One Piece: I Weave the Pirate Codex with My Zanpakuto

"They also say that protection is far more difficult than killing, which is why I chose the path of protection."

The bear bent down and gently rubbed Aurora's head a few times.

"I've had my share of disappointments, but the older man always comforted me by patting my head."

[As an older man, I love seeing you all smile. Only in moments like these do I feel truly alive.]

So, little bear, I have a favor to ask you.

Never lose your smile. If even you guys can't smile, I'll be depressed to death.

“The uncle would say these things to me every time he got drunk, so I made up my mind a long time ago.”

"No matter what happens in the future, I will never forget the smile, because this is the most important thing that I promised my uncle!"

Aurora looked up, staring blankly at the bear's smiling face, which was "lit up" by the setting sun.

Then, he stretched his lips to the sides, revealing a big smile.

"Yes! It's a promise, I will never forget your smile!"

"If my smile can make my teacher happy, no matter what happens in the future, even if the darkest hour comes again, I will definitely face it with a smile!"

……

Several days later, on the back of the ray.

"Ah~~ Chu!!"

Ross rubbed his nose. "That's strange. Has someone been talking about me? I've been sneezing a lot these past few days."

"Ross, where's the permanent record pointer used in the New World?"

"here."

He handed over the record hands engraved with three dials, which Perospero had brought along with the invitation.

The direction that the most stable pointer points to is Tottoland.

Olvia kept turning her body to determine the direction, then pointed north.

"Let's go in that direction and head straight to the appointment. We'll land on a small island along the way to resupply."

……

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

A nation where war never ends, a northern port.

Is there a war going on here?

Standing at the deserted harbor, watching the hurried passersby, Olvia frowned and muttered to herself.

"The land of endless war has come to an unexpected place."

Ross released the passerby and walked towards the girl, unleashing his full Observation Haki forward.

“Let’s go explore this place, Olvia.”

Chapter 36 The human world is inherently a purgatory, and reality is a bone-scraping knife.

"attack!!!"

"General Douglas's orders are that we must break through the enemy lines before sunrise tomorrow!"

"The general said that the person who makes the greatest contribution in battle will be awarded a medal..."

rumble--

Dark clouds loomed over the city, and thunder roared.

Outside the city, a large contingent of thousands stood quietly in the dim light.

Boom!

The thunder dragon glided by, and the darkness receded.

At the front of the crowd, a group of young soldiers, whose faces were generally still very young, appeared in the light.

Among them, a blond boy who was much taller than his peers stood out.

His messy blond hair was soaked by the rain, and his large, eyebrowless eyes were filled with longing and madness.

"Hey, Barrett, let's team up!"

Barrett withdrew his gaze from the mobilization officer and looked curiously at the "comrade" who had taken the initiative to speak to him.

"If we cooperate, it would be incredibly easy for the youth army to gain merit. All we need to do is blow open the city gates in the shortest time, and the credit for this battle will undoubtedly go to us!"

"As for who gets the medal, you are the strongest among us. You can have the medal, but you must pay us one million Berries."

Barrett's mind flashed back to the golden badge he had just caught a glimpse of in the lightning.

A medal representing absolute honor!

"No problem, but I don't have that many Pelés right now."

"It's alright, we believe you won't break your promise, Barrett."

In the shadows where Barrett couldn't see, several young soldiers who had spoken to him exchanged glances, a ruthless glint in their eyes.

"Then it's settled. We'll give all the credit to you, so don't let it slip."

Barrett was imagining what it would be like to receive the medal.

If he could get that medal, he would become a hero, and the general would surely value him highly.

As long as I get that medal...

"Of course! You just need to follow me, and I'll lead you to the greatest victory in this war!"

"All troops, in the name of General Douglas, crush our enemy!!"

……

at the same time--

Wolfsburg, a nation where war never ends

Inside the enormous castle, merchants hung colorful flags symbolizing victory and triumph at the entrance.

"That's really strange. The war isn't over yet, so why are they all hanging up victory flags?"

Olvia, who was selecting fruit, asked curiously.

The shop owner smiled and replied, "You must be an outsider. The country of endless war has been winning battles for several years now."

