Chapter #2: Enter Zolo: The Pirate Hunter
A day or so later… The three of you were nearing Marine Base Island, the island where the notorious Roronoa Zolo was said to be held. For the 15th time since Luffy had first suggested it, Coby was trying to talk Luffy out of recruiting the imprisoned bounty hunter.
"A demonic beast, huh?" Luffy commented.
"Yeah, Luffy-san. Roronoa Zolo is his real name, but they call him 'Zolo The Pirate Hunter.' He's like a blood-thirsty hound… roaming the seas, hunting men for the bounties on their heads!"
"Hmmmm…" Luffy said thoughtfully.
"Luffy, he's a Pirate Hunter! Pirates and Pirate Hunters just don't mix! So let's forget it…" Coby pleaded.
"I haven't made up my mind about recruiting him yet! But if he's a good person…" Luffy began, but Coby cut him off.
"He's in prison because he's NOT a good guy!" Coby protested loudly. He then turned to you for support and entreated, "Right, Mel-san?"
You glanced at him from gazing out at sea, sighed, tired of the whole argument, and replied, "That's usually the case… but only time will tell for sure. I wouldn't jump to conclusions so hurriedly, Coby. That only leads to trouble…" Having said your piece, you returned to watching the tiny dot that grew on the horizon ahead of the boat. Coby saw he wasn't going to get any support from you so he resigned himself to steering as Luffy, who had also caught sight of the island on the horizon, fidgeted on the bow in anticipation. If anything else happened between the two boys you were oblivious to it as you got lost in your thoughts.
A few hours later your little boat docked at the little peer on Marine Base Island. While you and Coby tied off your boat, Luffy raised his fist triumphantly in the air and proclaimed, "We're finally here! We made it to the Marine Base!!"
"Yep, we're here," Coby agreed.
"You're great, Coby," Luffy complimented.
"Huh?" Coby asked, confused as to what he'd done to warrant congratulations.
"You actually got us to our destination," Luffy explained with a smile like it was some amazing discovery.
"Of course I did! That's a minimum requirement for people who sail the seas," Coby replied then continued admonishingly, "Luffy, if you keep randomly floating around you'll never become a pirate. You should find a navigator for your crew."
"Yeah! That's what I'll do! Now let's go eat!!" was Luffy's reply and you knew that he hadn't taken Coby seriously, but oh well…
The three of you found a nice little restaurant and got something to eat, although Luffy ate twice as much as you and Coby combined. After you finished, Luffy patted his bulging belly and said, "Well, Coby, I guess this is where we go our separate ways. You do your best to become a great marine, alright?"
"T-Thank you, Luffy! And I hope you become a great pirate. ….Even if that means we'll be enemies," Coby replied, choked up with tears.
"Say, I wonder if Zolo is still being kept at the Marine Base?" Luffy said.
Suddenly the entire restaurant jumped out of their seats and clung to the walls as if someone had just shouted 'GRENADE!' The three of you stared at the townspeople as they eyed you in terror. Coby leaned over to Luffy and whispered, "Maybe you shouldn't say that name out loud around here…."
"Hmmmm…" Luffy replied as he watched the nervous customers settle back into their seats.
In an attempt to change the subject, Coby then said, "I saw a poster that said that Captain Morgan is at this base."
The entire room jumped once again, this time even worse then before!
A few minutes later you, Coby and a hysterical Luffy were walking down the main road toward the Marine Base. "HA! HA! HA! HA! What a great restaurant! I gotta go back there again!" Luffy said doubled over with laughter thinking that the whole situation was really funny.
"How could the townspeople be so jumpy… I've got a bad feeling about this…" Coby said nervously. "I can understand why they'd be scared after hearing Roronoa Zolo's name – he could escape at any moment. But why would they have the same reaction to hearing the captain's name?" Coby asked with concern.
"If anything… I'd say they were more afraid of the captain then the pirate hunter," you commented a few steps ahead of the boys.
