Disclaimer; It's opposite day. I own one piece.
OoOoOoOoO
It was a while before the two reached Shells town.
By the time Coby had finished tying the boat to the harbor, and luffy had dragged the giant seaking onto the pier, Luffy estimated that it was an hour pat noon.
The seaking drew the attention of several men at the dock, and he managed to sell it off to a fishmonger for a pitiful fifty thousand beri.
"Coby, let's head up to the marine base," Luffy says after dealing with the insufferable man. He had first offered just ten thousand beri, barely enough to get maybe a week in the local inn, not that he planned on staying that long.
Coby nervously nods, still apprehensive with the whole pirate hunter business.
Luffy reaches out with his observation haki, he senses thousands of weak auras, the townsfolk and low ranking marines. The most powerful of all, however not as powerful as it once was, is a familiar one, Zoro's.
Walking through the busy market district, Luffy notices all the hawkers and vendors trying to sell magical all-cures or vast riches, however, he also notices they are more subdued than one would expect in a bustling market. Despite already knowing the situation in the small city, Luffy gleans from small passages of conversations that Zoro was being held in the courtyard outside the marine base main. He also notices the hushed whispers and frightened backward glances whenever the marine captains name, it didn't take a rocket scientist, or a time traveler for that matter, to figure out that Morgan was disliked.
"It sounds like the marines are disliked here," Luffy says to Coby.
Coby frowns, "How do you know?"
"I listen to peoples conversations as I walk, it's a good habit to get into," Luffy explains.
Coby nods in understanding, but frowns again, "Why would the marines be disliked?"
Luffy sighs, dissapointed, but not surprised, in his friend's naivete, "just as not all pirates are bad, not all marines are good."
Coby looks surprised to hear this.
"Any policing organisation or government will have some amount of corruption, and the world government has remained unopposed for so long," Luffy lets Coby figure out the rest.
"That's horrible!" Coby says indignantly, "Marines shouldn't do that!"
"You want to be a marine, right?" Coby nods in assent, "Change it."
"What?" Coby says surprised.
"Change the marines, get rid of all the corruption," Luffy suggests. Coby looks down, deep in thought.
They turn a corner and Luffy sees the outside of familiar bar with a familiar little brown haired girl sitting outside. She sits outside nursing her arm.
Coby sees her and looks concerned. He goes up to her and asks, "what happened to your arm?"
"I wanted to help Zoro, so I made him some rice balls, but Helmeppo, the captains son, threw me over the wall," the little girl says.
"That's horrible! Why'd he do that?" Coby asks.
"Because you're not aloud to help a prisoner, even though he hasn't had anything to eat or drink for twenty days."
"Why was he captured?"
At this point, Luffy tunes out. He tries to think of what to do next. Once Luffy comes to a decision, the conversation ends.
"I'm gonna head up to the base now, you stay here Coby, see if you can find out more information," Luffy commands Coby.
"Why are you going up to the base?" Rika asks.
"I'm gonna get Zoro to join my pirate crew," Luffy explains with a smile.
Rika looks surprised, "How will you do that?"
"I'll think of something," Luffy reassures.
"Ok, well be careful."
Luffy nods and heads off for the marine base.
It takes another five minutes for Luffy to reach the base. He stares at the twelve feet tall steel gates with the marine's emblem engraved in it.
Luffy turns to the wall around the courtyard of the base and sticks his head up over. There he sees a wide expanse of packed dirt, in the middle a crucifix looking pole with the green haired man known as the pirate hunter tied up.
Zoro, as he was now, didn't look like much, his clothes were bedraggled, he didn't have his signature three swords on him and he hadn't washed in almost a month and looked it. Luffy was just glad he wasn't downwind from his disheveled friend. Luffy uses his haki and sees that while his aura is powerful bu East Blue standards, it looks unhealthy and mirrors his appearance.
"Fuck off, you're an eye sore," Zoro insults.
Luffy, instead, scales the stone wall and walks towards Zoro.
