Chapter 6: The Pirate Hunter's Choice
Luffy and Coby walked through the streets of Shells Town, the Marine base growing larger with every step. The white stone walls loomed ahead, guards posted at the main gate, but Luffy wasn't interested in the front door. He veered off toward the side of the compound, Coby scrambling to keep up.
"Where are we going?" Coby whispered.
"To see if the rumors are true," Luffy said, grinning.
They found a spot along the outer wall where the guards couldn't see them. Luffy crouched, then jumped, catching the top of the wall and pulling himself up just enough to peek over. Coby did the same beside him, grunting with effort.
Inside the compound was a large parade ground. And there, tied to a wooden crucifix in the middle of it all, was Roronoa Zoro.
Green hair. Three earrings. Muscles coiled like ropes. He looked exactly like the images burned into Luffy's memory from years of reading. Bound with ropes around his chest and arms, head hanging forward like he'd given up on caring.
"Holy shit," Coby breathed. "That's really him."
Luffy studied the scene. Zoro looked thin. Tired. But alive. The timeline was holding.
Before he could decide his next move, a small wooden ladder smacked against the wall a few meters away. Both Luffy and Coby ducked instinctively.
A little girl climbed over the wall, dropping lightly onto the parade ground. She couldn't have been more than eight or nine. Brown hair. Simple dress. In her hands she clutched a small bundle wrapped in cloth.
"What the hell is she doing?" Coby muttered.
The girl ran across the open ground toward Zoro, small feet silent on the packed dirt. Zoro's head lifted as she approached.
"Little girl, what are you doing here?" Zoro's voice was rough, tired, but carried authority even now.
She unwrapped the bundle. Rice balls. Simple, handmade, wrapped in paper.
"I brought you food," she said, holding one up to his mouth. "You must be hungry. Please eat."
Zoro stared at her for a long moment. Then he leaned forward slightly and took a bite.
Luffy watched from the wall, expression unreadable.
Zoro chewed slowly. Swallowed. "Thank you," he said quietly. "It's good."
The girl beamed.
Then a new voice cut through the air like a blade.
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
Luffy's eyes shifted.
A young man with weirdly shaped blond hair and a face that looked permanently stuck in smug mode walked into view. Behind him trailed two Marines in uniform. The blond wore expensive clothes, the kind that screamed daddy's money and no real work.
Helmeppo.
"What a sweet little scene," Helmeppo said, walking toward them with his hands clasped behind his back. "Feeding the prisoner, are we? How very kind."
The girl stepped back, fear flickering across her face. "I just... he was hungry..."
Helmeppo reached out and snatched the remaining rice balls from her hands. He examined one, sniffed it, then took a bite.
His face twisted immediately.
"Ugh! What is this? Sweet?" He spit the mouthful onto the ground. "Rice balls are supposed to be savory, you stupid child. Who makes sweet rice balls?"
Tears welled in the girl's eyes. "I... my mother always makes them that way. I thought..."
Helmeppo dropped the rest of the rice balls onto the dirt and stomped on them repeatedly, grinding them into the ground with his heel. The girl stared at the mess, shoulders shaking.
"You know what else?" Helmeppo said, turning to her with a smile that held no warmth. "Helping a prisoner is a crime. You've broken the law, little girl."
He gestured lazily to one of the Marines behind him. "Throw her over the wall."
The Marine hesitated. "Sir, she's just a child-"
"I said throw her over the wall. Are you deaf or just stupid?"
The Marine's jaw tightened, but he stepped forward. He grabbed the girl gently, almost apologetically, and carried her toward the wall. When he reached it, he tossed her over with as much care as he could manage while following orders.
She flew through the air, arms pinwheeling, a small scream escaping her throat.
Luffy launched himself off the wall.
He caught her midair, twisting so he hit the ground first, rolling to absorb the impact. The girl landed on his chest, shaken but unhurt. She stared up at him with wide eyes.
"You okay?" Luffy asked.
She nodded slowly, too scared to speak.
Coby scrambled down from the wall and hurried over. "Is she alright?"
"She's fine." Luffy set her down gently and crouched to her level. "Go home. Don't come back here. It's not safe."
