Lynn looked at Nami and sighed inwardly. Wow, she's really beautiful—such a figure... Without thinking twice, he blurted out, "Hey, beautiful lady, are you headed to Shields Town?"
Nami blinked. "Ah? Yes, I'm planning to go there. Why?"
Without hesitation, Lynn jumped onto Nami's boat. The sudden weight made it shake violently.
"Hey! Don't you have your own boat? Why come to mine?" Nami exclaimed, narrowing her eyes.
Lynn casually put his arm around her waist and whispered, "Our boat is too small for three people. It's cramped, and we can't even lie down."
Nami's face darkened. Was this the first time she'd met a man bold enough to hold her waist without permission? How rude!
She raised an eyebrow. "How about letting go? How long do you plan to hold me like this?"
"Ahahaha..." Lynn quickly withdrew his hand, grinning awkwardly. "The boat was shaking too much—I was just making sure you didn't fall."
Ding! "Congratulations to the host for completing a flirtatious operation. Reward: one box of rubbers."
Lynn's expression darkened. What does that even mean? Am I really that kind of guy? Who would use that? It felt so unrealistic!
On the other ship, Luffy laughed while clutching his stomach. "Lynn, you really are something else."
Lynn narrowed his eyes. Did Luffy actually catch that? No way!
The ship set sail smoothly. Lynn ordered, "Coby, make sure to keep close to this ship."
"Why?" Luffy asked.
"Do you know how to sail?"
"No," Luffy said simply.
Nami scoffed, "You can't say that so confidently."
Lynn pointed at her. "She knows how to sail. Since we're all going the same way, let her navigate for us."
Then Lynn introduced himself. "I'm Lynn, this is Coby, and that one's Luffy. What's your name?"
Though he already knew, Lynn thought it might be weird to say Nami's name outright.
"I'm Nami. You guys are skilled—I saw you chase off that pirate captain earlier."
Lynn glanced at Nami's bag and decided to keep quiet about it. Otherwise, she might think he was trying to steal her treasure and toss him off the boat.
Luffy suddenly perked up. "Nami, are you a navigator?"
Nami hesitated. "No, but I'm decent at sailing."
Luffy grinned. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I want to be the Pirate King. Lynn here is my vice-captain. Nami, you're the navigator of my ship!"
Nami frowned. "You're really pirates? Thanks for the offer, but I hate pirates. I don't want to be one."
Luffy didn't push after her refusal, and Lynn leaned against the boat's side without intervening. Nami wouldn't join them until her hometown was free of pirates. Lynn understood this well.
At that moment, Coby spoke up anxiously. "Luffy, I heard the pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro is here…"
"Pirate hunter? Is he strong?" Luffy asked curiously.
Nami looked at Coby, intrigued. She had heard of Zoro before.
Coby nodded. "Very strong. People say he's a monster in human skin."
"Monster?" Luffy touched his hat thoughtfully. "If he's a good guy, I'll invite him to join us."
"Dude, partner?" Coby looked shocked. "Luffy, he's a pirate hunter. You're a pirate—aren't you afraid he'll kill you?"
Luffy smiled. "If he's a good guy, I'll still invite him."
Nami twitched an eye and glanced at Lynn, who was dozing on his ship. She thought, A pirate inviting a pirate hunter to join? That's unheard of.
Soon, the boat docked at Shields Town.
Nami said, "I have some things to do here. Let's say goodbye."
Lynn shrugged. "See you around, then. Thanks for guiding us."
Luffy chimed in, "How about we find Zoro first?"
Coby protested fiercely, "Luffy, I just told you all that for nothing!"
Lynn smiled. "Rumors aren't facts. Are you sure you can be a good Marine just by listening to hearsay?"
Coby had no comeback. He reluctantly followed Luffy and the others to find Zoro.
At the naval base training grounds, a two-meter-long cross was planted in the ground. Tied to it was a strong-looking young man wearing a black headscarf.
Despite the scorching sun, the man's aura was so oppressive that no one dared approach.
