Chapter 4: Beating Up Helmeppo and Recruiting ZoroBack then, he'd drifted aimlessly at sea for seven days, like a headless fly, without even touching a hair.
Luffy once again profoundly realized how crucial it was to have a top-tier navigator.
"Let's go, Old Joe, take a squad of elite soldiers and come with me to wreak havoc… ugh! Come with me to inspect the work!"
Luffy waved his hand at the Marine Headquarters captain, issuing the order.
Joyce didn't dare delay, quickly assembling a squad of heavily armed Marines, who escorted Luffy ashore at Shells Town.
Looking around, a towering, massive Marine base stood like a monster in the center of the island.
The streets of Shells Town were bustling with people, seemingly a peaceful scene.
"Young Master Luffy, this town looks quite normal to me, not like you described, ruled by those scoundrel Marines and causing widespread suffering?"
Joyce frowned, surveying the bustling market in the distance, and asked疑惑地问道.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Luffy glanced sideways at Joyce and said casually, "Don't jump to conclusions. Take a few steps into the town and get a feel for it."
Joyce looked suspicious, but still obediently led the Marines behind him, following closely behind Luffy, towards the town.
However, things turned out exactly as Luffy expected.
The moment the townspeople saw Joyce and his group in Marine uniforms, they instantly turned pale with fright, retreating in panic, barely daring to breathe.
This bizarre scene finally made Joyce realize that something was wrong with the town.
Normally, no matter which island the Marines land on, they should be like guardian deities, revered by the residents, especially in the supposedly most peaceful East Blue, where this close relationship between the military and the people is even more pronounced.
At this moment, however, the way these townspeople looked at the Navy was as if they were seeing man-eating demons, causing Joyce to frown and his face to darken.
The group walked straight towards the tallest naval base building in town without stopping.
To Joyce's surprise, the gates of such a large naval base were tightly shut, and there wasn't a single Navy soldier standing guard in sight.
"Where did this brat come from! Are you tired of living? Get out of my way!"
A rude, low shout suddenly came from inside the naval base's walls.
Immediately afterward, a little girl's innocent voice responded without any fear: "Big brother, I've noticed you haven't eaten anything. You must be starving! Here, these are rice balls I made myself. Although it's my first time making them, I put a lot of thought into them."
"I'm not hungry! You little brat, you're really in my way! Get back here!"
"But..."
"I already said I'm not eating! If you don't leave, I'm going to beat you up!"
Nami and Joyce, listening to the man's shouts from outside the wall, frowned even more deeply. They wondered which scoundrel was so rude as to threaten a kind little girl.
Only Luffy's lips curled into a crooked, warlike smile. He gripped the edge of the wall with one hand, and with the other, he smoothly wrapped his arm around Nami's slender waist, leaping like a slingshot over the high wall of the Marine base.
Joyce, not to be outdone, used his "Shave" technique, flashing to a spot on the wall as well.
However, to their utter surprise,
there was no scene of a menacing man abusing a little girl.
Instead, under the blazing sun, a man covered in wounds, his head wrapped in a dark green turban, was bound to a cross, while the little girl stood on tiptoe, desperately trying to feed him a rice ball.
"Is this the legendary pirate hunter Zoro?"
Nami looked at the battered, tough man before her with surprise. "How did he get into this state?"
"That little girl kindly brought him food, and he didn't even appreciate it?"
Just then, the door on the other side of the execution ground was pushed open.
A young man with an extremely irritatingly chubby chin and a blond mushroom haircut swaggered in, leading two timid marines.
"Hey, bullying people isn't a good habit."
Zoro frowned at the sound of the voice and coldly looked in the direction the three had come from.
"Hehehe, I didn't expect you to have so much energy, Roronoa Zoro."
The newcomer was none other than Morgan's son, the typical spoiled brat Helmeppo, who had risen to power through his father's connections.
"This guy's appearance is so outrageous! Just looking at him makes me want to punch him."
Nami frowned, watching Helmeppo, adorned in gold and silver and gesturing wildly with his fingers delicately, walk in, and said with a look of disgust.
Luffy nodded in deep agreement.
Helmeppo walked up to the little girl and feigned a bow: "Oh my, this rice ball looks delicious."
Ignoring the little girl's desperate attempts to stop him, he snatched a rice ball and, without a care for the mess, stuffed it into his mouth.
Nami and Joyce, watching from the wall, frowned, feeling a wave of nausea.
"This guy is awful!"
Nami clenched her fists angrily, her nails almost digging into her flesh.
Helmeppo took a couple of bites, then suddenly his eyes widened like saucers, and he yelled, "Ptooey!! It's so sweet! What kind of garbage is this! It's all sugar! Rice balls should have salt! Salt!"
"But I think sweet things taste better," the little girl pleaded softly, tears welling in her eyes.
Enraged, Helmeppo slapped the remaining rice balls from the little girl's hand to the ground. "This garbage, this garbage!"
While screaming hysterically, Helmeppo stomped on the rice balls until they were reduced to a puddle of black mud.
Nami's eyes were practically spitting fire.
Even the usually composed Joyce clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking. If he weren't worried about not being in his navy uniform, he probably would have jumped down and taught the boy a lesson.
The little girl watched as her painstakingly made rice balls were ruined, and tears finally streamed down her face.
Helmeppo, his face contorted with rage, pulled a crumpled notice from his pocket: "Tsk tsk tsk, haven't you seen this notice? Those who help criminals are also sentenced to death! This is a rule personally set by Navy Captain Morgan! Hehehehe!"
"Even a brat like you should know how terrifying my dad is, right? Hey, you two, throw this brat out!"
The navy officer behind him stared in astonishment at Helmeppo; this was a mere five-year-old child.
