CHAPTER 3: SHELLS TOWN

Name: Roronoa Zoro

Occupation: Pirate; Swordsman; (first mate?); Bounty Hunter (formerly; unofficial)

Residence: Shimotsuki Village (formerly)

Epithet: Pirate Hunter

Age: 19

Birthday: November 11

Height: 178 cm; 181 cm (timeskip)

Bounty: 60,000,000; 120,000,000; 320,000,000

Family: Unknown (Wano? Samurai? Grass?)

Relations: Master Koshiro, Johnny and Yosaku, Kuina (deceased), some others with his Samurai nature I just know it

Trivia: No sense of direction (wandering swordsman?); superhuman alcohol tolerance; sleeps a lot; not afraid of killing; stalwart; follows pirate rules (strange, samurai honor?), highly respects captain position

Skills: Swordsmanship: skilled in Itoryu, very skilled in Nitoryu, creator and master of Santoryu. Physical strength: strongest on the crew besides Luffy.

Dream: Become the world's greatest swordsman; i.e., defeat Dracule 'Hawk-Eye' Mihawk, currently the world's greatest swordsman

Nami is starting to regret this whole thing…

All she wanted to do today was rob some pirates, take a bunch of money, and make a clean getaway. And she almost did it. But nope.

Now she is stuck with some braindead moron and his—she is using this next term very lightly— crew. At least that is what the Straw Hat guy said. She assumed at first they were passengers from the convoy ship who idiotically got on the pirate ship but… were they supposed to be a crew of thieves?

But that couldn't be right, even ignoring that the Coby kid was going to become a Marine. Luffy, as she'd heard him called, wasn't fit to be on the sea to begin with. Really, who goes out to sea without the simple understanding of how a compass works?

'Just go in the direction it's pointing,' Luffy had said.

Nami still wasn't sure what had stopped her from screaming, 'Compasses point North, dumbass! They aren't magic!'

The Coby kid is at least a bit competent when it comes to navigation, but Luffy is a complete mess. She didn't know if someone that dumb could really exist, but if it was just an act, he was an even better actor than her.

At least they are only an hour or two away from Shells Town now. Coby and Luffy are in an intense conversation about whether or not a normal person could eat a whole crocodile in one sitting (which, no, they cannot), and she isn't paying much attention. If there weren't a promise of money at the end, this would almost not be worth it.

The only one she's paying any real heed to is the quiet one. Oyal, Luffy had said their name was, hadn't said a word since they boarded the ship. They have their hood over their head, looking like they're trying (successfully) to block out the world; only their hands are visible. They have been writing from the moment they were clear of the fighting ships, scribing something or another. Nami can't help but take notice of their hands; she had seen some strange people in her time as a thief, but those hands… she could see the bones through the thin skin, and their nails were practically claws.

…Well, even so, who was Nami to judge?

They have been mumbling strange things under her breath that she doesn't really understand, but occasionally she catches creepy tidbits like 'should we even bother with the cat guy' or 'shall I make him' and 'that clown will be a useful tool.'

She doesn't gather much, but she gathers that they're planning something. So she might as well try to get some information while they're with her. It may come to nothing, but Nami didn't get this far by letting an opportunity slip by.

"Hey, um, Oyal?" she asks.

The kid doesn't even glance her way.

"Oyal?"

Nothing. Now she is getting annoyed.

"Oyal!"

The kid's head shoots up quickly, looking around like a startled animal.

"Over here," Nami says in some surprise; geez, she didn't want to scare the brat. But it's clear to see, even with the hood covering their head, they were not expecting anyone to address them.

Oyal coughs a bit, bookmarking their journal and acting as though nothing happened. Couldn't really blame them for that much.

"Yes, how may be of assistance?"

Well, that was a mouthful, too formal to be a natural sailor. High money? Runaway noble, perhaps? Probably not, no noble would be with someone like Luffy. Runaway or not.

