Enter the Pirate Hunter:Roronoa Zoro 2...

Chapter 11.5 - Enter the Pirate Hunter:Roronoa Zoro 2...

The cannons kept falling and there were shouts of panic as the ships rocked and rolled. Luffy and Coby went back to steering their ship and soon, Nami was lost in the chaos that happened. With their attention focused on rounding up the pirates, the Marines didn't notice the two small boats making a break for it.

Thanks to their small size, they were able to slip pass them all and soon the turmoil was nothing but distant shouts and booms in the distance. Coby and Luffy were both sailing through the calm water, with Luffy grinning happily.

Coby was staring around him, as if he couldn't believe where he was. After two years of near slavery, he was finally free. "We actually managed to get away," he whispered.

Luffy started to chuckle. "What fun!" he laughed.

"Of course he had a blast," Nami sighed.

"Hell, I had fun and I didn't do anything!" Franky said, pressing down on his nose to give himself a shark's fin hairdo. "But boy, I wish I was part of the action!"

"So Luffy," Coby asked, suddenly turning his attention back to him. "If you're searching for the elusive One Piece, then that would mean you're heading to the Grand Line. The guys I've talked to all call that place the pirate graveyard."

"You don't know the half of it pal," Sanji said. "After all… what you're talking about is only the first half and it's considered 'paradise'."

"Right, and that's why I need an extra strong crew," Luffy said firmly, thinking to himself.

"Aww… I think I feel my skin blushing… not that I have skin to blush with," Brook said laughing.

But Luffy looked back at him and asked, "You guys mentioned some pirate hunter, so what's he like?"

Once again, Zoro's one eye widen at that. Did this mean that Luffy purposely set out to meet him? That it wasn't just a chance meeting?

"But why would he ask about you?" Franky asked, glancing at Zoro, "You were a pirate hunter, not a pirate… that's a big difference."

He shrugged, not bothering to say anything, though truthfully he didn't know what to say.

"Oh, you mean Zoro?" Coby asked. "Last I heard he was being held prisoner at some Marine base."

"Wait, you were held captive?" Chopper cried out, unable to believe that his hero had once been locked up.

"Hey, if I wanted too I could've escaped whenever I wanted to!" Zoro snapped. This was only half true however. If he wanted to, he could've left without a word before he was tied up… but once he was fixed to that stupid post and left for three weeks, he didn't realize just how weak he had become.

"Really?" Chopper asked, admiration in his eyes.

"But how'd you get caught in the first place?" Usopp asked, "Like how you were caught back at Fishman Island?"

But before he could think of an answer, Luffy sighed. "Oh, well. Weakling huh?"

That alone was something that Sanji couldn't help but laugh. "He thinks you're weak Moss-Head," he laughed.

"What does that make you then, crap-cook?" Zoro snarled back. "Cause I can beat you blindfolded and handcuffed!"

Sanji's eyes were set ablaze as he glared at him. "What'd you just say?" he yelled.

"You heard me!" he yelled back, his thumb instinctively flicking a sword out.

"Can you two grow up for five minutes!?" Nami demanded hotly. "Seriously though, how were you captured Zoro?"

"That's all in the past so what's it matter?" he yelled same time that Coby yelled.

"No, you're so wrong!" he screamed, moving forward and explaining, "He's a violent as a demon and three times as horrifying!"

"That I can't disagree with," Sanji said grinning. Zoro growled, wondering if Luffy would let him get away with killing Sanji. He was just a cook after all, you can find one anywhere… they could always get a new one.

Coby blinked as if realizing what Luffy just said and asked carefully, "Why are you asking about him anyway?"

Luffy only grinned back as he answered, "I figure if he's good enough I'll ask him to join my crew!"

Once again, Coby's mouth fell open and he froze up—just like how he had done when Luffy told him about his dream of becoming the King of the Pirates.

"Chasing him down is just plan reckless!" Coby yelled at him.

"You never know he might jump at the chance to join!" Luffy said optimistically.

"Not quite," Zoro said softly to himself. He never really thought about it. It was just the idea of becoming a pirate never once came to his mind. He never once called himself a bounty hunter… he was, and would always be first and foremost, a swordsman. But it was strange now that here he was and was proud to call himself a Straw Hat Pirate.

"He's a bad enough guy that the Marines caught him!" Coby shouted out and began to shout out how impossible it would be, much like before, and once again it ended the same way.

"OW! Why'd you hit me?" he complained, eyes watering in pain.

"Cause I felt like it!" Luffy answered bluntly and the darkness appeared again.

"Interesting," Robin said softly, not really seeing the darkness as they thought about what they had seen. "Merely because of a rumor he heard, he went to go find you and see for himself what kind of person you were."

"So that's really what happened?" Usopp asked, "Luffy went out to find you and you joined?"

"I'm afraid that it's a little more complicated than that," Zoro confessed.

"You did have quite the reputation of being a brutal killer back in the East Blue," Nami reminded him.

"Hey," he said in annoyance. "I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of, but I don't regret anything I did…"

Well… there was one thing…

"So how did you and Luffy-san meet, Zoro-san?" Brook asked interested. He had always known that Zoro had been the first to join Luffy's crew, and he was now burning with curiosity to know how such a strong friendship had first started. He hadn't forgotten about the sacrifice that Zoro had been willing to make back at Thriller Bark, and he had always been struck by the amount of trust the two seemed to have in each other.

