One Piece: The Sage of Six Paths

“Kid, what did you say? You want to join my Roger Pirates?”

Wind whistled through the ruins.

Gol D. Roger stood atop the rubble, a long blade slung over his shoulder, looking down with a scrutinizing gaze at the young man below. He had just finished a duel with Rocks, and his face was etched with fatigue.

“Yes,” Ron replied with a slight nod.

It had been a year since he transmigrated into this timeline of the Old Era. By now, he had grown into a pirate of some modest renown.

After careful consideration, he had determined that the Roger Pirates were his most ideal and safest destination. Of course, he hadn’t ignored the possibility of the Rocks Pirates, but based on his knowledge from the Blue Star, that crew was a cesspool of internal strife and backstabbing. With his current level of strength, he would likely end up as nothing more than a sacrificial pawn.

The Roger Pirates were different. Their crew was built on honesty and deep mutual trust. Their voyages were filled with hearty laughter and a willingness to lend a hand in times of crisis. The atmosphere on the ship was free yet disciplined, inclusive without being indulgenta perfect environment to set down roots and hone one’s skills.

As for where he would go or what path he would choose once he had truly matured... Ron hadn’t thought that far ahead. He wasn’t in a hurry. He just wanted to step onto that ship, see it with his own eyes, experience it for himself, and let his heart decide the rest.

“Hahahahaha!” Roger suddenly threw his head back and laughed. “So you’re the ‘Devil Butcher’ everyone’s been talking about lately.”

He paused, then added, “Even if I agreed to let a man who slaughters the innocent like you onto my ship, my partners wouldn’t allow it.”

Ron froze. His pupils shrank, and his brow twitched as a look of utter disbelief crossed his face.

He had expected Roger might refuse himafter all, the man was known for his high standards and strict selection of friendsbut he had never imagined that a fellow pirate would use that as a reason to turn him away.

Ron didn’t consider himself a saint, nor did he label himself as benevolent. But every life he had taken had a clear reason behind it. Those he killed were not good people; they were criminals.

And yet, in Roger’s mouth, he had become a “bastard who treats human life like grass”?

“Isn’t being a pirate about living on the edge?” Ron paused, his voice low as he attempted to explain. “The ones I killed... they were all people who deserved to die.”

Roger’s expression turned somber. His lips moved slightly as he said in a heavy tone, “Are you saying... the entire population of Bilun Village deserved to die?”

Roger was referring to an event from several months ago.

A gang of mountain bandits with a 50-million-Berry bounty had taken up residence in the mountains near Bilun Village. To remove this thorn in their side, the villagers had secretly sought out someone capable of dealing with them.

Ron thought it was a perfect opportunitya “two birds with one stone” plan where he could earn system rewards and get paid by the villagers.

He never expected the plan to leak. To appease the bandits, the villagers chose to offer Ron up as a sacrifice.

Was this a joke?

Did I spend all that time training just to be your sacrificial lamb?

Fortunately, Ron was kind-hearted enough to continue helping the villagers wipe out the bandits. But he later discovered that the vile bandits had actually possessed several villagers. Sticking to his principles, Ron simply wiped them all out together.

However, after the World Economy News Paper reporters added their own embellishments and exaggerated the detailscomplete with inflammatory headlines and deliberately blurred photosRon became an overnight sensation: the “Cold-blooded Butcher,” the “Demon Indifferent to Life.” His reputation was ruined, and his infamy spread far and wide.

Ron stared directly at Roger. he no longer felt like explaining. He realized now that he and Roger walked different paths.

“Actually, I would have preferred it if you had just given me a straight refusal,” Ron said, a relaxed smile finally appearing on his face.

After all, as pirates, was anyone truly better than anyone else?

In the original story, Ron remembered that Roger had once slaughtered an entire army simply because they had insulted one of his crewmates.

The only difference was that Ron had turned his blade toward “unarmed” villagers.

Roger, on the other hand, had drawn his sword against a disciplined, armored imperial army.

On the surface, they seemed worlds apart. But in Ron’s eyes, there was no fundamental difference. To him, the villagers were even more deserving of death.

Without another word, Ron took a step back and gave Roger a slight nod. “Sorry for the intrusion.”

He turned to leave. Roger said nothing more.

Tap, tap, tap...

He hadn’t gone far when he heard a flurry of hurried footsteps behind him. Following closely was a series of breathless voices, filled with a mix of reproach and deep concern.

“Hey, Roger! You really went overboard this time!”

“Are you hurt? Your arm is still bleeding!”

“You madman, that was way too reckless.”

“Hahahahaha!” Roger laughed toward the sky. “Rocks and I were just testing each other. As expected... the current me is still a long way from reaching his level.”

“Who was that guy?” Rayleigh asked in a low voice, squinting as he watched Ron’s receding figure in the distance.

“Just a kid who wanted to join us. I turned him down,” Roger replied calmly, his gaze shifting back to Ron.

“Why?” Rayleigh tilted his head, a genuine look of curiosity in his eyes.

“I don’t want a bloodthirsty partner on my ship. Hahahahaha.”

“I see,” Rayleigh nodded, though he thought to himself, Roger’s rejecting people based on his gut feeling again. Still... that young man’s back doesn’t look like someone who feels ‘relaxed’ about being rejected.

“Hahahaha”

A gruff laugh suddenly crashed into Ron’s ears.

Near a pile of charred timbers and broken masonry at a corner of the ruins, a mountain of a man loomed into view. It was Rocks, who had just finished his duel with Roger and hadn’t gone far.

He was sitting haphazardly on a slanted, thick wooden post, his feet planted on cracked stone slabs. His long blade was driven deep into the parched earth. He flashed a grin, showing off a set of white teeth as he looked directly at Ron.

“Kid, Roger wouldn’t take you?”

Ron had approached Roger right after their duel ended, and Rocks had been interested enough to stop and listen for a while.

Ron didn’t look particularly disappointed. He just looked up slightly, meeting that burning gaze, and gave a very faint chuckle. “My reputation is too foul. I’m not a good fit.”

“Hahahahaha!” Rocks laughed loudly again. He stood up slowly, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword. The blade slid out with a constant hum as he slung it over his left shoulder. “Reputation too foul? To hell with that self-righteous ship! On my ship, I never ask how you kill. I only ask if you can kill! Are you ruthless enough? Are you crazy enough?”

Ron fell silent. The most important part of his plan had failed, leaving him feeling a bit lost.

“Hehehehe hahahaha!” Rocks’ laughter grew louder as he turned abruptly and strode forward, his black cloak billowing in the wind.

“Wait for the day of destiny!”

“Whether you follow me or not is up to you!”

“If your heart is set, then keep up!”

“I’ll show you the view from the top of the world!”