She looked at him, then at the wall, then back at him. "But... the rice balls..."
"Go home," Luffy repeated, softer this time.
She nodded and ran.
Luffy straightened and looked at Coby. "Wait here."
"Wait, what are you going to do?"
But Luffy was already climbing the wall again.
He dropped into the parade ground and walked toward Zoro like he owned the place. Zoro's eyes tracked him, wary and sharp despite his exhaustion.
"You're the one who caught the kid," Zoro said. It wasn't a question.
"Yeah." Luffy stopped a few feet away and looked him over. "Roronoa Zoro. Pirate hunter. You look like shit."
"Feel like it too." Zoro's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"
Luffy grinned. "I want you to join my crew."
Silence.
Zoro stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "Your crew? You're a pirate?"
"Monkey D. Luffy. I'm gonna be King of the Pirates."
More silence.
Then Zoro laughed. A short, harsh sound with no humor in it. "Kid, I've got my own goals. I'm not joining anyone."
"What goals? Sitting here starving to death?"
Zoro's expression hardened. "That blond piece of shit over there made a deal with me. I stay tied up here for a month without food, he lets me go. No execution. No tricks."
Luffy tilted his head. "And you believe him?"
"He gave his word."
Luffy stared at him for a long moment. Then he walked over to where Helmeppo had stomped the rice balls into the dirt. He crouched, picked up a handful of the mess, and brought it back to Zoro.
"Eat."
Zoro looked at the dirt-covered rice. "What?"
"The girl made those for you. She risked getting thrown over a wall to feed you. Eat them."
Zoro's eyes moved from the rice to Luffy's face. Something shifted in his expression. He leaned forward and opened his mouth.
Luffy shoved the handful in.
Zoro chewed. Dirt crunched between his teeth. Rice sweetness mixed with grit. He swallowed.
"Tell her they were delicious," Zoro said quietly.
Luffy wiped his hand on his pants and looked at the pirate hunter with something between amusement and pity. "You know, for a guy who wants to be the best, you're pretty fucking naive."
Zoro's eyes snapped to his.
"You really think that spoiled brat is gonna keep his word?" Luffy continued. "You've been here however many days. He comes by every morning to laugh at you, doesn't he? Talks shit. Makes sure you know he's in charge. And you think at the end of this he's just gonna untie you and say 'good luck out there'?"
Zoro said nothing.
"I'm giving you a chance, Zoro. A real one. Get out of this shithole fish pond and see what the world actually looks like." Luffy's voice shifted, taking on an edge that hadn't been there before. "You think the East Blue has strong opponents? This place is a kiddie pool. Out there, in the Grand Line, that's where the real monsters live."
He started counting on his fingers.
"Warlords. Guys like Crocodile. Runs a whole kingdom, controls crime, has a devil fruit that turns him into sand. Or Boa Hancock. Pirate Empress. Rules an island of women warriors, and she's so beautiful she makes Marines forget how to fight. Big tits, huge ass, kicks like a fucking meteor."
Zoro blinked.
"And that's just scratching the surface." Luffy leaned closer. "Dracule Mihawk."
Zoro's head came up sharply.
"Yeah. I saw that reaction." Luffy grinned. "The greatest swordsman in the world. The guy you've probably been dreaming about cutting down since you first picked up a blade. He's out there, Zoro. In the Grand Line. Living his life, waiting for someone worth his time."
Zoro's eyes burned.
"But you'll never get to him if you die here. If you let some spoiled brat with a cup like cut starve you to death in a Marine base." Luffy stepped back. "I'm gonna be King of the Pirates. That means I need a crew. And I need fighters. Real fighters. Guys who aren't afraid to bleed."
He looked Zoro up and down, deliberately letting his gaze linger.
"So here's the deal, pirate hunter. Think about it. If you're man enough to grab some big tits and fight monsters with me, I'll be back." He turned and walked toward the wall. "If not... well, enjoy the rice."
He climbed back over without looking behind him.
Coby was waiting on the other side, wide-eyed and trembling. "What happened? Did he say yes? Are we dead?"
"He said no." Luffy dusted off his hands. "For now."
"What do we do?"
Luffy looked back at the wall, a slow smile spreading across his face.
"We wait."