Roronoa Zoro stiffly turned his head, looking at the woman who held a longbow and still had it drawn.
From the moment they met, Roronoa Zoro knew that this seemingly delicate woman, whose appearance could trigger a man's protective instincts, possessed unusual strength.
But he never expected a woman to be so powerful.
Even if he had been in Monka's place just now, he would have had no confidence in blocking that arrow.
"Roronoa Zoro, I've figured it out." As Roronoa Zoro was lost in thought, Silas slowly lowered her bow, her eyes fixed on Roronoa Zoro's, and said with a relieved tone:
"Since the plot has already changed, let's just let it go completely off track."
It wasn't until she shot that arrow that Silas truly understood one thing.
Her current identity was not just a passerby in an anime, but a participant capable of changing the story's direction herself.
Did Roronoa Zoro and Monkey D. Luffy's meeting absolutely have to be in Shells Town?
Did Roronoa Zoro absolutely have to endure nine days of imprisonment?
No, absolutely not!
They could completely cut down Helmeppo, defeat Monka, and then actively search for Monkey D. Luffy on the open sea.
Again, the sea is vast, but there is only one route to the Grand Line... Nine days later.
A refreshed Shells Town welcomed two new guests.
A Straw Hat Boy, always curiously looking around, and a short boy with glasses and pink hair.
"Koby, is this the Marine base you were talking about?" The Straw Hat Boy adjusted his straw hat, which was almost blown away by the sea breeze, and looked with fresh curiosity at the port scene full of patrolling Marines.
"Sugoi~~ As expected of a Marine base, it's full of Marines."
"That shouldn't be right. Even a Marine branch base doesn't need so many Marines patrolling, does it?" The short, pink-haired boy called Koby looked confused.
He had been to other Marine-controlled islands before, and none of them were as heavily guarded as this one.
"Don't you know? The Navy Captain here was defeated by two people a while ago."
A local resident overheard their conversation and kindly explained to the two.
"What? Two people defeated a Navy Captain at a Marine base?" Koby's mouth dropped open, his face full of disbelief.
The reason for his shock wasn't actually that the Navy Captain was defeated, but that someone dared to attack a Navy Captain at a Marine base.
Those two people were simply too bold, weren't they?
"Koby, why are you so surprised? Is a Navy Captain very strong?" The Straw Hat Boy scratched the back of his head, his youthful face filled with clear ignorance.
However, his black eyes had already unconsciously lit up.
His name was Monkey D. Luffy, a Gum-Gum Fruit user, a rookie pirate who had only been at sea for a few days and didn't even have a bounty yet.
His ultimate goal was to find One Piece and become the Pirate King, the pinnacle of all pirates!
His short-term goal was to acquire a pirate ship and find a group of like-minded companions.
"Luffy, a Navy Captain is certainly strong! In the East Blue, they can be considered the strongest in an area! What's more, these two people defeated him at a Marine base..."
Koby's voice carried a hint of excitement; beneath his weak exterior, there seemed to be a heart that admired strength.
"Are they stronger than Alvida?" Luffy asked again, his tone showing some anticipation.
Clearly, he was interested.
These two seemingly strong individuals would be perfect as his crewmates.
And getting two crewmates at once would save a lot of trouble, which suited his intentions perfectly.
"Uh..." Koby pondered for a moment, seemingly comparing in his mind. A few seconds later, he nodded and said, "They should be a bit stronger than Alvida, but I'm not very sure. The strength of Navy Captains also varies."
"Uncle, was the former Navy Captain strong?"
Koby asked the kind resident from earlier.
Upon hearing this, the man's face actually showed a hint of fear, "He... Monka was very strong. Before those two defeated him, he was publicly recognized as a monster, and no one dared to anger him."
"Monka? I seem to have heard that name on Alvida's ship..." Koby mused upon hearing this.
And Luffy couldn't help but press further, "Uncle, who are those two people? What are their names, and where are they now?"
"Do you still need to ask me that?" Unexpectedly, upon hearing Luffy's question, the kind resident gave him a strange look.
"Eh? Why not..."
Before he could finish, Luffy's voice was cut off by himself, because he saw a newspaper fluttering in the wind. On the front of the newspaper were two crimson pirate wanted posters.
"Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro, a Three-Sword Style swordsman who uses three swords, a former bounty hunter, caused immense damage to the Marines during the Shells Town incident... Bounty: 10,000,000 Berries!
"frost arrow" Silas, unknown identity, unknown origin, uses a bow that doesn't require arrows, her arrows can cause freezing effects, and she was the Pirate Hunter's helper in the Shells Town incident... Bounty: 10,000,000 Berries!
"Pirate Hunter, frost arrow?"
Luffy grabbed the fluttering newspaper, looking at the two faces on it. His excitement grew, and it seemed as if someone was telling him in his heart.
These two people would definitely be his crewmates!
..."Thank you, Uncle, for letting me know about these two."
A few minutes later, after reading the newspaper with Koby and appreciating the great deeds Silas and Roronoa Zoro had done in Shells Town, Luffy said with gratitude.
"It was just a small thing." The kind resident waved his hand, then carefully scrutinized Luffy and Koby, asking in confusion:
"Why are you looking for those two? Although they helped us get rid of Monka, they are now pirates, and approaching them is very dangerous."
"Hehe, Uncle, you don't know yet, but he's also a pirate!" Koby said proudly, completely forgetting his miserable experience of being enslaved on a pirate ship for two years.
"That's right, my name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!" Luffy thumped his chest, declaring generously.
"Those two are the crewmates I've set my sights on!"
"Oh, I see." The kind resident suddenly understood. Then, under the gaze of Luffy and Koby, he suddenly ran wildly, shouting loudly to the Marines patrolling the port as he ran:
"There are two pirates here, hurry!"
...Fifteen minutes later, at the entrance of the Marine base.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Koby was drenched in sweat, as if exhausted, panting heavily in a disheveled state.
"Damn it, that uncle actually ratted us out, making us get chased for more than ten streets and almost caught by the Marines!"
"Hahaha, he really is a very interesting uncle!"
Luffy was also slightly out of breath, but he was truly broad-minded. He wasn't at all angry about being chased just now, and even had time to care about Koby,
"But Koby, weren't you going to join the Marines? Why did you run away when you saw the Marines coming?"
"Of course I had to run! I was with you, they would definitely think I'm a pirate too!" Koby explained.
"Is that so? That's really a shame, it seemed like a good opportunity," Luffy shook his head.
At this moment, the gate of the Marine base in front of them suddenly opened.
Out came a burly, white-haired old man, who made Luffy instantly lose his composure upon seeing him.
"Let this old man see, who wants to join the Marines?"