HEY guys, another chapter for you, thanks for the stones and the comments, they make me very happy and encourage me to continue the story, thanks everyone!
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"Oooh! Hey, Koby, Goraku! Isn't it a beautiful day?"
On a small boat in the middle of the East Blue, heading toward the Marine base where Roronoa Zoro was imprisoned, Luffy cheerfully pointed to the clear blue sky.
Goraku, having stopped rowing for a moment to rest and enjoy the sea breeze, couldn't help but agree with Luffy.
"Yeah… Ahh, I haven't felt this relaxed in months."
As he stretched, the oni suddenly froze when he realized he was almost crushing Koby, who was taking care of the ship's sail.
"Sorry, Koby. I'm not used to being in such tight spaces."
Sitting on the floor of the boat and hugging his knees to take up less room, Goraku couldn't resist commenting on Koby's sailing skills — and, of course, cracking a joke.
"I'm still surprised you know how to sail, Koby. I was already thinking about who we'd have to eat first."
As he spoke, Goraku made sure to show his teeth, which looked more like fangs.
"Eek!"
With a squeaky scream, Koby froze for a second before remembering that this oni was, in fact, a softie behind the jokes and the giant body.
"Very funny, Goraku. If you weren't such a softie, I'd actually be scared."
These past days together had made them understand each other better than they expected.
"Hahaha! Hey, Koby, are we almost there?"
Laughing and lying down on the boat's floor, Luffy was eager to find another member for his pirate crew.
"This isn't the time to laugh, Luffy. This is the island where he's being held."
Sweat dripping down his forehead, Koby began to recite the mystique surrounding Zoro.
"The famous pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro! He attacks his targets like a bloodthirsty beast… killing them all. He's called a demon in human form!"
Há! This guy talks like today's Zoro is the damn Gol D. Roger.
Smiling, the oni closed his eyes while listening to Koby and Luffy's conversation, before dozing off completely.
[Time Skip]
"We're here! The town with the Marine base!"
While Luffy jumped excitedly out of the boat, a still sleepy Goraku stepped off, drawing the stares of the townsfolk.
"It's been so long since I've seen a city… Hey, captain, let's grab something to eat on the way to the base?"
Turning his head quickly, Luffy replied with his usual energy:
"A snack? Count me in!"
As they left the harbor and entered the city's open-air market, the oni couldn't help but notice the crowd's stares.
"Am I really that strange?"
As he muttered, Koby — walking behind Luffy — couldn't help but raise na eyebrow at the oni's giant body and the horns growing from his head.
Turning his gaze back to Luffy's back, Koby couldn't hold back the obvious.
"...Anyway. Hey, Luffy, it's crazy to even think about inviting Zoro to your crew! He's a bloodthirsty pirate hunter!"
Without even looking back, Luffy answered casually:
"We can't know yet. It depends on whether he's a bad guy or a good guy."
Surprised by the answer, Koby pressed on:
"If he's imprisoned, that means he's a bad person!"
Still, Luffy ignored him, walking toward a pear stall. Passing by Koby, Goraku patted his head and pointed out something he'd learn with time.
"The world isn't black and white, Koby. Justice is the view of the strongest, not the most righteous."
While Luffy and Goraku ate some fruit, Koby couldn't stop thinking about the meaning of the oni's words.
Meanwhile, Luffy — oblivious to the town's mood — asked out loud:
"Do you think that Zoro guy is at that base?"
The atmosphere changed instantly. Silence fell, and fear appeared on every citizen's face who heard Zoro's name.
Uhm, yeah… I guess I can let loose on Captain Morgan and his weird son. Those bastards deserve it.
With a slightly more serious look, Goraku followed Luffy and Koby toward the Marine base.
[Marine Base]
"Alright, we're here!"
In front of the base's main gate, Luffy grinned, excited at the possibility of finding another crewmate. Then he immediately started running toward the wall.
"Think he's out here in the yard?"
Catching his breath from the walk to the base, Koby shot back:
"Of course not, Luffy! A guy like him must be, like, in solitary confinement!"
Behind him, Goraku moved closer to help Luffy look over the wall.
"You too."
Grabbing Koby and then Luffy by their collars, the oni lifted them so all three could peek inside the base.
"Ooohh! That's the Zoro guy? He looks really strong, huh, Goraku?!"
Inside the yard, a man had his torso and arms bound. He wore a white shirt, dark green — almost black — pants, and a bandana. Around his waist was a lime green haramaki. Though he looked weak, as if he hadn't eaten in days, he still carried na aura of strength, like a blade's edge was always at his throat.
Ah, yes. Roronoa Zoro, the minority hunter.
"If we just untie him, he'll be free, right?"
Looking at Koby, Luffy pointed to Zoro while explaining his "plan."
With a worried, furious expression, Koby snapped back:
"Don't talk nonsense! What do you think he'll do if you free him?! He'll definitely try to kill you!"
"Bwahahaha! You really underestimate the captain, huh, Koby?"
While laughing at Koby's face, the oni was the first to notice Zoro now seemed alert to their presence.
"You three over there! You're pissing me off. Get lost!"
But the oni wasn't interested in Zoro's words. A small girl, carrying a ladder, tugged at his shorts asking for help. Without hesitation, he let go of Luffy and Koby, still hanging from the wall, and took the ladder from the girl with one hand, placing it against the wall with the other.
As the girl climbed, he signaled for Luffy and Koby to be quiet.
"Careful! Goraku, why did you do that?! He'll kill her!"
Frowning at the comment, the oni couldn't help but think Koby was a bit dumb.
"Koby… he's tied up."
As the little girl gave Zoro the onigiri, Koby shrank under the oni's firm gaze.
"Don't treat a child like that."
While Goraku removed the ladder from the wall and set it down, Zoro yelled at Rika. That's when Helmeppo made his entrance, with blonde bowl-cut hair, a purple suit, and a voice that already dripped with discomfort and arrogance.
"Better than I imagined, Roronoa Zoro."
As he lowered the ladder, Goraku seemed to remember something.
"Doesn't the girl get thrown over the wall? Damn, I don't remember."
"Ahhhhh!"
He had only a fraction of a second to react. Gathering strength in his legs, the oni burst forward with speed, quickly catching little Rika in his arms.
Luffy, who was already prepared to grab her midair, stopped. With a smile, he trusted his nakama to handle it and turned his attention back inside the base.
"Hey, hey, it's alright, little one. That could've been a nasty fall, huh?"
Rika, eyes shut in fear, trembled at the strange voice and the giant arms holding her firmly. But when she opened her eyes, she found a smiling, gentle face.
"It's all fine now. Bad guys are scared of me, you know?"
Seeing that Rika seemed frozen by the situation, the oni tried to snap her out of it. Bringing a finger to her nose and pressing it lightly, he spoke:
"My name's Goraku, little one. What's yours?"
Rika, shaking off the trance, looked at the giant's kind face and then at the distant ground, before her eyes lit up as she noticed the oni's horns.
"Ohhh, you're so cool!"
With a loud laugh, the oni could only answer one thing:
"Gwahahaha! Gotcha!"