Sweat dripped down the girl's face, soaking the bright orange hair pinned beneath her crisp Marine cap. The blue epaulets on her stolen, sleeveless uniform hung crooked from the impact.
"You?!" she hissed under her breath. Her eyes widened as she recognized Luffy's clueless, wide-mouthed grin and signature straw hat. She made a split-second attempt to dart past him, but Luffy caught her by the shoulder.
"Hey! What are you doing here?" The orange-haired girl's breath hitched. Before he could shout and compromise her position, she pivoted, slapping her hand firmly over his wrist. Down the corridor, heavy boot heels echoed from the polished floors; a Marine patrol on rounds. Without breaking eye contact, she forced her features into an expression of desperate panic and yanked Luffy into the shadow of an arched wall niche. She pressed her back flat against the cold stone, pulling him close. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but as two armed guards marched past, oblivious, a cold, calculating spark ignited in her eyes. She had struck gold. Once the footsteps faded, she snapped her gaze back up, glaring with carefully stage-managed fury. "What are you doing in the 153rd Branch?! Trying to get us killed?!"
Luffy blinked, clutching Zoro's three heavy katanas like a bundle of firewood. "Oh! Orange-hair! Did you join the Marines?"
"Keep your voice down, idiot!" The girl slapped a hand over his mouth, scanning the empty hallway. Her eyes narrowed as they locked onto the weapons. "Wait... those are the Pirate Hunter's blades."
Luffy pulled her hand away, entirely unbothered. "Yeah! I'm freeing him so he can join my crew. But I'm lost. Where's the exit?" A pirate crew? Freeing Roronoa Zoro? In a fraction of a second, the orange-haired girl weighed her options. A distraction was precisely what she needed to reach Morgan's vault untouched. Her grip on his arm relaxed into a gentle, reassuring touch, and her sharp scowl instantly melted into a picture of helpless distress.
"I'm undercover," she whispered, forcing a slight tremble into her voice to sell the lie. "Captain Morgan stole from my village… a map. I came to take it back, or I was going to…" She paused, briefly running out of ideas. Her eyes darted across the hall before another lie surfaced. "…until some dumb brute attacked Morgan's son in the town!"
"That was me," Luffy grinned proudly. Her nerves froze. What? she thought. She tried to comprehend the statement, scanning his face for any telltale twitch, but found none. Is this guy just making it up? A quick hypothesis formed in her mind. To keep the game going, she let go of her doubts and pressed forward with the act.
"Of course it was... Look, if you walk out there carrying those three swords, a hundred Marines will turn you into target practice. But if we team up, I can help you." She tilted her head, putting on a faint, hopeful smile. "You draw Morgan's guards, and I'll make sure you and your swordsman get out alive. Plus..." She tapped her hip, casting him a conspiratorial wink, "...I know where the exit is."
"Awesome!" Luffy laughed, completely taking the bait and slinging the heavy swords over his shoulder. "Let's go!"
As they set off down the long corridor, the girl kept a casual pace beside him, though her eyes flicked constantly to the brass camera domes mounted at every ceiling junction. Whenever a lens pivoted in their direction, she quickly stepped into the shadow of a hanging banner on the right side. As she walked through the shadows, when a marble column was in her way, she quickly pivoted her slender body and dodged it, leaning behind Luffy's swinging frame. She tracked every one of his movements like mimicking them.
"Hey, orange-girl… What are you doing?" A chuckle escaped Luffy's mouth.
"Just practicing my warm-ups! You gotta stay loose if we're escaping a Marine base, isn't that right?"
Then, she peeked into the ceiling and saw another camera, not pointed at them. She dipped into a recessed archway—continuing walking as they approached the dark oak door. They neared a heavy set of brass-bound double doors at the end of the hall. Just as Luffy raised a hand to push them open, a brass intercom speaker mounted directly above crackled to life. Static hissed, followed by the deep, unmistakable hum of Morgan's voice reverberating through the metal horn:
"All sector guards, maintain blind-spot sweeps on the secondary vault..."