He didn't have to wonder long though, for the sun came back and they were still out at sea. Luffy was sitting up on the figurehead of the little boat while Coby held onto the sail.

"What a day! It's gorgeous!" Luffy called out, stretching out and breathing in the salty air.

"If we continue on this heading, we should reach the Marine base in no time at all," Coby told him, looking happier than they had seen him yet.

"Wow, Coby, you're great out here," Luffy said, looking back at him with a grin, "You mean we're actually going to reach the place we originally set out for?"

"Why does he sound so surprised?" Nami sighed, knowing that her captain's sense of directions was almost as messed up as Zoro. Really, how can any people who are so aware of their surroundings, be unable to tell which way was north or south?

"Of course, it's nothing. I'm just using the skills that every sailor should have," Coby answered as Luffy laughed up on the figurehead.

"You would think so," Nami sighed, rolling her eyes.

"We'd be lost without you, Nami-swan…" Sanji swooned as he stared at her love-struck.

"Don't I know it," she said, "I'm amazed that you guys could last long without any idea of where you're going."

"At least we're not greedy thieves like someone I could mention," Zoro snapped back.

"Take that back, Moss-head! Sanji threatened. "No one dares insults my Nami like that!"

"Just speaking the truth idiot cook," he answered.

"I'll kill you," Sanji snarled.

"I'd love to see you try," Zoro yelled back.

"Come on, both of you," Usopp said, trying to get some peace between them. "Let's just watch the memories. If we keep going like this, it looks like we might be able to see how we all joined."

"Ohh… really?" Chopper asked, eyes bright.

"Now that would be amazing to see!" Brook called out excitedly, hoping that he would get to see more. He regretted the fact that he had only spent a short amount of time with the Straw Hats before they were separated. He always wished that he had such a strong connection between them. Though he knew it wasn't the same thing, he hoped that by watching these, he could gain a closer understanding of them all. He had already learned more than he ever thought about his captain… and though it had been hard… he felt honored to have seen what kind of a man he chose to follow.

"You know there's nothing to be so giggly about," Coby scolded him, fixing his glasses as Luffy gazed back at him. "Because at the Marine base they're holding the great pirate hunter… Roronoa Zoro."

Zoro smiled proudly at his title, but less so when Coby finished, "This is the man who has diced up his bounties like an animal bent on carnage. A blood-thirsty beast! He's been called nothing less than a living, breathing demon in human form!"

"Who are they calling a demon?" he demanded.

"Well, he's possessed by something, but I'm can't tell if it's a demon or not," Usopp said, looking at Zoro, who glared at him through his one eye.

"What was that?" he snarled as Usopp felt his courage fade.

"Nothing," he squeaked, fading back as Zoro looked back to the scene. But Usopp couldn't help but feel as though Zoro's reputation of a devil wasn't as far-fetched as people thought.

"Demon?" Luffy repeated, looking back to the sea, shielding his eyes against the sun as he looked for any signs of an island. "Sounds cool!"

"How could you think being a demon is cool?" Coby demanded fearfully.

Zoro was wishing he had a drink. He had always been proud of the reputation he worked so hard for… he never once thought about joining a pirate crew to help him achieve his dream. But if he had to be honest with himself… he was glad that he joined. Though it didn't have such a promising start, it soon changed…

He had once traveled around the East Blue with Johnny and Yosaku… they helped to ease a loneliness he had in him that he had been carrying around since he lost Kuina. It had been fun to travel with those two for a short time… but soon they decided to go their separate ways and he had returned to his lonely journey on his own.

He didn't think much about it at the time however… he was used to being on his own. He spent most of his childhood training to be the best. Though he did get along with many of the boys at the dojo, as well as his Sensei, he never really had someone who he felt he could trust completely.

He stared up at the blue sky, wondering about so many things—it was funny how this one random meeting had changed all that. As soon as he joined, he felt something he had never felt before… friendship… and the more he hung out with Luffy, the more the rubberbrain began to grown on him. And for the first time in years, that lonely feeling disappeared and he felt a sense a peace on board with this crew that he couldn't remember having before.

He wondered what would've happened if Alvida never let his name slip. Though he had a very good idea… he'd be killed by those corrupted Marines. He smiled to himself, a gentle look coming over his face. But of course no one noticed this as they were watching Luffy… except for Robin. Who was also smiling at him, as if she knew what was going through his mind.

"He's been known to brutally slaughter his victim before he drags them in to collect their bounties," Coby went on. "Anyone who had been crazy enough to stand up to him had ended up cut to pieces!"

"Like Zoro would do that," Chopper said furious.

"Actually," Zoro said evenly, "That's about right."

The color in Usopp's and Chopper's faces disappeared as they looked at him. Usopp actually moved a little bit away from him.

"Well, I'm looking for strong crew members," Luffy told him, "And it sounds like he's strong."

"Just what I heard," Coby gulped as Zoro grinned proudly.

"But why would he be in prison?" Luffy asked, "If he hunts pirates wouldn't the Marines want him out in the world hunting…?"

"Well, that's because… ah… well…" Coby stuttered, unable to think of an excuse.

"Yeah, why was that?" Franky asked Zoro

"I'm sure that you'll find out," he said in annoyance. "Just watch and leave me alone."

"Touchy," Franky commented as Coby finally yelled out, "I don't know why, but I'm sure that the Marines must've had a reason! Maybe he killed someone important or something! It doesn't matter! I think that you should just forget about it!"

"If he doesn't want to go, why is he guiding Luffy there?" Usopp asked.