Luffy, perched on a wall, sighed, "Is that the legendary monster?"
"Hey, eyesore, get lost," the man snapped at the people watching.
Coby was frightened. "Luffy, we've seen enough. Let's go."
Luffy studied the man. "Why is he tied up?"
Lynn scoffed. "He probably thinks we came just to gawk and laugh at him. What an arrogant jerk."
Suddenly, a little girl climbed up a nearby staircase clumsily. Seeing her struggle, Lynn used his ability to teleport her inside the naval base.
Confused, she looked around, wondering how she got in.
Lynn smiled from the wall. "Don't just stand there. Do what you need to do and come back quick."
The girl nodded seriously, ran to Zoro, and said, "Big brother, you haven't eaten in days. You'll starve! Here's a rice ball I made—please eat."
Zoro was about to shoo her away before she got punished by Morgan, the town's ruler, but Lynn swiftly intercepted.
He took the rice ball, grinning. "His hands are tied—he can't reach it."
Zoro glared. "I'm not hungry. Get her out of here."
"Ordering me around?" Lynn chuckled. "You're tied up and still so arrogant."
"Asshole, what do you want?" Zoro growled.
Without warning, Lynn stuffed the rice ball into Zoro's mouth.
"Mmmm…"
Lynn picked up the girl and smiled, "It's hot, and we're all hungry. Let's find a restaurant first."
Ding! "Congratulations on completing a cool operation."
Lynn frowned. What was that about?
Outside, the little girl asked, "Big brother, did you do this?"
Lynn nodded proudly. "Yeah. Pretty awesome, right?"
"Yeah!" she agreed.
Luffy and Coby climbed down and said, "Lynn, let's find that restaurant. We're starving."
Coby scratched his head. "Me too."
The girl smiled, "Come with me. My mother runs a restaurant."
Luffy's eyes lit up. "Can I eat for free?"
Inside the base, after finally swallowing the rice ball, Zoro muttered under his breath, I must chop that bastard to pieces when I get free. I almost choked on that damn rice ball!
Chapter 11: Come and Cut Me Down
In a cozy restaurant in Shields Town, after a hearty meal, Luffy couldn't help but exclaim, "Boss, your food is amazing!"
Lynn rolled his eyes. "Of course it tastes good—it's free."
The proprietress smiled warmly. "I want to thank you for saving my daughter. This meal's on me."
After some chatting, Luffy asked, puzzled, "Why was that pirate hunter Zoro locked up at the naval base? Didn't pay his bill or something?"
Everyone's faces darkened.
The little girl spoke up angrily, "No! That's not why big brother was arrested."
The proprietress explained, "More than twenty days ago, Colonel Morgan's son, Helmeppo, brought his beloved dog here. But the vicious dog suddenly jumped and tried to attack my daughter."
"Zoro, who was eating nearby, was disgusted and beat up the dog. That offended Helmeppo, who then threatened to execute us for 'insulting' his father's honor."
"He demanded Zoro surrender and held him captive for a month. If the time passed, he promised to release him and drop the charges. That's the story."
Nami, curious, asked, "Ridiculous! Did Zoro agree to that?"
The girl replied sadly, "Big brother's been locked up for days now."
The proprietress lifted the girl and added, "It's all our fault. If only we hadn't—"
Lynn interrupted, grabbing a piece of meat from Nami's bowl. "This isn't your fault—it's that Hellu... what was his name?"
Suddenly, a cocky voice interrupted from the doorway, and the restaurant went silent.
A young man with blond hair, dressed sharply, swaggered in with a smirk that begged to be slapped.
This was Helmeppo, son of Navy Captain Morgan.
A marine at his side said, "Master Helmeppo, that pirate hunter has been starving for over twenty days, yet he looks fine."
Helmeppo laughed cruelly. "In that case, let's execute him tomorrow."
Luffy sprang up and punched Helmeppo. "What do you take our agreement for?"