The girl's hand froze an inch from the wood. Her gaze darted from the brass horn to the heavy doors in front of them, tracking the thick copper cable running along the white-painted stone ceiling. It didn't lead toward the lower barracks. It ran directly into the frame above their heads. There was no delay, no echo—just the raw vibration rattling the thick wood right in front of them.
Morgan was inside.
"Right through there," she whispered, stepping back half a pace and gesturing toward the handles. "That's the main way out."
"Freedom!" Luffy bellowed, throwing the doors wide open and marching straight in. As the door opened slightly, she quickly ran and hid behind a stone pillar, her back pressed against the wall.
Inside, instead of an exit leading to the fresh ocean breeze, the room opened into a dimly lit, high-tech command suite. Wall-to-wall brass screens flickered with real-time footage from the base's camera network, even of the town. Sitting in the center of the room in the velvet chair was none other than Morgan himself, quietly studying the surveillance feeds. Turning around, Morgan's towering frame filled the room, his jaw plate gleaming under the ambient light of the monitors. In his right arm, his massive mechanism was already raised, releasing a green glow onto it. "What is your purpose on this island, mister?"
A quiet, growling voice boomed into the study.
"Oh, me? I want to make Roronoa Zoro join my crew!" A wide smile was etched on his face
"Oh… so you are a pirate?"
"Yes! And I will become the King of All Pirates!"
"Hmm… Interesting."
Its chamber locked into place with a heavy mechanical click. The mechanism starts to glow:
Orange…
RED
At the eye of his axe mechanism, it glows into a bright red-orange glow, revealing it was the mouth of a cannon. Under the light, a sphere reflected through its shadow, revealing a red-stamped cannonball with a clown logo loaded into the barrel.
Luffy's eyes widened. Before he could stretch a single limb, a blinding flash engulfed the room alongside the flickering monitors.
BOOM! The explosive detonated at point-blank range against Luffy's torso. The raw kinetic blast instantly tore through the hardwood floorboards and concrete walls. A roaring wave of ember surged into the hallway like a dragon's breath. Nami, sprinting down the corridor, felt the floor tremble violently as the fiery cloud rapidly pursued her. She scrambled into an open doorway just as the explosion blew a gaping hole through the fortress tower's exterior stone wall, hurling Luffy backward into the sky. Screaming through the cloud of smoke and fire, Luffy plummeted through the air, crashing hard into the dirt of the execution yard below.
Minutes before the tower erupted, Coby was frantically picking at the coarse knots binding the swordsman. Unexpectedly, a sharp click echoed behind him. He spun around to find a wall of Marine riflemen leveling their weapons straight at his chest from a distance.
"STAND DOWN, NOW!" Commander Ripper's booming order reverberated across the open courtyard.
Coby froze, his heart pounding like a parade drum against his ribs.
"Hurry it up, kid!" Zoro growled over his shoulder. Coby turned back, his hands shaking as he pulled madly at the ropes. Before a single guard could pull a trigger, a thunderous explosion shattered the sky. A massive shockwave rattled the courtyard, forcing Marines and prisoners alike to look upward. High above, a cloud of embers burst through the stone facade. Seconds later, a heavy projectile slammed into the dirt near Coby and Zoro, throwing them both sideways in a cloud of debris.
Up in the destroyed suite, thick smoke drifted out of the shattered wall. Morgan stepped up to the edge, looking down at the courtyard to signal his troops for the final ambush.
Down in the yard, Luffy groaned, pushing himself up out of the shallow crater and shaking dirt from his straw hat. Zoro, now free, rose slowly from the dust and stretched his limbs. "What the hell was that?!"
High above, a massive shape stepped onto the ruined ledge, blotting out the midday sun. Luffy, Coby, and Zoro widened their eyes as the towering silhouette plunged straight down toward them. They scrambled aside a fraction of a second before Morgan hit the earth like a fallen meteor. The impact cracked the ground like an earthquake, sending spiderweb fractures across the cobblestones while his steam-powered axe hissed through the dust.
