A spacious park in Orange Town. In its center, a wooden cross was driven deep into the earth.
Roronoa Zoro was bound to that wood, surrounded by pirates who brandished rifles and glared at him with predatory eyes.
Standing nearly 190cm tall, Zoro possessed short-cropped light-green hair and a face etched with a savage, indomitable intensity.
Zoro looked at Buggy, who was watching him from a distance, and lowered his head as a single thought consumed him.
'I... I can't die in a place like this.'
'I haven't fulfilled our promise yet...!'
******
A night where only the full moon shone brightly in the heavens.
—Clang!
Beneath that moon, a boy and a girl, barely ten years old, were locked in a desperate duel.
The girl wielded a single blade, while the boy held one in each hand. The weapons they swung were no mere bamboo practice swords; they were cold, sharpened steel.
After exchanging a flurry of blows for some time, the two charged at each other simultaneously.
—Clang!
The result was decided as two swords were sent spinning through the air, clattering into the distance.
"I win again, Zoro. That makes 1,001 wins and zero losses."
"...Damn it!"
The young Zoro collapsed to the ground, tears of frustration streaming down his face. Seeing him like that, the girl, Kuina, sat on the ground and spoke softly.
"Are you frustrated, Zoro?"
"Of course I am...! I put my heart into it and even demanded a duel with real swords, and I still lost!"
"...The one who's truly frustrated is me."
"What?"
"As girls grow up, they become weaker than boys. They say that no matter how hard I work, I'll eventually be overtaken by a boy like you."
"As a girl... I can't become the World's Greatest Swordsman."
As she spoke, Kuina was suddenly in tears.
"You're lucky to be born a boy. If only I had been born a boy..."
"Shut up, Kuina! If you're going to complain about that, then I only lost because you have a better sword!"
Zoro pointed toward the blade resting beside Kuina.
Its edge was perfectly straight and lethal, adorned with a pure white hilt.
"Wh-what does my win have to do with the sword? The person wielding the sword is what matters...!"
"Exactly! And being a man or a woman doesn't matter either!"
"When I eventually beat you, are you going to say it was just because I'm a man? Is that all my effort amounts to?"
"Zoro..."
"If that's how you feel, then I'm a fool for training so hard to surpass you! So don't say things like that!"
Zoro stood up and reached out a hand toward the seated Kuina.
"Promise me! One day, one of us—either you or me—will become the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
"We're competing to see who gets there first!"
"Dummy... you're still weaker than me..."
Kuina wiped the tears from her face and took Zoro's hand, gripping it firmly.
"Fine. I promise, Zoro."
******
"What are you talking about?! The men I sent to catch that thief-girl are all dead?!"
"Captain Buggy, it's...!"
While Zoro was lost in his memories, Buggy's voice thundered through the park, surrounded by his crew.
"Two of the three we sent were decapitated! The other one was found dead with blood leaking from every orifice in his face!"
"That girl who stole the Grand Line chart must have done it!"
"If that girl were that strong, she would have killed a few of our men when she first stole the chart! It doesn't make sense!"
"Ah... that's true, but..."
"My plan was to spread a photo of myself standing flamboyantly over Roronoa's corpse to boost my fame!"
"So why is everything a mess from the very beginning?!"
"Th-there she is!"
"What?!"
"Over there! I just saw that girl hiding behind the building, peeking at us!"
Buggy looked toward the building his subordinate was pointing to. As the other pirates turned their heads, the bound Zoro also lifted his gaze at the commotion.
"You've been spotted, Nami. Let's just go out."
"W-Wait, they might not have really seen us! Maybe they think they just misidentified...!"
"What are you saying? Your orange hair sticks out like a sore thumb."
Luffy, Nami, and the Mayor, Woop Slap, emerged one by one from behind the building.
"It's her, Captain Buggy! That's the girl who stole our chart!"
"A thief walking into the lion's den... Have you come to challenge the great Buggy?!"
As Buggy shouted, the Mayor spotted Zoro tied to the post. He brandished a spear he had been carrying on his back and cried out.
"Are you alright, Roronoa!"
"Mayor... why are you here!"
"To rescue you, of course!"
"Sigh... Mayor, please, could you just stay back?"
"There are too many of them, Straw Hat! I'll hold at least one of them down, so you...!"
—Thud!
Before the Mayor could finish his sentence, Luffy delivered a swift blow to the back of his neck. Zoro's eyes widened as he shouted.
"M-Mayor!"
"Luffy, what are you doing to the Mayor!"
"Nami, no matter how many times I told this old man to stay in a safe place until it was over, he wouldn't listen."
"I knocked him out so he wouldn't charge in alone and get killed. It's for his own good."
"Ah..."
"Perfect timing, since those guys came out of the building to kill Zoro. You do what you need to do."
"You know what I mean, right?"
"I got it, Luffy... but let me be clear, I'm going to steal all their treasure first. If I have time after that, maybe I'll help you."
"So don't expect me to come to your rescue!"
With those words, Nami sprinted back behind the building. Luffy gently propped the unconscious Mayor against the wall. Zoro watched this, his mind racing.
'I've never seen a guy like him in this village. But why did he save the Mayor?'
"Are you an acquaintance of the Mayor? If so, why aren't you running away!"
As Zoro shouted, Luffy stood up and kicked off the ground, his body leaning forward with explosive speed.
"Wh-what?! Where did that Straw Hat brat disappear to!"
"Over there, Captain Buggy! In front of Roronoa!"
Luffy had manifested in front of the bound Zoro in the blink of an eye.
"You're Roronoa Zoro, right?"
"Who the hell are you? How did you get here in one move...!"
As they spoke, Buggy shrieked at the interloper.
"Who do you think you are?! How dare you interrupt the flamboyant execution show of the great Buggy...!"
