Coby, after Luffy entered the marine base, decided to climb up on the wall to avoid an uncomfortable moment with Alvida.
The woman didn't seem to care and sat on the ground, taking a quick nap after eating at the restaurant.
Then, the sound of wood hitting the wall was heard by both. When they turned to see who it was, they saw a little girl placing a ladder against the wall.
The girl noticed they had seen her, so she looked at them and put her finger to her lips, asking for silence so they wouldn't say anything.
In her hands, she carried something wrapped in leaves — they looked like rice balls, but had a more yellowish color, as if they were caramelized. They were supposed to be onigiri.
She quickly climbed the ladder and jumped from the top. At that moment, Luffy appeared. When he saw the girl, he moved aside to let her through.
She ran toward Zoro, holding the rice balls with a smile on her face. It was probably a gift of gratitude for the pirate hunter.
"What are you doing here, girl? Go home," Zoro said with a serious expression, turning to look at the base gate, as if expecting something.
"Big bro, look at these rice balls I made for you! I've never made them before, but I think they're delicious!" the girl said cheerfully, ignoring Zoro's warnings.
"I don't want those rice balls. And leave now before—" Zoro was cut off by the sound of footsteps approaching.
From the same gate Zoro had looked at earlier, a blond boy appeared, escorted by three marines.
"Don't be cruel to this girl, Zoro. You should've eaten those rice balls when you had the chance — now they're mine!" said the boy with a wicked smile, snatching the rice balls from Rika's hands.
"Don't take them! I made them for Zoro-aniki," the girl complained, trying to get them back, but it didn't work.
"Don't worry, I'll put these to good use!" Helmeppo said, taking a bite of the first rice ball. He had barely put it in his mouth before spitting it all out.
"Ugh! This is disgusting!" he shouted, turning to Rika. "These were supposed to be onigiri, but they're sweet?! Who's the idiot that puts sugar in onigiri!?" he yelled, pointing angrily at her face.
In a fit of rage, he threw the remains of the rice balls on the ground and began stomping on them until they were nothing but a mushy onigiri paste.
"My rice balls!" Rika cried, kneeling to see what was left of them.
"I was going to let it go this time, but you forced me," said Helmeppo, stepping behind his guards. "Did you know visiting dangerous criminals is forbidden?" he asked, looking at Zoro.
"Don't you dare, you bastard!" Zoro glared at him with bloodshot eyes.
"You can't do anything. You're tied up!" Helmeppo mocked with a chuckle.
"When the thirty days are up, I'm coming for you," Zoro said seriously, locking eyes with Helmeppo, who kept laughing.
"Haha, we'll see about that." He turned back to the girl, then looked at one of his guards and pointed. "Hey you, throw her out of here!" he ordered with a stern face.
"W-what!? I can't do that!" the guard replied nervously.
"If you don't, I'll tell my father everything — and I don't think you'd like that."
"Alright…" the guard surrendered under the threat. He approached the girl, who looked scared, crouched down, and whispered to her, "Curl up so it won't hurt as much."
Then, the man threw her out of the base with a guilty face, Helmeppo smiling, and Zoro burning with rage, wishing all sorts of bad things upon the spoiled brat.
Before Rika could hit the ground, Luffy performed a small acrobatic jump, catching her mid-air. He hugged her tightly and landed softly thanks to his fruit's abilities.
[+2 agility points!]
[2 ⮕ 4]
"Nice," Luffy thought.
He released the girl from his grip and looked at her face, noticing she was frightened. But who wouldn't be in that situation? Being thrown from such a height isn't something that happens every day.
"T-thank you, mister with the hat," Rika said, giving a small bow in gratitude.
"No problem…" Luffy said, smiling a bit. "But changing the subject, I noticed you know Zoro from somewhere. Could you tell us how he ended up there? I mean, he's a really strong guy — I doubt he'd let himself be caught so easily."
"W-well, actually I do know… and it's my fault," she confessed, lowering her head in regret.
"Would you mind explaining it to us?" interrupted Coby, suddenly appearing.
"Sure, follow me," Rika said, starting to run.
With no other option, the pirates followed her.
---
After a few minutes of walking, they arrived again at the restaurant they had visited earlier. Upon entering, they were warmly welcomed by the bar owner, who already knew them.
However, when she saw her daughter's face, she became worried and ran over to her, wanting to know what had happened.
After a brief explanation, the woman was furious at the marines — especially Helmeppo, who had already caused trouble before.
Soon after, she thanked Luffy for saving her daughter and offered a free lunch for all three of them as a thank-you — something Luffy accepted without hesitation.
While they ate, Rika explained why Zoro had been captured by the marines.
---
A few days earlier, Helmeppo had entered her mother's restaurant with three wolves on chains. When Ririka, the restaurant owner, saw them, she politely asked him to leave so as not to disturb the other customers.
Helmeppo responded by saying his wolves were very well-trained and wouldn't hurt anyone… unless he wanted them to.
The woman calmed down upon hearing that and allowed him to stay.
Rika, who helped her mother by serving dishes to customers, passed near Helmeppo and his wolves. One of them growled lowly, but she tried to ignore it, even feeling a chill down her spine.
However, as she slightly stumbled, one of the plates fell, spilling some food near the feet of one of the animals. The most restless wolf seized the moment, pulling the chain forcefully and sinking its teeth into Rika's leg.
The restaurant erupted into panic. Customers stood up, screams filled the air, and Ririka ran to her daughter in desperation. Helmeppo, however, just laughed, as if it were all a joke.
"I warned you — they only attack when I say so…" he murmured sarcastically.
Before things got worse, the restaurant door slammed open. Zoro, who had witnessed everything from the sidewalk, stepped in decisively.
"Let go of the girl," he said, with a cold voice and a sharp gaze like his swords.
Helmeppo tried to protest, but Zoro was already moving. In a swift motion, he cut the chain binding the aggressive wolf, freeing Rika from its reach. Then, using his sword's sheath, he struck the animal's head with precision, knocking it out without killing it.
He then picked Rika up and handed her to her mother.
"Take care of her wound," he said firmly. "I'll handle things here."
Helmeppo's face turned pale. He pointed a trembling finger at Zoro.
"You'll pay for this! No one messes with me and gets away with it! My dad will have you executed!"
Zoro calmly walked toward him, showing no fear.
"Then come. But first… let's make a deal."
Helmeppo raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"What kind of deal?"
"If I can stay tied up for one month without eating anything, you'll leave Rika and everyone here alone. And I won't tell anyone that you were the one who let the wolf loose on purpose," Zoro said, staring him down.
Helmeppo laughed loudly, confident Zoro wouldn't last that long.
"Deal! If you last a whole month without food, I'll even free you myself. But if you don't… you'll regret ever challenging me!"
The next day, thanks to Helmeppo's influence, the marines captured Zoro. He was tied to a stake in the base courtyard, with no food, as part of the deal. Days passed, and despite hunger and thirst, Zoro held firm, never breaking his word.
---
Luffy, after hearing the whole story, felt even more admiration for Zoro (even though he already knew all of it) and wanted him in his crew more than ever.
Because of that, he finished eating quickly and dashed off toward the marine base again, followed by Coby and Alvida.
As he neared the wall of the base, he heard a notification sound in his mind, and when he looked ahead, he saw a system screen displaying a new mission:
---
[Second Strongest!]
[Recruit Roronoa Zoro to your crew.]
[Reward: 10 distributable points, (Skill) Ice Punch]
---
"Ice Punch? I thought the skills would only be related to my character..."