"W-What is that?!" Coby screeched, diving behind Luffy. Morgan stepped through the clearing haze, his battleaxe dripping dark grease, his steel jaw glinting in the fierce heat.
"ASSIST THE COMMANDER!" Ripper commanded the marines, as the other foot soldiers slowly walked behind Morgan's towering figure, their rifles still raised.
"Ripper… how much time is left before Garp arrives?" Morgan's voice rasped through his steel jaw plate, heavy and metallic over the murmur of the crowd.
"It's eleven-thirty-nine, sir." Morgan's head bowed slightly as he approached the three. Luffy merely grinned, adjusting his straw hat and stepping out in front of Coby. "Hey, Zoro! Are you ready to join my crew now?"
Zoro secured his three katanas into his thick sash beneath his leather belt, drawing two blades with a sharp steel ring. "I said I will never become a pir—" A glint of silver flashed in his side vision. Before Zoro could finish, Luffy's extended arm slammed into his chest, throwing him sideways just as Morgan lunged.
Morgan drove his iron-shod heel into the stone and snapped two rapid steps forward. As Luffy shifted, Morgan's low leg swept across the dirt to hook his balance, while his left iron-gloved fist drove straight into Luffy's ribs. Before Luffy could recover, Morgan pivoted on his rear boot, bringing his massive axe up in an upward arc. Luffy ducked under the cold steel, the wind from the swing shattering a stone wall behind them. Tumbling backward, Luffy used the momentum to spring twenty feet back, winding his right arm deep into the outer treeline behind him.
"Gomu Gomu no… Pistol!" Luffy's fist snapped back like a cannonball. Morgan didn't flinch. Dropping his chin, he tucked his elbows tight and snapped the broad flat of his axe across his sternum.
CLANG! The fist slammed into the axe, cracking the heavy metal and rattling the steel plates along Morgan's arm. Digging his rear boot into the stone, the tyrant absorbed the raw force, drove forward, and slammed the weapon's butt straight into the cobblestones, fracturing the earth to break Luffy's stance. Leveraging the shattered ground, Morgan launched his massive frame into the air. Mid-flight, his iron-gloved hand gripped the handle fused to his elbow, shifting his weight behind a downward chop aimed at Luffy's head.
Steel whistled through the air, then halted as a flash of sword cut across the sun. Zoro closed the distance in a low, blinding sprint, driving two katanas in a sharp cross-cut directly across the giant's exposed back. Blood sprayed into the air. Morgan roared in agony as his descent faltered. Capitalizing on the opening, Luffy planted both hands into the dirt, snapped his legs upward, and launched his heels into Morgan's chest to throw him backward. Rolling smoothly back to his feet, Luffy wound his neck back, his chin pointing toward the sky.
"Gomu Gomu no… Headbutt!" Luffy's forehead slammed straight into Morgan's face, shattering the steel jaw apparatus in a shower of sparks and metal splinters. Morgan stumbled backward, his heavy frame crashing through the fortress wall. The floor above collapsed, burying him under concrete rubble.
In the rear, the Marines kept their guns leveled at the two. Among them stood a blood-soaked Helmeppo, clutching a trembling saber and shrieking hysterically, "Kill them! Kill the intruders!"
Commander Ripper took a deliberate step forward, drawing his pistol. "Form a line! Prepare to fire!"
Yet the line wavered. The soldiers hesitated, eyes darting nervously toward their buried captain. Ripper glanced over the trembling shoulders and lowered gun barrels of his men, then back to the rubble. Adjusting his grip, he threw his chest out and thrust his pistol toward the sky, his voice booming across the courtyard.
"Support the Captain! Fulfill your duty to the World Government!" Ripper fired a single shot into the air to jump-start the line. Panicked musket fire ignited the yard. Before Coby could freeze, Luffy grabbed him by the shirt and flung him over the broken wall into the outer forest. Lead bullets struck Luffy's chest, sinking harmlessly into his rubber skin like stones in water.
A wide, wild smirk flashed across his face. "Gomu Gomu no… Shower!"
