Chapter 16

"Huh~? Pirates?" Zoro expressed surprise.

"Please! I won't stoop to becoming a pirate!" Zoro immediately refused the offer to join the pirates.

"What's wrong with being a pirate? It's my dream!" Luffy spread his hands, changing the subject. "Besides, being labeled a villain doesn't change much."

"I'm not like you... You can find someone else. Even if you don't help me untie the rope, I'll manage as long as I stay here for a month," Zoro stated firmly, shaking his head.

In Zoro's view, pirates were despicable — a belief reinforced by his encounters with many of them.

"Hmm..." Luffy rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"This seems a bit tricky to handle. Why can't It be more like Logan?" Luffy pondered.

Suddenly, thoughts of Logan crossed Luffy's mind. "Luffy,Just don't bother him about it, its hard to convince idiot like him!" Logan said.

Those words triggered an immediate response from Zoro! "Hey! What did that jerk say about me?"

"Yeah? Logan, how did you figure out he is an idiot?" Luffy chimed in, also curious.

"Didn't he just say that? He's trusting Helmeppo to honor his word after threatening innocent lives? That's just idiotic," Logan calmly explained.

After contemplating for a moment, Luffy nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Anyone who can use innocent lives as leverage can't be trusted to keep his promise!"

Hearing their words, Zoro's heart raced. It seemed increasingly true.

Yet, having endured for nine days, Zoro remained steadfast, refusing to admit he'd made a foolish decision.

"No way! I struck a deal with him! If I don't endure these 30 days,he will let me go," Zoro stubbornly insisted.

"Hey ! What a lively scene!" A dapper young man with bobbed hair entered the square with a few Marine soldiers.

"Don't you dare move!" the man commanded. "Have you seen this sign?" He gestured to a notice board. "It clearly states that anyone aiding the prisoner will be treated as an accomplice!"

Pointing at the little girl, he added with a smug smile, "Even the little girl."

Logan glanced back. "Ah, perfect. The captain foolish son has arrived to stir things up!"

He spoke up, addressing Helmeppo, "Hey! Helmeppo! You never intended to let Zoro go from the start, did you?"

"Huh? How dare you speak to a young master in such a manner!" Helmeppo's frown deepened as he glared at Logan. Then, a maniacal grin crept across his face. "Hahaha! But you're right!"

"This fool believed my lies and willingly remained tied up in this square for nine days."

"In truth, I plan to execute him in three days, just before he starves to death. I want him to understand the consequences of crossing a young master like me!"

"And now, there's you! Talking to him, that is a capital offense!"

Boom! Luffy's fist collided with Helmeppo's face, causing several of his teeth to scatter through the air.

Withdrawing his fist, Luffy placed his hands on his hips and gazed at Helmeppo lying on the ground. "Logan was right. You've been deceiving Zoro from the start."

Zoro's eyes widened in surprise.

Helmeppo shook his head, the stars in front of him gradually fading away. He groaned and managed to form words, shouting in shock and anger, "Ah! How dare you hit me! Kill them!"

Several Marine soldiers raised their guns, but Luffy's swift punches knocked them to the ground.

Helmeppo was dumbfounded, then he fiercely threatened, "I'll tell my dad! You're all dead!"

*Snapped!*

Stepping down with one foot, Logan step on all of Helmeppo's facial features together, not Luffy this time, but Logan himself.

Approaching Helmeppo, Logan knelt down slowly, observing the bleeding Helmeppo in front of him. He pointed at Helmeppo and spoke flatly, "Why are you bringing your father in front of someone like Luffy?"

"Wait, Logan, don't act rashly. His father is Captain Morgan, the most influential figure in Shells Town," Coby intervened, restraining Logan from escalating the situation.

Hearing Coby's words, Helmeppo became increasingly terrified. "That's right! My father is a Captain in the Marines! He's the supreme authority in all of Shells Town! You're finished!"

Logan glanced at Helmeppo with a tinge of sympathy, shaking his head slightly.

"You! You're a frog in a well. Just because your father is a mere Marine Captain doesn't make you all-powerful," Logan retorted, uninterested in explaining anything further. He then raised his head and swiftly knocked Helmeppo unconscious with a punch.