One Piece: With Sign-in System

"Ron…" The old man furrowed his brows, tapping his fingers lightly against the table, "that name sounds familiar. I feel like I've heard it somewhere before."

He stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Ron casually took a sip of the broth from his bowl.

"The Traveler, Ron—does that ring a bell?"

Issho's expression subtly shifted.

A fleeting moment of silence passed before Ron chuckled.

"So, you do remember now? I guess being famous isn't entirely a bad thing."

Issho calmly picked up another mouthful of noodles.

"The infamous criminal wanted by the World Government and the Marines… what business does such a man have with an insignificant blind vagabond like myself?"

He slurped his noodles, seemingly unbothered.

Ron let out a small sigh, shaking his head.

"You keep calling yourself a blind vagabond over and over again… even I'm starting to feel offended."

The old swordsman's chopsticks paused mid-air.

He lifted his head slightly, a hint of curiosity in his blind gaze.

"What do you mean by that?"

At that moment, from a nearby table, two men were whispering among themselves, their voices barely above a murmur—yet perfectly audible to both Ron and Issho.

"Hey, look over there. Those two—an old man and a young guy—both blind?!"

"Heh, what are the chances of that? Two blind men eating together… that's gotta be the funniest thing I've seen today."

"You think they can even pay for their meal? The shop owner's gonna rip them off for sure."

"Let's wait and see."

…

Their mocking whispers were nothing more than an amusing backdrop to Ron and Issho's conversation.

Issho finally spoke again, his deep voice carrying a hint of interest.

"The Traveler, Ron… a man whose name shakes the world, yet here you sit, just like me—a blind man. How did that happen?"

Ron took another sip of his noodles, speaking lightly, as if the matter were of no concern.

"This? Oh, it's nothing serious. I'll be able to see again in a little while."

He then turned the question back to Issho.

"But what about you? How did you lose your sight?"

A quiet pause stretched between them before Ron's voice softened, almost casual.

"Was it taken from you? Or… did you give it up willingly?"

A faint melancholy settled over Issho's features.

"It was my own doing," he admitted.

Ron's chopsticks stilled for a moment.

"Why?"

Issho exhaled deeply, as if recalling something distant and painful.

"This world is filthy," he murmured. "Too many vile and corrupt souls walk upon it… things that no honorable man should have to see."

"So you chose to blind yourself?"

Ron set his bowl down, a smile playing at his lips.

"Tell me, Issho… was that righteousness? Or was it just running away?"

The old man said nothing.

Instead, he silently finished his noodles, his posture unreadable.

Finally, he set his bowl down and stood up.

"Thank you for the meal," he said, his voice returning to its usual calm and stoic tone.

He reached for the cane-sword at his side, wrapping his fingers around it before making his way toward the exit.

Ron chuckled, flipping a gold coin onto the table as payment before following after him.

On the street, Ron walked leisurely, his black cloak fluttering slightly with each step.

He followed a few paces behind Issho, hands tucked into his coat pockets.

Issho eventually slowed, exhaling in mild exasperation.

"How long do you intend to follow me, Traveler?"

Ron tilted his head slightly, as if in thought.

"Hmm… I don't have much to do right now. And instead of causing another global incident, I figured I'd just stick around with you for a while."

"…"

"And besides," Ron continued, flashing a knowing smile, "there are some things I'd really like to talk to you about."

…

Sea Calendar, Year 1520, June.

Luffy and Zoro arrived at Orange Town, where they clashed with Buggy, the pirate who had taken control of the town. It was here that they also encountered Nami, who was temporarily staying with the Buggy Pirates.

After Luffy sent Buggy flying with a powerful Gum-Gum Bazooka, Nami turned to him and asked,

"Are you guys planning to go to the Grand Line?"

"Of course! I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!"

"Then… if I give you a map of the Grand Line, will you take me with you?"

Nami pulled out the Grand Line sea chart she had stolen from Buggy and showed it to Luffy and Zoro.

"Sure!"

Luffy agreed without a second thought.

After joining them on the ship, Nami demonstrated her exceptional navigation skills. Seeing this, Luffy immediately suggested that she become their crew's navigator—the second official member of his pirate crew.

"Hmm… I need to think about it."

Leaning against the ship's railing, her orange hair swayed in the sea breeze. She gazed into the horizon, eyes filled with both anticipation and nostalgia.

"I once made a promise to someone... That I would find the best crewmates, become a navigator that even they would acknowledge, and then meet them again on the sea."

Turning back to Luffy and Zoro, she flashed a playful smile.

"So, I can't just casually agree to be your navigator."

"So basically, you want to see if we're worthy of being your crew before you decide?"

Zoro crossed his arms and gave her a knowing look.

"Exactly."

Nami nodded. "Until then, we're just allies."

"Heh heh heh! Is that so?"

Sitting on the deck, Luffy grinned widely, pressing a hand to his straw hat, his smile full of confidence.

"Don't worry, we'll definitely prove we're the best crew for you!"

…

Mid-June.

With three members now, the Straw Hat Pirates set sail for the floating restaurant Baratie. There, by sheer coincidence, they ran into none other than Hawkeye Mihawk, one of the Warlords of the Sea—and the strongest swordsman in the world.

Zoro would never let such an opportunity slip by. Without hesitation, he challenged Mihawk to a duel.

And just as in the original story, Mihawk effortlessly defeated Zoro—using only a small dagger. Then, with a single powerful slash, he left a deep wound across Zoro's chest.

For the first time, Zoro, who had always been supremely confident in his swordsmanship and strength, truly understood how small he was.

The gap between him and the world's strongest… It was unfathomably vast.

"Roronoa Zoro, I'll remember your name. Keep getting stronger, young swordsman."

Mihawk retrieved the sword, gazing down at the wounded Zoro, his voice calm yet commanding.

"You said you were looking for a man named Ron. If you see him, tell him that I'm waiting… Waiting for a real fight against him."

With those words, Hawkeye Mihawk stepped back onto his Coffin Boat and left.

"...In his eyes, Ron is already a worthy opponent?"

Lying in a pool of his own blood, Zoro's consciousness wavered. In his mind, he saw a vision of his past—the dojo from years ago.

A young boy dressed in white, gripping a bamboo sword, stood in front of him.

Little Ron.

As Zoro's mind drifted, that childhood image of Ron transformed into the present-day black-clad swordsman, his expression calm, his black blade at his side, his gaze as sharp as ever.

The same man.

Standing before him once again.

A towering mountain that Zoro could never seem to surpass.

"So that's how it is…?"

Ron had never stopped growing after leaving the dojo.

Now, he had reached the level of even Mihawk.

"…How far am I from them now?"

The thought echoed in Zoro's mind, filling him with a sense of powerlessness unlike anything he had ever felt before.

"Zoro!"

A frantic voice snapped him back to reality.

Luffy's panicked shout cut through the silence as he sprinted toward his fallen crewmate.

But just before Luffy could reach Zoro—

A tall, black-clad figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

A black blade hung from his waist.

His presence was unshakable, his stance unmoved by the wind.

The figure overlapped perfectly with the hallucination Zoro had seen before losing consciousness.

"Man… you're looking pretty rough, Zoro."

A familiar voice, laced with amusement, echoed in his ears—just like the old days.

"…A hallucination?"

Zoro tried to open his eyes, struggling to focus.But before he could see clearly, darkness overtook him.

He lost consciousness.

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