Alvida, with her sharp instincts, could immediately tell that the timid boy before her would grow into a handsome young man. Having spent so much time with rough and unruly pirates, she couldn't resist such a temptation.
Suddenly, a bold idea flashed in her mind. She wanted to raise this boy, shaping him into her own shape!
"Koby, who is the most beautiful woman in the world!?" Alvida, with nothing better to do, suddenly halted Koby, who was cleaning the deck, and asked a question destined to challenge anyone's conscience.
Hearing the familiar question, Koby immediately tensed up, standing straight like a startled rabbit. "It's... it's you, Alvida-sama!!!"
Koby responded firmly, satisfying Alvida. A pleased smile crept across her plump face as she saw her PUA tactics working on him. Waving him off with a feigned look of disgust, she said, "You're right, now get back to work!"
"Yes, Alvida-sama!!" Koby quickly complied, tears welling in his eyes, fearing he'd be beaten if he didn't respond fast enough. Armed with a large club, Alvida continued her patrol while Koby resumed scrubbing the filthy deck. Cleaning the entire ship was his responsibility; apart from answering to Alvida, his day was spent entirely on this task.
But at that moment, Koby's heart was awash with tears. Just a month ago, he had accidentally learned about the Navy's scandal from a newspaper. Who could have imagined that the Navy would wipe out an entire island to conceal the truth about history... even attacking a lifeboat full of civilians? Each gruesome truth weighed heavily on Koby's fragile heart, leaving him lost and directionless.
In despair, he turned to his favorite pastime—fishing. Confused, he boarded what he thought was a boat full of "fishing friends" and somehow ended up on Alvida's pirate ship. Reflecting on his rough experiences, Koby even wished for death. Each day was filled with either scrubbing or flattering Alvida. If he made the slightest mistake, he would be mercilessly beaten. Now, he only dreamed that some great hero would come down from the sky, beat the ugly monster Alvida until she begged for mercy, and save him from this nightmare.
Lost in these thoughts, Koby sighed deeply and returned to his chores. But just then, a sudden commotion erupted from the far side of the deck, freezing Koby in place.
...
"Who are you?"
"Ah!!!"
"Enemy attack! Enemies are on board!!!"
A series of sharp screams shattered the calm aboard Alvida's ship. A male voice followed shortly after:
"Damn it! I didn't expect such a feminine ship to have so many male pirates. What a disappointment! The rumor that no woman could be more beautiful than the legendary Alvida must be a lie!"
Tap... tap...
Two unfamiliar figures had somehow appeared on Alvida's pirate ship. They casually chatted while attacking the surrounding pirates, who seemed to pose no threat to them.
Around them lay pirates, clutching their wounds. "Who are you!?" the startled pirates demanded, their faces full of caution. Yet, the two intruders advanced calmly, quickly reaching Alvida.
Johnny, resting a broad sword on his shoulder, shouted contemptuously, "Hey, fat lady! You're Alvida, with a bounty of 5 million berries, right?"
"!!!"
Gasps echoed across the deck. Everyone in the area knew that Alvida despised being called a "fat woman." The last person to do so had been crushed into a pulp and thrown into the sea. Even Koby, drenched in sweat, looked toward the commotion as if the end was near. He hastily tossed his rag aside and awkwardly hid behind a container, peeking out to see who dared to be so bold.
As expected, when Alvida heard the words "fat woman," her face twisted in fury, flames of rage practically shooting from behind her. "Fat woman?" she sneered, looking at the two uninvited guests as if they were already dead. "It seems you two have a death wish!"
At that moment, their identities didn't matter to her. In her mind, they were already marked for death. But Johnny and Joseph grinned confidently, each gripping their weapons as they pointed at Alvida.
"Haha, come on then, fat lady!"
"Let's see how much we've improved!"
With that, they leaped toward Alvida, swords drawn.
But then...
*Boom! Boom!*
Two loud crashes echoed as Johnny and Joseph were slammed into the wooden rail of the ship, embedding deeply into the planks.
Swoosh!
Alvida swung her massive club and slowly advanced on Johnny and Joseph under the admiring and fearful gaze of all the pirates.
"You're pirate hunters, aren't you? How pathetic!" Alvida mocked, "Who gave you the nerve to show up in front of me!? Huh!?"
But, she continued, "It doesn't matter anymore!" She raised her huge club above her head and roared, "You dared insult my beauty? You can repent in hell!"
Shuu!!!
The massive club roared down, about to strike Johnny and Joseph, who were still trapped in the ship's railings, unable to escape. But just then! A dark green figure darted forward like lightning, suddenly standing between Alvida and her targets.
*Clang!!!*
The sharp sound of metal clashing rang out, like a hammer striking thick steel. The huge mantis had appeared, its arm blade catching Alvida's club and holding it in place.
"Huh!?" Alvida was startled by the sudden appearance of the mantis, but before she could recover, another stern voice called out from above:
"It seems you've gotten lazy lately!"
Zoro leaped through the air, landing with his sword drawn. He then smoothly sheathed it, the sword sliding into place with a flourish.