"He probably feels that he owes him a lot, which he does," Sanji explained. "If he never met Luffy, he'd still be stuck on that pirate ship as a cabin boy. He knows that Luffy wants to meet Moss-Head… not sure why he would…" he added as Zoro growled at him. "But he probably felt that it was the least he could do. Besides, it wasn't like Coby had anywhere else to go really. And he could've tried to enlist when he got to the Marine base."

No one could argue with that as Luffy was now waving his arms energetically in the air, having spotted the island.

"Also… because Luffy-san is his friend," Brook added as he watched the anxious look on Coby's face as he gulped and turned the sails in so that they could catch the wind. "And isn't that what friends are supposed to do?"

"Well said," Franky said, feeling a little teary-eyed at that.

Luffy was so full of energy, he was causing the boat to rock back and forth dangerously, and Coby had to cling to the side to keep them from tipping. But Luffy didn't notice as they kept getting going. Once they were close enough, they could get a good look at the Marine Base. The island was made up of tall cliffs, and the town was built right into it. At the top stood the Base, towering over them all, and separated by a wall that reminded them of Goa—thought much smaller.

"So that's the island where you were?" Usopp asked in surprise.

"Yep," Zoro answered bitterly, "I only planned on staying for a couple days, but I ended up staying for three weeks."

"Do we want to know why?" Franky asked him.

"WOW!" Luffy cried out, eyes wide, "It's so big!"

Coby was staring up at the Marine Base, his own eyes bright and as big as coins as he stared up in wonderment.

"Don't see why he would want to be a Marine in the first place," Sanji sighed as they followed them pulling into the docks. Luffy didn't even wait to tie the boat up as he jumped ashore, staring around in excitement.

"We're here!" he cried out happily, now jumping up and down as Coby quickly tied the boat up himself, and followed after him. "The Marine Base City!"

And so they began following the two through the crowded market, wondering just when and how they would meet up with Zoro. Speaking of which, Coby was still following him, trying to convince Luffy of all of the reasons why he shouldn't recruit the swordsman even if he did find him.

But Luffy wasn't listening to them as he looked at the food. "Well, I haven't made up my mind yet," he confessed, "I gotta see if he's a good guy."

"He's in prison because he's obviously not!" Coby screamed out, stopping dead and yelling in the street.

"Oh, I tend to disagree with that," Robin said darkly, her hatred for the World Government burning like a fire inside her.

"Yeah, the government doesn't care if your innocent or not," Franky growled, still burning at the injustice of Tom being taken away just because he built the Pirate King's ship. He glanced at Robin, knowing the injustice she had been forced to go through.

"If the world sees you as an enemy, that's reason enough for them," Zoro sighed, remembering those miserable three weeks trapped on this island.

"Hey is that guy Zoro around here?" Luffy asked a man after he bought himself a pear. As if he spoke a curse, they all jumped back in fear, terror on each and every one of their faces.

"That's the usual reaction when someone hears you're around," Sanji offered, and Zoro responded by a sharp glare.

"Zoro why is everyone here afraid of you?" Chopper asked in confusion, not liking the fear in everyone's eyes.

"Don't look at me," he growled, "I hadn't done anything to them."

"Could've fooled me," Franky said staring around them, "You think that you attacked the city or something."

"Maybe we shouldn't mention the name Zoro around here, okay?" Coby whispered to Luffy quietly. Naturally, Luffy paid no attention as he set off again, Coby right on his heels.

"Let's head to the base and check it out," he went on as if nothing happened, "You wanna be a Marine, right?"

"Well, of course I do Luffy, but I really don't think I'm ready yet," Coby said timidly.

"That's for sure," Franky said. This little guy was practically afraid of his own shadow—he didn't stand a chance against some of the harsh training that the Marines went through.

"From what I've heard the man in charge of this place is named Captain Morgan," Coby finished. But the words were no sooner out of his mouth and townspeople who heard, leapt away in alarm once again—just like they did when Zoro's name was mentioned.

"Huh?" Brook asked, looking confused.

"Now everyone's freaking out about this Morgan guy?" Sanji asked in surprise. Just say a name in this town and the people freak.

"This town is such a weird place!" Luffy laughed as he walked on.

"I think this whole place is cracking up," Usopp said as Luffy laughed.

"That was odd, I mean I get that they're scared of Zoro, but why'd they flip when I mentioned the marine captain's name?" Coby asked, now looking completely lost. "I don't know I've got a bad feeling about this."

"You aren't the only one," Nami said frowning, as she thought back to when she visited this place. Now that she thought about it, she did recall hearing Zoro's name… suddenly her eyes widened. She remembered! She remembered how some random person came charging up and punched some idiot in the face when he talked about executing Zoro… straining her memory she could vaguely recall seeing that straw hat…

She couldn't believe it. Luffy was here too? It seemed that she kept crossing paths with him before she had any idea who he was! What was going on here?

"Between me and the Marine Captain, the people here hate him more," Zoro explained, interrupting her thoughts.

"I think I've heard of him," Robin said, frowning as if from some long-lost memory, "Are they talking about Ax-Hand Morgan?"

"Yeah, that's him," Zoro said darkly.

"Odd nickname, why'd they call him that?" Franky asked.

"Because he had a giant ax instead of an arm," he answered, rolling his eyes. But they were suddenly falling behind Luffy and Coby, and went charging on ahead after them until they stopped at the Marine Base's gates near the top of the island.

