The Straw Hat crew had disbanded, so strictly speaking, Luffy was no longer Zoro's captain. However, Zoro had no intention of introducing Luffy as anything but his captain.
"...Captain?"
Of course, to Gojo and Toji, who knew nothing of this situation, this came out of the blue.
"Zoro is my mate!"
Luffy interjected with a bright smile on his face.
"Mate?"
"We were pirates."
Oh, are we not anymore? Luffy tilted his head in confusion.
"Zoro, didn't our crew disband?"
"That's why, do you have a problem with me calling you captain, Pirate King?"
"No way, ssshhh!"
Luffy's arms and legs stretched like rubber, wrapping even tighter around Zoro.
Happiness, joy, affection. The boy's red eyes, gazing at Zoro, were tender. Affection that would never change overflowed in his expression and gestures.
"..."
Toji remembered the only person who had once looked at him with similarly affectionate eyes long ago.
It was Chie.
Gojo made a sound, "Hmm."
"If you're pirates, are you bad guys?"
"Eh. Who are you?"
"I'm Gojo Satoru."
Luffy nodded as if he understood.
"Ah! Sato!"
"It's Satoru."
Zoro facepalmed.
"Sorry. Our captain is an idiot. Luffy, this is Gojo Satoru. He's my friend."
Upon hearing the word "friend," Luffy exclaimed "Oh," and his eyes sparkled.
"Zoro's friend! Nice to meet you!"
"Hey."
"And who is this guy?"
"He's my father. His name is Zenin Toji."
He's my precious family, Zoro added. Luffy blinked his large eyes and asked.
"Zoro, you have a father?"
"Well, yeah."
Strictly speaking, it just happened, but anyway.
"I have siblings too. Tsumiki and Megumi."
"Really?! I want to meet them, I want to meet them!"
"Hold on, hold on. What about my question? Aren't you going to answer?"
Gojo reminded him of his question, which seemed to have been sucked into the depths like it had gone under the sea. Luffy finally turned his head towards Gojo as if he just realized it.
"Ah. What did you ask?"
"You said you're a pirate."
"Yeah."
"So, pirates are bad guys?"
"Usually, pirates are indeed bad guys."
Luffy responded in a matter-of-fact tone to Gojo's question. Hmm, Gojo paused, lost in thought. When he had met Zoro, and how he had taken Zoro under his command—there were mountains of questions he wanted to ask.
But there was one thing he needed to ask first.
"So, are you planning to do bad things here too?"
Gojo, like Toji, recognized Luffy's strength at a glance. It would take both Gojo Satoru and Zoro to fully block the boy in front of them.
'But Zoro definitely called Luffy his captain.'
Unbelievable as it was, it meant Zoro acknowledged Luffy as his superior. Even if Gojo and Zoro were friends, if Gojo and Luffy's intentions conflicted, Zoro was likely to follow the person he recognized as his lord.
'He's quite stubborn that way.'
"Even if you are Zoro's captain, I can't just sit back and let pirates plunder and rule this place."
Gojo said in a playful yet chilling voice.
Hanging onto Zoro's upper body and listening to the conversation, Luffy burst into a clear laugh.
"I don't do stuff like ruling. I'm the Pirate King."
"Pirate King?"
"The freest person in this world!"
Like air escaping a balloon, a mysterious white aura seeped out from Luffy's entire body. His hair returned to black, and in an instant, Luffy looked like he had aged like an old man. Gojo was taken aback.
"...What's happening?"
Zoro clicked his tongue and lifted Luffy onto his back.
"It's because it's a technique that consumes a lot of life force. He'll be like this for a while."
"Isn't it dangerous?"
"There's nothing medical science can do. We have to wait."
It wasn't a disease or injury, but a consumption of life force itself, so there was no way to heal it.
Luffy whined from Zoro's back.
"I'm sooo hungry."
"I'll buy you some meat, just wait."
It was payday three days ago, and all that money would go into feeding Luffy. Sensing what was to come, Zoro sighed deeply.
...
Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp.
Nobara rubbed her eyes as she watched the scene of arms stretched like rubber, wrapping around and pulling a tray piled high with food. What's going on, have I lived too long?
"...So, the energy leaks out from those who can't control their power and creates curses... Are you listening, Luffy?"
