One Piece: Pirate Code

These three paths were all thoughts and ideas that had subtly appeared in William's mind. The first, [Desperate Counterattack], likely stemmed from William's overactive imagination. It was probably inspired by some movies or novels from his past life, where the protagonist, blessed with a halo of destiny, could overcome any challenge and defeat gods and demons without fail. This idea led him to an unconscious fantasy.

Unfortunately, it was just a fantasy. Rational thought quickly reminded him that it wasn't realistic. Even if William didn't know all the details of One Piece, he at least knew it was a fantasy-themed shonen manga where the important characters often destroyed entire buildings on their own. The limits of their power weren't entirely clear, but they were certainly leagues beyond anything from his previous life.

William had been a mere office worker in his past life, at most going to the gym—he wasn't a killer or a special forces soldier. He didn't know how to train himself to become an anonymous hero capable of bringing down entire buildings. 

Now, he was standing on a pirate ship, relying on the swordsmanship inherited from the original owner of this body. But from the scattered memories he'd managed to dredge up, it seemed the original owner hadn't studied swordsmanship very seriously. His current skills were only enough to dominate among the weakest.

If this mysterious and strange space was truly the manifestation of choices in life, the crossroads of fate, then William couldn't view it as just a simple cheat for his journey. He couldn't get caught up in drooling over the so-called "rewards" that had unclear effects, being led by something whose results weren't yet confirmed.

Becoming the new captain would require defeating or even killing Danton, and then fighting the navy. William would inevitably be placed on the navy's wanted list. From then on, he would live a life much like any small pirate crew in the East Blue—without time or opportunity to study or train, constantly being hunted by the navy, forced to raid for supplies, gradually accumulating a bounty until he eventually faced an unbeatable opponent, and everything would end there.

A true warrior might be fearless, but William didn't know for sure. What he did know was that real fools were also fearless. The first option on the notice board, despite being the only path with two so-called "rewards," was likely the one with the worst outcome.

From this perspective, the "requirements" on the notice board seemed to be a safeguard for William, to protect him from being foolish. The 20 sturdy fate threads and 30 fragile fate threads represented that he needed 20 subordinates who would obey him and 30 people who leaned toward him. Given there were fewer than 100 people on the ship, and even fewer after the recent setbacks, meeting the "requirements" would prove that at least half the crew was on his side, which would give him the foundation to usurp Danton and complete his first task.

Without this safeguard, William, being reckless, would likely have been bound by the pirates and delivered to Danton, ending up as minced meat. Not only would he fail to complete the task, but he might also lose his life.

Thinking this through, William silently concluded that the second path, [Endure and Take Revenge], wouldn't work either. This option seemed to be drawn from a confession trope from his past life, but in this world, the navy was not like the police from his old world. The laws and order were entirely different, and who knew what would happen if he truly surrendered? Moreover, the condition for this path was to kill someone with a unique fate thread—clearly referring to Ajin, who had already gravitated toward him. How could he possibly choose to sever such an important connection?

The only viable path, then, was the third one, [Escape from the Tiger's Mouth].

In the past, escaping from a pirate crew would have been extremely difficult. Pirate ships were not sightseeing vessels—one couldn't simply come and go as they pleased. Especially with Danton, the captain of the crew, being a ruthless old pirate, William didn't think he could match him in a fight. Even if he tried to escape, he wouldn't get far.

But now, the mood on the ship was unsettled. Everyone harbored their own secret thoughts, making it a perfect opportunity.

As a relatively unknown pirate, William wasn't seen as a threat by the World Government or the navy, and he wouldn't have a bounty on his head. If he escaped, he would at least have the chance to gather some knowledge.

The original owner of this body had only a rudimentary grasp of swordsmanship, yet managed to secure a position on the pirate ship, scraping by. This showed the importance of training and learning, but that took time.

Placing his hand on the third notice board, William watched as the fate threads reappeared.

The preconditions for the path of [Escape from the Tiger's Mouth] were a unique fate thread and a sturdy fate thread, both of which William had already achieved. As he moved, the mist around the entrance slowly cleared, revealing the road ahead completely.

Taking a deep breath, William stepped into the path he had chosen. But then, as if sensing something, he looked back, only to see the darkness reclaim the area he had just vacated, soon enveloping the small space and the three notice boards entirely.

Curious, William wondered what would happen if he didn't follow the instructions on the notice boards.

But he quickly dismissed the thought—he couldn't afford to experiment. Who knew what kind of glitches might occur in this strange space? If it suddenly collapsed, like a game bug, what would the consequences be?

…

On the ship of the Danton Pirates, at the quiet call of Aramis, William slowly opened his eyes.

The strange space in his dream hadn't affected his recovery. Though he was still a bit disoriented upon waking, his eyes soon became sharp again.

"Where's Ajin?" William asked as he got up from his hammock.

"As you ordered when you boarded the ship, he's keeping an eye on the small boat," Aramis yawned, then noticed Vallon still fast asleep. Annoyed, she slapped his bald head with a loud "smack."

"Quit sleeping!" Aramis yelled, her voice sharp.

Vallon groaned and sluggishly got up, still mumbling incoherently.

Ignoring her half-asleep companion, Aramis turned to William. "We only have four of us. Two shifts for the night watch are too tough. We won't last long. Should we split it into four shifts?"

"No!" William rejected the suggestion firmly. "We'll push through for now. It's a tough job, but we have to endure. Do you want to die with the ship?"

Aramis nodded, but then, with a sneaky glance, she leaned in conspiratorially. "William, do you think the captain really plans to leave the rest of us behind and escape?"

"After we had contact with the navy's warship, it's obvious to anyone, even the slowest. They're probably in a hurry to have us raid villages before collecting our loot. The navy isn't eager to wipe us out, but they won't just let us go either. A pirate ship and a big group of pirates are a huge target. If we don't leave now, while the navy's still uncertain, this might be our only chance to slip out of their sight," William shrugged, then added, "Did you see how the captain acted at the dock? Do you really think he didn't realize that, and do you think he has the guts to make a hard choice?"

"I don't know how many people the captain plans to take with him. If you take a shift, I'm worried something might go wrong and we won't be able to help," William said, patting Aramis on the shoulder. Seeing the fatigue on her face, he added, "You rest here. I'll have Ajin join you."

Aramis nodded, yawned, and then flopped onto William's hammock. William gently led Vallon out of the room.

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