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Aero stared across the deck at Zoro, who stood nearly 30 meters away, his face practically shouting the word "Shocked."
With a calm smile, Aero said, "If one of my crewmates gave you that much trouble, you'd never make it past the rest of us. By the time you finished, your sidekicks would be cold in the dirt."
Zoro paused, then sheathed his two swords.
"Fair point," he said. "So, you gonna let them go?"
"Eddie!" Aero called out.
With a dramatic sigh, Eddie pulled a small knife from his belt and sliced through the ropes binding Johnny and Yosaku.
The two bounty hunters scrambled back to Zoro, crawling as fast as they could.
Zoro breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well," he chuckled awkwardly, "no hard feelings. Guess we'll be on our way now."
From Aero's calm words and overwhelming presence, Zoro had learned two things:
1. Aero was far stronger than him.
2. Aero wasn't his enemy.
And since he didn't have a reason to fight him, there was no point continuing.
But—
"Wait." Aero's voice stopped him mid-step.
Zoro instinctively reached for his sword, turning back. "What is it now?"
Aero gestured toward a nearby crate. "One box of wine we confiscated from a pirate ship. Consider it a gift."
Zoro's eyes lit up. In a flash, he darted over and popped the lid.
Inside bottles of aged, red-brown wine.
He grabbed one, uncorked it, and drank deeply, sighing with pure joy.
"Captain!" Johnny and Yosaku tried to convince him to leave, but there was no way Zoro was going anywhere now.
He downed a whole bottle and slapped Aero on the back. "You're a good guy! Thanks for the drink!"
Aero gave a dry laugh and nodded.
Once the ship was fully resupplied, the Hurricane Pirates pushed off the island and resumed their journey.
Their encounter with Zoro had confirmed something important—
The timeline was beginning.
Characters from the original story were starting to appear.
News had already spread of Portgas D. Ace making waves in the New World, even turning down the World Government's offer to become a Warlord of the Sea.
Soon, he'd join the Whitebeard Pirates as Second Division Commander.
Time was moving fast.
Aero stood at the bow, watching the horizon as the Pigeon sailed smoothly through the sea breeze until he noticed something behind them.
A small boat had been tailing them. All day.
"Wes, let's go," Aero ordered from the mast.
"Grey, drop the anchor."
The Ship gradually came to a stop.
The small boat approached. Aero gave a silent nod, and Grey lowered a rope ladder.
A figure climbed up slowly. Thin frame. A red-striped headband. Grey clothing.
Aero leaned over the rail and offered a hand.
The man accepted it without hesitation.
Pulled aboard, the stranger stood before them with sunken eyes, a sharp nose, and red bead earrings on both ears.
He met Aero's gaze and introduced himself.
"I'm Gin."
Aero waited for more, but Gin stayed quiet.
Eddie and Dylan came over. Eddie stared at him cautiously. Dylan watched his movements with a trained eye.
"Gin?" Aero asked. "What do you want aboard my ship?"
He recognized the name Gin, the Demon Man, had once been Krieg's top combat commander in the East Blue.
But… he didn't seem hostile.
"I want to join you," Gin said flatly. "Join the Hurricane Pirates."
"Join?" Eddie blurted out.
But when Aero shot him a look, he shut up.
Still, the question lingered in Aero's mind—
Was this a trap?
"Why my crew?" Aero asked. "Krieg's still stronger than most pirates out here."
Gin shook his head.
"Right now, no one in the East Blue is stronger than you," he said. "Your bounty is 35 million the highest in the sea. Your officers are all over 12 million. And the Hurricane Pirates… are new. Which means there's room to grow. I believe I'll find my dream here."
Aero finally understood.
In the original story, Gin had joined Krieg's fleet around this time but now, because of Aero's rise, he had chosen a different path.
And Gin was no joke.
He was strong enough to fight evenly with Sanji in canon.
Aero looked at Dylan and Eddie. Neither objected.
"Fine," Aero said. "But if you want to be an officer you'll have to prove you're strong enough."
"I understand."
Gin pulled out his weapons: a pair of tonfa with solid iron spheres attached to the ends.
He took a fighting stance, silent and focused.
Aero looked at his crew and asked, "So… who wants to spar with our newest recruit?"
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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