"Hahaha, the people in that shop were so funny."
Without malice, the sight of those customers fleeing in panic was simply 'funny' to Luffy.
"...Something's wrong..."
But Coby didn't have Luffy's 'strong' mindset. He looked around nervously, quickly analyzing the situation.
"People being afraid of Zoro's name is understandable, but why are they also afraid of Captain Morgan—"
"It's simple,"
Roman answered directly from the other side.
"It means that compared to that 'pirate hunter,' the Marine base's captain makes people even more fearful."
"N-no way..."
Heh,
Facing Coby, who harbored a 'Marine dream,' Roman just nodded towards the distance.
"Whether it's true or not, you can see for yourself."
At the end of the road stood a grand Marine base. Tall walls, dense turrets, and fluttering Marine flags...
All gave a sense of 'strength and power!' But:
"As expected of a military stronghold, there's not even a building or a pedestrian around."
Roman commented casually, not sure if he was being truthful or sarcastic. As the three approached the closed base gate:
"Go ahead, Coby."
Luffy adjusted his straw hat and pointed at the Marine base.
"I... I..."
"I'm going to see what kind of person this Zoro is~~"
Ignoring the conflicted Coby, Luffy jumped up and clung to the wall, looking into the vast Marine base square.
"Hey? Is that the guy—"
In the center of the Marine square, a man was tied to a cross-shaped wooden frame!
He was a man with a deep green bandana, green short hair peeking out from under it, three teardrop-shaped gold earrings on his left ear, wearing a white T-shirt, a green sash around his waist, dark green pants, and black boots.
Of course, the most striking feature was his eyes!
Sharp as knives, wild as a beast! Just meeting his gaze gave the illusion of being 'torn apart!'
Very strong.
Roman squinted, creating a 'ladder' out of paper at his feet. The man's strength was about the same as his 'former' captain who sank with the 'Breaking Waves' ship!
However, at this time, Zoro probably hadn't mastered 'cutting steel' yet...
Zoro's physical strength should be superior, but his swordsmanship is not yet on par with the captain who could unleash the 'cutting steel' ability.
Having watched the anime years ago and then living in this world for several years, Roman's memory of One Piece had become quite blurry, except for the main 'Four Emperors,' 'Seven Warlords,' and the protagonist group.
"Hey, you guys."
The man tied to the wooden stake lifted his head. Even in captivity, his sharpness was undiminished.
"Come over and untie me."
"I'll repay you—I'll give you the bounty money for capturing wanted pirates in the future..."
"Interesting,"
Roman crossed his arms and tilted his head to look at Luffy, who was perched on the wall.
"Luffy, what do you think?"
"That rope looks easy to break free from..."
"Hey, Luffy, you're missing the point!" Coby anxiously interrupted, fearing that the two 'reckless' guys beside him might just release the 'criminal' in the square on a whim.
"If we let him go, the people in this town, and you and I, will be killed—"
"No, he won't kill me."
Luffy, who had always acted silly, confidently smiled, "I'm very strong too."
...
Snap,
While the three were 'watching the show,' a ladder was placed beside them, and a little girl glared at them, 'warning' them to stay quiet before agilely climbing over the wall into the Marine base.
"Big brother, I made you some rice balls..."
"Are you looking for death, kid? Get lost!"
"This is my first time making them..."
"Don't you understand? I told you to get lost—"
---
"Tsk tsk tsk, bullying a child is wrong, Roronoa Zoro."
A frivolous voice came, and a guy who might as well have 'second-generation rich' written on his face swaggered out of the Marine base, followed by two Marine soldiers.
"Be careful I tell my dad.".
"Tch, a useless guy who only relies on his dad..."
"What's this, rice balls for the Marines?" The second-generation rich guy grabbed the girl's rice ball and took a bite, then:
"Yuck, yuck, yuck, what's in this rice ball? Sugar? What kind of awful cooking..."
"Be careful I tell my dad.".
After stomping on the rice ball on the ground, the second-generation rich guy ordered the girl to be thrown out. Then he stormed off angrily, not even commenting on the three 'spectators' on the wall, making Roman wonder if this guy was also a star player...
I remember this guy later turned over a new leaf? And he even wore an eye patch.
Maybe he really went blind...
"Thank you, big brother,"
"No problem," Roman waved his hand and patted the little girl who had been thrown over the wall and caught by him. "Go home quickly, it's dangerous here."
The Marine base is very dangerous...
Coby stood by, wanting to speak but unable to, caught between advancing and retreating, unsure of what to do...
——————
"Hey, you're still here... Aren't you afraid that second-generation rich kid will tell his dad?"
Meanwhile, Luffy had already jumped into the Marine base, standing in front of the man tied to the wooden stake.
"Not afraid."
To the single-minded Luffy, what was Captain Morgan, what was the Marine base... could they be eaten?
"I'm looking for companions to go to sea and become pirates with me."
Pirates? What a self-degrading guy...
"Hey, help pick up that rice ball—"
"Are you really going to eat that? It's already covered in mud..."
Facing Luffy's disdain, the man named Zoro just opened his mouth.
"Shut up!"
"Give it to me—"
Crunch, crunch, swallow.
"Tell that little girl, the rice ball was delicious, thank you."
———————
"Hey, your captain has already left."
It was still the same square, with the same man tied to the wooden stake.
But this time, it was Roman standing in front of him.
"Why are you still here, pirate!"
"Hmm, I'm thinking."
Roman rubbed his smooth chin thoughtfully.
"How many days have you been tied here?"
"Nine days, why—"
"You,"
Roman's gaze fell on Zoro's lower body, making him uncomfortable.
"Your pants aren't full of... you know, right?"
???
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!"
"Don't get excited, don't get excited. If you can't hold it in, don't blame me."
Roman waved his hand,
"Alright, let's get to the point."
"I think you're just Luffy's type, so he'll definitely come back to get you on board. So,"
Roman waved his hand and made a paper 'chair' on the spot to sit down.
"I'll just wait here."
——————
"Hello."
Sure enough, it wasn't long before Luffy returned, making Zoro's eyes flicker.
"If you're here to persuade me to become a pirate—" "I'll untie you, and you become my companion."
"Listen to me..."
"I don't care, I've already decided to make you my companion."
"Don't make decisions for me!!"
"By the way, I heard you're a great swordsman, where's your sword?"
Luffy changed the topic in a second, making the tied-up Zoro a bit slow to react.
"They took it away. It's second only to my life—"
"Great,"
Luffy clapped his hands together, looking like he had just come up with a great idea.
"I'll get your swords, and you'll be my companion!"
"You... you're too despicable!"
Unfortunately, after leaving a "stay right here, I'll be back soon," Luffy had already dashed off towards the Marine base.
"This... is this guy an idiot..."
"Hahahahaha~~"
Roman, who had been watching the whole time, stood up laughing, waved his hand, and the 'chair' on the ground disintegrated into sheets of paper that fell into his hand, then transformed into a sword.
"So, have you seen how troublesome that guy is?"
Roman twirled the paper knife in his hand, "Forget it, anyone Luffy sets his sights on has no choice but to obediently get on the ship."
"Are you human traffickers?"
"And what's there to be proud of about that—"
Facing the furious Zoro, Roman just shrugged, barely holding back his laughter.
"No, I'm just happy to see someone end up in the same 'situation' as me~~~"
"That's all."