One Piece: We already have the Four Gods, so my Six Paths Sage is reasonable, right?

Brain Storage

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

The wind howled above the ruins.

Roger, with his long sword slung over his shoulder, scrutinized the young man below from above.

He had just finished a duel with Rocks and his face was now full of fatigue.

"Hmm." Ron nodded slightly.

He has been in this old timeline for a year now, and has grown into a pirate of some renown.

The Roger Pirates were the most ideal and safest destination he chose after careful consideration.

Of course, he had considered the Rocks Pirates, but as far as he knew on Earth, it was rife with intrigue and backstabbing, and his current strength was insufficient, making him an easy target.

Unlike the Roger Pirates, the crew members were honest with each other and had deep mutual trust. Their voyage was filled with both joyful laughter and unwavering support in times of crisis. The atmosphere on the ship was free yet measured, inclusive yet not indulgent, making it a fertile ground for growth where one could settle down, hone their skills, and grow steadily.

As for where to go, stance, and even path to choose after fully maturing... Ron hasn't thought about it in detail yet, nor is he in a hurry to make a decision. He just wants to step onto this ship first, see it with his own eyes, experience it firsthand, and then decide based on his heart.

"Hahahaha!" Roger looked at Ron, suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter, "You're the 'Demon Butcher' that's been circulating in the ocean lately, aren't you?"

After a pause, Roger added, "Even if I agreed to let someone like you, who indiscriminately kills innocent people, join my crew, my crew would not allow it."

Ron was stunned for a moment, his pupils contracted slightly, his eyebrows lifted slightly, and a look of disbelief and astonishment flashed across his eyes.

He wasn't unaware that Roger would refuse, after all, Roger was known for his high standards and strict selection of friends, but... he never expected that Roger, a fellow pirate, would refuse him for this reason.

Ron did not consider himself a saint with a heart for all living beings, nor did he intend to flaunt his benevolence. Every life had a clear reason behind it, and those he killed were not good people, and all had evidence of their crimes.

But in Roger's words, he was called "a bastard who treats human life like dirt"?

"Isn't being a pirate just about licking blood from the edge of a knife?" Ron paused, then explained in a low voice, "The ones I killed were just some damned bastards."

Roger's expression suddenly turned serious. His lips moved slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "You mean... all the villagers of Biron deserve to die?"

Roger was referring to what had happened to Ron a few months earlier.

A band of bandits with a bounty of 5000 million Berries is entrenched in the mountains of Biron Village, and the villagers are secretly looking for someone capable of taking action to remove this thorn in their side.

Ron felt that he could get both the system reward and the villagers' payment, so this plan was killing two birds with one stone.

Unexpectedly, the plan was leaked, and the villagers, in order to give the bandits an explanation, chose to sacrifice Ron.

Are you kidding me?

Did I work so hard to cultivate myself just to become a sacrifice for you?

Fortunately, Ron was kind-hearted and continued to help the villagers eliminate the bandits. However, he later discovered that the despicable bandits had even possessed the villagers. Based on principles, Ron took the opportunity to kill them all.

With the help of the news agency's embellishment and exaggeration, coupled with sensational headlines and deliberately obscuring images, Ron became overnight a "cold-blooded butcher" and a "devil who disregards life," his reputation ruined and his infamy widespread.

Ron stared intently at Roger, no longer in the mood to explain, because he already knew that he and Roger were on different paths.

"Actually, I would prefer you to refuse directly." Ron laughed easily instead.

After all, as pirates, who can really be any better than the other?

In the original story, Ron remembers that because the army insulted Roger's comrades, he went and slaughtered the entire army.

The difference is that Ron was wielding his knife against unarmed villagers.

He, on the other hand, drew his sword at the imperial army, which was clad in armor and lined up for battle.

The two seem worlds apart, but in Ron's eyes, there is no essential difference. In his opinion, the villagers deserve to be killed more.

Before Roger could say another word, Ron had already quietly taken a step back and nodded slightly to Roger: "Excuse me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ron turned and left, and Roger said no more.

"Tap tap tap tap..."

He hadn't gone far when Ron heard hurried footsteps behind him.

What followed was a series of breathless, reproachful yet full of concern and concern.

"Hey Roger, you're really going too far!"

"Are you alright? Your arm is still bleeding?"

"You're crazy, you're going completely overboard."

"Hahahaha!" Roger laughed heartily, "I only sparred with Rocks, and sure enough... I'm still a long way from him!"

"Who is that guy?" Rayleigh squinted, watching Ron's retreating figure in the distance, and suddenly asked in a low voice.

"A brat who wanted to join us, but I refused." Roger's gaze returned to Ron, his expression calm and his tone indifferent.

"Why?" Rayleigh turned his head, his brows furrowed slightly, and a genuine curiosity appeared in his eyes.

"I don't want a bloodthirsty crew member on my ship. Hahahaha."

"I see." Rayleigh nodded, but inwardly he thought, "Roger is rejecting people based on his feelings again. But... that young man's back doesn't look like the relaxed look one should have after being rejected."

........

"Hahaha~~"

A rough laugh suddenly burst into Ron's ears.

On a corner of ruins piled with charred beams and broken bricks, a towering figure suddenly came into view—it was Rocks, who had just finished his duel with Roger and had not yet gone far.

He was sitting casually on a sturdy, leaning wooden stake, his feet resting on cracked flagstones, his long sword deeply embedded in the cracked soil. He grinned, showing off his white teeth, and was facing Ron with an undisguised smile.

"Kid, you weren't accepted by Roger?"

As Ron was leaving after their sparring match, he appeared and asked Roger a question, while Rocks stopped and listened with great interest.

Ron didn't show any disappointment on his face. He simply raised his eyes slightly to meet the intense gaze, then chuckled very softly: "My reputation is too bad, it's not suitable."

"Hahahaha!" Rocks burst into laughter again. He slowly rose, gripped the hilt of his sword with his right hand, and the longsword gleamed out with a resounding hum. He then casually slung the sword over his left shoulder. "Too bad a reputation? Those hypocritical ships are better off not boarding! On my ship, I never ask how you kill, I only ask if you can kill! Are you ruthless enough? Are you insane enough!"

Ron fell silent. The most important part of his plan had failed, leaving him somewhat disoriented.

"Hehehehehehehe!" Rocks' laughter suddenly rose, and he turned around abruptly, striding forward, his black cloak billowing in the wind.

"Wait for the appointed day to arrive!"

"Whether you follow me or not is up to you!"

"If you've made up your mind, then follow me!"

"I'll show you the view from the top of the world!"