Helmeppo clutched his cheek, furious. "How dare you hit me! I'll tell my father to have you all executed!"
Luffy shot back, "Who's scared of you?"
Helmeppo sneered, "Just wait. I'll come back and kill you all."
After Helmeppo and his men left, the proprietress opened her mouth but hesitated.
Lynn reassured her, "Don't worry. I'm going to the naval base now to beat up that Morgan guy. He won't dare cause trouble anymore."
She sighed. "You don't understand—Morgan rules this town. I advise you to leave quickly."
Lynn ignored her warning and turned to Luffy.
Luffy grinned, "I'm going to take down that arrogant brat and make Zoro our partner."
Naval Base
Luffy approached Zoro with a smile. "You're amazing! Starving for so many days and still holding on. If it were me, I'd be down in one day, hahaha!"
Zoro retorted, "I'm not like you. I've got unfinished business. I can't just give up."
Luffy introduced himself: "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, future Pirate King. That's Lynn, my partner. You're going to be our partner too."
Zoro looked up, disbelief in his eyes. "Pirate King? Do you even know what those words mean?"
Luffy smiled, "The Pirate King is the Pirate King. Now, I'm untying you—you're joining us."
Zoro sneered, "Pirates are villains. I'm not joining you."
Luffy shot back, "Aren't you also a villain in others' eyes?"
Zoro said firmly, "I don't care what they think—as long as I have a clear conscience."
Luffy grinned wider. "Then it's decided. You're with us."
Zoro was speechless. "Don't decide for me!"
Lynn strolled over with a playful grin. "Zoro, that idiot Helmeppo is executing you tomorrow. What do you think about that?"
Zoro snapped, "What?!"
Lynn poked Zoro's head mockingly. "Want me to say it again? That Helmeppo said you're executed tomorrow, right?"
Zoro scowled. "You bastard!"
Luffy stepped forward. "I just heard it at the inn. If you resist, you're the Navy's enemy. If you don't, they'll kill you anyway."
Then, smiling slyly and half-threatening, he said, "So, you want us to leave you here to die? Or join us pirates?"
Zoro exclaimed, "Are you a demon?"
After thinking it through, he said seriously, "If it's fate, then so be it. If I'm to be a pirate, even with a bad name, I'll make my mark on the world."
"But one thing—my dream is to be the world's greatest swordsman. If you stand in my way, you can commit seppuku to make amends."
Luffy was impressed. "The world's greatest swordsman? A perfect partner for the Pirate King."
Zoro said, "How dare you say that? But my swords were taken by that idiot Helmeppo. They're in that building behind us."
Luffy grinned, "I'll get them back for you."
Zoro warned, "You're going the wrong way."
Ignoring him, Luffy ran outside, grabbed the railing with both hands, and used his rubber fruit powers to spring himself onto the roof of the naval building.
Zoro watched, stunned. "What kind of monster is he?"
Lynn chuckled, "He ate a Devil Fruit—he's a rubber man. The Grand Line is full of people with special powers. Why the shocked look? Haven't you heard of Devil Fruits?"
Everyone nearby looked visibly uncomfortable.
Zoro grit his teeth. "You bastard. One day, I'm chopping you into pieces."
Lynn stepped forward, arms crossed, flashing a sly smile. "Come on, I'm right here—come and chop me up!"
Ding! "Congratulations to the host for completing a flirtatious operation…"
Zoro glared. "You bastard."
Lynn laughed. "Come on. If you're my friend, then come on and chop me up."
Ding! "Congratulations to the host for completing a flirtatious operation…"
Coby's eyes twitched. "Mr. Lynn, since Mr. Zoro is your partner, shouldn't you untie his rope first?"
Lynn pretended to shudder. "What if I untie him and he really chops me up? Do you want me to get chopped? Coby!"
Ding! "Congratulations to the host for completing a flirtatious operation…"
Lynn frowned. No triple combo? Missed opportunity for inspiration!
Before he could dwell on it, a group of navy soldiers strode out from the naval building's doors…
-End Chapter-
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