"Didn't you hear me?"
Luffy thinks, this conversation is going to be fun.
"You're Zoro right?"
"So what?"
"I was gonna ask you to join my crew, but are you really all that strong. I mean you're stuck out here for the whole world to see, if you really were that strong you would of escaped."
"Mind you're own god damn business."
"If I were you I probably would of escaped after three days."
"Well I'm not you and I have my own reasons for staying. No matter what I will survive this."
"Whatever you're a really weird guy," Luffy turns to walk away, knowing that what Zoro would do next.
"Wait, could you pick that up for me," Zoro nods towards a crushed rice ball on the ground.
"You sure you want this, I met a little girl in town who said she made some for you but were crushed by Morgans son. It must be hours old."
"I don't care," Luffy tosses the ball into Zoro's mouth, who eats it quickly.
"Did the girl tell you anything else?"
"Yeah she told me about your deal with Helmet."
"Helmet? Oh you mean Helmeppo. Anyway, you know about the promise I made."
"Yeah."
"Well I intend to keep it."
"LUUUUUUUFFYYYYYY!" A familiar voice screeches.
A flustered Coby pokes his head over the wall and struggles to climb over, he finally does and flops onto the ground on the other side. He runs over to the two and pants, "huh... That guy... Hel-Helmeppo... came in... said he was going to execute... Zoro tomorrow."
"Wait what?" Zoro looks slightly worried.
"The guy Rika told us about, Helmeppo, came into the bar and started laughing about how he was gonna kill Zoro tomorrow instead."
"What! That bastard!" Zoro shouts.
"I'll untie you but only if you join my crew."
"Join you're crew?"
"Yeah, I want you to be a member of my pirate crew."
"So you're a pirate huh," Zoro smirks, "Why not? Don't have much of a choice."
"Ok, Coby you untie Zoro, and Zoro, where are your swords?"
"Helmeppo took them,"
Luffy looks at Coby, who says, "Helmeppo left for the base just before I did,"
"Ok, I'll find him and get your swords back," Luffy says and runs towards the base.
Luffy uses his observation haki to find Helmeppo, he finds him on the roof, so Luffy, being the rubber-man that he is, stretches his arm up and latches onto the roof edge and flings himself skyward.
To everyone's surprise on the roof, a short, lanky boy no older eighteen, shot over the edge and up into the air, before landing in front of a gobsmacked Helmeppo.
"You're Helmeppo right, come with me," Luffy says as he picks the teenage boy up and caries him.
"Who is that? capture him," Morgan says.
"That's a really ugly statue," Luffy states, before destroying it.
"KILL HIM! Anyone who opposes me must die!"
Luffy runs before any other marine can react.
"Where are Zoro's swords?" he asks.
"Uhh... urm... t-t-there i-in my ro-room..." Helmeppo stutters.
"Where's your room?"
"Y-y-you just passed," Helmeppo points, "and stop dragging me."
Three marines come running down behind them.
"Stop!" one of them demands.
Luffy decides to knock all three of them and Helmeppo out with a burst of conquerors haki, just enough to leave them unconscious for a couple of minutes.
Luffy enters a pink decorated room that he remembers to be Helmeppo's. In the corner of the feminine room Luffy finds Zoro's three katana's, his white Wado Ichimonji the other two unnamed blades. Luffy hears a commotion from the courtyard and knows the marines have discovered Zoro trying to escape. He walks to the window, and sees a group of marines advancing on Zoro, still tied up, and Coby, trembling and desperately trying to untie Zoro.
Luffy opens the window and instead off using his devil fruit ability to launch himself over the courtyard, he steps onto the window sill and jumps, and using the Geppo technique, jumps again, and again.
On Morgans command the marines raise their guns, and fire. Luffy lands in between the marines and his friends just as the shots are fired.
"LUUFYY!" Coby shouts, but is stunned when the bullets simply ricochet away.
"So you ate a devil fruit," Morgan states.
"Yeah, the gomu gomu no mi," Luffy answers.