"This looks like the place," Luffy said as they stood at the entrance.

"Really?" Sanji asked sarcastically, looking up at the Marine's symbol on the front door.

"I made it," Coby said with tears in his eyes. He'd started to say more, about his goodbyes to Luffy but he was already climbing up the wall and looking over at the area.

"And he's already causing trouble," Nami stated.

"Well, he wouldn't be Luffy he wasn't," Usopp sighed.

"Where's the footholds?" he complained loudly as Coby screamed at him to get down.

"Now, where's this demon?" Luffy asked cheerfully, still looking around.

"He's the only person I know who would be happy at the thought of meeting a demon," Usopp said exasperated.

"Geez, what's with people?" Zoro asked in deep annoyance, knowing that he was about to get a good look at himself here… though not in a good light.

"They wouldn't keep him out in the open," Coby said sweatdropped, "He's probably locked away in a prison cell underground."

"Not quite," Zoro said darkly. He would've preferred that… at the least, he'd be out of that hot sun and rain.

"Wait, if you weren't held in a cell, then where were you?" Chopper asked just as something caught Luffy's eye.

"There he is!" Luffy exclaimed in excitement as he jumped off the wall and ran to the other end of the base. "I'm gonna get closer!"

Zoro sighed, knowing that the cook was going to have a field day with this, he grumpily followed, he wasn't going to like what he saw. Coby gaped at Luffy before following him, telling him that it couldn't be Zoro.

But Luffy had jumped up to the wall much farther around and was leaning over the edge to look at something in the yard. "Coby look!" he said as Coby jumped up and struggled to get himself to look over to see what Luffy was talking about.

"I'm telling you, he's not…" but he gasped as he looked out.

Now the rest of the Straw Hats were interested and casually walked through the thick wall to get a good look. As soon as they saw him, Chopper, Brook, and Usopp gasped like Coby had. There was no doubt about it. It was Zoro…

He was tied to a cross-shaped post in the center of the yard with the hot sun beating down on him… he was filthy, and looked exhausted as he hung there… very thin with his black bandana overshadowing his eyes so that they couldn't see his expression. Though weak and obviously starved, they could sense that there was something very dangerous about this man.

"EHHHH! ZORO! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" he screamed out, running over to get a good look at him. "You mean you've been tied to this post all this time?"

"Ten more days and it would've been a month," he answered calmly as he also walked forward to get a good look at his past self.

"You were tied here for three weeks?!" Nami screamed at him.

"What did you live on?!" Usopp gasped out.

"They gave me enough water to keep me alive," Zoro explained, as he stopped walking, standing just a foot away from himself. "But the rest was all determination and spirit. Nothing else."

He was standing in front of his past self, and he couldn't think of a more surreal experience. If he had to be honest with himself… he looked like utter crap. Looking at him here and at how far he had come, he could hardly believe that this was the same person he had been over two years ago.

If someone had told him here that he would be here in the New World with a crew of pirates, he'd told them to go to hell. Was this half-dead man… really him?

Sanji stood back, taking a good look at the Zoro here. To go almost a month without eating…? To him, that was torture of the worst kind. He knew better than anyone what it was like to almost starve to death. He only had enough food for five days… how he had stretched it out for twenty until he only had a moldy piece of bread left. He gulped at the memory, violent flashbacks to that god-forsaken rock in the middle of the ocean coming back.

"They didn't give you any food?" Sanji asked, surprising Zoro, who had expected him to start taunting at how awful he looked.

"No," he answered darkly, "Just a mouthful of water once in awhile. Nothing else."

"It's a miracle you weren't anything but bones by the end of this!" Brook cried in amazement.

"But why were you sticking around?" Usopp said. "All you had to do was cut those ropes and you'd be free!"

"Do you see me with my swords?" he asked in annoyance.

"But you still could've escaped," Nami said, unable to believe that these ropes would be enough to hold him back.

Luffy obviously thought that too as he asked Coby, "If we just untie those ropes he can just walk away?"

"Oh, don't be such an idiot Luffy!" Coby yelled in fright. "There's no telling what a bandit like him will do if you let him go! He might just kill us both!"

Zoro rolled his eye. Now he wasn't known for his social skills, but he wouldn't go and kill someone who would help him.

"Don't worry, I'm strong," Luffy said unconcerned. "I can protect us."

Coby was crying, obviously thinking that Luffy lost his mind. But the more that Zoro thought about it, the more he began to wonder that if he and Luffy had to fight, which one of them would win? He and Luffy did have a 'disagreement' back at Whiskey Peak, but come on… that was way back then and they didn't even finish it. Though he knew all Luffy's weaknesses, the same held true to Luffy… plus the captain was so unpredictable that it would be impossible to know.

He grinned to himself, wondering if the two of them could ever have a real fight like that someday… not to the death of course. But because they would probably be each other's most dangerous opponents.

Just then, his past self sensed that he was being watched and looked up to see through the present-day Zoro and to the wall where Luffy and Coby were. "You two," he growled at them, clearly irritated. His eyes were exhausted, but they still glared fiercely up at them, hearing Coby squeal in fear. "You're an eyesore, get lost."

"There are those people skills hard at work," Franky muttered with sarcasm. Zoro didn't look at him as he continued to stare at his past self. But he could hear Coby behind him, once again begging Luffy to just leave. "Luffy trust me, there's no way you'll survive with someone like him on your crew!" he cried out.