Coby looked at you like you were nuts and asked, "What gave you that idea!?!"
You shrugged and replied, not looking back or slowing your pace, "I just tell it as I see it…"
"Maybe they just got carried away," Luffy suggested with a chuckle as he stuck his hands in his pockets.
"WHY WOULD THAT HAPPEN!?!" Coby demanded in confusion.
"Hey, guys," you called their attention since you had walked ahead a bit while they were busy laughing and worrying. You were standing before the huge steel gates of the Marine Base and said, "We're here."
The base consisted of two large cone-shaped buildings in the center with large cannon turrets mounted on top. The cone-buildings were flanked by two, regular, three-story buildings on each side. The entire compound was surrounded by an eight foot high; brick wall and the Marine motif covered the gate and was proudly displayed on the taller of the two cone-buildings. Luffy voiced what all three of you were thinking, "It looks so BIG up close!" He then turned to Coby and said, "Go ahead, Coby."
"B-But I'm not prepared yet…" Coby stuttered nervously, "and those people sure were scared when they heard the captain's name..."
You were about to console the shaking boy when you noticed Luffy jump up and peer over the side of the wall. "Luffy?" you asked.
"LUFFY-SAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Coby exclaimed in alarm.
"I wonder if I can see the demonic beast from here?" Luffy said curiously.
"You won't find him just by peeking over the fence," Coby said, "He's probably deep within the bowls of the prison."
Luffy hopped down and started running along the wall as he replied, "Oh yeah? Well there's somebody over there! Maybe it's Zolo?"
"What…?" Coby asked in wonder then he noticed you move to follow Luffy and he gasped, "Ah… Mel!? Wait for me!" He followed, not wanting to be left alone.
Without even thinking about it you had followed Luffy to see Zolo. You knew he'd be there as you had read it in your manga and so far nothing seemed different, except for your existence that is... In either case, Zolo had always been your favorite. Now you weren't some rabid fangirl… but still… You had to admit that you had a serious crush on him and now that you had the chance to finally meet him you found that you couldn't wait to see if your impression of him from the manga was true. Although you still suspected that this might be some extraordinary dream, but, hey, why spoil it?
You and Luffy had no trouble getting up onto the wall, but you had to help the shivering Coby up so Luffy got the first look at the man in the courtyard. "There he is!" Luffy announced.
No sooner had Coby caught sight of the figure then he fell back down to the ground, landing on his rear. "I-IT'S REALLY HIM! THAT'S RORONOA ZOLO!!!" Coby exclaimed in shock, "A B-BLACK BANDANNA AND A HARAMAKI AROUND HIS WAIST! AND THAT INTIMIDATING AURA…! IT'S ZOLO!!"
Seeing that your friend was alright, you finally got to get your first, real look at the feared pirate hunter. And indeed, even with how he was slumped against the large pole he was tied to, he did look extremely menacing. Besides the haramaki and black bandanna on his head that shaded his face completely while he stared at the ground, he was also wearing a white t-shirt that had three buttons at the top that he left unbuttoned, loose-fitting black pants and black boots. He was tied to two large poles that crossed each other. His waist was tied to the larger pole that stuck out of the ground with many layers of rope and his arms were draped over and tied to the smaller cross-pole with even more rope.
"So THAT'S him. Hmmmm… I could just untie those ropes and set him free…" Luffy mused to your left.
At this Coby screamed, right in your ear I might add, as he had climbed back up, "THAT'S SUICIDE!! IF YOU LET HIM LOOSE, HE'LL KILL US AND WRECK THE TOWN!!"
"Coby… could you please not yell in my ear…" you said with a twitch as you rubbed your ringing right ear.
"Sorry…" Coby replied.
"HEY, KID!" you heard Zolo shout from the courtyard as he acknowledged your presence.
"Huh?" Luffy asked.
"YIKES!" Coby yelped again, much to your discomfort, (your ears are very sensitive).