"No."
"Alright, just eat then."
The restaurant, which Zoro had fully booked and was only occupied by sorcerers and a rubber man, resembled a battlefield. As soon as dishes filled with food were served, they disappeared into a mouth, and as soon as they appeared, they vanished.
Zoro, accustomed to this, just ate, while Gojo filmed Luffy with his smartphone. Toji was counting the plates, calculating how much this was going to cost.
Gojo exclaimed, "Wow."
"Are his insides rubber too?"
It seemed so, given how his body swelled like a balloon. Nom, nom, nom, Luffy kept stuffing chunks of meat into his mouth, regardless of what Gojo was saying.
Itadori Yuji rubbed his eyes.
"Hey, Megumi, this isn't a dream, right?"
"It's not."
It might have been better if it were. Megumi, calculating how much Zoro's money would be depleted by this single meal, felt his consciousness wane and closed his eyes tightly.
Yuji asked worriedly.
"Is it okay? That guy seems like he's eaten food for 50 people."
"Brother said he could eat for 100. He said he was prepared to use up his entire salary."
"Wow."
How much is a special grade sorcerer's salary that he could spend it all in one day? And on just one meal? But looking at the towering stack of empty plates, Nobara thought that perhaps that much money was indeed needed.
"Abubu, wupbupbupu, woopboopboop!"
Luffy mumbled something with his cheeks full of food. Of course, everyone except Zoro couldn't understand a word. Zoro poured water into Luffy's glass and said,
"Finish eating, then talk."
"Should I?"
Woosh. Luffy scooped up food into his mouth voraciously.
The restaurant owner was sweating. Proud of having seen much as a non-sorcerer born into a family of sorcerers, this was still a first for him.
"Excuse me, what did that person just say...?"
"It's delicious. Especially this."
At Zoro's explanation, Luffy vigorously nodded. Toji shook his head, unable to understand.
"How do you even understand him?"
"Just do."
Since they first met, Zoro had somehow been able to roughly understand Luffy's heart without much spoken word. How? Well... who knows.
Tsumiki rushed into the restaurant breathlessly.
"Sorry, I'm late. ...Oh my."
Tsumiki's eyes widened as she took in the scene inside the restaurant.
Seeing Tsumiki, Zoro's expression softened.
"Tsumiki, Megumi. Come over here."
He had someone to introduce them to.
Tsumiki and Megumi approached the table where Zoro, Luffy, Gojo, and Toji were sitting. Zoro pulled Luffy's cheek to turn his attention and said,
"Luffy. These are my siblings. The girl is Tsumiki, and the boy is Megumi."
Gulp. Luffy swallowed the meat he was chewing. After thumping his throat twice, the meat stuck in his throat slid down. His stomach, which had been inflated like a balloon, deflated back to its normal size with a gurgling sound.
Regardless of Megumi's stunned look, Luffy grinned and said,
"Hello! I'm Monkey D. Luffy. The Pirate King!"
"What's your relationship with my brother?"
Despite Megumi's gaze that seemed to view Luffy as something draining his brother's wallet, Luffy just beamed.
"He's my precious crewmate!"
Megumi looked at Zoro, and sensing what that gaze meant, Zoro confirmed, "It's true."
"He's the one I follow."
"...My brother?"
"Yes."
It was hard for Megumi to believe. Zoro was someone who never bowed his head to anyone, not even their father, Toji. The idea that Zoro would follow someone was difficult for Megumi to accept.
"...Why?"
The question slipped out of Megumi's mouth before he realized it. He looked at Luffy, who hadn't heard him and was busy stuffing more meat into his mouth.
Zoro shrugged.
"Because he's worth it."
Despite being a total troublemaker who can't sit still, a parasite that makes no sense, and a fool with an empty head.
Zoro had never once thought that Luffy wouldn't become the Pirate King.
If he wasn't cut out for it, he wouldn't have followed him in the first place.
'The world's greatest swordsman. Sounds about right. If I'm going to be a companion of the Pirate King, I need to be at that level.'
Luffy's response to Zoro's declaration that he'd have to atone with his life if his ambitions were thwarted was:
'Luffy is going to be the Pirate King!'
In the end, it was Zoro who had forsaken both ambition and promise in the face of Luffy's life.
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