"But…she's so young…"
"I said, throw her over the wall! Didn't you hear my order?! Believe me or not, I'll tell my dad and have you skinned alive!"
Helmeppo, seeing the navy officer hesitate, grabbed him by the collar, spitting as he roared.
The navy soldier struggled for a long time, but ultimately succumbed to the fear of Morgan's tyranny and nodded through gritted teeth.
"I'm sorry, little girl, curl up and protect your head."
The navy soldier whispered apologetically in the little girl's ear.
The next second, the little girl was thrown violently over the eight-meter-high wall like a rag doll.
At this moment, the people on the wall could no longer contain their anger.
Joyce flashed forward, leaping up and catching the little girl steadily in mid-air.
Nami angrily shouted down, "Are you beasts even human?! She's just a child who doesn't understand!"
Helmeppo looked up at the wall in surprise: "What are you?! How dare you trespass on the navy base's territory!"
Luffy didn't say a word, leaping directly from the high wall, crashing to the ground like a meteor, and then walked straight towards Helmeppo.
"What do you think you're doing!"
Helmeppo glared at the menacing Luffy, shouting menacingly, "Do you know who my father is?!"
Luffy ignored him, his steps unwavering.
"My father is the renowned Marine hero, Captain Morgan! You dare touch a hair on my head?!"
Helmeppo smugly invoked his powerful backer.
At this moment, Luffy was standing right under Helmeppo's nose.
Helmeppo, still arrogant and domineering, glared at Luffy and yelled, "You dare touch me? Try it!"
"See that pirate hunter? He was so cocky back then, but in the end, he obediently let me tie him up here and let him dry like a salted fish!"
"If you dare touch me, I'll make sure everyone in this town suffers, their families are destroyed, hahaha!"
Nami, listening from behind, gritted her teeth: "That hopeless scum!"
Marine Headquarters Captain Joyce's face was also ashen, staring intently at Helmeppo. He couldn't believe that such a lawless scoundrel could be raised in the East Blue under Vice Admiral Garp's jurisdiction.
At that moment, Joyce's figure came into the view of the two guarding Marines.
"This...this is..."
The two Marines froze, staring intently at the cloak billowing behind Joyce: "Is that the 'Justice' cloak, reserved only for Marine Headquarters officers of the rank of colonel and above?"
However, Helmeppo, blinded by arrogance, completely failed to notice Joyce's presence.
Luffy stared expressionlessly at Helmeppo, then suddenly raised his hand and, without warning, slapped Helmeppo hard across the infuriating face.
"Smack!"
A crisp, resounding crack echoed as Helmeppo, in disbelief, was sent flying five meters like a spinning top.
"You...you actually dared to hit me?"
Helmeppo lay on the ground, spitting out the two teeth that had been knocked out, asking in utter bewilderment.
"Hit you?"
Luffy sneered, rushing to Helmeppo's side again and delivering a vicious kick to his stomach.
"I dare kick you!"
Helmeppo screamed like a pig being slaughtered, "What are you two useless trash standing there for? Shoot him! Kill him! Do you know who my father is?! My father is Morgan!"
However, all he received in response was Luffy's barrage of punches.
The two marines who were originally protecting him were just about to raise their muskets.
Joyce's cold snort rang out: "You dare move? Let's see who dares to shoot!"
The two marines froze on the spot as if struck by lightning. This was a genuine Marine Headquarters captain; although the rank sounded the same, everyone knew that Headquarters was far more prestigious than a branch.
Luffy unleashed a brutal and merciless beating on Helmeppo.
"Competing based on family connections? To be honest, I might not have been able to beat you in my past life, but in this life, you think you can compete with me based on your family connections, you piece of trash?"
Luffy cursed as he continued his attack, each punch landing with a resounding thud, making Helmeppo cry out in pain.
Only after beating Helmeppo's already unattractive face beyond recognition did Luffy spit out a curse and stop.
The two marines watching from the sidelines shuddered, their legs trembling.
"Listen up, you two! The branch commander has changed! Tie this shrew who preys on the villagers up and lock him in jail!"
Luffy waved his hand, issuing the order to the two marines.
The two marines exchanged hesitant glances, unsure of whose order to follow, and could only look to Joyce.
Joyce calmly waved his hand: "Young Master Luffy is a Marine Headquarters Captain, the same rank as me. His official transfer order is still on its way. Just do as he says."
Young Master?
The two Marines were shocked. This was a Marine Headquarters Captain even more powerful than Morgan, yet he addressed this straw-hatted boy as "Young Master."
This time, Helmeppo had really bitten off more than he could chew!
The two exchanged a glance, their faces revealing undisguised joy. They were both natives of Shells Town, and their hometown had been exploited by Morgan and his son for years. They had long harbored resentment, and now that someone even more powerful than Morgan had stepped forward to uphold justice, they were more than happy to oblige.
Without saying a word, the two of them happily rushed forward and tied up Mabel Bell, who had been beaten into disgrace.
This series of events left Sauron, who was tied to the cross, dumbfounded and completely confused about the situation.
Luffy shook the blood on his hand in disgust,
With a calm expression, Luffy walked up to Zoro and said, "Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, interested in joining me as a Marine? Let me tell you, the Marines are full of sword masters. Even your ultimate goal—the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk—is a Shichibukai with ties to the Marines."
"Hawkeye?" Zoro's previously dim eyes lit up at the name, but he immediately frowned. "My goal is to become the world's greatest swordsman. I don't want to be a stagnant watchdog guarding an island all day."
"Hahaha," Luffy laughed loudly, "Working under me is just a sinecure. Besides, I'm going to the Grand Line to clash with all sorts of powerful figures. What's the East Blue? You'll never even get close to Hawkeye if you stay here."
As he spoke, Luffy smiled and drew his longsword, giving it a light swing at the distant wall.