Chapter 35: Zoro Joins

"Help me!" "Got it!"

As soon as Zoro's plea for help reached him, Kaito Sakamoto instantly responded. This was the moment he had been waiting for—now Zoro had no choice but to join his crew.

Kaito quickly raised his arm, and the bracelet on his wrist transformed into a silver shield, blocking the incoming bullets. Sparks flew as the bullets hit the shield, but they didn't pierce through or leave a mark; they simply fell to the ground.

"What is that?" "Where did you pull that from?"

Zoro was shocked, staring at the shield that had appeared out of nowhere in the blink of an eye.

"It's called magic," Kaito teased. With a flick of his wrist, the shield morphed into a long sword, and with two swift slashes, the ropes binding Zoro were cut.

"You can use swords too?" Zoro stood up, rotating his wrists.

"I know a little," Kaito replied casually, stepping back a bit from Zoro.

Zoro was confused—what was Kaito up to now?

Suddenly, two arms stretched out from beside him and grabbed the wooden post.

"I'm coming!!"

Zoro turned his head and saw Luffy charging right at him.

"Oh no!!"

With a loud crash, Luffy bounced off, slamming Zoro right back into the wooden post.

"Cough, cough," Zoro coughed, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. He frowned, "Damn it! Are you trying to kill me, you straw hat idiot?!"

Luffy, adjusting his straw hat, laughed sheepishly, "Hahaha, this way it's easier to get you down."

"There are three swords in there. I didn't know which one was yours, so I brought them all."

With that, Luffy handed the three swords he had been carrying to Zoro.

"They're all mine!" "I'm a three-sword style swordsman."

And so, the legendary swordsman Zoro made his entrance.

This was the historic meeting between Pirate King Luffy and the three-sword style swordsman Zoro.

Zoro took back his swords, and Luffy grinned as he said, "Three swords, huh? Sounds interesting."

"Heh," Zoro scoffed. "Interesting? It'll be even more interesting when I slice you up with them."

As Zoro adjusted his grip on his swords, he asked, "What's up with your arms earlier?"

"That's because I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit. I'm a rubber man," Luffy replied.

"A rubber man?"

"Fire! All of you, fire!"

"Yeah, just like that!"

While Zoro was still puzzled, Captain Morgan arrived at the plaza with his soldiers. Seeing Kaito and the others, he immediately ordered the soldiers to open fire.

The soldiers, not daring to disobey, fired their guns. Bullets flew straight at Luffy, but instead of penetrating his body, they bounced right off after denting slightly.

"Run for your lives!" "Duck!"

The Navy soldiers on the plaza panicked and scrambled to avoid the ricocheting bullets.

"What kind of monster is this?!"

Some soldiers were hit by the rebounding bullets and fell, while the rest stared at Luffy in terror.

Captain Morgan, however, remained calm, his face stern as always, as if everyone owed him 5 million berries.

"Don't panic! He's just someone who ate a Devil Fruit," Morgan said coldly.

"What? A Devil Fruit? The legendary Devil Fruit?" His lieutenant gasped, serving as the perfect foil.

"Straw Hat boy, I don't care who you are. Offending the great me means you must die. And as for you, Roronoa Zoro, your name may be famous, but it means nothing against my authority!" Morgan shouted, ordering his men to attack again with swords this time.

Zoro, now recovered from his surprise, resumed his usual stoic demeanor.

"So, you're a descendant of the Devil, huh?" Zoro remarked. "Well, I've already pissed off the Navy. Might as well go all in and become a pirate with you guys!"

"Awesome!" "Welcome aboard!"

Both Luffy and Kaito were overjoyed at Zoro's decision.

Zoro, after making his declaration, bit down on the hilt of his third sword. In an instant, he appeared in front of Luffy, blocking all the soldiers' swords.

"If any of you dare to move, I'll cut you down!" Zoro threatened, exuding pure dominance. The soldiers froze in fear.

"I may have agreed to join you guys as pirates," Zoro said, still biting his sword, "but I have my own dream—to become the world's greatest swordsman. Whether it's infamy or fame, I'm going to make the whole world know my name! You're the ones dragging me onto this ship. If you ever try to make me give up on my dream, you'll have to commit seppuku in front of me!"

Despite the soldiers' swords aimed at him, Zoro spoke clearly while holding his sword in his mouth.

"I'm not that bored," Kaito replied nonchalantly.

"Hahaha! The world's greatest swordsman, huh? Now that sounds fun! The Pirate King's crew has to be made of the best, after all," Luffy chimed in, immediately kicking away the soldiers attacking from behind Zoro.

Morgan's eyes bulged in shock, but he quickly composed himself, ordering his hesitant soldiers to kill themselves.

Luffy and Zoro were stunned—what kind of army was this?

Without hesitation, they launched an attack.

Meanwhile, Coby, who had somehow returned to the scene, overheard Morgan's cruel order. His belief in the Navy was nearly shattered, and he cried out, "Luffy! Take down this corrupt Navy!"

Luffy didn't need much convincing. He dodged Morgan's axe strike and, with a few quick blows, knocked him to the ground.

The plaza fell silent.