The deep blue sea stretched out to an endless horizon, shimmering under a brilliant sun. On their small boat, Luffy was lying on his back, hands laced behind his head, his straw hat covering most of his face, revealing only his trademark grin. He was watching the lazy clouds drift by, imagining they were giant plates of meat.
At the stern, Koby was nervously manning the tiller. He kept comparing the view ahead with a crudely hand-drawn sea chart. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, not just from the heat, but from a mixture of anxiety and thrilling excitement. After two years in hell, he was about to set foot on the land of his dreams.
"There it is!" Koby suddenly shouted, his voice filled with joy. He pointed towards the horizon. "Luffy, land! That has to be Shells Town!"
Luffy sat up, pushing the brim of his straw hat back. In the distance, an island was slowly materializing from the ocean mist.
The first thing that caught their eye wasn't the houses or the trees, but a single, massive structure that dominated the island's skyline. A fortress.
The central tower of the fortress soared into the blue sky, and from its peak, the seagull emblem of the Marines flew proudly on its flag. The entire town seemed to be just a small residential area, huddled in the large, authoritative shadow of the Marine base.
"Whoa..." Koby whispered, his eyes wide with reverence. "It's huge... This is where justice is served."
Luffy just shrugged. "Looks like it's got some big restaurants."
As their boat drew closer, the port of Shells Town came into view. It was nothing like the noisy, chaotic harbors one might expect. This place was unnervingly orderly. Ships were moored in neat, straight lines. The wooden planks of the docks were spotless, without a single piece of trash. Several Marine soldiers in crisp white uniforms patrolled the area, their posture rigid, their backs straight.
The fishermen and dockworkers went about their business in silence. They moved with a practiced efficiency but without communication. Occasionally, they would shoot a furtive glance at the patrolling soldiers before quickly lowering their heads back to their work. They saw the small boat carrying Luffy and Koby approach, but no one showed any curiosity or offered a greeting. They avoided eye contact, as if desperate not to get involved in anything that might cause trouble.
Scrape.
The boat gently docked at an empty pier. Luffy was the first to leap ashore.
"YAHOOO! WE'RE HERE!" he yelled, stretching his arms out wide with a satisfying yawn, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere around him.
"Shhh! Luffy, keep your voice down!" Koby scrambled after him, frantically trying to shush him. "This is a Marine base. We have to be careful."
Luffy paid him no mind. His stomach let out a loud, demanding rumble. "Koby, let's find some food! I'm starving!"
They walked into town. The clean cobblestone streets and tidy white-walled houses were overshadowed by the pervasive silence. The townspeople they passed hurried by, their eyes fixed on the ground. Luffy thought it was even quieter than his home village of Foosha, but this was a strange, suffocating kind of quiet.
Eventually, they found a small restaurant. The delicious smell wafting from inside was irresistible to Luffy. He pushed the door open.
"Hey, owner! Give me your biggest meal with the most meat!"
The owner, a middle-aged man with a weary face, flinched at Luffy's volume. He nodded quickly and went into the kitchen.
Koby sat opposite, hands placed neatly on the table, his heart fluttering with excitement. "Luffy, after we eat, I'm going straight to the Marine base to enlist. How about that?"
Luffy, chewing on a piece of bread, replied with his mouth full. "Mmm! Good for you! I'm gonna go find a crewmate."
He swallowed the huge bite. "Oh, yeah. That fat lady Alvida mentioned a bounty hunter on this island. What was his name... Roronoa Zoro."
The moment the name "Roronoa Zoro" was spoken, a strange shift occurred in the restaurant.
All activity abruptly stopped. A dead silence fell over the room.
Luffy and Koby looked around. All the other patrons, in unspoken agreement, were slowly... pushing their tables away from theirs. They did it stealthily, their eyes wide with terror.
"Huh? What's up?" Luffy asked, bewildered.
Koby swallowed, his voice trembling. "Zoro... Roronoa Zoro. I've heard of him. They say he's a demon in human form. A bloodthirsty pirate hunter."
Luffy blinked. "Oh. Sounds strong."
The owner brought their food, his hands shaking. "H-here you are. Please leave as soon as you're finished."
Koby was completely baffled. "But... why would someone like Zoro be in a town with Captain Morgan's base?"
If the name "Zoro" caused fear, the name "Captain Morgan" elicited a reaction that was far worse.
The owner dropped his entire tray. The remaining customers cringed, their faces turning deathly pale. A few even scrambled to pay and flee.
"That's weird..." Koby muttered. "Why are they so scared of a Marine Captain's name?"
Luffy shrugged, digging into his meal. "Probably just a mean guy."