Snapping his torso forward, his stretched skin contracted instantly, repelling the volley back across the yard. Bullets bounced off stone and armor, sending guards tumbling into the dirt. Zoro took immediate advantage, deflecting a rogue ricochet with the katana in his teeth. Flipping his side blades into a sharp reverse grip, he carved through three charging soldiers in a single fluid sweep before plunging into the remaining Marines like an unleashed beast.
"Sector 3, load the Seastone rounds!" Ripper screamed. Four soldiers halted, frantically shoving specialized ammunition into their rifles. Zoro's eyes widened in horror upon recognizing the dark stone caps.
"Look out!" Zoro yelled, but the crack of a rifle cut him off. Expecting a harmless bounce, Luffy didn't dodge. The dark metallic slug grazed his chest, tearing skin and drawing a sharp spray of blood. Stunned, Luffy recoiled, clutching his wound as the searing pain in his shoulder made the boy collapse to his knees. Another rifle discharged, but Zoro lunged across his line of sight, shattering the incoming round mid-air with his steel blade. Grabbing Luffy by his vest, Zoro dragged him backward behind a massive oak tree at the edge of the yard as a volley of lead chewed up the dirt.
"Those are Seastone bullets!" Zoro hissed, wiping blood from his cheek. "They nullify Devil Fruit powers—they'll kill you!"
Luffy's vision started to blur, as his grip on Zoro slowly loosened. With no other choice, Zoro temporarily let his two katanas fall away, shifting his grip on the Wado Ichimonji to pinch the absolute tip of its exposed steel. He slowly dug into Luffy's flesh, as the slow thumps of boots behind and the bloodcurdling scream rang in both his ears.
"Hold fire! Form a perimeter!" Ripper's voice boomed. As the Marines crept forward in a tight semicircle, a grey stone flew towards a soldier's face. As it dropped into the ground, they saw a blood-covered seastone bullet. Before they could react, Zoro vaulted silently into the thick canopy overhead, dropping into the blind spot behind the rear guard.
Two cold arcs of silver flashed, felling two riflemen before they could turn. From the shadow of the trunk, Luffy's stretched arm shot out, slamming a third guard into the dirt. Springing above the branch line, Luffy spun his rubbery torso into a tight coil before releasing it in an explosive burst:
"Gomu Gomu no… Fireworks!" A storm of fists and feet rained down from the sky, pummeling the remaining Marines into the ground—and catching Zoro right in the side of the head.
Amidst the chaos, Helmeppo scrambled through the concrete rubble toward his buried father. "Daddy! Please wake up and kill them!" A trunk-like arm exploded through the debris, clamping over Helmeppo's face. "Shut your mouth," Morgan growled, dragging his massive frame upright. "You worthless son of a whore. A disgrace to my name." With one heave, Morgan hurled his own son into the forest like a ragdoll.
Nearby, Luffy landed with a chuckle, his arm now covered by a makeshift bandage crafted from leaves and white cloth, rubbing the back of his head as Zoro dragged himself up beside him. "Why did you punch me?!" Zoro barked.
"Oh, sorry about that!"
"Also, do not move your arm. Your wound is still fresh." Zoro leveled his blade, the left sleeve of his shirt torn clean off.
CRACK! Their banter cut short as concrete shattered behind them. The two looked as a massive shadow stretched across the dirt behind them. Shrouded in the broken wall's overhang, Morgan towered over them, the dim glow off his steel battleaxe reflecting across his boots. Without a word, he charged, the earth trembling beneath his stride.
Luffy threw a jab, but Morgan swatted it aside with his iron forearm. Seizing Luffy's stretched wrist, Morgan leveraged his hips and whipped the rubber boy in a tight arc, slamming him violently into the outer stone wall. Before Luffy could rebound, Morgan yanked the extended arm back like a tow cable, closed the distance, and drove an iron-gloved cross straight into Luffy's jaw, pinning him flat into the dirt under his full body weight.
