Chapter 14

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East Blue - Shells Town 

"Hey, Tangerine, are you still mad?", Luffy asks, grabbing and eating a pastry from the giant pile of ham and cheese rissoles he ordered a few moments ago. 

They had just arrived on the island, and Luffy had dragged them straight to a restaurant in town because he was starving. 

"Of course I'm mad! It was five million, Luffy, five million Berries that flew away because of your punch", Nami says irritably. 

"All the money we've gotten so far has been for you. It was just a bounty, and I already apologized, didn't I?", Luffy says. 

"It's just that I'm so close to saving up one hundred million Berries", Nami laments quietly, but they both still hear her say it. 

"Why are you so determined to gather one hundred million Berries anyway?", Coby asks, glancing at Luffy, impressed by the amount of food he's eaten so far. 

Coby becomes even more amazed when he sees Luffy calling a waitress to order more food. 

"I'm going to buy a certain village with that money", Nami replies, trying not to give too many details. 

Noticing that she wasn't going to elaborate, Luffy decides to change the subject. "Anyway, that Analvida was talking about someone named Roronoa Zoro. She said he was on this island, right?" 

Upon hearing Zoro's name, several people in the restaurant stand up in shock, knocking over some tables in the process. 

Luffy looks at the scene, confused, before returning to devour his food. 

"It's Alvida, not Analvida, and are you crazy, Luffy? That Zoro is locked up on this island for a reason. They say he's a bloodthirsty wild beast in human skin, a scary guy," Coby says, trying to make Luffy change his mind. 

"Relax, Glasses. If he's a good guy, I'll invite him to join my crew." 

"What part of 'bloodthirsty wild beast in human skin' didn't you get? Obviously, he's a bad guy if he's locked up. Besides, I saw on a poster that the base on this island is commanded by a man named Morgan, and he's highly decorated, so if you want to recruit Zoro, it'll be a tough task." 

At that moment, the same thing happens again, with several people standing up in fear, knocking over various tables in the process. 

=Scene Break= 

As the three of them head towards the Marine base, Coby starts talking, "That was really strange. I understand them being afraid of Zoro, but for them to react the same way at hearing Morgan's name..." 

"Remember what I told you, Glasses, not every Marine is good." 

Coby then lowers his head and remains thoughtful for the rest of the way. 

When they arrive at the Marine base, Luffy turns to Coby and says, "Well, this is where we part ways, Glasses. Be a good Marine." 

Luffy then pats Coby on the shoulder and begins moving towards the presence of a person alone in the middle of an open field that he sensed with his Haki. 

"Wait, where are you going, Luffy?", Coby asks, following Luffy. 

"I'm looking for this Zoro guy." 

"There's no way they'd leave him completely out in the open like that. He must be locked up in a well-protected cell inside the base", Coby says, trying to stop Luffy from climbing the wall, something he was already doing, with Nami following right behind. 

"Look at that guy", Luffy says, peering over the wall. Coby, who just finished climbing, falls immediately after getting a look at Zoro. 

"Hmm? What happened?", Luffy asks Coby, not understanding why he fell. 

"It's just that... that really is the real Roronoa Zoro", Coby then gets back up and climbs the wall again. 

Zoro then lifts his gaze and yells directly at the trio, "Hey, you three, get out of here! This isn't a zoo for people to come and gawk at me like I'm some animal." 

Suddenly, a ladder is placed right next to Coby, and a little girl climbs up and stands beside him. 

"Hmm?", Luffy looks confused by the appearance of the little girl. 

"Hmm?", Nami looks on curiously as the events unfold. 

"Huh?", Coby is surprised by the appearance of the little girl, only to become concerned as he watches her start to jump over the wall to the other side. "Hey, wait, that's dangerous!" 

The little girl looks at Coby and motions for him to be quiet. "Shh." 

She then climbs down the wall and stands in front of Zoro, who says, "Hey, what are you doing here?" 

Coby, desperate, turns to Luffy and says, "Luffy, stop that kid. She's going to get herself killed." 

"You stop her. I'm not doing it." 

"Do you want to die? Get out of here", Zoro says, trying to scare the girl away. 

"Hmmm, I made onigiri. You must be starving, right, big brother?", the little girl says, showing him the onigiri she made. 

"This is my first time making them, but I did my best." 

"I'm not hungry", Zoro says, looking around to see if anyone is coming. 

"But—", the little girl starts to say, lowering her head sadly, only to be interrupted by Zoro yelling at her, "I DON'T WANT IT! GET OUT OF HERE, BRAT." 

Suddenly, an arrogant and spoiled voice fills the air, drawing everyone's attention to him. "No bullying, Roronoa Zoro, or I'll tell my Daddy." 

"Shishishi, look at that weird guy, Tangerine. He's got a butt chin and a ridiculous haircut", Luffy whispers to Nami beside him, who tries to stifle her laughter. 

"Tsk, the 'cocksucker' has arrived", Zoro mocks Helmeppo. 

"You think you're so tough, huh, grasshead? Just so you know, my Daddy is Captain Morgan, so show some respect", Helmeppo says, walking up to Zoro, accompanied by two Marines. 

He then stands in front of the little girl, grabs one of the onigiri she made, and says, "If he doesn't want it, I do. Hand it over." 

He immediately regrets it, spitting out everything he bit into while yelling at the little girl, complaining about the taste. "This tastes awful! Why did you put sugar in it? Onigiri should be made with salt." 