"So, what were you guys doing on Alvida ship? Trying to get some of their treasure?" Nami knows they weren't after any treasure, she would have seen them, at least she can see if she is a liar or not.

"We were there to… retrieve a package," they answer after a pause, "While I made the argument that the whole debacle would not be equivalent to the effort put in, my C—Luffy was determined to acquire this cargo. I am unable to give you details if you are unsatisfied with that explanation."

Nami blinks. Really? There was actually something valuable on that pirate ship… AND SHE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT?!

How can this be? She ransacked that ship top to bottom for gold and jewels and nothing suggested precious cargo!

She has to know now. "That is completely understandable, girlfriend!" She gives her cutest smile. "Personable information and all that, but still, it must be quite a top dollar find if you were willing to board a pirate ship." Please let something slip!

Oyal shoulder tense a bit, but her face doesn't change, good poker face then. "I must correct your musing, while I cannot accurately say this cargo is not precious, I can say its monetary value is rather low."

Nami's smile drops. "Come again?" She can't believe this, "So now you are telling me you boarded a pirate ship for… a memento?"

Oyal processes the question before shrugging. "Yes, that is a good word for it. While I agree it sounds tediously illogical, I have to say the outcome is far outdoing my expectations." After all, Oyal thinks, meeting Nami this early will undoubtedly have unforeseen side effects, but it may also provide to be useful. Oyal will have to run through the numbers again, but they believe they are in Oyal's favor this time.

Nami deflates, but at least she didn't miss out some rare treasure. "Well, you're lucky those pirates didn't catch you." Who knows what kind of things they would do to these guys? Sure they probably weren't that much younger than her, but she is a professional and these guys… are not.

Oyal actually has to bite back a smile. "I do not think the situation called for much concern."

Nami raises a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yeah! Luffy took out Alvida out with only one punch!" Coby at some point started listening in on their conversation and thought best to add his input.

Nami lowers her previously raised skeptical eyebrow in favor of just plain doubt. Alvida wasn't anywhere close to Arlong, but she was still one the most wanted pirates in the East Blue. No way Mr. Noodle Arms over there could take her out, let alone in one punch.

But Luffy shrugs it off himself. "It wasn't anything, Coby, trust me."

Well… that wasn't what she expected. Maybe a little gloating or even denial, but brushing it off… maybe they aren't thieves? Bounty hunters, then?

Coby protests. "It wasn't just nothing Luffy! It was amazing, I didn't even think people could fly like that!"

"Yes, well, you had better hope she landed in the same place as last time, or else we are in quite a lot of trouble," Oyal adds.

Luffy cocks his head to the side, "We meet her again?"

Oyal sighs. "Yes, one time. However, it was her actions off-script that make her role important. Remember?"

Luffy gives her that blank look of his.

"A certain unpredicted someone?" Oyal stresses.

"Who?" Nami asks without thinking.

Oyal should have known this would happen. They examined their social skills long ago and knew they were lacking, especially in areas such as 'stability.' There is no major knowledge to spill as giving them this information would change little to nothing, but it is a danger all the same; Nami and Coby's reactions are unpredictable and therefore cannot be calculated. Giving them this information is pointless anyway as they have no business knowing Buggy will be a warlord at this point in time.

"That's right! He becomes a new warlord, right!" Luffy knocks his head.

Gods damn it, Luffy.

Luffy laughs, recalling the old big nose himself. "It's hilarious! A real riot!"

"Captain!" Oyal speaks again; if Luffy had spilled the secret, there was no more need for caution. "This is serious, he is a huge tool that can be useful and if you compromise this meeting then we may lose a major player."

He just waves his hand. "You worry too much. It will be fine."

"I worry just the right amount for someone in this situation. You worry too little. I have to make up for your deficit," Oyal reasons.

Coby's mouth hangs open throughout the whole exchange. Alvida... and a warlord? The thought sends shivers down his spine. She would be unstoppable if she had that kind of power, he could feel his old cowardly mannerisms start to come back, "How… how d-do you know t-that?"