Seeing his new captain down, Zoro advanced, sweeping his dark blade into Morgan's leg before plunging his white sword deep into Morgan's bicep, slicing through muscle to sever the arm's leverage. Morgan grunted, pivoting sharply to hack downward with his battleaxe. Zoro crossed his blades, catching the heavy steel edge mid-stroke as sparks rained across his face.
"I should have executed you weeks ago," Morgan sneered, clenching his iron fist and driving a brutal downward blow into Zoro's ribs, launching him straight through the concrete wall and into the timber line. Turning toward his remaining, trembling squad, Morgan loomed over their retreat. "Ripper… What time is it?"
Ripper flipped his pocket watch open with steady, shaking hands. "It's exactly twelve o'clock, sir."
"Good. Inform the townspeople and the prisoners to hurry up and fix the base." Morgan glanced at his chipped blade. "This fight will not last—"
Before he could turn his head, Luffy leaped into the air, clasped his feet together, and drove both heels straight into the back of Morgan's face. "Gomu Gomu no… Spear!"
The blow drove Morgan face-first into the ruined wall, blasting him through the treeline and snapping trunks like twigs. Luffy landed lightly, strolling past the wide-eyed Marines who stared in absolute silence. "Hey! I like your mustache!"
"Uh… thank you?" Ripper stammered as Luffy wandered into the forest. As Luffy was walking towards the hole, Ripper slowly walked behind. "How many seastone bullets are left?" One Marine then pulled out a small wooden case and flicked the lid off.
"About fourteen bullets left, sir. We have fired a total of... 124." The soldier paused, still looking at Luffy. "Should we fire right now?"
"Reserved the bullets... we might need them just in case." He then slowly walked back as he waved towards the frozen marine. "Inform the other marines in town. The intruder seems non-hostile." Then, he tapped one young marine with bright yellow hair. "Pout, inform Commander Aguria that I will pass the command to him. I will inform the camp. This is the only time we are waiting for." The commander vanished behind the Marine base.
"Zoro!" Luffy called out. Deeper in the canopy, he found Zoro slumped against a tree, bloodied but conscious. Luffy slung the swordsman's arm across his shoulder.
"Why are you doing this?" Zoro rasped.
"Because you're part of my crew now!" Luffy grinned.
"How many times do I need to tell you, I am n—" Zoro's eyes narrowed as a shadow cut through the upper leaves. Grabbing Luffy's collar, he tackled them both into the dirt just as a projectile whistled overhead. A deafening explosion flattened a block-sized swath of forest behind them, hurling a plume of black smoke into the sky.
"Whoa!" Luffy gasped in amazement.
"Look out!" Zoro warned as timber splintered ahead. Luffy grabbed Zoro, twisting his own legs tighter and tighter until the groan of stretched rubber echoed through the clearing.
"Gomu Gomu no… Rocket Man!" In a blur, the pair launched clear of the treeline like a cannonball, right as Morgan's chain-tethered axe head plowed through where they had just been standing. The wind slapped their faces alongside Zoro's screaming voice. "What are you doing?! We're gonna die!"
Luffy laughed, slinging Zoro onto his back. Looking down, he spotted the wide stretch of the central square below. Positioning his body beneath Zoro, Luffy clutched him like a spider and gulped a massive breath of air, inflating into a giant rubber balloon to cushion their fall.
BOOM! The pair crashed onto the hard cobblestones, skidding across the square right at the statue of Morgan defeating Kuro earlier. As Luffy deflated back to size, Zoro shoved him aside, pushed himself up, and shook the dust from his shoulders. An ear-splitting warning horn echoed across the settlement. Stalls lay overturned, and abandoned fruit rolled across the cobblestones. Zoro glanced toward the surrounding windows; behind the glass, children stared out in wide-eyed terror. Zoro raised two fingers to his forehead, flashing them a smirk and a cheerful salute, prompting terrified parents to yank their kids back and slam the curtains shut.
With a quiet chuckle, Zoro cast his gaze up at the looming shadow of the 153rd Branch tower, resting his palm on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji.
"It's been a month since I laid eyes on this place," he muttered into the rising wind.
The storm of Shells Town had finally begun.