Even though the duel was over, the crowd was still buzzing, completely captivated by what they had just seen.
Ray's overwhelming power, Zoro's unbreakable spirit, and the respect between the two swordsmen—it was a scene nobody in the town would ever forget.
Then, out of nowhere, someone yelled:
"What are you all staring at?! Don't let Ray get away!"
"…Huh? What?"
"Holy crap, she's right! Ray, don't go! Come party with us!"
"Go get him before he leaves! You'll regret it if you don't!"
In an instant, the square erupted into chaos.
A massive crowd of women kicked up a dust cloud as they charged, looking like a full-on cavalry stampede.
Ray glanced back at the swarm of fans rushing toward him, frowned and with a single leap, landed silently on a rooftop, leaving the screaming mob below.
"AHAHAHA!" Luffy suddenly roared with laughter.
"Crisis averted! Now, let's get this party started for real!"
"WOOOOO!!"
.....
As the sun began to set, the town was alive with celebration.
Luffy had already made friends with all the kids, making goofy faces and singing terrible songs with them.
Zoro was in a drinking contest with a group of old men, his insane tolerance for alcohol earning him roaring cheers.
Meanwhile, Ray sat on the highest roof in town, sipping a drink he'd found somewhere.
Below him, a crowd of women, now became very bold from the alcohol, were shouting some… very inappropiate things up at him.
He fought the urge to silence them all with one attack and instead just stared up at the half-moon in the night sky.
Suddenly, an impossibly long arm shot through the air and grabbed him by the collar.
For a split second, a cold sweat ran down Ray's back.
He was yanked off the roof by Luffy.
Just as they were about to crash into each other mid-air, Ray spun, kicked Luffy square in the chest, and sent him flying into a garbage pile a hundred meters away.
"Whoa, Ray is so cool!"
His smooth landing earned him another round of cheers from the women below.
Ignoring their strange squeals, Ray dashed toward the garbage pile.
He grabbed the only part of Luffy still sticking out—his ankle—and took off toward a grove of trees in the distance.
A few moments later, pained shouts echoed from the woods.
"AH! That hurts! Hey, take it easy on me!"
The sounds of pain made all the men at the party wince, while all the women blushed for some reason.
After a while, Luffy's screaming stopped and everyone just shrugged and went back to the party.
…
In the grove, a bruised and battered Luffy sat up.
His usual goofy grin was gone, replaced by a look of rare seriousness.
"Ray," he said, his voice steady.
"Join my crew. Let's go find the One Piece together. I'm gonna become the King of the Pirates… and then I'm gonna achieve my real dream."
Ray knew Luffy had another, secret dream that went beyond being the Pirate King.
He had his guesses, but he wasn't sure.
"What dream?" he asked.
Luffy just grinned. "I'll tell you when we get there."
He looked at Ray with eyes full of hope.
"So, what do you say?"
Ray was quiet for a few seconds before giving a slight nod.
"Fine."
The real reason Ray agreed was simple: to level up his sync rate, he needed to be a part of this world's biggest events.
And Luffy, as the main character, was a walking, talking trouble magnet.
Sticking with him was the fastest way to get stronger.
That said, Ray didn't dislike the simple honest kid like luffy.
Not yet, anyway.
Though his personality was now like Sesshomaru's, Ray had been a human before all this.
He didn't share the demon's natural hatred for them.
Hearing Ray's answer, Luffy immediately jumped up and cheered.
"Awesome! Let's get back to the party!"
…
Before they knew it, the sun was rising, cutting through the darkness of the night.
The ground was littered with people passed out from the celebration.
Ray, Luffy, and Zoro, however, were already at the docks.
Luffy grinned.
"Heh, the Straw Hat Pirates are officially a thing!"
Ray and Zoro both gave small smiles as they watched the sunrise.
Then, with matching looks of reluctance, they climbed aboard Luffy's tiny, beat-up boat.
"Set sail!"
As the little boat pushed off, the three of them stared out at the horizon, each lost in their own thoughts.
~
Ray smirked, thinking about the system notification that had popped up after he'd officially joined the crew.
Major Event Complete: "Meet Luffy and Zoro, Join the Straw Hat Crew, Defeat Captain Morgan."
Reward: Sync Rate Increased. Current Sesshomaru Sync Rate: 40%.
Threshold Bonus: Poison Claws and Light Whip power increased.
New Skill Unlocked: Azure Dragon Strike.
Special Reward: Armament Haki.
~
As the notifications faded, a wave of new knowledge flooded Ray's mind.
He instantly understood Armament Haki, as if he'd known how to use it his whole life.
He could feel it now, ready to harden any part of his body at will.
But because of his demon energy, his Haki felt… different.
Stronger, darker, and way more lethal than the standard version.
~
After getting a feel for his new power, Ray started piecing things together.
He was beginning to understand how his system worked.
Beating major bosses gave him rewards, and the most important reward was pushing his sync rate past its limits.
Acting like Sesshomaru every day would slowly raise the rate, but when he got close to a big number—like going from 39.9% to 40%—he'd hit a wall.
Only by beating a boss in a key event could he break through.
Breaking through made him stronger, upgraded his old skills, and could even give him new powers from this world, like the Haki he just got.
So, his path forward was clear.
Step one: Keep being himself—cold, powerful, and noble, just like Sesshomaru.
Step two: When he hits a wall, find a major villain to crush.
Luckily, he wouldn't have to look far.
By sticking with Luffy, the world's biggest villains would practically line up to get their butts kicked.
Monkey D. Luffy wasn't called the main character for nothing.
'Heh. Saves me the trouble of hunting them down myself', Ray thought.
Joining the Straw Hat Pirates was definitely the right call.
~
Ray's thoughts were interrupted by Luffy.
"Hey, Ray, how come you were able to hurt me with your fists last night? My body's made of rubber," he asked curiously.
Ray thought for a moment.
He hadn't known Haki back then; it was his demon energy that had done the trick.
He figured it must have properties similar to Haki, allowing it to bypass Devil Fruit defenses.
But he didn't explain that.
Instead, he looked at both Luffy and Zoro and asked.
"Want to learn how?"
"Yes! Teach me!" Zoro, who had been quiet the whole time, answered immediately, his eyes blazing with intensity.
Luffy's face lit up right after.
And so, on a tiny boat barely big enough for three, a legend quietly began.
…
Marine Headquarters – Bounty Division
A Vice Admiral sat at the head of a long table.
"Next on the agenda," he said, "are the bounties for a new crew that took down Captain Morgan in Shells Town."
"According to our reports, here's what we have: 'Straw Hat' Luffy: A Devil Fruit user, seems to be a Paramecia. His body is like rubber. 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro: A Three-Sword Style master. He's taken down several million-berry pirates on his own. Then there's the white-haired man, Ray. We know he was the one who cut down Captain Morgan in a single strike. What's terrifying is that the leftover energy from his swing sliced a massive tree in half from dozens of meters away. His power cannot be underestimated."
Of the three, Ray's feat was the one that made the officers at the table murmur.
After a brief discussion, the Vice Admiral made his decision.
"'Straw Hat' Luffy: a bounty of 10 million berries. 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro: a bounty of 9 million berries. White-haired swordsman, Ray: a bounty of 20 million berries! If there are no objections, print the posters."
As the meeting ended, wanted posters for the three newest threats in the East Blue were sent out to the world.