Chapter 10: Roronoa Zoro!

East Blue, Yotsuba Island, Shells Town.

An air of peace and tranquility filled the town, with streets bustling with people going about their daily lives. As a town supported by a Navy branch base, Shells Town enjoyed a more stable quality of life than many other towns in East Blue. The residents lived without fear of pirate invasions.

But was everything really as perfect as it seemed?

As the saying goes, if a country has no external troubles, it will have internal ones.

Three years ago, Shells was indeed a happy town. But since Captain Morgan, the man credited with capturing the notorious pirate "Black Cat" Kuro, was stationed here, a dark cloud seemed to hang over the town. No one could have imagined that the great hero, Captain Morgan, would turn out to be a violent dictator. His many tyrannies had already plunged this once-peaceful town into turmoil.

Even Roronoa Zoro, the famous pirate hunter of East Blue, had fallen here. This incident had become a hot topic among the nearby sea areas.

...

"Alright, we're here! Luffy, secure the ship at the harbor."

Under the bright sunshine, Akane was the first to step off the ship at Shells Town's port, issuing orders to a reluctant Luffy. Luffy pouted as he grabbed a rope and began securing the ship to the wooden posts at the dock.

"Really? I'm the captain, why do I have to do this kind of work?"

Ignoring Luffy's complaints, Akane gazed toward the back of Shells Town and remarked, "With great power comes great responsibility—ever heard of that? It's precisely because you're the captain that you should do more work! Instead of whining, how about getting it done? Or do you not want to find a third partner?"

"Hey~Hey! Fine, I got it!" Luffy's complaints ceased at the mention of a new partner. He quickly tied the rope and jumped over to Akane's side. Looking at the imposing Navy base in front of him, the young pirate showed no fear. Instead, his eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation.

"Hey, Akane, is that guy really as powerful as you say?"

"The future world's greatest swordsman, paired with me, and the future Pirate King—it's going to be epic!"

"Haha, when have I ever lied to you?" Akane chuckled. "Let's go. We wouldn't want to keep our new friend waiting!"

"Ah? But I'm so hungry right now, and that store smells so good. How about we grab a bite before heading over?"

Luffy rubbed his growling stomach, sniffing the air as he suggested his idea to Akane. In response, Akane rolled his eyes.

"You idiot! You're thinking about food at a time like this? Hurry up! Our future partner is still tied up and hungry!"

Snap! Akane's hand struck the back of Luffy's neck, the sound crisp and clear.

"Hiss~ That hurt, Akane!" Luffy rubbed his swollen neck, but then froze for a moment. "Wait, Akane, your strength...?"

Luffy had known about Akane's special physique for a long time, so he was aware of his friend's lack of combat power. With Luffy's Devil Fruit ability, he shouldn't have felt pain, but now the sting at the back of his neck surprised him.

"Hehe!" Akane grinned proudly. "You're not the only one who can get stronger, Luffy!"

"Alright, enough chit-chat—let's get down to business!"

With that, Akane took the lead, heading toward the Navy base, leaving Luffy standing there, stunned. But after a moment, Luffy burst into laughter and ran after him.

"You're definitely worthy of being the vice-captain I chose!"

Under the scorching sun, the boy in the straw hat chased after the boy in the baseball cap.

...

Shells Town wasn't large, so it didn't take long for Akane and Luffy to reach the base of the 153rd Branch. With many marine soldiers guarding the entrance, the two of them discreetly made their way to the side of the base. Perhaps due to budget cuts, the wall surrounding the naval base wasn't very tall—only about two meters. With a light jump, Akane and Luffy easily climbed to the top of the wall, sticking their heads over to observe the interior.

They spotted a wooden cross, about a meter tall, standing ominously in the open space behind the wall. This was where Captain Morgan punished those who dared to defy him. Tied to the cross was a man with a green hood, a green haramaki, and three golden earrings on his left ear.

It was none other than the most fearless man in the pirate world—Roronoa Zoro!

"Huh!?" Despite his humiliating situation, Zoro immediately sensed something unusual and turned his gaze toward the wall, where Akane and Luffy's heads were poking over.

"He noticed us, Akane," Luffy said.

"Of course he did. He's the man I chose. If he couldn't sense us, he wouldn't deserve to be our third crew member!" Akane replied, smirking.

In perfect sync, the two pushed themselves up with their arms and leaped over the wall, landing inside the naval base.

Akane, standing before his favorite pirate character, turned to Luffy and asked, "So, Captain, are you satisfied with the partner I picked?"

"Yeah, I trust your judgment!" Luffy grinned, eyeing the ropes binding Zoro. "Now we just need to untie him and take him with us!"

"This... might not be so simple." Akane shook his head, walking toward Zoro with Luffy following close behind. "The commander of this naval base is corrupt to the core. If we just let Zoro go, the people of this town will suffer. So, the best plan is to take down the naval captain while we're at it."

"Okay! I'll follow your lead!" Luffy flexed his arms as if the task ahead was nothing at all.

The duo's brazen behavior and their approach finally got to Zoro, who couldn't stay silent any longer. He snapped, "Hey! You two, this isn't a place you can just waltz into! If you don't want to die, get out of here!"

His voice was laced with ferocity and malice, a clear attempt to scare them off. Zoro didn't want anyone getting involved in his situation. But Luffy being Luffy, simply dismissed Zoro's warning without hesitation: "Leave? Not a chance!"

Luffy grinned mischievously, adding, "Akane said you're going to be the world's greatest swordsman one day! There's no way I'm leaving without making you my partner!"

"The world's greatest swordsman!? Partner!?" Zoro's expression wavered slightly, and he looked at the two standing beside him with curiosity. The confidence with which they spoke of their dreams made him realize that these two weren't ordinary people.

"Who are you two?"

"My name's Luffy, and I'm a pirate." Luffy answered casually, reaching out to untie the ropes that bound Zoro.

Seeing this, Zoro immediately shouted, "Hey! Don't touch that rope!" But Luffy ignored him, freeing Zoro's right wrist with ease.

"Hehe, I'm not listening! Once I untie you, you'll have no choice but to join my crew!"

"Damn it, you idiot! I will never join pirates!" Seeing that Luffy was about to untie his left hand as well, Zoro quickly used his freed hand to stop him. He had made a deal with Captain Morgan's son; if he could endure this punishment for a month, the Captain's son would release him and an innocent little girl. He had already endured for nine days—there was no way he would let an outsider ruin it now.

But at that moment, Akane spoke up, "Do you really think that the son of a corrupt naval captain would honor such a deal?"

Akane's words struck a nerve, freezing Zoro in place. He continued, "Don't be naive, Zoro. He's just playing with you. No one can survive a month without food or water. Even if you somehow did, you'd be too weak to fight back—he'd make you his toy. You must have suspected this, right?"

Zoro fell silent. Of course, he had considered this possibility. But he didn't want to believe it and chose to stick to the deal, hoping the navy would uphold its justice. Yet Akane's words were like a cold, hard truth that shattered his idealism.

Once Luffy had untied all the ropes, Zoro stood up, staring at Akane. "Who are you?"

"Me?" Akane dropped his serious expression and flashed a lighthearted smile. "I'm Akane, vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, and also a... rookie trainer!"