"Years ago, under the leadership of General Douglas Gray, we defeated Jalzburg, then the most powerful nation, and earned the title of 'Nation of Endless War,' which is what you outsiders call a military nation honor."

"Speaking of which, this castle used to be Jarzburg, the capital of a country that was constantly at war back then."

"The streets you see now and the ordinary people you meet are actually residents of the previous country."

Olvia put the apple into the paper bag and asked in surprise:

"Hey~~ You're from a defeated country, huh? What General Douglas did he do nothing with you?"

The shop owner took the paper bag and weighed it.

"Thank you for your patronage. The total is 12,000 Berries."

"So expensive! How can three apples cost so many peso?!" Olvia clutched her wallet.

"Because it's during wartime, prices naturally have to rise."

The shop owner grinned with a greedy grin.

"What did you just ask me again? How to handle it?"

"This is a tradition on our island. The victorious nation will swallow everything of the defeated nation. Only the nobles will be dealt with. We commoners are not the targets."

"They still need our children to win the war. If we all die, the army will have no fresh blood, and then it won't be us who will be worried."

"So in this country, civilians are the safest, and the population is the treasure, just look there."

Olvia reluctantly paid and looked in the direction the shop owner was pointing.

"Skull?"

“Those skeletons are the remains of the Jarzburg nobles. They were all gone, from top to bottom. The ones you see are still hanging.”

"The corpses of some little devils have long been swallowed up by time and wind."

Olvia's interest in sightseeing had largely vanished, and she left absentmindedly, clutching her paper bag.

"Don't even think about changing this place."

Ross spoke up at the opportune moment, "The people on this land are all possessed. Even if I use force to suppress this island..."

"As soon as I leave, within six months, this island will be engulfed in war again."

"The 'honor' of the strongest nation on this small island is 'the nation of endless war,' where the victors gain everything and the losers are eliminated."

“This land,” Ross stomped his foot a few times.

"It's like a giant arena where everyone dreams of reaching the top and becoming the strongest."

"If this is the case with the already extinct Jalzburg, then Wolfsburg will most likely disappear in the future as well."

"But this is too much..."

Olvia didn't finish her sentence; she didn't understand this almost perverse idea.

"Only those who have tasted power themselves know what it's like."

Ross took an apple worth 4000 Berries out of the bag and casually wiped it with his sleeve.

"Is it better to live a miserable life as a slave for 50 years, or to live a carefree life as a nobleman for 10 years?"

"Any normal person would choose the latter, unless you choose to go to sea and become a pirate."

Crunch~

The sweetness of the apples carried away the metallic smell from his nose, easing Ross's slightly furrowed brow.

"But then again, becoming a pirate is just jumping from a small cage to a bigger one."

"It's like you're in prison, and you use a spoon to dig through the wall, only to find that the tunnel leads to another cell."

Lighthearted words bring despair.

Olvia sighed, "So, according to you, this world itself is a cage, and we are all prisoners?"

Ross casually tossed the pit aside: "Your understanding isn't wrong either."

"The reason I persist in practicing every day is to win this competition called the 'Winner in Life' competition."

"Defeat everyone who opposes me and become the strongest one to set the rules."

"Only in this way can we escape the identity of a prisoner."

“Isn’t thinking like that too hopeless?” Olvia retorted, unconvinced. “Why can’t we live a happier life?”

"Because that's reality, Olvia."

Ross stopped in his tracks, his expression solemn.

"Reality can never be happy. The reason you feel happy is often because you have experienced pain or setbacks before that."

Olvia froze.

"Struggling for money, struggling for family, struggling to survive."

"Olvia, the world is a purgatory, and reality is a bone-scraping knife. It cuts away our flesh and edges, making us more smooth and wanting us to accept our predetermined fate."

"I want to become the strongest, so that one day I can shatter that bone-scraping knife."

“If I don’t fight, you will. Listen to me, Olvia.”

Ross took the girl's hand and walked forward with firm and steady steps.

"Suffering is not something to be celebrated; it's just a pile of dog shit. That's why I want to protect your smile."

"I don't want your soul tainted with dog shit, to me..."

A strong wind blew in, and a torrential rain poured down.