I had walked back into the town to find Koby and the little girl, whistling all the way. I had found the best first mate ever! Even if he didn't know it yet…

I finally found them and gave a big grin. "Well, I have some great news!"

"Which?" Koby asked, clearly not believing me.

I gave him a look, and said, "He ate the rice ball! He loved it!"

The little girl, who had been fidgeting with her hands, looked up. Her whole face lit up, and she excitedly screamed, "REALLY?"

"Oh yeah! He loved it! Ate every last grain of rice!" I responded back, equally excited.

Her eyes shined. "That's great!"

Koby looked between the little girl and me. "I wonder…"

"Wonder what?" I asked, eyeing the alley we had sat in, looking around for food. I could go for some meat.

"I wonder if Zoro is really as evil as everyone thinks that he is," he said quietly, looking thoughtful. I smiled. There was no way that weirdo could be evil. Bitter, yes. Evil? Never. He was a big old softie somewhere. I could just tell.

The little girl snapped out of her happiness and quickly turned to Koby. "HE'S NOT! He's… he's good because… he got himself punished… for us," she said sadly, turning her head towards the ground.

I raised my eyebrows. He got himself in trouble for them? A sense of pride washed over me. I knew he was a softie! That being said, HOW did he get himself in trouble?

"Sorry but, you're making no sense," I said gently, tapping the girl on her shoulder to encourage her to continue her story.

She sucked in a breath, and quietly began her story. "Well, that dumb Helmeppo is the son of Captain Morgan… He was roaming through the town one day, being the big jerk he is, and yelling at the citizens of the town to step aside for his "beautiful" dog. This dog looked like a rabid wolf! He was just as angry and vicious as Helmeppo himself… He was going on his normal rants about how if people didn't do what he wanted, he would have them executed. Today he was threatening to execute people if they didn't get out of the way and his monstrous dog.

"He finally stopped terrorizing the streets and came into my family's restaurant, which I had been hanging around in that day… The monster dog came in and started eating food right off the people's plates! The customers were terrified of the beast… I couldn't let this dog ruin what my family had worked so hard for, so I took a shovel we had and started trying to scare the dog away with it, swinging it around! Helmeppo had to have a word, though, and asked if there was something wrong with the way his dog was behaving… My mom frantically yelled at me to put it down, seeing the rage come into his eyes…

"I hesitated, realizing that if I didn't listen to my mom, we'd get in trouble… Not just me, but the whole restaurant… In my moment of thought, the dog suddenly turned to me, snarled, and jumped at me," she said, breaking into tears. I put a hand on her shoulder as she tried to regain her composure. This certainly was traumatic for such a young child. She finally was able to control her sobs, and continued shakily, "Suddenly, one of the bar stools was thrown and hit the dog right in the face! I had uncovered my arms from my face and looked up to see the man… Zoro!... as he looked fiercely at Helmeppo… Of course Helmeppo got angry, realized he was the feared pirate hunter, and started bothering him… Helmeppo foolishly tried to attack him with his sword, which Zoro of course defended with a kick to the sword. Helmeppo stumbled backwards in surprise and Zoro used that moment to punch him, sending him flying to the ground, and then drew his sword and lightly touched his cheek with the blade…

"That was when Zoro sacrificed for me and my mom… Helmeppo threatened to have us executed by telling his father… Unless Zoro agreed to be strung up for a month. Helmeppo promised to free him if he survived that month…

"Without hesitating, Zoro bravely said, 'Then one month it is.' And he dropped his sword from his hand…"

She took a deep breath, and sadly said, "It's been three weeks. Helmeppo keeps punching and kicking him while he's tied up!" She turned to me with wide eyes. I could tell she felt guilty. "He's so unfair! I don't know… I don't know how to help him!"

And with that, the little girl once more broke into sobs. I looked at her long and hard. I felt pained for the little thing. She was clearly scared and filled with regret. I couldn't help but feel a warmth wash over me, though. This man was hard as rock and cold as winter, and yet underneath it, he had a heart big enough to sacrifice himself for a little girl. I felt a grin come to my face. He would make the perfect first mate.

Koby's voice snapped me out of my daydream. "I can see why you're upset."

Suddenly a crash sounded through the alley, and a very annoying, flamboyant voice said, "I'm hungry! Bring us what you got!"

I felt the anger boil within me. Not him, again! He already ruined the life of my first mate, at least for now, but no way would he start trouble, again! I got up without a word, storming into the restaurant. When I walked in, he was rambling once more about all the food he wanted and how this small town just wasn't good enough for his clearly refined tastes, when he suddenly blurted out, "Maybe to entertain myself I can just execute Zoro!"

My eyes widened. There was NO WAY he was going to kill MY first mate! He was MINE!

Without thinking, I ran from the entrance over towards the asshole, fists clenched. I punched him without a moment's hesitation, all my frustration towards his unfair, hypocritical ways flying through my arms and into his face.

He looked at me stupidly, confused and scared, and exclaimed, "YOU just hit ME!"

I felt my anger boil again. WHAT AN IDIOT! I threw my arm back, ready to give him another punch, when suddenly Koby's whiny voice came behind me and he held me back. "Don't do it, Luffy!"

"This guy is SCUM!" I said angrily, glaring at him.

"You actually HIT me! I AM CAPTAIN MORGAN'S SON!" he exclaimed, holding his face like the baby he was.

"Like I CARE!" I spat back, disgusted by his gross face.

"You'll care once he executes you!"

"Why don't you be a MAN and FIGHT?!" I yelled, praying he would fight. I wanted to beat the shit out of this asshole! He was scum! He was cowardly! He was full of bullshit! I HATED PEOPLE LIKE HIM!

"Luffy! Please stop! Why do you want to be on the Marine's bad side?!" Koby pleaded, still holding me back.

I looked at Helmeppo, who was still cowering and crying on the ground. Determined, I thought of the green-haired swordsman I saw hanging in the Marine yard. I thought of his bruised, tanned skin and the ragged movements of his sculpted chest as he breathed. He would be mine.

"I've made up my mind," I spoke quietly, dangerously. I knew what I wanted and I was determined. "Today, Zoro joins my crew."

I was getting him out of that town and he was coming with me. No one would stop me.