The rest of the Straw Hats however were taken aback at the thoughtful expression on Luffy's face. Normally, it was easy to tell what was going on inside his head, but here… he had the perfect poker face as he looked at Zoro.

"Even if he agrees to join your crew, he'll always be your enemy, your life will be in danger," Coby continued on, but still Luffy wasn't budging as he looked.

"Wish I knew what he was thinking," Franky said, glancing from Luffy to the two Zoro's… but as his eyes found the present-day Zoro, he saw that their Zoro was wearing the exact same expression that Luffy had here. Like they were both thinking the exact same thing as they looked over the prisoner here.

"Zoro?" Chopper asked, also noticing the strange look on his face. "What is it?"

Zoro didn't answer; he just kept looking, lost in his own thoughts. Their attention was so focused on him that, at first, they didn't notice that someone else had appeared. Coby had stopped talking and Robin looked back in time to see that a little girl had climbed up besides them.

"Who's that?" she asked, and everyone, including Zoro looked back to see her. She was a cute little girl with big black eyes and her brown hair tied back with pigtails as she looked to Luffy and Coby. She put a finger to her lips, silently telling them to be quiet as she glanced around cautiously and lowered a rope down the other side and climbed down.

Coby had been so stunned, that it wasn't until she had reached the ground on the other side did he snap out of it and screamed for Luffy to stop her as she ran to Zoro, holding a tiny package to her chest.

The Straw Hats all moved back so that they could watch her come up to him with a kind smile.

"What'd you want?" Zoro asked her impatiently.

"I thought you might be getting hungry now? So I made you a couple rice balls," the girl told him, as she held up the wrapped package and began to untie it.

"You've got a death wish kid?" Zoro said bluntly. "Just scram."

"But you haven't eaten anything the whole time you've been tied up," the girl said persistently as held up the two rice balls for him. "Here, I've never really made them before…" she went on so that he could see them, "but I did my best and I think they're fine."

"They look good enough to eat," Usopp said, suddenly starving.

Sanji however was looking at the hungry look in Zoro's eyes as he stared at the food before he turned his nose up at them. "Listen kid I'm not hungry! Now stop irritating me and get out of here!"

"You really wanna die here?" Sanji scolded him. "You may think you can last, and maybe you can, but you should never disrespect food."

"Believe me, I wanted to eat them," Zoro said in annoyance. "But if she had helped me, she could've been killed."

"Killed?" Robin repeated in surprise.

"Wait for it and you'll see," he answered, looking at the Rika's hurt expression.

"But…" she started and Zoro seemed to lose his temper.

"Do not make me kick your ass little girl!" he yelled at her.

"What can you do tied there?" Franky asked, eyebrows raised.

"You could've told her to leave a little more gently, Zoro-san," Brook reminded him.

"I said to wait for it," he growled, and right on cue, the obnoxious voice drifted over the courtyard.

"Now now, no one likes a bully," called the familiar, taunting voice that made him want to break something. Everyone, memory and not, glanced up to see a skinny and lanky-looking young man with light blond hair shaped like an oval on top of his head coming towards them. He had a smug smile on his face as he tugged at the collar of his shirt—acting as if he owned the town.

"Who's that?" Brook asked.

"That would be Helmeppo," Zoro said rolling his eye.

"Wait, that same Helmeppo that we met with Coby at Water 7?" Chopper asked in surprise.

"Wow, you'd never guess it," Sanji said impressed. "A lot can change in a short amount of time."

The Zoro that was tied to the post gave them all an angry look as he slowly came towards him. "Roronoa Zoro, you seem to be handling this well," Helmeppo said still in that mocking tone, "Don't you agree?"

"Look now there's another weird guy," Luffy said from where they were on the wall. The Straw Hats moved back towards them so that they could hear.

"That's great. He must be with the Marines," Coby said smiling, "Now we know the girl'll be safe."

Zoro snorted, knowing full well that girl could've gotten hurt thanks to that idiot. Coby needed to wake up and see that just because you're considered a Marine, makes you far from a saint.

Helmeppo walked over at the girl, looking at the rice balls. "Oh, lookie. Some tasty rice balls," he said and he snatched on up and took a big bite out of it.

"HEY!" she cried out, "That's not for you!"

"Oh, he knew," Zoro said in annoyance, looking angry at what was going to happen next. Helmeppo stopped and made a face of disgust as he spit it out.

"Too sweet!" he screamed dropping the rest of the food to the ground.

"He's not…!" Sanji roared, looking furious that he would let a perfectly good rice ball go to waste.

"He did," Zoro answered dully as Helmeppo screamed, "They're packed with sugar! You're supposed to use salt you idiot salt!"

"But I… I thought it would taste better sweet," she said, blinking in surprise, not really understanding what she did wrong. And then Sanji was burning in rage when he watched Helmeppo knocked the other ball to the ground and stomped it into the dirt.

"No, stop!" the girl pleaded, trying to grab it, but couldn't get close without her risking her fingers getting stomped on. "I worked so hard!"

"That's terrible!" Chopper yelled, his heart going out to that little girl.

"He's the only bully around here," Usopp agreed, looking like he wanted nothing more than to have a few words with that jerk. When he finally stopped destroying the food, they looked to see nothing but a pile of rice and mud with a giant shoeprint on it.

The girl sat there on the ground staring at it, tears welling up in her eyes. "But I…" she choked out, "I worked so hard… to make those…" hearing those words only served to make Sanji even angrier than before, making him long to break this guy's face in.