"Well regardless of..."
"Hey, Zoro, I got your swords," Luffy hands him his katanas. Zoro thanks him and cuts himself free.
"So do you want Morgan? or should I handle him?" Luffy asks.
"Don't worry, he's no match for me," Zoro assures.
While this exchange was happening, Morgan was becoming more and more furious at being interrupted.
"MARINES! EXECUTE THEM NOW!"
Luffy looks over at Zoro and nods, Zoro, seeing this, moves to attack Axe Hand Morgan.
"Oni Giri!" Zoro calls his attack, Morgan barely has time to react. He brings down his namesake to block the attack. But Zoro proves to be stronger, as he slices through the Axe, and Morgan himself, with ease.
Morgan collapses on the ground in pain, with three wounds on his chest.
The other marines all look on in awe, before celebrating and throwing their guns to the ground.
Luffy opens his mouth to say something, but before he can, Zoro collapses in a pile.
"Zoro!" Coby panics.
"It's alright, he's just exhausted," Luffy reassures.
The three companions were now back at the bar Rika's mother owned, where she had graciously fed both Zoro and Luffy, the latter of which had just finished his thirty-first helping.
"I still can't believe how much you can eat," Zoro says.
"Haha, yeah, its partly because of my rubber body," Luffy explains.
There's a knock at the door before a group of marines come bustling in.
One steps forward, Commander Ripper, and addresses Luffy and Zoro,"Thank you, for liberating us from the tyrant Morgan... however, you are pirates?" a nod from Luffy and he continues, "unfortunately, as marines, we cannot allow you to stay on this island, we must ask that you leave immediately."
A general dissent is heard from the townsfolk.
"Ok, we'll go," Luffy says as he gets up to leave.
When Coby makes no move to leave, Commander Ripper asks, "aren't you with them? You're a pirate, aren't you?"
Coby looks a little nervous before, "Sir, please allow me to join the marines, I'll do anything to join you, I'll do whatever chores you ask!"
Ripper looks indecisive, so Luffy steps in, "actually, before we leave, could I possibly borrow a den den mushi, I'd like to make a call."
"To who?"
"Marine HQ."
"Why on earth would a pirate need to call HQ?"
"My grandpa works there."
Ripper sighs, "I don't see why not, however I must ask to listen to your call, to ensure you don't do anything."
Luffy nods.
Ripper brings Luffy to the base and shows him the den den mushi, Luffy dials a number.
"Purupurupurupuru... Purupurupurupuru... Puru... Gacha... Hello Marine HQ."
"I'd like to speak with Vice Admiral Garp," Luffy says. Ripper looks surprised.
"Ok I'll put him on..." a moment of silence passes, then another... "Hello," a gruff old man comes on.
"Hey, Grandpa."
"Luffy? Why are you calling me, you haven't become a pirate have you? Dammit if you have when I find you your gonna get so many fists of love."
Luffy laughs, "You might not have me as a marine, but I have someone else for you."
"What are you talking about?"
"I met someone, he wants to become a marine, but he can't because he served under a pirate before I defeated her. His name's Coby and he might not look like much, but he's got a lot of potential."
"So what your saying is you want me to take him and train him."
"Yes, you don't have to, just a suggestion to look out for him."
"Well ok, I guess I can take a look, where are you?"
"Shells Town, in East Blue."
"I got a mission saying I have to escort a prisoner from Shells Town. I bet you had something to do with that."
"Yeah I did. Anyway, seeya."
Before Garp could say anything else, Luffy hung up.
Ripper looks at Luffy with a mixture of awe, and a little hesitance.
"I can have the pink haired fellow be a chore boy for the time being," he says reproachfully.
"Good, don't say anything about this to Coby, ok, it'll be better if he doesn't know."
Ripper nods in understanding.
Luffy and Zoro had head off for the tiny boat. As they begin to drift away, the marines saluted them and the townsfolk wave them off.
Luffy thinks, our next stop is... Orange Town.