Once your ears stopped ringing, again, you noticed that Zolo was now looking up at the three of you. "Come over here… and untie me… I've been tied here for nine days and I can't TAKE anymore," Zolo said, with a smirk that, when coupled with the dark shadow over his eyes from his bandanna, made him look even more like the demon so many claimed him to be.
"Look, he's smiling!" Luffy stated the obvious.
"H-HE'S TALKING TO US!!" Coby gasped as he ducked lower on the wall as if that could protect him from the pirate hunter's piercing gaze.
Seeing that he'd gotten your attention, Zolo continued, "I'll make it worth your while. I'll capture someone with a big price on their head and give all the bounty to you. You can trust me; I'm a man of my word."
"D-DON'T DO IT, LUFFY-SAN!! AS SOON AS YOU UNTIE HIM, HE'LL KILL US AND GET AWAY! I JUST KNOW IT!!" Coby protested loudly.
"Coby… you're screaming in my ear again…" you grumbled and he went silent, but still whimpered slightly.
"He won't kill us," Luffy replied confidently, "He couldn't. I wouldn't let him."
Coby was stunned by Luffy's confidence and you commented, "You know… You might want to do something about that ego of yours, Luffy."
It was then that you heard the clack of a wooden latter being set up on your side of the wall to Coby's right. "Huh?" the boys asked as the three of you looked over and saw a little girl, no older then seven climbing up to you with a rope and a little package in her arms. "Shh!!" she shushed you and slid down the rope to get into the courtyard. Without any fear, she started toward the restrained pirate hunter.
"H-HEY! DON'T GO DOWN THERE! IT'S DANGEROUS!!" Coby shouted in alarm.
"What do you want?" Zolo asked with a mild glare as the girl stopped right in front of him.
"LUFFY! MEL! DO SOMETHING! SHE COULD BE KILLED!!" Coby continued to screech and point.
"Do it yourself," Luffy replied, not worried at all.
"But..!" Coby started to flail in panic but you pushed his head down slightly to calm him.
"Let's see how this plays out first…" you cautioned.
The girl started to un-wrap her package and Zolo commanded, "GET LOST! Do you want to get killed!?"
She was undaunted however and happily presented him with two rice balls, "I made these rice balls for you! I thought you might need some food!" "This my first try at making rice balls so…" she continued but Zolo interrupted her.
"I'm not hungry! Go away!!" Zolo said harshly.
"B-But…" she stuttered as he cut her off again.
Zolo practically shouted, "I DON'T WANT IT! NOW GET OUT OF HERE OR I'LL STOMP YOU TO DEATH!!"
Before anymore could be said, a nasal voice commanded, "RORONOA ZOLO!!! You shouldn't pick on little kids, I'll tell my father on you." All of you turned your eyes toward a gate on the far side of the courtyard and saw an absurdly well-dressed young man approaching Zolo and the girl flanked by two marines.
"Who's that weirdo?" Luffy asked.
"He must be some high ranking naval officer. Now that girl will be safe," Coby speculated, but you knew better. Anyone who used the 'I'll tell daddy' threat at that age was messed up in your book.
"Hmph! Well if it isn't the idiot son, living off daddy's wealth," Zolo growled with annoyance at the approaching men.
The blonde man scowled and said threateningly, "Did you just call me an 'idiot'? A man in your position should guard his tongue… or he could loose it." Then he smiled with obviously fake charm at the girl, snatched one of her rice balls and said, "Little girl… did you bring those for me? How thoughtful."
"HEY! Those aren't for you!" she cried to deaf ears as he took a bite.
"BLEGH!" he exclaimed and spit it out like it burned him and started ranting, "DISGUSTING! IT'S SWEET! THERE'S SUGAR ON IT! RICE BALLS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SEASONED WITH SALT! NOT SUGAR!"
"B-But… I like sweets. So I thought sugar would be better…" the girl explained timidly.
"These are COMPLETELY inedible!" he shouted, smacked the rice balls from her hands, to the ground and began stomping them into the dirt ignoring the little girl's pleas to stop.