Oyal calms themselves quickly, now was not the time to let their emotions run wild, "I can read the future in the stars," they state; while demeaning to the practice, it is the most logical excuse they had conjured up. As logical as an excuse for knowing impossible-to-know things can get, at least. A way to avoid questions further down the road is to have a reputation for being able to see into the future.

Coby looks like he's buying it; after seeing a rubber man beat his oppressor into the sky, Oyal is sure he's willing to believe anything at this point.

Nami isn't biting, though, too smart for that. Without seeing proof, of course.

"Shishishi!" Luffy doubles over, "I knew it! You are a star-magician! Shishishi"

Oyal bristles. "I am an astronomer," they grit out. They still had their pride, damn it!

"Oh, someone who makes maps!" Luffy nods.

"That's a cartographer, dumbass!" Nami yells in frustration.

Luffy stops laughing suddenly and stares at her. Now Nami realizes why she hadn't screamed at him before, that was the same look that he had had when she first dropped down from the pirate ship. She isn't scared of him, but that big bug-eyed gaze was and is still… unnerving. And somehow familiar, too.

Then the strangest thing happens. A fond small smile breaks across his face, not the stupidly big one he has been making this whole time. This one made him look older, almost sadder. "Yeah, you're right. My bad."

Ugh! Nami had been sure that this guy was just an airheaded moron and not putting on a good act, but this was something completely different… and she doesn't like it. She wishes he would stop making that face. It's making her chest tighten for some reason, like he shouldn't look like that. Ever. He should be one of those people who is always smiling.

Now she's acutely curious about just who Luffy is.

But curiosity killed the cat…

…but satisfaction brought it back. "Ne, Luffy?"

"Yeah?" that look on his face melts away. Good.

"Why are you heading to Shells Town, anyway?" She is going to steal a map of the Grand Line, sure, but why is he heading to a real no-name town like that?

Luffy's smile broadens at the question. "I'm meeting up with my next crew member there. Maybe you've heard of him. Zoro?"

Coby's eyes widen at that. "You mean… the pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro?"

Luffy nods, "Yup! He is going to join my crew!"

Oyal feels a bubbly feeling in their chest, it seems positive. Positive is when you… long for the feeling, right? He makes it sound like Zoro has already agreed when Luffy hasn't even met him yet. They make a mental note to mark this feeling down later.

Nami is shocked, she had heard the name Roronoa Zoro before, a well-known and dangerous bounty hunter. That cemented that Luffy and the others were too, but… did that mean Luffy really was that strong, then?

Coby stutters, "You-you mean you already know him?"

Luffy tilts his head. "Well, I know him, but he doesn't know me yet. But don't worry! He is definitely going to join my crew!"

Nami puts a hand to her face. Never mind. He's definitely an airhead after all.

Coby yells at Luffy, trying to get him to rethink the whole recruit-a-demon-like-Zoro idea. Nami makes the wise choice to ignore them and goes back to guiding the ship.

Oyal opens their journal again, re-examining the profile they had drawn up. From what they can tell, Zoro is one of the Monster Trio and one of the most loyal of the crew. He is known for his great strength and unshaken resolve to follow his dream for his childhood friend Kuina.

But nowhere does it state what his position was on the crew besides "Swordsman."

That would be the first thing to change.

Oyal puts a note to the side to start his Haki training immediately after recruiting him. If he was going to be the new First Mate than he must be able to match Luffy's power in order to properly serve the future King of the Pirates as the World's Greatest Swordsman.

OOO

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY?!

"Yeah! Sorry about that, but I promise to give you lots of treasure next time we meet!"

This is a disaster. Oyal made a major miscalculation in the heat of the moment. In trying to speed Nami's assistance at the time, they only built themselves up for doom. Oyal tried to take responsibility for lying to Nami about payment but Luffy refused to accept that. He was used to Nami being like this… Oyal… is not.