"My name is Monkey D. Luffy. I'm the man who will become King of the Pirates."
"For the record, I'm a pirate, but I don't pillage."
"Are you ignoring me, you little brat?!"
"I'll get straight to the point."
Luffy completely ignored Buggy's screeching and looked Zoro in the eye.
"Be my nakama, Zoro."
"...What?"
"Aim! Kill them both at once!"
Nearly thirty of Buggy's subordinates leveled their rifles at the two of them. Zoro grit his teeth.
"Straw Hat, I don't know what you're thinking, but staying here just means we both die uselessly!"
"Take the Mayor and get out of here while you still can!"
"Come on, think about it. If it were actually dangerous, I wouldn't have come all this way..."
"When you escape, tell the Mayor... thanks for the meal."
"...Right, I guess your brain doesn't work well when your life is on the line."
"Fire! Turn them into Swiss cheese!"
—BANG!!!
As Luffy finished his sentence, Buggy's men pulled their triggers in unison.
'Dragon-Scale Shield.'
Golden energy surged from Luffy's outstretched palms, forming a translucent golden barrier centered around him and Zoro.
The bullets that screamed toward them were deflected sideways by the shimmering golden wall, clattering harmlessly away.
"Wh-What is that?!!!"
"Give the Mayor your thanks in person once you're out of here, Zoro."
"Straw Hat... just what the hell are you...!"
"I told you. The man who'll be King of the Pirates."
"What I just did comes from eating a Devil Fruit. You heard of them?"
"...I've heard rumors."
"What is that golden barrier?! Could he be like Captain Buggy...!"
"Don't panic just because bullets don't work! Slice them with swords and crush them with clubs!"
"""YES, CAPTAIN!!!"""
As Buggy's pirates drew their melee weapons, Zoro spoke to Luffy once more.
"If I say no to joining you, will you leave me here to rot?"
"Even if you refuse, I'd still save you. I've taken a liking to you."
"...Is that so."
'This guy means what he says. His eyes don't waver for a second.'
"I like you too... but I have a condition."
"What is it?"
"I have a dream, just like you. To become the World's Greatest Swordsman."
"But if a day ever comes where I have to abandon my dream because of you, I'll expect you to take your own life as an apology!"
"The World's Greatest Swordsman as my nakama... That's certainly a dream worth betting my life on."
"Luffy! I found the swords!"
As the Buggy Pirates assumed their combat stances, Nami shouted from the roof of the adjacent building.
She carried a large sack on her back and three katanas tucked under her arm. Buggy looked up and snarled.
"That damn thief...! After Roronoa and Straw Hat, you're next!"
"L-Luffy! Hurry up and take these guys out!"
"Got it! Toss Zoro his swords!"
"Which of the three?!"
"All three of them!"
"Fine!"
As the pirates charged, Nami hurled the three katanas down toward Luffy and Zoro. In the same breath, Luffy stepped behind Zoro and traced a curve through the air with the edge of his hand.
"Cutting rope with your bare hand..."
"It's a useful technique once you learn it. By the way, the way I appeared in front of you earlier is something you can do too once you've trained enough."
"You sure make something difficult sound easy!"
The ropes binding Zoro snapped the instant Luffy's hand-edge grazed them. Answering Luffy's banter, Zoro reached out for the swords falling through the air.
He caught two, drawing them from their scabbards with practiced fluid motions. Finally, he caught the white-hilted sword—the Wado Ichimonji—between his teeth.
Crossing his arms, he tore into the pirate horde like a whirlwind.
'Oni Giri!'
—FLASH!
Zoro's three blades carved through the front line of three pirates. The shockwave of the impact sent those behind them tumbling backward, and Luffy watched with a smirk.
'I had something I really wanted to say to my first nakama.'
'The same words Roger said to Rayleigh, the first member and Vice-Captain of the Roger Pirates.'
'I wondered when I should say it... but seeing him in person, I can't hold it back anymore.'
Luffy looked at Zoro as the swordsman readjusted his stance. He let out a wide, toothy grin as a single thought raced through his mind.
'He's just too damn cool!'
Suddenly, Luffy's body rose into the air, hovering high above the bewildered pirates.
"He—He's flying!"
The pirates, Nami, and even Zoro stood frozen as they looked up at the sky. Having captured everyone's attention, Luffy clasped his hands together and roared.
"Zoro! This meeting...!"
Luffy threw his clasped fists downward, hurtling toward the ground with the force of a falling meteor.
"...Is destiny!!!"
—BOOM!!!
The earth shattered as Luffy impacted the ground. The shockwave sent pirates flying in every direction. Standing in the center of the crater, Luffy looked back at Zoro.
"I really like you! So let's go together!"
"...Pfft, Hahahaha!"
"Hahahaha!"
While the scattered pirates struggled to their feet, Zoro joined Luffy in his exuberant laughter.
"The Pirate King and the World's Greatest Swordsman! It's a hell of a combination!"
"Yeah! Let's do this!"
"Oh, by the way, I have a bit of a nasty personality."
"...Out of nowhere?"
"But you won't be the one suffering because of it."
"The ones who suffer from my temper... usually look like those guys over there."
Luffy turned his gaze to the pirates, his eyes narrowing into cold slits of malice.
"That's the reason you lot won't be dying comfortably... Is that explanation enough?"
"I think... you're missing a few details?" one pirate stammered.
"Then go ask your buddies who already crossed over."
"Crossed over... to where?"
—CRACK!
Luffy's fist buried itself into the pirate's gut with sickening force.
The man rocketed past Buggy and smashed into the far wall, blood erupting from his mangled abdomen.
"To hell."
Luffy stared down the rest of the crew, his aura chilling and absolute.