"STOP! PLEASE! YOU'RE RUINING THEM!!" she begged on her knees in vain.
"How cruel… That girl worked really hard to make those…" Coby said in appalled awe. Luffy just stared while you quickly found yourself glaring at the despicable excuse of a man.
"Don't worry, I'm sure the ants will find them delicious," the man said with a sickenly cheerful laugh.
He kept laughing as the girl kneeled on the ground and whimpered, "On no…" Tears started to fill her eyes and she sobbed, "WHY!? I WORKED SO HARD TO MAKE THEM!!"
"Oh stop that crying!" he demanded in annoyance, "That's why I hate kids." Then he pointed at a nearby sign and explained, "It's your own fault. Can't you read this sign? It says 'Anyone aiding this prisoner shall be found guilty of the crimes he has committed. Captain Morgan'." The girl looked at him in fright and he continued, "I'm sure you know how scary my father can be. If you were an adult you'd be put to death!" He then waved to one of the marines behind him and commanded, "You there! Throw this brat over the fence!"
"B-But.." the marine began to protest.
In an instant the blonde guy had him by the collar and demanded, "I'M ORDERING YOU TO THROW THAT LITTLE BRAT OVER THE FENCE!! ARE YOU GOING TO DISOBEY A DIRECT ORDER!? I'LL TELL MY FATHER ON YOU!"
The marine went white at that and replied, "Y-Yes sir… Right away!!" The reluctant marine then grabbed the girl and hurled her over the fence.
"IYAAHH!" she screamed at she flew. Fortunately, he had aimed right for you three and Luffy easily caught her, using his own body to cushion their fall. Coby jumped down to see that the girl and Luffy were alright as you continued to watch the scene in the courtyard.
"My, aren't you a stubborn one," the man commented as he turned his arrogant taunts on Zolo now.
"That's right, I'm going to last out the entire month," Zolo replied stubbornly, "You just keep your end of the bargain."
The man laughed as he walked away saying, "HaHa! I'll keep my promise. If you survive out here for a month then I'll let you go! Good luck!" He and his escort disappeared behind the gate and it clattered shut as Zolo glared after them.
Zolo looked ahead again and noticed Luffy and you standing before him. Luffy was a few feet straight in front of him while you stood slightly to the left of Luffy. "YOU still here? Better not let Helmeppo's father catch you," Zolo said none too politely.
Luffy started telling Zolo about his plans to find a pirate crew while you took a closer look at the bounty hunter. In spite of the dried blood and dirt caked on his body, you could tell that he was about your age. He was fit and compact with darkly tanned skin as you would expect of someone who fought as a profession. You also noted that he was wearing three gold, tear-drop shaped earrings on his left ear and at this close range you could see a bit of jade-green hair peeking out from under his bandanna.
At this point Zolo had grown tired of your scrutiny and he snapped at you, "What are you looking at!?"
You blinked then crossed your arms, undaunted by his outburst, and replied, "You, I suppose… Got a problem with that?"
The two of you locked gazes in a glaring contest. Zolo looked you over as if he was sizing you up and you took note how his gaze paused at your bandaged left hand a bit longer then the rest. His dark eyes returned to yours for a few more seconds in an attempt to read you, but you instinctively put up a wall and stared back with a blank expression. Growing tired of the staring contest, Zolo turned back to Luffy and continued their conversation with a growl, "You think if you untie me… I'm gonna join your pirate crew?"
"I haven't decided if I'll ask you yet… you've got a pretty bad reputation you know?" Luffy said with his hand on his hat.
"Bad reputation, huh? Well, anyway, I don't go for that kind of deal. I've got my own plans for the future," Zolo replied then continued, "I don't need your help. I can get out of here on my own. All I have to do is last here for a month then I'm a free man! Captain Morgan's idiot son promised me." He then finished with a confident smirk, "All I've got to do is survive here for one month. Then I'll be free to pursue my dream!!"
"Hmmmm… I see," Luffy commented with a smile. Then he said, "I don't think I'd stand ONE WEEK without food."