"Next time we meet?" Nami is ready to show this guy how much she never wants to see this dumbass again using the painful language she knows!

—when a piece of paper is shoved in her face.

Oyal stands there in front of Luffy, arms out like the paper was a shield of some kind.

"This is an I.O.U. When I claimed a form of payment in our arrangement I was not specific about the details and therefore take full responsibility for my communication failings. I wish for you to take this."

Nami just stands there for a moment, looking more than ready to continue her intentions. She scans the kid in front of her, then Luffy again, her face unreadable giving nothing away. Oyal is sure that they are making another grave mistake before Nami snatches the paper quickly from their hands.

"You're lucky I have places to be." Nami turns around quickly and marches off down the street and out of sight without so much as a glance back.

Logically, Oyal knows that it was the best course of action. A confrontation was avoided and Nami took the paper making it so her presence will not be lost despite any hard feelings.

Emotionally, however, Oyal has… failed.

Not even a day into their new world and already they have made the monumental mistake of pushing away one of Luffy's most trusted assistants! The navigator of their crew! How could they have miscalculated so immensely? How could they had been so… so… useless!

Her chest… hurts.

They taste a sourness in the back of their throat. They don't like it. They don't like any of this.

Coby, who was wisely standing a good couple feet away, makes his way back, "S-She seemed r-really mad."

Luffy feels his heart broken at the site of Nami leaving in a huff. He doesn't want her to get mad, it wasn't like the familiar mad when she would hit his rubbery head and it would somehow still hurt but never for long. He can tell she was more annoyed than anything, but she left so easily, leaving them like they were nothing but strangers, like they would never see each other again. He knows they will but… it hurts.

Maybe that's why he can easily tell Oyal is having similar thoughts… but they are feeling more… guilty? What reason did they have to feel guilty?

Before Luffy can say anything, Oyal's face morphs back into a blank slate, all traces of guilt wiped away. "Which way is the base?" they ask.

Luffy perks up immediately and made a straight beeline to Zoro's presence with Oyal and Coby in tow.

"Luffy, you shouldn't see this guy," Coby fruitlessly tries to talk sense into the unrelenting teen. "He must have been arrested for a reason!"

"Yup! But Zoro's a good guy, I can feel it!" At the sound of Zoro's name, everyone in the street tenses and steps back in fear. Luffy resists the urge to roll his eyes while Coby looks on with sympathy. This guy must really be a monster to cause this kind of reaction.

"Luffy, maybe we should just ask the Captain? I think he is called Morgan at this base."

What comes next confuses Coby: everyone flees, even tripping over themselves as if he had just invoked a demon. He understands why Zoro would be feared, but why the Marine Captain?

Luffy looks on knowingly. "He must have done something bad." Yeah, terrorizing civilians and public executions would probably fall under the 'bad' category.

Coby's jaw drops at the mere thought of a marine doing wrong, "That's impossible!"

The Marines and the World Government. They were under new names but Oyal still recognizes the foul play anywhere. That group, that crew.

This feeling… it has been so long, but they know it well. One of the last feelings they felt before the years of apathy took over. Rage. No, now is the time to bring this boy out of his delusions.

"Coby."

Oyal almost snaps his name, and he flinches at the steel in their voice. They take a moment to bridle their emotions once more before continuing, their tone calmer but still cold.

"I know you think the Marines are just, but that does not make every Marine a just man. All individuals are capable of horrible acts…and not merely mistakes. A man in such a high position can very much abuse that power. Do not think anything is out of that realm of possibility."

Coby wants to refute, but she has a point. As much as he hates the thought that a Marine could abuse his power…but still! There is no way that someone of such a high position and in charge of so many people would be evil, right?

Luffy hates how Coby is going to have to face the truth: not all pirates are evil and not all Marines are good. There is no black and white thinking in the real world; the only way to know whether someone was good or bad was to look at them as an individual and decide for yourself. Just like he told Weakhoshi.

They reach the Marine base in no time, the massive towers looming over the entire town menacingly. And uglyingly.

