OPJ Chapter 13: please save Zoro.

"Hey there, what brings you to this place?" asked Saitama, his eyes fixed on the two little girls standing in front of him.

Helmeppo gave the girls a disdainful look and commanded them to quickly hand over the bouquet of flowers to Commodore Saitama.

The girls looked scared, but eventually approached Saitama with the flowers in their hands. As they handed him the bouquet, Saitama and Tashigi exchanged a suspicious glance. They could sense that something was amiss.

After all, the eyes of children never deceive.

It wasn't just Morgan who was acting strange. Even his son, who was trying to put up a pretense in front of Saitama, was behaving strangely. The two little girls seemed to be afraid of Helmeppo as well.

Tashigi turned to Saitama and whispered, "Something is not right here." She walked over to the girls, took the flowers from them, and gently touched their heads.

"What are your names, sweeties?" she asked.

One of the girls was too timid to speak and hid behind the other. The other girl spoke up, "Big sister... and bald uncle... are you really here to bring justice?"

The words sent chills down everyone's spines. The soldiers of the 153rd Branch of the Marines bowed their heads in shame.

At that moment, Helmeppo's face twisted with panic and he raised his foot to kick the little girl. "What do you mean!? Who allowed you to speak?" he barked.

Before he could carry out his vicious act, Saitama sprang into action. He jumped, seized Helmeppo by the neck, lifted him off the ground, and threw him aside.

"Let her speak," he commanded.

The little girl, encouraged by Saitama's support, clenched her fist and cried out with courage, "My name is Rika... Bald uncle!... Please, help Roronoa!"

Saitama looked at Tashigi in confusion. "Roronoa?" he repeated.

Tashigi pushed up her glasses and answered in a soft voice, "He's the latest famous pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro."

"Um..." Saitama pondered as he gazed at Rika. "What happened? Was he apprehended by pirates?"

"No," Rika sighed, her fingers fidgeting with guilt. "It's all my fault. He was taken captive by the soldiers for slaying Helmeppo's wolf. But it wasn't his fault - the beast was rampaging through the town, destroying everything in its path. Big Brother Zoro was a true hero, despite the circumstances."

Upon hearing this, Helmeppo scrambled to his feet and shouted, "My wolf doesn't bite, it only scares people!"

"You're lying!" Rika retorted, her finger shaking with fury. "It's all your fault! You condemn anyone who disobeys you to death immediately! Nobody likes you!!"

"Death penalty!" she added, emphasizing her point.

Tashigi was in shock. It was the first time she had ever felt this angry. She turned to Helmeppo and spoke in a loud and forceful tone, "Tell me it isn't true. Even a notorious pirate, after being caught, has the right to a fair trial. How could you even consider using the death penalty against unarmed civilians?"

"I...I didn't..." Helmeppo stuttered, his face now flushed with embarrassment.

He looked like a fool trying to defend himself: "She's talking nonsense. The words of children cannot be taken seriously. How could I ever think of executing civilians? Ha-ha...Ha-ha... Just ask someone else, and you'll see..."

Saitama grabbed Helmeppo by his collar and pulled him closer. "We will do just that. But before we do, I want to see Morgan first. Can someone show us the way?"

The soldiers looked at each other, uncertain whether they should follow Saitama's orders.

Without hesitation, Rika stood up and ran towards Saitama. "I'll take you there, bald uncle!" she said bravely.

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Saitama responded with his usual blank expression. "Fine. I've grown used to it over the years, but could you please stop calling me 'Bald Uncle'?"

Beside her, Tashigi laughed and gently took Rika's hand. "You can call him Saitama-san or Mr. Commodore. He's much older than you and me," she suggested.

Saitama's expression twitched, and he muttered under his breath, "I don't know why, but suddenly I feel worse."

As they watched Rika's bravery, the Marines behind Saitama began to feel ashamed of their own fear. How could a little girl stand up against tyranny and injustice while they cowered in fear?

Moved by Rika's courage, the Marines quickly ran to Saitama's side.

"We can't take it anymore, Mr. Commodore!" one of them exclaimed.

Taking the lead, a soldier gritted his teeth and spoke up, "Captain Morgan is cruel and ruthless. He kills people without mercy, including children. We were forced to follow his orders, and all the Den Den Mushi were confiscated to prevent us from contacting headquarters. But today, please help us stop him. We won't be silent any longer!"

"It appears the evidence is substantial," Tashigi said, her expression complicated. "Why did he appear to be a brave and just Marine? Were all of his credentials falsified?"

"There are always people like that in the world," Saitama mused as he paced slowly. "Fighting bravely against evil isn't necessarily about justice or lofty beliefs. When the lives and property of civilians are threatened, anyone who stands up to protect them becomes a hero."

He continued, "But after the brave man slays the dragon, he becomes the new dragon."

Saitama's expression grew more serious as he spoke. "It's up to a powerful hero to stop him and enforce justice. Tashigi, please stay true to your convictions and face the impermanence of the world with courage."

In an instant, Saitama's temperament shifted, and his face contorted with rage. He exuded an air of incredible reliability, maturity, and power, as if he were someone else entirely.

Tashigi felt her heart racing as he looked at her. She blushed, feeling the intensity of his gaze.

Catching up to him, she responded with enthusiasm, "Yes, Commodore!"

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As they made their way to the 153rd Branch base, a crowd of citizens and soldiers witnessed Helmeppo being dragged on the ground like a pig by a bald man, with tears streaming down his face. They whispered amongst themselves, curious about what had happened.

Many of them recognized the bald man as Saitama and murmured, "Could it be... the 'Bald Devil'?"

"The Bald Devil? Who's that?" someone asked.

"There's a rumor of a marine Commodore stationed in Loguetown," another replied.

"Thanks to him, the number of pirates in the East Blue has decreased. Anyone who dares to fight him ends up dead or captured."

"Really? But he doesn't look all that powerful," someone else said skeptically.

"Don't be fooled! It's said that the name of the 'Bald Devil' strikes fear in the hearts of all East Blue pirates. No one has ever managed to sneak past him or escape from him," a voice chimed in.

"But why would the 'Bald Devil' appear here? Does it mean that... th... The tyranny of that villain Morgan is finally over? That's great news!" someone exclaimed.

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Thank you!