The three paths all represented thoughts and ideas that had vaguely surfaced in William's mind. The first path, [Desperate Counterattack], likely stemmed from his daydreaming tendencies—inspired by movies and novels from his past life where protagonists, blessed with plot armor, could overcome any adversity and defeat any opponent with seemingly divine ease.
Unfortunately, such fantasies were far from reality. William knew this wasn't realistic. Though he lacked detailed knowledge of One Piece, he was at least aware it was a fantasy-themed shonen manga where major characters could single-handedly demolish entire buildings. The upper limits of their strength remained beyond his comprehension, but they undoubtedly surpassed anything from his former world by orders of magnitude.
In his previous life, William had been nothing more than an office worker who occasionally visited the gym. He wasn't an assassin or special forces soldier. He had no idea how to train himself to become the kind of otherworldly hero capable of effortlessly destroying buildings.
His current standing on the pirate ship was thanks to the swordsmanship foundation of his body's original owner. However, from the fragmented memories he had managed to access, it was clear the original owner hadn't been a diligent student. His current skill level was just enough to dominate among the small fry—nothing more.
If this mysterious space was truly, as William suspected, a manifestation of life's choices and a crossroads of destiny, then he couldn't treat it merely as a "cheat code" granted by his transmigration. He couldn't allow himself to be led by the nose, fixating on "rewards" whose effects remained unclear.
Becoming the new captain would require defeating—perhaps even killing—Danton. Afterward, he would need to defeat the Marines. William would inevitably end up on their wanted list, leading a life indistinguishable from any small-time East Blue pirate crew—constantly fleeing, raiding for supplies, and gradually accumulating bounty until he eventually encountered an insurmountable opponent. That would be the end.
William wasn't certain if "true warriors" were genuinely fearless, but he was convinced that true fools certainly were. The first signboard and its path, despite being the only one offering two rewards, likely represented the worst possible outcome.
From this perspective, the "requirements" listed seemed more like safeguards preventing William from acting foolishly. The demand for 20 Tenacious Threads of Fate and 30 Fragile Threads of Fate represented the need for 20 loyal subordinates and 30 fence-sitters leaning in his favor. With fewer than a hundred people aboard—even fewer after recent losses—meeting these requirements would mean over half the crew supported William, providing a foundation for him to seize power and accomplish the first objective.
Without this safeguard, if William recklessly attempted to overthrow the captain and fight the Marines alone, he would likely end up bound and delivered to Danton to be butchered. Not only would he fail the task and forfeit the rewards, but he might also lose his life.
The second path, [Enduring Hardship for Revenge], was equally unviable. This option seemed inspired by surrender scenarios from his past life. However, the Marines in this world clearly differed from the police in his former world. The laws and social order here were entirely different—who knew what might happen if he surrendered? Moreover, the requirement to kill someone with a Unique Thread of Fate undoubtedly referred to Agin, who had already aligned himself with William. How could he possibly choose to sever his own arm?
That left only the third path, [Escape from the Tiger's Mouth], as the most viable option from William's perspective.
Ordinarily, leaving a pirate crew would be nearly impossible. Pirate ships weren't cruise liners where one could come and go freely. Especially with the Danton Pirates, led by a ruthless veteran like Danton, William doubted he could escape even if he tried.
But now, with the crew in disarray and everyone harboring secret agendas, this presented a heaven-sent opportunity.
As a small-time pirate from an obscure crew, William remained beneath the notice of the World Government and Marines. He wouldn't have a bounty on his head, giving him the chance to escape and accumulate knowledge.
The original owner of this body had managed to secure his position on the pirate ship with only rudimentary swordsmanship. This demonstrated the importance of training and learning—both requiring time.
William placed his hand on the third signboard, and the Threads of Fate reappeared.
The prerequisites for the [Escape from the Tiger's Mouth] path were one Unique Thread of Fate and one Tenacious Thread of Fate. William had already met these conditions. As he acted, the mist at the crossroads slowly dispersed, revealing the path leading into the unknown.
Taking a deep breath, William stepped onto his chosen path. Suddenly sensing something, he turned to look back, only to see darkness reclaiming the area he had just left. It quickly enveloped the small clearing and the three signboards.
He couldn't help but wonder: what would happen if he didn't follow the instructions on the signboards?
But William dared not experiment recklessly. Who knew what might occur if this strange space encountered a "bug" like in a game? If it collapsed, what would the consequences be?
On the Danton Pirates' ship, William slowly opened his eyes to the sound of Aramis's soft call.
The time spent in the dream space hadn't affected William's recovery. Though momentarily disoriented upon waking, his eyes quickly regained their sharpness.
"Where's Agin?" William asked as he rose from his hammock.
"Just as you instructed after boarding, he's keeping an eye on the small boat," Aramis replied with a yawn. Noticing Vallon still sound asleep, he irritably smacked the bald man's head with a loud smack.
"Wake up! It's your turn for watch duty!" Aramis grumbled.
Vallon groaned, slowly rising with half-closed eyes, mumbling incoherently.
Ignoring his half-dreaming comrade, Aramis turned to William and asked, "With just the four of us, splitting the watch into two shifts is too exhausting. We won't last long. Should we divide it into four shifts?"
"No!" William firmly rejected. "It won't be for long. We must endure, no matter how difficult. Do you want to go down with this ship?"
Aramis acknowledged with a nod. Seeing the fatigue etched on his face, William patted his shoulder and said, "You can sleep here for now. I'll have Agin come rest here too later."
Yawning, Aramis nodded and collapsed onto William's hammock. William, meanwhile, guided the drowsy Vallon and quietly left the room.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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