"Wow, this is the base," Coby breathes, staring up in wonder. This is everything he has always wanted. He can apply here, start working his way up and… and… become an Admiral one day.

But now, now he will have to say goodbye to Luffy, the only one to ever believe in his dream. They have only known each other for such a short time, but Luffy has made such an impact in his life! He is willing to fight—no, to die for his dream. That is how he is going to live from now on!

"Luffy, I—LUFFY, GET DOWN FROM THERE!"

Luffy, for his part, is too busy for goodbyes as he is currently climbing the stone wall, very much ignoring the fact that it's there so people don't go in that way. And not just climbing, he jumps over it and out of sight, leaving an indifferent Oyal and a gaping Coby staring at the top of the wall where he vanished.

"Well, there he goes," Oyal says in a bored tone.

Coby picks his jaw off the floor and runs over, putting together the pieces as to why he would have done that. "Luffy! There is no way they would keep someone that dangerous outside—"

"Found him~!" Luffy sings over the wall.

"Huh?" Coby leaps onto the wall, peering over in disbelief. There is no way Luffy could just find this guy like that!

But found he is.

There, in the middle of the courtyard, is a green-haired man with a black bandana over his head. He gives off the air of a powerful man who could kill without a second thought.

Luffy knows better. Right now, he knows this man better than he knows himself. He knows that this was the guy who helped Robin move her books. Who played with Usopp and Chopper when he was feeling extra silly. Who would comfort their little reindeer doctor when he was sad or scared. Who even had a grudging respect to Sanji even though they would have their funny fights. This is the man who cared more deeply and felt more than any other human Luffy had ever known.

"Hey, you. Get the hell out of here, you're an eyesore!" Zoro's voice is gruff from lack of usage, but the message is clear: get lost or I will kill you.

Coby is practically pissing himself in fear. "Luffy! Let's go!"

But Luffy doesn't move, he doesn't even react. His eyes are locked on the man in front of him, unblinking as if afraid he would disappear right in front of him, memories of their past life flashing in his mind's eye one after another.

And while Zoro can't discern the exact emotion behind the stranger's stare, he can feel it in all its intensity even from the distance between them. And it's throwing him off; it was hard enough to keep up the intimidating act after nearly two weeks without food, but there was no way that he was going to let some suicidal idiot break him.

Still, that stare… It's the kind of look that you just don't want to appear weak in front of. Why does he want to impress this guy? Just because he is gawking at him? Not even gawking, more just… looking. Like he was something besides a picture to be put on display for all the world to see.

Like he is… a person.

It has been a while since someone saw something human in "The Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro.

Only the one staring at Zoro knows that he's doing it because he knows Zoro isn't going to kill them; hell, he knows that Zoro isn't even going to hurt him. The only time they ever really fought was at Whiskey Peak and that was because he was being a dumbass. Luffy knows that the man he sees is not his Zoro, not the one who would give his life to him (yes, he found out eventually, Zoro, you self-sacrificing asshole), not the one who can cut ships like butter, and not the one who can drink seventeen barrels of booze without flinching…well, probably not, at least…but he is still Zoro.

Silence rests in the courtyard. As the minutes tick on, it seems as though the world narrows such that only the two of them are there. The Pirate Hunter and the Pirate King. Two predators staring each other down, neither one giving an inch nor a hint as to their thoughts.

Coby dares not speak a word, he doesn't understand what was going on but he fears to break such intense silence. In the end, the one who does break it is one who is oblivious to the face-off: Rika, a little girl from town, placing a ladder against the stone wall with an audible clack.

Coby jumps at the sound, and he has just enough time to get a look at the source before she jumps over the wall. "Wait! Little girl!" Coby shouts in indignant worry, because what is with these people and jumping to the killer? Then he does a double-take. "AND WHY ARE YOU HELPING?"

Oyal, who is holding the ladder steady, answers, "It was the most logical course of action," in the most deadpan tone they can muster.

