"Hey! Luffy! What should we do next?" Rokuro asked as he adjusted his fishing rod, the morning sun reflecting off the ship's deck.
Luffy's cheeks were stuffed like a squirrel's, his face busy devouring a bone-in slab of meat. Saikan's—Rokuro's—question barely registered until Luffy tilted his head, chewed once more, and swallowed it all in one loud gulp.
"Ahhh~ Of course we're gonna look for new crewmates!" Luffy beamed. "I want someone just as cool as Rokuro! But strong too! Like, super strong!"
Coby, still rubbing sleep from his eyes, overheard and stepped in with a timid voice. "If Mr. Luffy is looking for strength… I might know someone who fits that description."
Luffy's eyes widened. "Really?! Who?!"
"There's a guy named Roronoa Zoro. He's a swordsman. The most feared pirate hunter in East Blue! Even Alvida was scared of him."
Luffy blinked. "Pirate Hunter…?"
Coby nodded and launched into his recollection: "He's known as Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter. People say he's taken down dozens of bounties on his own. Brutal, ruthless, but… he has a code. He won't kill innocents."
Rokuro's eyes flickered with recognition. So it's finally time. Zoro—the legendary swordsman who would one day be Luffy's right-hand man. Back in Rokuro's past life, fans revered Zoro as the unofficial vice-captain of the Straw Hats.
"He sounds like a perfect fit," Luffy grinned, scratching his chin. "Let's find him! If he's not a jerk, I'll make him my swordsman!"
Rokuro smiled. "He'll be more than a good partner, Captain. He'll be our pillar."
With that decision made, Rokuro quietly cast out his line with a special glowing bait attached. The fishing rod he wielded—the "Supreme Fast Rod"—wasn't just for food. It was a divine item granted by the mysterious Heaven System. Every fish he caught seemed to improve his body.
"Oi! Saikan!" Luffy shouted. "Why are you fishing now? Smell something?"
"Quiet," Rokuro muttered. "I'm working."
Luffy giggled. "Ninjutsu! Ninjutsu! Show me the one with clones!"
With a subtle hand seal, poof!—Rokuro vanished, leaving only a piece of wood behind. The Kawarimi no Jutsu.
"WAHAHAHA! SAIKAN! WHERE DID YOU GO?!" Luffy raced across the ship in circles, laughing as if he were chasing treasure.
Just then, Coby walked out with a sandwich. Luffy squinted. "Coby! Why are you fishing now?"
"I think Rokuro went to the storage room," Coby replied without flinching. "Said something about emergency meat reserves."
"WHAT?! Meat! MEAT!" Luffy bolted toward the storage in a frenzy. "Rokuro! COME OUT!"
Once Luffy vanished, Rokuro reappeared on the stern with a yawn. "Clone jutsu still works," he said to himself, then glanced at his fishing rod. The line tugged. He reeled it in eagerly… only to find a wine bottle.
"AGAIN?!"
He sighed. "Why is the ocean 90% trash today?!"
"Mute! Mute!" croaked the Murkrow perched nearby, its feathers ruffled from sleeping on Rokuro's head. The bird dropped another glowing bait from its tail.
"Well… you're not wrong," Rokuro muttered. "Even junk strengthens me… but c'mon, give me something good!"
Despite the setbacks, the bait truly did accelerate his physical growth. Just last night, after catching a silver-scaled flying fish, he felt his muscles tense with new strength. The Heaven System didn't explain how or why—only that his path was fishing and training.
The next morning, while Luffy and Coby snored peacefully, Rokuro crept toward the brig where the Alvida Pirates were tied up.
With a smirk, he pressed his palms together.
Transformation Jutsu!
A puff of smoke later, and Rokuro had assumed the repulsive form of Captain Alvida, pre-Sube Sube no Mi. "Who's the most beautiful woman on the sea?" he demanded with a dramatic pose.
The pirates screamed in agony. "IT'S CAPTAIN ALVIDA! PLEASE STOP!!"
"Good~" Rokuro cooed, flicking his fake long hair. "Now, listen up. My captain wants to reach Shells Town. You scum are going to sail us there. Fast."
Terrified, the pirates nodded and groveled at the illusion.
"But first, a reward~" Rokuro purred and gave them a sultry wink.
Σ_(ﾟДﾟ‖∠) vomit
"YOU'RE NOT ALVIDA! YOU'RE A MONSTER!" one of them cried, trying to scrub the image from his eyes.
"Change back! PLEASE CHANGE BACK!" others begged.
Poof! Rokuro returned to normal. "That's more like it. And remember—fastest route. Or I'll press F."
They didn't know what "press F" meant, but it chilled them to the bone. Even the long-haired pirate from before stood at attention. "Lord Rokuro! We'll get you to the Marine base by noon!"
Outside, Rokuro resumed fishing while Murkrow lazily dropped a few more baits.
"You've eaten enough! This is all the bait I get today?" he scolded.
"MUTE! MUTE!" the bird snapped back indignantly.
Still, the bait worked. Rokuro cast the line again and reeled in a rare starfish—an East Blue-exclusive species that only surfaced at night.
Luffy and Coby gathered around the tank, amazed.
"Waaah! Look at it spin!" Luffy squealed. "It's shiny!"
Rokuro puffed out his chest. "This is just the beginning. These fish are proof of my training."
What he didn't say was that most of the night's catches had been trash: broken bottles, kelp, old bones. But the system counted them all. Even garbage held power, it seemed.
"Rokuro! Let me fish too!" Luffy lunged for the rod, excited.
"DON'T TOUCH IT!" Rokuro shouted.
Startled, Luffy froze as Rokuro grabbed his wrist. His expression turned deadly serious.
"Listen, Luffy. This rod isn't just a stick with string. It's called the Supreme Fast Rod. It was given to me by someone… someone who changed my life. Every time I fish, I grow stronger. This rod is like your straw hat."
Luffy blinked.
Rokuro continued, softer this time: "That hat reminds you of your dream. My rod reminds me of mine. Please… don't break it."
Luffy looked at the rod, then back at Rokuro. Slowly, he stepped back and touched his straw hat with reverence.
"I get it now," he said quietly. "That rod… it's like your treasure. I won't touch it again. I'll protect it. With my life, if I have to."
Rokuro's eyes softened. In this absurd world of pirates and chaos, Luffy's earnest heart was something he respected.
"Thanks," he said simply.
From the edge of the ship, Murkrow cawed again and dropped a final bait. As Rokuro prepared for the next cast, he smiled.
Roronoa Zoro is next. The team's coming together.
And with every fish, with every joke and brawl, his place on this ship—on this journey—was becoming real.