"I thought it would taste better sweet", the little girl says, downcast. 

Helmeppo then throws all the onigiri she had prepared onto the ground and stomps on them with force. 

"That son of a bitch, that little girl worked so hard to make those", Coby says, indignant. 

Looking at the little girl kneeling and staring at the muddy mess her onigiri had become, Helmeppo says, "Don't worry, there's a better chance of someone liking them if the ants eat it." 

Helmeppo starts to get annoyed when he sees the little girl crying. He then turns to one of the Marines accompanying him and says, "Ah, that's why I hate brats. Hey, you, throw her over the wall." 

"But sir—" 

"I SAID THROW THAT BRAT OUT! ARE YOU DISOBEYING MY ORDER? DO YOU WANT ME TO TELL MY DADDY ABOUT THIS?", Helmeppo yells at the Marine, grabbing his collar. 

"Yes, right away", the Marine says, going to grab the little girl. 

On his way, he notices Luffy, Coby, and Nami on top of the wall. Luffy then nods at him, and realizing the girl wouldn't get hurt, he feels more at ease. 

The little girl, who was thrown over the wall, is then caught by Luffy on the other side, immediately being comforted by Nami and Coby. 

After Helmeppo and the two Marines leave, with Helmeppo provoking Zoro a bit more, Luffy jumps over the wall and stands in front of Zoro. 

Noticing Luffy in front of him, Zoro says, "Huh? Are you still here? You better get out before the 'Daddy's Ball Licker' comes back." 

"Well, I'm looking for crew members to join my pirate crew", Luffy says, holding his straw hat. 

"Pirate? Ha! No thanks. I'm a pirate hunter. It's in the name, I hunt pirates. I haven't sunk low enough to consider becoming one", Zoro says, mocking the idea. 

"And what's wrong with wanting to be a pirate?" 

"Pirate Hunter, which part didn't you understand? Besides, don't tell me you're going to set me free if I join your crew?", Zoro says, emphasizing his profession. 

"Hmrram, you already said that. Anyway, I still haven't decided whether I'll free you or not, since you have a reputation for being a bad guy", Luffy says, not understanding why Zoro keeps repeating that he's a Pirate Hunter. 

Luffy said this to provoke Zoro for what he said earlier about becoming a pirate being a decision made by someone at rock bottom, as he had already decided long ago that he wanted him in his crew. 

"A bad guy, huh? Sorry, but regardless of your offer, I won't accept it. I made a deal with Butt Chin, if I survive for a month, I'll be released. That idiot promised me, and I don't need your help to survive." 

"Anyway, I'll survive and achieve my dream", Zoro says, looking into Luffy's eyes with unshakable determination. 

"What's your dream?", Luffy asks, holding his hat. 

"I'm going to become the greatest swordsman in the world, and nothing will stand in my way." 

"Shishishi, I've decided, you're joining my crew", Luffy says with a big grin. 

"Don't decide things on your own, idiot", Zoro says, irritated at Luffy. 

"Anyway, see you in a bit. I just need to check on that little girl, then I'll come back and set you free", Luffy says, turning to leave. 

"Hey, wait", Zoro calls out to Luffy suddenly. 

"Hmm?" 

"Can you give me that?", Zoro says, nodding toward the squashed rice balls on the ground. 

"Sure, here comes the airplane, open wide", Luffy jokes, pretending to feed a baby. 

Zoro then eats everything, embarrassed, and despite it clearly not tasting good, he says, "Tell the little brat, 'Thank you very much for the food; it was delicious'." 

"Shishishi, of course." 

=Scene Break= 

"Really?", The little girl, who they now knew was named Rika, asked Luffy while Nami petted her head. 

"Yeah, he ate it all and said it was delicious", Luffy says, sitting on a staircase. 

"I'm so happy", Rika says with a smile. 

"Is he really as bad as people say?", Coby asks. 

"Big Bro Zoro isn't bad; the townspeople are just scared of him. But he didn't do anything wrong. He was arrested because he killed Captain Morgan's son's wolf who was about to bite me. Captain Morgan's son would let that wolf loose in the town all the time, and it would bite everyone." 

"The only bad people here are the Morgans. They kill anyone they think looked at them wrong, so everyone is afraid of them", Rika says, upset. 

At that moment, Helmeppo appears on the street and starts speaking loudly, "Bow down, or I'll tell my daddy." 

Everyone in the street, except for Luffy and company, kneels and bows to Helmeppo. 

"You don't want to be executed like Roronoa Zoro, right? Know that I'll execute him in three days; let that be a lesson to you all." 

"Three days? What about your promise of a month?", Luffy asks, stepping in front of Helmeppo. 

"Hmm? Where'd you hear about that, and why didn't you bow? Anyway, the promise was a lie, only a brainless idiot would believe that." 

Luffy then lightly punches him, causing Helmeppo's face to sink into the ground due to the force of the blow. 

Helmeppo faints instantly, and when the two marines accompanying him try to attack Luffy, a light pulse of Conqueror's Haki knock them out as well. 

Luffy turns to Nami and Coby and says, "I'm going to free Zoro", before heading back towards the base. 

"Alright, you're definitely going to cause a ruckus, so I'll use that distraction to sneak into the base and steal the Grand Line map they say is there", Nami says, following closely behind Luffy. 

"Hey, wait for me!", Coby shouts, running after them, not quite sure why he's doing this but helping out anyway. 

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(AN: 2,002 Words) 

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