"What is LOGICAL about sending a little girl to her death?!"

"Zoro won't hurt her." Luffy's quiet declaration has such conviction that Coby almost believes him. Almost.

Rika walks to Zoro fearlessly, and retrieves a small cloth package from beneath her shirt. She stands right in front of the man before beaming. "Big Brother! You must be hungry, so I made some riceballs for you!" She holds out two very nice looking riceballs in front of a tied up Zoro.

"What is with all you idiots bothering me today," Zoro grumbles, almost a whole month of silence and now there is a party. "Get out. I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten anything! Here! It's my first time," Rika isn't deterred.

"I'm not hungry."

"I put my heart into them!"

"I don't like rice balls!" Well, now he is just sounding childish. Even Luffy knows that Zoro loves white rice. "Go away! I might kill you!"

But one cannot out-child a child in stubbornness as the girl, while disheartened, refuses to leave.

"Roronoa Zoro!"

The call comes from another figure from the base, a tall, gaudily dressed blond boy with two Marines flanking him strolling over towards them.

Coby relaxes a little at the sight. "He must be a naval officer. Thank goodness the girl is safe now."

"Negative," Oyal intones, shaking their head; they had long since seen these events in Luffy's contract. In fact, they are now around Chapter 500, going through the Thriller Bark time period, and are completely aware of his history up until that point.

Though they had noticed something very strange as they read on; Luffy's contract seems to involve… excessive memories of events that Luffy should have no way of knowing. Yet there are single pages of characters he never even sees again. It is as fascinating as it is disturbing. Did Luffy have a subtle omnipotent knowledge of everyone he has ever encountered…?

Or else it just some nonsensical loophole even Oyal could not have accounted for when drafting their contract. Seriously, they wrote that damn contract word by word and had years upon years to do nothing but edit and revise. How was it possible that they could miss even one loophole? But somehow that was still more likely than Luffy being omnipotent…

Either way, the irony of Helmeppo and Coby's relationship is not lost upon them. A strong bond will form between these two people, yet their first meeting is one pointing a gun at the other's head. It is only through hard work and Coby's spirit that Helmeppo was able to become a better person from… that.

Luffy's thoughts follow a similar pattern, the erstwhile King grimacing at the sight of Helmeppo. He knew the guy was bad at first, but… he forgot he was this bad. Like noble bad.

Time and Grandpa's fist really do change people, huh?

"You with the hat." Oh, Sea Kings, he even sounds like an ass. "Do you have a death wish? You are trespassing on private property. The penalty is death, you know."

Luffy shrugs his shoulders. "Okay."

Helmeppo's eye twitches at the lackluster response. "Do you know who my father is?! Are you trying to disobey me?"

Rika runs behind Luffy out of fear of facing Captain Morgan's son, she doesn't want to get Big Brother in trouble.

Helmeppo continues with his temper-tantrum, "I'll have you killed right here right now for that kind of attitude! Guards! Throw both of them out!" he gestures to the two very uncomfortable guards behind him.

Luffy gives a too-wide grin instead.

"Drat," Oyal calmly curses.

Coby nods, understanding her plight. While both of them had only known Luffy for about two days, they have a shared understanding of the rubber man. Luffy is not as dumb as people would think. Oh, sure, he is an idiot, but he is not dumb…

Oyal has seen him in his element throughout his comic contract. When it comes to trickery, tactics, and basic math, he seems to be a fool. But in battles, emotions, and reading people, he is arguably a genius. And then there are things like social cues, which most people assume his moronic nature controls. They are wrong. He understands them well enough.

The reason why he continues to give evidence to the contrary is simple: There is a fine line between not knowing and not caring. And he just happens to cross that line every single day.

Helmeppo and his guards break into a cold sweat as Luffy grins predatorily. "Oh, I know who your dad is. In fact, why don't you go get him so he can deal with me himself?"

He takes one step towards them. Helmeppo and the guards take one step back.