After eating, they headed towards the massive Marine base. The huge iron gate was shut tight, flanked by two guards.
"I wonder if I can see that Zoro guy from up there?" Luffy said.
With that, he took a running start and leaped, easily vaulting to the top of the high wall.
"LUFFY!" Koby shrieked, all the blood draining from his face. "Get down from there!"
Luffy ignored him. He scanned the courtyard. And then he saw him.
In the middle of the yard, under the harsh sun, a man was tied to a cross-shaped wooden post.
Moss-green hair, a black bandana, a powerful body covered in scars and dried blood. And the eyes. Wild, defiant eyes that refused to be broken.
It was Roronoa Zoro.
As if sensing the gaze, Zoro looked up. A tired smirk touched his lips. "Hey, you two," he rasped. "How about coming down here and untying me? I'm dying of boredom."
Koby waved his hands frantically. "N-no way!"
Suddenly, a small ladder was placed against the wall. A little girl with pigtails tiptoed over, holding a cloth bundle. She ran to Zoro.
"Hey, kid! Get out of here!" Zoro snapped, his voice laced with concern. "They'll kill you!"
She wasn't scared. She opened the bundle, revealing two white rice balls. "I brought you these. You must be hungry."
Koby's heart ached.
But a smug, oily voice cut through the moment. "Well now? What a touching scene."
Helmeppo, Captain Morgan's son, strode out, dressed in a garish outfit, a ridiculous blond bowl-cut on his head.
"He's a criminal, little girl. You're not allowed to feed him."
Helmeppo snatched a rice ball. He took a bite and immediately spat it out. "Ptooey! It's sweet! Who puts sugar in rice balls?! Disgusting!"
He threw the rice ball on the ground and stomped on it with his shoe, grinding it into the dirt. He did the same with the second one.
"STOP IT!" the little girl sobbed.
"THROW HER OUT!" Helmeppo ordered. Two marines grabbed the girl and tossed her over the wall.
Luffy quickly jumped down and caught her.
Zoro ground his teeth. "You bastard..."
Helmeppo laughed. "You should be thanking me, Zoro. You just have to endure for one month. We have a deal, don't we? Keep on suffering, you fool."
He strode back inside.
A deal?
Luffy looked at the crucified man, who had just shown concern for a complete stranger.
A decision formed in his mind.
"Hey, Koby," he said.
"I've decided. I want that guy in my crew."
The sun still burned. The air in the Marine base courtyard was thick and suffocating.
Helmeppo was gone, leaving a tense silence in his wake. The little girl, Rika, was still sniffling in Luffy's arms, the shock and sadness still plain on her young face. Up on the wall, Koby trembled so hard he looked like he might fall.
And in the yard, Roronoa Zoro remained tied to the post, his breathing heavy, his eyes shut as if trying to will away the pain and humiliation.
Luffy gently set Rika down. He looked at Zoro, then turned to the panicked Koby on the wall.
"I'm serious, Koby," Luffy said, his voice firm. "I want that guy."
"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Koby shrieked, his voice pure horror. "Did you hear what people say? He's a demon! A cold-blooded killer! You want someone like that as a crewmate?! He'll kill us!"
Luffy looked down into the yard, where Zoro was motionless. "But... he didn't seem like a bad guy just now."
Luffy's simple answer left Koby speechless. Luffy didn't judge people by their reputations or by rumors. He only trusted what he saw with his own eyes. And he saw a man who had snapped at a little girl, not out of malice, but out of concern for her safety.
Without another word, Luffy leaped back down into the courtyard, ignoring Koby's desperate protests.
He walked straight up to Zoro.
The young man in the straw hat, with his lean build, stood before the powerful, muscular man tied to the post. It was a strange contrast.
"Hey, Moss-Head," Luffy called out.
Zoro's eyes snapped open, his gaze as sharp as a razor. "What?"
"I've decided," Luffy declared. "You're going to be my first crewmate."
Zoro looked at Luffy like he was an idiot. Then he began to laugh, a dry, raspy cackle that seemed to make the wounds on his body ache.
"Ha... haha... A pirate? You?" he sneered. "Don't make me laugh, kid. I'm a bounty hunter. I hunt guys like you for a living."
He looked at Luffy with contempt.
"I'd rather die here than stoop to the level of criminal scum like you."
Luffy didn't get angry. He just shrugged. "Oh. Okay, then. Your loss."
He turned, about to walk away. It seemed the recruitment had failed.
"Wait."
Zoro's raspy voice stopped Luffy in his tracks.
"Hey... you. Straw Hat."