"While it may not have the same taste as a normal rice ball would, it would still have been good to eat," Sanji said darkly, furious that anyone would disrespect food like that in front of the one who worked to make it. That was the ultimate insult to any chief! To throw away food they worked so hard to prepare. He remembered all the mistakes he made back when he was still learning how to cook. Putting sugar in a rice ball was minimal compared to some of the mistakes that he made! At least a sweet rice ball could still be enjoyed. The things he made were barely edible… and even then he had eaten every last bite of it no matter how terrible it was.

He could tell that this girl put her heart and soul into making this food for a starving man, and not only that, but they were her first rice balls. And to see them treated like garbage must truly felt like a slap in the face for her.

"Too bad," Helmeppo sighed, looking like he couldn't have cared less for her feelings as he took out a piece of paper from his jacket. "You must not have read the notice that was posted. 'Those who assist criminals in any way will be executed. Signed Marine Captain Morgan'."

The girl turned pale and looked up at him in fear as they all glared at him.

"It seems even little brats fear my daddy?" Helmeppo asked cockily.

"His daddy?" Luffy's voice repeated from behind them.

"So that guy's father is Captain Morgan?" Coby repeated in astonishment.

"That doesn't mean that he can go around and treat people like this!" Chopper cried out furiously, wishing that he could comfort the girl.

"But didn't he say that they'd be executed?" Nami said, suddenly anxious for the little girl. "She did try to feed Zoro."

"What?!" Usopp cried out fearfully, "you don't think that he'd…?"

"He'd have no honor as a man if he do something like that to a child!" Brook cried out, his hand on his sword.

"He doesn't," Zoro growled. "Though he was a jerk, I don't think he'd go that far. Watch…"

Helmeppo turned towards one of his men. "You, toss this kid out right now."

The soldier suddenly stepped back, looking terrified at the order. When he didn't move, Helmeppo grabbed him by the front of his shirt and yelled, "I said throw her over the wall soldier! Now if you're not gonna follow my orders, I'll tell my father."

"Yes, sir, I'll do it!" the marine stuttered as he walked towards the girl.

"Oh, come on," Franky cried out. "We sure this is the same punk we met back at Water 7? That guy at least had the guts to take on Zoro before. This one…?" he trailed off as he watched the soldier picked the girl gently up and quietly told her to curl up into a ball as he tossed her over.

Screaming in horror, Chopper went running through the wall, looking ready to grab her… but Luffy was already way ahead of him. He jumped, stretching out his arms, he grabbed her and held her tightly as they both hit the ground hard.

"Thank goodness," Nami sighed in relief, as Coby jumped down and ran over to them as the girl sat up, thanking him. "For a second, I thought that she was going to get hurt."

Zoro didn't say anything, but a part of him was also greatly relieved, he didn't want that kid to get hurt because she only wanted to help him.

"Seriously, is this really the same guy?" Franky repeated to himself, scratching his head with a massive hand, "Could've fooled me."

"What a bilge rat," Sanji growled, wishing he could've kicked him when he met him.

Zoro didn't say a word as he went back inside the wall to watch himself growling out insults at Helmeppo who cackled.

"You're just dead set on staying alive aren't you?" he asked.

Zoro raised his eyebrows. Of course he was… because the alternate was to die…

"That's right," past Zoro snarled at him. "I'm gonna make it through the month without any problems."

This only caused Helmeppo to laugh again. "Right, good luck with that," he sneered as he walked away.

"Only ten days left," Zoro called after him.

"Oh, you still assume you'll make it to the end of those ten days," Helmeppo replied smugly as he left the prison yard. Once the other Straw Hats had made sure that the girl was alright, they realized that both Luffy and Zoro were gone and went back inside through the wall to see what was happening now.

"Hey," Usopp called, "Where that jerk go?"

"He left," Zoro answered him bluntly, his eye going to Luffy who was standing directly in front of the crippled memory version of Zoro. They both looked hard at each other, as if sizing each other up.

"What was going through your mind here?" Robin asked him curiously.

"Dunno," Zoro confessed, trying to think back. He remembered thinking that he had no idea who this twerp was, and he wasn't interested. But he was curious that he had come in after seeing the little girl get thrown out… at the same time, he couldn't help but feel as if he was on display and anger had boiled in the pit of his stomach as he watched the kid looking at him.

While at the same time, he remembered thinking that this kid wasn't like anyone he'd met before… what it was, he wasn't sure. But he was stuck by how unafraid that the punk was of him. Luffy honestly didn't seem afraid of him. It could've been that he was tied to that post and half dead… but still… that had never happened before.

"So, I hear you're a bad guy?" Luffy finally asked, breaking the silence.

"You're still here?" Zoro asked in a bored tone, clearly telling him to get lost.

"You're stuck out here for all the world to see and nothing. Are you really that strong?" Luffy asked bluntly.

"Bet you loved that," Franky said as Zoro ignored him. Because the sad fact was, he could see what Luffy meant… he looked far from impressive here.

"Mind your own business!" Zoro snapped as Luffy sighed and moved closer, still looking over him curiously. It was hard to tell what was going on through either of these two minds.

Luffy suddenly smiled. "If I were you, I'd probably starve to death in three days."

"Probably," Sanji sighed, his hand in his hair. "Even when the guy's out cold, he's sleep eating…"

"I've got more spirit than you could ever have," Zoro retorted, giving him an evil smirk. "Which is how I'm gonna survive this ordeal. This I swear."