"Now."

Helmeppo sputters, nervous for no conceivable reason… then he jerks his hand up. "Y-you're a dead man! My Daddy will make you pay for this!" he cries before turning tail and running back towards the base. The two guards are right behind him.

Luffy feels a little smug. Usually he wouldn't bother to intimidate people—it was so much simpler to let his actions do the talking—but it did have its perks sometimes…

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

…that is, until a pissed off Zoro reminds Luffy why he was here in the first place. It is time he makes his move.

"Right! You!" he points to the little girl still hiding behind him.

"DON'T IGNORE ME."

Luffy ignores him.

He bends down to Rika's level, looking her dead in the eye. "I am going to need your riceballs. I promise I will make him eat them, he can just be stubborn sometimes."

Rika pauses for only a moment before returning Luffy's smile and gladly gives Luffy the riceballs. "Okay! Thank you so much for feeding Big Brother!"

"Eh, no trouble. Now get going before that dumb old Morgan comes," he shoos her away.

Rika nods and runs off, but stops halfway and calls back, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Don't worry, I'm going to kick his ass!" Luffy reassures her confidently.

That was enough for Rika. Had it been anyone else, she would have doubted, but for some reason, she has a good feeling about this guy. "Okay!" she says again.

Coby leans over to grab her, pulling her up, "What is he going to do?" He isn't sure if he was asking anyone really or just asking in general.

"He is going to talk to Zoro, of course," Oyal responds, taking one last look at their captain before turning to their new objective… and finding themselves somewhat at a loss.

"…we must hurry and take this girl home. Captain and Roronoa have things to discuss in private," Oyal says briskly.

Coby looks back as well before nodding, "Right." Then, as he starts guiding the girl away from the wall.

Despite the dangers of leaving Luffy to his own devices, getting the girl back home safely was important, and it was what they needed to do. And so they both left the two to their… conversation.

With the peanut gallery gone, Luffy takes in Zoro's state more fully. It was kinda funny to see Zoro in this position again. Not funny 'haha' but more funny ironic. The man who will take down armies with a single sword slice is being held back by nothing but wood and some rope.

Heheh, okay, it is a little funny 'haha'.

Sanji would be having a fit at the sight, though; no amount of animosity towards his rival would overpower the experience he had with the old geezer that carved the lessons of never wasting food and never letting anyone go hungry in every bone of his body. And Zoro hadn't eaten in weeks now. Luffy needed to fix that… especially since if looks could kill, Zoro would have murdered him three times over by now.

"You…complete DUMBASS!" Zoro bellowed; he shouldn't be making threats tied up and weak as he was, but he doesn't care. He was not going to let some idiot punk get away with meddling in his business. "I ONLY HAD TEN DAYS LEFT UNTIL YOU OPENED YOUR DAMN MOUTH! WHEN I GET OUT OF THESE ROPES, I AM GOING TO KILL Y—!"

Luffy shoves a riceball in his mouth, promptly shutting him up. "Hey, join my crew."

Zoro forces himself to swallow the too-sweet riceball, half out of hunger, half to continue telling this kid off. "You little—" Only for the second riceball to be forced in his mouth.

Luffy waves his hand. "Hey, hey, don't be mad. Enjoy the riceballs."

As much he hates agreeing with this brat, he doesn't have enough energy to disagree. He chews the sugar riceball this time. He is pretty sure it is supposed to be gross… but starvation is the best spice, and right now, it is the best thing he has ever eaten.

So with one last swallow, he calms down… just a little. "Piss off."

"Come on, you didn't even think about it. Join my pirate crew," Luffy practically whines.

"Pirate?" Zoro wasn't expecting that. "Okay, now I've thought about it. Hell no. I'm not becoming a damn crook."

"Says the man tied to a pole in a Marine base," Luffy points out.

Zoro snorts. "I am here because I chose to be, I don't care what anyone says about me. I haven't done one thing that I regret in the past and that will stay the same for the future." He gives a grin that nearly slips his face.

