Put plainly, he just exploited people's ambition for fame and profit, along with their curiosity!"

Ron pointed at himself, then turned back and glared wide-eyed at Garp. "How cheap would I have to be to go looking for something he discarded without a second thought? Whatever I want must be one of a kind!"

If he had arrived here earlier, while Roger had yet to become Pirate King, Ron would certainly have fought Roger to see who truly stood supreme above the seas!

But now it was Marineford Era 1514. The departed Roger had already become a legend, so Ron had little interest in the Great Treasure. He would not have fought Roger for the Great Treasure; rather, he would have sought the Great Treasure in order to fight Roger, that heaven-blessed genius. The order of importance was simple.

Hearing that...

Garp: "..."

First Mate: "..."

The other soldiers: "..."

There really was no arguing with that...

Indeed.

To this day, no one knew exactly what the Great Treasure, One Piece, was. They only knew that such a legend existed, along with the man who had become that legend. Yet Roger truly had not brought back anything. It was as though he had gone sightseeing for a while, then simply returned.

Other than a "Pirate King" and a "Great Pirate Era," nothing had happened.

Wasn't that exactly like Roger taking a bite from a chicken leg, saying it was delicious and telling everyone to go find it, then tossing it onto the ground and abandoning it?

In the past, they had held a measure of respect for those rare pirates who fought for their dreams amid all the pirates ravaging the seas. But after hearing that... that little bit of respect immediately turned into sympathy.

How pathetic!

Those people shouting that they wanted to become Pirate King were nothing more than dogs Roger had teased into picking up bones—fighting over things someone else did not want.

After placing figures such as Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and Golden Lion into the description "pathetic people"... Garp imagined certain unspeakable scenes and immediately shuddered, deciding to skip this topic.

"Ahem... So... uh, since you don't want to become Pirate King, what's your dream?"

Everyone had dreams. Ordinary people worked hard to earn money, support their families, and change their circumstances; merchants took risks in business to rise above others; nobles desired more elegant lives and greater power; pirates sought riches and fame while living freely... Dreams—or rather, desires—were human instinct!

"My dream?"

Ron was slightly taken aback, not understanding what Garp meant.

"That's right, your dream!"

Garp gave a cold laugh and teasingly spelled it out. "I can tell you don't dislike the Marines. You're just afraid of trouble. But everyone has a reason to live, right?... What kind of person do you want to become? What do you want to obtain? Or what situation do you want to change? Those are all dreams."

"I see..."

Ron sank into thought, considering this serious question.

Ron was not surprised that Garp had seen through his thoughts. As the saying went, with age came wisdom—and old men who refused to die were crafty thieves... Before Garp, an old general who had roamed the seas for decades, he could not hide such trivial thoughts.

But then again, what dream could he have?

Born with a physique unlike that of ordinary people, the thing he had done most in the past was continuously challenge himself, constantly surpass his limits, and enjoy the thrill of adrenaline surging through him as he hovered on the edge of life and death!

His purpose...

None!

He simply enjoyed the process, adding excitement to his dull and flavorless daily life and breaking free from numbness.

Having arrived in the bizarre One Piece World, a world filled with countless powerful figures, Ron deeply understood his own weakness. Someone powerful like Garp could kill him countless times with the flick of a finger!

So on Birka in the sky island, in order to survive in this world, he had desperately wanted the Rumble-Rumble Fruit like a beast fiercely guarding its food!

It was the best opportunity for him to continue enjoying a thrilling life!!

Being transported to the One Piece World had not only freed him from his restraints, but also opened a door before him. It made the word "dream" seem so distant from him, yet so close at the same time.

"My dream... is refusing to be ordinary?"

In fact, there was something Ron had not said just now. From the original story, from a god's-eye view, "One Piece" was almost certainly not some devastating power like the Ancient Weapons, but rather the "truth" and "symbol" capable of shaking the foundations of the World Government's rule: the hearts and will of the people!

No matter what value or meaning that "truth" held for the world, anything that could not make him stronger was all bullshit to Ron. He had no interest in any of it!

So...

A fierce aura leaked uncontrollably from Ron's body. Electricity began to crackle and stir, and the air turned dry.

Garp's eyes lit up!

He stepped closer to the brooding Ron and whispered into his ear like a devil's temptation, "You... want to become stronger, don't you?"

Stronger?

The soft words rumbled through his mind like spring thunder, flashing with sudden brilliance. Ron's pupils shrank as he recalled the surging excitement that had been impossible to calm after obtaining the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

Lowering his head to look at his hands, Ron murmured to himself.

"That's right. I want to become stronger!!!"

That was the answer!

Smack!

Ron suddenly looked up and pushed away Garp's fist resting against the top of his head. He asked seriously, "What can I gain by joining the Marines?"

"What can you... gain? Puhahahaha!!!"

Garp froze for a moment, then rose to his feet and burst into laughter.

He knew Ron was tempted.

This was someone like Mihawk, a man with no stray thoughts whatsoever, someone who sought strength for strength's sake! As the colossal force that suppressed the world's seas, when it came to making people stronger, who but the Marines could compare?!

Whoosh!

In an instant, an immense aura erupted, setting the air trembling. His cape of justice billowed wildly in the gale, snapping loudly! Ordinary soldiers could barely stand beneath Garp's overwhelmingly domineering presence. One after another, they looked upon that tall, powerful figure with fear and reverence.

But Ron remained unmoved. His gaze burned as he met Garp's eyes, waiting for an answer.

Swish!

The laughter stopped abruptly. Garp folded his arms, then grinned like a mischievous child. "Don't you already have the answer in your heart, you thunder-brat?"

The Marine Six Powers, Haki, swordsmanship, combat experience, and Zephyr—the greatest teacher, who had trained the current Three Admirals and several Division Vice Admirals. Everything Ron wanted was within the Marines!

All those factors could be summed up in one word...

Strength!

What could he gain by joining the Marines? The answer was obvious.

The corner of Ron's mouth lifted slightly into a faint smile.

"Then... for greater strength, I choose to join!"

So signing a contract now didn't require finding an editor—the system handled it automatically in the background, though it still needed to be reviewed... Well, as long as it could be signed. Dear readers, the new book is setting out—please bookmark it and vote for it!