Luffy just shook his head as he turned. "Ha, what a weirdo," he said, about to leave. But as he took a few steps away, Zoro suddenly called him back.

"What were you going to do?" Usopp asked interested, not liking the wild look in the starved Zoro's face.

Zoro didn't look at him, feeling embarrassed at this, but not regretting what he did. He watched as his past self gazed down at the rice ball, asking for Luffy to pick it up for him.

Looking surprised at the request, Luffy did so, picking up what was left of it. "You're gonna eat this?" he asked, looking over the rice, and picking out a few pebbles. "Cause it's mostly a ball of mud."

"Shut and give it me! NOW!" Zoro shouted impatiently, not sounding like his usual calm self that he was using before. Luffy stared at him, along with the other Straw Hats, before he threw it into his mouth. At once, Zoro swallowed every bit of it, choking on the mud and dirt.

"Should've listened to me," Luffy said as Zoro composed himself.

"It was good," Zoro whispered, surprising them all again. They couldn't see his face, but Zoro's voice had gratitude as he said, "Thanks for the food."

"Oh…" Brook said, feeling touched by the scene, his hand over his ribcage.

Luffy's eyes suddenly softened and he was smiling in an oddly kind way… as if seeing something that no one else could see. And that was the last thing that any of them saw as the scene faded away, leaving them all trying to digest what they just witnessed.

"Wow, you were willing to eat that?" Chopper asked him, his eyes still bright.

Zoro didn't say anything, they knew that he was desperate enough. And more than anything, he was touched that kid had been willing to bring food for him like that. Anyway, he didn't want to give that idiot's son the satisfaction that he got away with that.

Sanji didn't say anything else either, but he was truthfully unable to find anything to say to that. Knowing that girl's food did end up going into his mouth, and still saying that it was good would mean the world to her. But then, why the hell does Moss-Head still say that his own cooking was crap?! He never once got a compliment from the green-haired idiot and felt anger burning again, but Robin was asking something else.

"But they didn't say how you got there?" she asked him. "Why were you standing there and taking all that?"

"Yeah, if you hunted pirates, you think that they'd be grateful for you and leave you alone," Brook asked.

"I had my reasons," he snapped at them, "Probably why Rika wanted to help me in the first place."

"Rika?" Usopp repeated before understanding, "Oh, you mean that little girl?"

"Yeah," Zoro said, "I'm sure you're about to find out…"

And that was when the scene came back. They were all piled in what looked like an alley with Luffy and Coby sitting with the same girl. Luffy had just sat down on a barrel as he told her how Zoro ate her food.

"Really?" Rika cried out, her eyes wide with happiness.

"That's right," Luffy nodded smiling at her ecstatic expression. "He ate every last grain of rice there was."

"That's great," she said in relief, truly touched by that.

"Yeah, you just made her day," Sanji answered, breathing out more smoke, feeling an odd sense of gratitude that Zoro had done something like that for her.

"Was it really good?" Chopper asked, not sure why anyone would want to eat a rice ball off the ground when it had been stepped on.

"When you go three weeks without eating, you're willing to devour just about anything," he told him firmly. "I had to eat it… why? Because I'm a survivor! It really wasn't that bad anyway… tough to swallow, but all the sugar she put in covered up the taste of mud."

"I wonder if Zoro really is as evil as everyone thinks that he is," Coby said softly to himself, stunned by what Luffy had just told him. "Still, everyone says he's a beast."

"He's not!" Rika defended loudly, looking angry for half a second before she looked down at her hand and finished, "He's good… because… he got himself punished… for us…"

Zoro felt his turn a little red at that, as he looked away.

"Zoro-san?" Brook asked, looking at him, "What does she mean?"

Refusing to answer him, he was saved when Luffy asked what she was talking about. And that was how she explained what was going on. Almost a month ago, Helmeppo had owned a vicious dog that he brought with him everywhere as it terrorized the whole town. But when the dog entered her mother's restaurant and started scaring everyone, Rika had enough and tried to get rid of it herself. That was when the animal tried to kill her… however; she was saved by Zoro, who just happened to have been in there enjoying a meal. After he had killed the hound, Helmeppo saw this as a crime towards himself, so he ordered Zoro to stay imprisoned for thirty days otherwise he would execute Rika and her mother. And Zoro accepted the offer…

"It's been three weeks since that day. Helmeppo keeps punching and kicking him while he's been tied up," Rika said, sounding upset, "He's being so unfair!" That was when she started to cry, "I don't know… I don't know how to help him."

"So that's it…" Robin said, smiling at Zoro, who refused to look at her or anyone else.

"I can see why you're upset," Coby whispered, as all this sunk in. Like his dreams of becoming a brave Marine were shriveling up as they spoke.

"Wow… that's truly selfless, Zoro-san," Brook whispered, staring at him with new respect.

"That was SUPER thing to do, bro!" Franky called out proudly as Chopper hugged his leg. He could've just left, but he chose to stay and risk his life for a little girl and her mother… it doesn't get more selfless than that.

"Who would've thought that there was something in you that wasn't out for blood," Sanji offered.

"That's a nasty way to give a compliment," Zoro glared at him. But he let it go. He could admit it… the truth was, he was a born killer capable of showing no mercy during combat… and he had killed before. However those people he killed had deserved it… but a little girl who didn't do anything wrong didn't deserve to die. If he stood back and did nothing, his own honor would've been at stake.