Luffy returns the grin two for two. "Well, I'm going to be King of the Pirates and I am going to need a great swordsman to do that."

Zoro… had to process that. King of the Pirates? If Zoro hadn't just eaten, he would be sure that he had gone delirious. "The hell you talking about? What does that have to do with me?" This guy could aim for whatever he wants, it was none of Zoro's business, but he wasn't going to be changing his plans for anyone. He had his own dream to go after.

"Because the Pirate King needs the World's Greatest Swordsman at his side," Luffy explains like it is the most obvious thing in the world. Which in retrospect, it is.

Zoro stiffens, as rigid as the pole behind him, "…how did you know about my dream?" he asks, his tone unreadable.

Luffy shrugs with far more nonchalance than he feels; he's taking care as he speaks not to spoil anything huge and not to make a bad impression, while still being honest and persuasive. He'd never forgive himself for manipulating his nakama to get what he wanted… but if it would be spurring them closer to what they wanted, helping them reach their own dreams, and making sure that they were strong enough that they'd all make it to Raftel together, that was something completely different.

"Kinda obvious, duh?" Luffy responds. "A wandering swordsman going around cutting down wanted criminals at random but doesn't join the marines, parties, or any group, an odd man out. Shishishi! Just like Mihawk!"

Zoro eyes widen. "You know Mihawk?" How the hell this shrimp was able to meet Mihawk?!

Luffy shrugs again. "Not really, never really talked to him. But I have seen him in action." A little too close for his taste; he suppresses a shudder as the first Haki vision he ever saw flashes through his mind. "Always by himself, has a coffin ship made for only one so no one could even ride with him. Really dramatic, like a vampire." Luffy put his fingers under his mouth like fangs to show his point.

Zoro is not amused, which just makes Luffy laugh. But then his expression and tone grow grave.

"But I know that you are nowhere near Mihawk's level. And you won't be at this rate."

Zoro flinches, fire burning in his eyes. "Bastard—"

"Don't get me wrong," Luffy cuts him off. "You are easily the strongest guy on this island, and maybe even in all of the East Blue. But that's nothing compared to the Grand Line. Have you heard of Devil Fruits?"

"Of course I've heard of them," Zoro scoffs. "But they're just a myth."

Wordlessly, Luffy tugs on his face, extending it a good two feet on either side. Zoro gawks at him before he lets his cheeks snap back into place, restoring his serious look.

"I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit and became a rubber man. So, what else do you think is a myth? Cutting steel? Cutting air? Cutting ships?"

Zoro's eyes slowly grow wider and sharper as he focuses more on the strange man.

"…and you're saying that Mihawk could do that?"

"I'm saying that any good swordsman who sails the Grand Line could do that, without using a Devil Fruit."

Zoro feels dread creep into his mind. Everything that this guy is saying is completely insane… but at the same time, this guy is living proof that Devil Fruits existed, which was insane enough on its own. And everything he mentioned was the kind of insane that it seemed like only the greatest could do.

…If there was one thing he was prepared to believe, it was that he was the strongest in the East Blue. Nobody who challenged him was close to his level…but did that mean that he had gotten complacent? Was it possible that he was really that weak? That far behind? Just how big was the world, really, where people like that could commit those feats?

But more importantly, how can I get stronger?

"If you don't believe me," Luffy breaks into Zoro's thoughts. "You can see for yourself. Mihawk is coming around here soon and I'm kinda planning to meet up with him." Plan. Fated chance that he is aware of. It is nearly the same thing if you know about it the second time, right?

Zoro sees where this is going. "Tch, you are really twisting my arm here…"

Luffy hums in understanding. "Not really…not yet. I could just tell you where to go… but still, you are going to join my crew."

"Don't decide that for yourself!"

"Shishishi! Too late!" Luffy laughs.

Zoro can feel a headache coming on already.

OOO

I would like to thank The Patient One, Miep42, and MadGirl for editing!