Zoro wasn't looking at Luffy. He was looking at the ground, where the two pathetic rice balls lay crushed and mixed with the dirt.
"That... that thing on the ground. Pick it up."
Luffy followed Zoro's gaze. He understood.
He bent down and picked up one of the rice balls. It was completely deformed. Dirt, sand, and the sweet sugar that Helmeppo had complained about were all mashed together. It looked like nothing more than a lump of mud.
On the wall, Koby saw this and his face went pale. "Luffy, no way..."
Luffy brought the filthy rice ball to Zoro's face.
Zoro lifted his head. He said nothing, simply opening his mouth.
The action said everything.
Luffy placed the rice ball in Zoro's mouth.
Zoro began to chew. Slowly, painfully.
But still, he ate.
He ate every last bit.
He wasn't eating to satisfy hunger. This was an act of honor. He was consuming the little girl's kindness, consuming Helmeppo's cruelty, and turning it into his own strength.
After swallowing the last piece, Zoro panted, sweat pouring down his face. He looked at Luffy.
"Go... find that little girl..." he said, his voice ragged.
"And tell her..."
"It was delicious. Thanks for the meal."
Luffy and Koby found Rika crying with her mother, who was also the owner of the restaurant they had visited.
"Hey, kid!" Luffy called out.
Rika looked up, her face stained with tears.
"The moss-head guy asked me to tell you," Luffy said with a smile, "that the rice balls were delicious. He said thanks for the meal."
Rika's face lit up. Her tears of sadness were replaced by tears of pure joy. A radiant smile spread across her face.
"Really?! I'm so happy!"
Rika's mother looked at Luffy with gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you for telling her that."
She looked towards the Marine base with a sigh. "Zoro-san... he isn't a bad person. Quite the opposite."
And then, she told them the whole story.
A week ago, Helmeppo had been walking his pet wolf through town. The vicious wolf had lunged at Rika. It was Zoro, who happened to be there, who had intervened. He had taken down the wolf with a single kick to protect the girl.
But Helmeppo had been furious. He'd had his soldiers arrest Zoro on the charge of "daring to harm the pet of Captain Morgan's son."
Zoro had agreed to be arrested on one condition: if he could survive for a month tied to the post without food or water, Helmeppo would have to set him free and promise to leave Rika and her mother alone.
Helmeppo had agreed.
Koby was stunned. "So... Zoro-san was arrested for saving a child? He's a good person?"
Koby's entire perception of "bad guys" and "good guys" was turned upside down. The demon of rumor was actually a hero. And the one who wore the coat of justice was nothing but scum.
Just then, a commotion started down the street.
Helmeppo was parading through town, flanked by two Marine escorts. He swaggered with his nose in the air, basking in the fear of the townspeople.
Everyone quickly bowed their heads, parting to the sides to let him pass.
Helmeppo clearly enjoyed it. He spoke loudly to his guards, making sure everyone could hear.
"Haha! That idiot Zoro still believes in our deal! Does he really think I'm going to let him go after a month? What a moron!"
Luffy, Koby, and Rika's family were in the crowd and heard everything.
Helmeppo continued, his voice dripping with glee.
"Just three more days! I'm going to have him publicly executed! It'll be a great show to please my daddy! Haha!"
Koby froze. The blatant betrayal was too much to comprehend.
Luffy, however, did not.
His expression didn't change. There was no anger. No surprise. He just became frighteningly still.
He slowly stepped out from the crowd.
He walked straight towards Helmeppo.
"Hey, who are you? Why aren't you bow—" Helmeppo didn't get to finish his sentence.
WHACK!
A single, clean sound cut through the air.
No warning. No hesitation.
Luffy had thrown a punch.
A single, neat punch, square on Helmeppo's jaw.
Captain Morgan's son flew backward like a broken puppet, his eyes rolling back in his head, before landing in a heap on the ground, unconscious.
The entire town fell into a dead, shocked silence. Every citizen, every Marine, stared at Luffy, speechless.
Koby was the first to snap out of it. He was in full-blown panic mode.
"LUFFY! WHAT DID YOU DO?! YOU JUST PUNCHED CAPTAIN MORGAN'S SON! WE'RE DEAD! WE ARE SO DEAD!"
Koby tried to drag Luffy away, but Luffy stood as firm as a rock. He didn't even glance at Helmeppo's crumpled form on the ground.
His gaze was fixed on the Marine base, where Roronoa Zoro was tied up.
"I don't care who his dad is," Luffy said, his voice was calm, but it rang with an unshakeable resolve.
"I've made up my mind."
"Roronoa Zoro... is going to be my crewmate."