"Brother Zoro..." Johnny and Joseph muttered in shame, realizing how much further they had to go.
Zoro ignored them, turning his attention to Alvida. Slowly, he drew his sword, the Wado Ichimonji, cutting a sharp figure in the air.
"Bounty hunter Roronoa Zoro, hereby announces... You've been robbed!!!"
"!!!"
Gasps filled the air again as the pirates realized who they were facing. Temperatures in the East Blue Sea seemed to rise sharply.
Roronoa Zoro! His name was impossible to ignore. A young swordsman wielding a flying sword, a bounty hunter who struck fear into the hearts of pirates. Even Alvida trembled when she heard the name, as if she had been plunged into an icy grave.
"Roronoa... Zoro..." Her pupils trembled as she took several steps back in fear, her mind racing. The green hair, the three swords, the mantis Pokémon-like creature... Everything matched the rumors.
It's him! It's the real deal!
Thinking of the stories about Roronoa Zoro, Alvida suddenly felt as if her very soul had been frozen. Her massive club slipped from her grip, falling to the deck with a thud.
Never had she imagined that one day, she'd be the one being robbed. But when she realized it was her life at stake, cold sweat broke out all over her.
"Wait a minute! Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!" she cried out, trying to stop Zoro from beheading her on a whim.
Big beads of sweat rolled down her face, but Zoro's aura didn't diminish. His voice, cold as ice, demanded, "Misunderstanding? Is your bounty also a misunderstanding?"
"This..." Alvida was at a loss. Then she suddenly remembered—Roronoa Zoro was said to be collecting money to trade with dimensional merchants.
An idea flashed through her mind. *Thump!* Her plump body knelt before Zoro.
Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, "Lord Zoro! I've been looking for you!!!"
"Huh?" Zoro was slightly stunned, puzzled by Alvida's sudden change in attitude. But he lowered his blade slightly, waiting to hear her out. Though Zoro wasn't known for chivalry, he did occasionally show leniency to women... even if they were as unattractive as Alvida.
Alvida continued, her face a mix of fear and hope. "Lord Zoro, you don't know! I've been searching for you everywhere!"
"Searching for me? Why?" Zoro asked, still skeptical.
Alvida quickly seized the opportunity, explaining, "Of course, I needed to report something to you!!!"
"Not long ago, the pirates in the East Blue Sea formed an alliance. They're planning to team up against you, the infamous pirate hunter. They've even collected 100 million berries and issued a black-market bounty to have you eliminated!"
"Ever since I learned of this, I've been searching the seas to warn you!"
"An alliance against me?" Zoro was taken aback, realizing that even though Alvida was only trying to save herself, the information she provided was valuable. His murderous intent faded.
Zoro sheathed his sword, then looked at Alvida coldly. "Tell me everything you know."
...
A day later, after selling Alvida's pirate ship, Zoro and his crew continued their journey. But now, their small ship had two new passengers.
One was Alvida, carrying her massive club, drooling over Zoro's workout sessions... The other was Koby, the pink-haired boy, scrubbing the deck from bow to stern.
Zoro, who had learned about the Pirate Alliance from Alvida, didn't immediately turn her over to the Navy for the bounty.
Instead, he became interested in this pirate alliance.
5 million beli, for today's Zoro, is not too much, but also not too little. There is no need to kill the goose to obtain the egg.
Under Zoro's interrogation, he suddenly discovered that Alvida knew everything about this pirate alliance.
After all...who told her to be one of the founders of this alliance!
Of course, Alvida did not dare to tell Zoro this.
After fully demonstrating her worth, Alvida directly introduced herself in order to survive and escape prison...saying that she could lead Zoro to find the group of pirates with bounties on their heads!
As one of the founders of the Pirate Alliance, she knew exactly where the pirates' bases were, making this task a piece of cake for her.
And her condition is...that she hopes Zoro will spare her and her crew's lives.
Facing the information about dozens of pirate groups from Alvida, Zoro felt that the deal was worth doing, and he readily agreed.
Then he sold Alvida's ship, dismissed all the pirates, took Alvida alone on the ship, and began to act as the navigator of their team.
As for Koby on the ship...this is a guy who caught Zoro's surprise.
When he originally learned that Koby was not a pirate, Zoro planned to give him a traveling fee so that he could return home safely.
Unexpectedly, this kid actually knelt on the ground, wanting to become Zoro's disciple, wanting to become a pirate hunter like Zoro, and help other civilians who were oppressed by pirates.
Today, after the navy broke his trust, Zoro who rescued him from the pirates was tantamount to a new place of faith in his mind.
By the way, Koby has a new goal in life...to become a powerful pirate hunter!
I don't know whether it was because he sensed Koby's sincere and firm will, or whether Johnny and Joseph were too useless, which made Zoro want to change his account to practice...
In short, he agreed to Koby's request and allowed him to officially join this team.
Just like that...
Zoro's hunting team grew from three people and one mantis to five people and one mantis.
And this strengthened team...will definitely cause a bloody storm in the East Blue Sea!
A new storm has arrived.
In this turbulent era…and who will become the trendsetter of the next era?!
(End of this chapter)