"But what I don't understand is why you believed he would keep a promise like this?" Robin asked him. Zoro was a very untrusting individual… almost as much as she was. It seemed unheard of that he would trust someone like that to keep his word.

"Didn't have a choice," he answered bitterly. "I didn't think that they would be low enough to do something like that."

But before she could think of something to say, there were crashes going on inside the building behind them. Rika's eyes were wide and she went running in, crying out anxiously for her mother. Suddenly having a bad feeling about this, they all followed, but Nami was in the front—wondering if this was where she would see it…

It was a comfortable-looking little restaurant inside, and there was a woman who looked a lot like Rika, who could only be her mother, was standing behind the bar. She was looking fearfully at Helmeppo who had sat down and put his table up on the table, messing up a bowl of fruit.

"I'm hungry, bring us whatever you have and keep the check for yourself!" he called obnoxiously. "And bring me a bottle of your finest moonshine or whatever crap you serve. And put some speed to it lady, I don't have all day."

"That piece of shit," Sanji snarled, shaking. He was having a flashback at those damn bandits and how they gave Makino such a hard time. "How dare they treat a lady like this?"

But Nami was looking around, wondering if what she remembered was right. And there she was just a few tables away. She was sitting there with a glass of wine in her hands as she listened in to him.

"It's Nami!" Chopper cried out also noticing it.

"Yohohoho," Brook said in astonishment. "So you made it out of that attack alright?"

"Yeah, I had worse days than that," Nami said, walking over so that she could get a good long look at herself.

"Nami?" Robin asked, but she didn't answer her as she bent down low to get a better look at her past self. It was in much the same way that Zoro was as he had stared when he saw himself in the yard. It must've been a truly strange experience for them to see them here staring at themselves.

Helmeppo just laughed as they poured him some wine, turning the attention back on him. "I've sure been thinking about something interesting to do since I've been bored out of my skull here," he told them all, and that was when he dropped the bombshell. "I've decided to execute Zoro tomorrow. Look forward to it everyone."

"HE'S WHAT?" Chopper screamed out in panic.

"That jerk!" Usopp also yelled. "Three weeks and he's just going to kill him off?!"

Zoro shook his head at his own stupidity. He should've been able to guess that they would pull something like this. He thought back to all the punishments that idiot had dealt him while he was tied up. If he had this kind of power then, he would've sliced that idiot up to pieces… he wanted to.

"After everything you did, he was just going to break his promise just like that?" Brook asked him at once.

He shrugged. "There's always a chance he was just joking, but I highly doubt that," he answered.

"He wouldn't joke about something like this," Robin sighed. "He honestly means it."

"He has no honor!" Brook yelled heatedly, "To go back on his word like that!"

"You aren't the only one who thinks that," Sanji stated, as Luffy's eyes turned dangerous. There was a deep anger burning in them, leaving no trace for mercy. And then instinctively, he went charging ahead, and before anyone else could tell what happened, Luffy punched him so hard that he was sent flying across the room and smacked against the wall.

"'Bout time someone hit him," Franky said, grateful that someone shut him up.

"That's what I call getting what you deserve," Usopp said as he and Chopper both cheered Luffy on, hoping for another punch.

"You… you just hit me!?" Helmeppo demanded as he grabbed his swollen cheek, sitting up, unable to believe it.

"I think that his brain was damaged when he hit the wall, or what was left of it anyway," Sanji smirked. "What else did he think just happened?"

"How can he not see that coming?" Nami demanded, smiling.

"Yes, there's only so much that a person can take before they finally snap and fight back," Robin agreed softly.

But it was clear that Luffy was far from done, he moved forward, looking ready to give him another attack—and probably would have if Coby hadn't run over and restrained him. But knowing how strong Luffy was, they knew that he could've easily have thrown him off, but stayed where he was as he continued to glared down at Helmepoo.

"Luffy, no!" Coby pleaded with him, trying to hold him back, "You can't hit him!"

"Too late for that," Franky pointed out, "He already did."

"This guy's scum!" Luffy growled as everyone stared at them, stunned that anyone would have the guts to attack him.

"You actually hit me," Helmeppo yelled like a little kid. "I'm Captain Morgan's son you know!"

"And he's the son of Dragon," Zoro pointed out, with a shrug, "But that's hardly the case here… using your father's name to fight is a coward's way out."

"Because daddy won't be there forever," Sanji agreed, pulling his cigarette out of his mouth for a moment. "What's he gonna do once that's taken away?"

"Yeah, like I care!" Luffy yelled as moved forward, almost clawing the air to get at him.

"You'll care after he executes you for this!" Helmeppo shouted angrily as tears built in his eyes.

"What a baby," Usopp said rolling his eyes.

"Why don't you just be a man and fight?" Luffy demanded, holding a fist up, looking ready to go a few rounds.

"Luffy, just ease off some. Why are you trying to get on the Marine's bad side?" Coby said as he struggled to hold Luffy. With each word that was exchanged, Luffy was growing more and more angry. If this kept up, they knew that he would soon throw Coby off him as he pummeled Helempoo's face into the floor. Though, they could see that it was possible that the only thing that was keeping him from doing that was because he was afraid of hurting Coby.

"Why should he care? He's a pirate, what's wrong with pirates fighting with Marines?" Nami asked as she looked up to see that her past self had already taken off. Her eyes sadden at the thought as she looked back to the scene, really not looking forward to when they next meet up.

"I've made up my mind," Luffy said as his eyes hardened, fierce determination now burning. "Today Zoro will join my crew!"