Under the bright afternoon sun, the sandy beach shimmered like a sea of gold. The breeze carried with it the gentle sounds of the waves and the cries of seagulls above. A small wooden boat approached the dock, swaying gently with the movement of the waves.
Onboard the boat stood three men, each different in appearance and personality. Leon, with his calm features and deep gaze, leaned against the edge of the boat, observing the city. Beside him was Monkey D. Luffy, an adventurous leader with a smile that never left his face, jumping enthusiastically from one side of the boat to the other. Meanwhile, Koby, the young boy with nervous eyes, sat quietly, worried about what awaited them.
Leon: "We need to be cautious here. Any chaos will attract the Marines, and we'll be in trouble."
Luffy, with a cheerful smile: "But we'll cause chaos in the end, right?!"
Koby, clearly nervous: "Please… let's not face the Marines directly. If they catch us, it could all be over!"
Leon, reassuringly: "Koby, they won't get near you. I'm here to make sure of that."
As the boat neared the dock, Shells Town appeared vibrant and bustling with life. Markets were full of vendors, people moved between the narrow alleys, and children ran through the crowds.
Luffy: "So, what do you know about this guy Zoro?"
Leon, thoughtfully: "He's a bounty hunter. Extremely strong but stubborn. They say he hunts pirates just for money, but he actually has rare morals. When he gets serious, he wears a green bandana, which means he's ready to fight to the death."
The Backyard of the Marine Base
The trio arrived at the edges of the Marine base, surrounded by high walls. Guards patrolled between the gates, but Leon knew a back route that led to the inner courtyard.
Leon, pointing to a narrow alley: "This path leads us to where Zoro is being held. We need to move carefully."
Luffy, confidently: "Piece of cake! I'll go convince him to join us!"
Koby, hesitantly: "But… what about the soldiers? What if they catch us?!"
Leon, firmly: "Koby, if you want to be a brave Marine one day, you have to learn to face your fears."
They scaled the back wall carefully, finding themselves in a small courtyard surrounded by old buildings. In the center of the courtyard, Roronoa Zoro was tied to a wooden post. Despite signs of hunger and exhaustion, his gaze was full of defiance.
As they watched the scene, a little girl approached Zoro, carrying a rice ball in her hands. She tried to feed him, but before she could, Helmeppo, the son of Captain Morgan, appeared.
Helmeppo, arrogantly: "You! How dare you approach a Marine prisoner?!"
He shoved the girl harshly, causing her to fall. But before she hit the ground, Luffy jumped quickly and caught her.
Luffy, angrily: "How dare you treat children like this?!"
Helmeppo ignored him and signaled for the soldiers to follow him as he gloated over Zoro.
After the commotion subsided, Luffy approached Zoro, who watched him silently.
Luffy, with a wide grin: "Hey! You're Zoro, right?"
Zoro, coldly: "And who are you?"
Luffy: "I'm Monkey D. Luffy. I'm going to become the Pirate King, and I want you to join my crew!"
Zoro laughed sarcastically despite his tired state: "Pirate King? You sound like a fool. I don't work with pirates."
Leon, interjecting calmly: "But we know you're here not because you're a killer, but because you refused to bow to a spoiled brat."
Zoro was silent for a moment before looking at Luffy.
Zoro: "Even if you save me, that doesn't mean I'll join you."
Luffy, cheerfully: "That's okay! But we'll save you anyway!"
Before leaving, Zoro asked them for a small favor.
Zoro: "If you're really serious… feed me that rice ball."
Luffy took the rice ball from the girl and fed it to Zoro, who smiled faintly: "Tell her it was delicious."
Leon's Plan
After helping the girl, Leon decided to move separately:
Leon: "I heard some rumors about this town. I'll go check them out. You two, take the girl back home."
Leon (Even though this Marine base is in the East Blue, people from the headquarters come here. Ax-Hand Morgan is also a decent Marine officer, not too strong, but still skilled enough.)
(My goal here is to find a map of the Grand Line. Although I remember where it is from the plot Luffy and the others went through, I still want to verify if there's anything else.)
(If I find something better, that would be great, but if not, that's fine too. I can still take the map as planned.)
Leon sneaked into the Marine base through the back door. As he passed through the entrance, he noticed a girl with orange hair wandering around.
(That's Nami. Should I go talk to her?)
Leon thought for a moment, then shook his head. (Right now, Nami doesn't trust anyone. I'll leave her for Luffy to handle.)
He moved further inside without letting any Marines spot him. As he passed through different rooms, he saw Roronoa Zoro's swords. The room belonged to Helmeppo.
He gave the swords a deep look, searched the room, then took a deep breath and left. He searched several other rooms until he finally reached Morgan's office.
However, he didn't enter; instead, he waited in another room and looked out the window, noticing that Luffy hadn't arrived yet. This meant Luffy had gone back to town and would be arriving soon.
Most of the Marines were still on top of the building, working on Morgan's statue.
Finally, Leon entered Morgan's office, where his eyes fell on a strange piece of paper.
(This doesn't look like an ordinary document).
Leon approached Morgan's desk, took out the paper, and his eyes widened.
(No way! This is the Grand Line map I came looking for!)
Leon stored the map in his clothes and prepared to leave. He sighed and then heard the sound of a door opening in the adjacent room.
He didn't move but waited until the footsteps disappeared.
Finally, he opened the door, and suddenly a stick tried to strike his head.
"Oi! What are you trying to do?" Leon dodged the stick effortlessly, turning to see Nami standing by the door holding it.
"Why did you try to hit me?" Leon felt amused by Nami's attempt to knock him out.
"You're not a Marine?" Nami asked suspiciously.
"Of course not! What's your problem? Damn, you can't…"
Before he could explain himself, Nami heard approaching footsteps and fled without another word.
Leon didn't even get a chance to ask her anything. Suddenly, he heard footsteps nearing him. He quickly dashed into another room.
"Ahhh! Don't shoot!"
A minute later, he heard Helmeppo's scream, causing his eyes to widen as he rushed out of the room to see Luffy holding Helmeppo hostage.
"Ah, Leon, you're here!"
Luffy was surprised to see Leon. Before the soldiers could turn, Leon rushed towards them and struck the back of their heads to knock them unconscious.
The soldiers had just turned when their vision darkened from losing consciousness.
Leon, running towards Luffy, asked,
"Don't tell me you attacked without a proper plan!"
"Hahaha, looks like I chose a troublesome captain!"
Luffy's response made Leon want to punch him, but knowing it wouldn't hurt him, he held back his emotions.
"If you're looking for Zoro's swords, I saw them in his room," Leon said, pointing at Helmeppo.
After saying that, Leon led Luffy to Helmeppo's room.
"There are three swords here. Which one should I take?" Luffy asked.
He dropped Helmeppo since he had passed out.
"They're all his," Leon replied, heading towards the windows.
His eyes widened as he shouted,
"Luffy, the Marines are about to fire on Koby and Zoro. You need to jump from here!"
"What?" Luffy rushed to the window, carrying the three swords. When he saw the Marines aiming their guns at Zoro and Koby, he simply jumped out of the building with his Gomu-Gomu Rocket.