"You and I are different, I've got more will power," Zolo replied, "So go look for a crew elsewhere…" Luffy turned to leave, but then Zolo spoke up again, "Hey, hold on!"
"Huh?" Luffy asked as he looked back.
"Pick that up for me," Zolo said indicating what was left of the rice balls.
Luffy looked shocked as he held the smashed, gravel-crusted gains in his hands and asked, "You're not going to eat it!? It's more of a dirtball then a rice ball now… I know you're hungry, but this…"
"SHUT UP!" Zolo demanded as he opened his mouth wide, "Just shut up and feed it to me! And don't miss one grain of rice!!" With much difficulty Zolo chewed and swallowed the rice/dirt balls. Immediately he started coughing, but didn't throw it up as a normal person might.
"I told you it was mostly dirt. You wanna kill yourself?" Luffy said with his arms crossed.
Between coughs though, Zolo said, "Tell the kid…"
"Hm?" Luffy asked.
Zolo kept his gaze to the ground so you couldn't see his eyes as he said, "Tell her I said it was delicious… Tell her I ate it all…"
The two of you were surprised, and you couldn't help but notice the grin that Luffy gave you as you returned to the town to report what had happened to Coby and the girl.
"Really!?" the girl exclaimed happily as Luffy finished relaying Zolo's message.
"Yep! He ate all of it," Luffy replied with a nod and his trademark grin.
"I'm so glad!" she said, beaming.
"Could he really be as bad as everyone says?" Coby asked.
"He's not a BAD guy," she protested then explained, "Everyone in town is afraid of him, but brother didn't do anything wrong. He got throwed in prison because of me… Captain Morgan's son had a bunch of mean dogs! They attacked me… Roronoa Zolo saved me, besides those dogs were terrorizing the town."
"So you're saying that the only reason Zolo was arrested was because he hurt that guy's dog to save you?" Luffy asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"Well that makes more sense. Being a bounty hunter, Zolo would hunt down criminals and since the marines put out those bounties it isn't a crime. It's a shady line of work though, so that would explain why everyone fears him," you said while leaning against the side of a building.
"Captain Morgan and his son are the bad ones!" she continued, upset, "They put people to death for no reason at all! Everyone's afraid of them…"
Speaking of the Devil, the four of you heard Helmeppo shout from the main street, "HA HA HA! YOU'RE NOT BOWING LOW ENOUGH, SCUM! I'LL TELL MY FATHER ON ALL OF YOU!!" He was parading down the street, flanked by his two marines again, (you suspected the coward didn't go anywhere without his escort), and the townspeople were on their hands and knees bowing to him like he was some sort of god. "Do you want to be jailed like Roronoa Zolo? We're going to hold a public execution for him is three days! We'll make an example of him! I can hardly wait!" Helmeppo continued to gloat.
"Three days?" Luffy asked, and before you or Coby could stop him he stepped into the middle of the street and demanded, "But… you made a promise to him!?"
The townspeople cringed away from Luffy as Helmeppo turned and asked, "What? Where did you hear about that!?" "PFFT! That promise was just a joke!! He's just a stupid beast for believing it!!" he announced and started laughing.
You would have decked Helmeppo right then and there, if Luffy hadn't beaten you too it first. WHAM!! Luffy dashed over, grabbing Helmeppo by the collar of his tacky shirt and punched him square across the jaw causing blood to spatter.
Coby grabbed Luffy before the enraged rubber boy could continue pummeling him and pleaded, "LUFFY! STOP! CALM DOWN!!"
"That guy is scum!" Luffy growled as Helmeppo fell to the ground stunned.
"YOU WANT TO MAKE AN ENEMY OF THE MARINES!?!" Coby gasped in alarm.
"Coby, I've made my decision!" Luffy said, his fists tight and his teeth clenched in determination.
"Huh?" Coby asked in shock.
"I'm gonna ask Zolo to join my crew!" Luffy answered.