On the vast, shimmering sea, the weather was clear and the breeze was pleasant.
A ship flying a pink heart pirate flag slowly sailed in a certain direction.
Of course, it was not the Arlitta Pirate Crew on board at this moment.
But the four of them: Luffy, Uta, Nami, and Koby.
There was no other way, his original small, broken boat was simply too small, and it was also manual.
So Luffy temporarily used Arlitta's ship for a period of time.
"We can already see Shells Town, Luffy."
Uta stood by the ship, excitedly looking at the distant town, and said to Luffy.
Luffy also came to the bow upon hearing this.
From afar, he saw a huge tower with the number "153" marked on it.
This was Marine Headquarters Branch 153, directly under the East Blue.
"If I remember correctly, the Navy Captain in charge of this branch seems to be the one called 'Axe-Hand' Morka."
Luffy searched through his memories and muttered.
This Morka was also a scumbag, a Navy Captain who acted like a mountain bandit king, enforcing tyranny and believing himself to be supreme.
"Since we're here, let's help get rid of this menace!"
Luffy thought to himself.
After sailing for some more time, Luffy and the others officially landed in Shells Town.
"Luffy, what do we do next?"
Nami asked nervously.
Just thinking that the pirate hunter was in this town made her incredibly scared.
"Let's go directly to Zoro!"
Luffy said without hesitation.
This shattered Nami's idea of finding a place to rest first to alleviate her fear.
"It's alright, Nami. Luffy is here!"
Uta gently comforted Nami.
Nami looked at Uta curiously upon hearing this. She didn't know why Uta trusted Luffy so much.
But this trust seemed contagious, making her feel much more at ease as well.
Hearing that Luffy wanted to go directly to Zoro, Koby said from the side,
"Follow me, Mr. Luffy."
Koby led the way, explaining to everyone as he went.
"That pirate hunter offended the Navy Captain's son here a while ago, and is currently being held for execution inside the Marine branch..."
...
Led by Koby, they soon arrived in front of a wall.
At this point, Koby lowered his voice and said,
"We're here. That pirate hunter is inside this wall."
"But we must be careful not to alarm the Marines here."
No sooner had Koby finished speaking than everyone saw Luffy suddenly stretch out his arm, grab onto the wall, and jump inside.
"!!!"
Nami and Koby were instantly dumbfounded, their mouths wide open in horror, yet they dared not make a sound, only weeping silently in their hearts.
Inside the wall.
There was an empty small courtyard, and in the middle of the courtyard was a cross. Zoro was tied to the cross, enduring exposure to the sun and hunger torture.
Bang!
Accompanied by a dull thud, a cloud of smoke rose.
"Cough cough..."
Zoro coughed twice, then saw a man wearing a Straw Hat suddenly appear in front of him.
"Where did you come from, you guy?"
Zoro grumbled, then put on a fierce expression, saying in a low voice,
"Who are you? If you don't want to die, get out of here quickly."
Luffy went straight to the point.
"I am Monkey D. Luffy. I'm here to ask you to join my Pirate Crew."
Upon hearing Luffy's words, Zoro's lips curled into a wicked smile.
"You, haven't you heard my name?"
"A pirate inviting a pirate hunter to be a pirate, I think you're still dreaming, aren't you?"
Luffy smiled faintly upon hearing this.
While Zoro looked on in confusion, Luffy turned to face the Marine base where Morka resided.
Then...
Luffy lightly raised his right foot, then brought it down with a heavy stomp.
The next moment...
Boom!
The ground suddenly let out a deafening roar.
Immediately after, the entire Marine base fell into a violent tremor, which lasted for several seconds.
"Ugh… Aaaah…"
Zoro's mouth gaped open in utter shock, only a continuous "Ah" escaping his throat.
He stared at Luffy in disbelief, his mind completely shaken.
Just how strong was this guy?
A single kick could make the entire massive Marine base shake as if an earthquake had struck.
After that kick, Luffy stood still and waited.
Soon, an endless stream of Marines poured out of the Marine base.
Even Morka and his son, Helmeppo, couldn't sit still and came to check on the situation.
In just two minutes.
Luffy was surrounded by hundreds of Marines, all pointing their guns at him.
Seeing this exaggerated scene, Zoro was dumbfounded.
Nami and Koby, who were peeking from the wall, were also stunned.
Nami even cried out inwardly.
"This guy is too impulsive! He's attracted all the Marines here."
Uta, who was beside her, spoke up at this moment.
"Luffy isn't impulsive, oh!
It's just that he's too strong! The people here aren't worth him being cautious."
"Eh?!" Nami and Koby turned their heads in unison, letting out a soft exclamation.
Inside the wall.
Zoro was also startled by Luffy's reckless behavior, but upon seeing the formidable Marine force, he immediately roared,
"You run! They've already sentenced me to death anyway."
"You don't need to lose your life here because of me."
Luffy was unperturbed by the Marine's encirclement, instead looking only at Zoro and saying seriously,
"If I deal with them, then be my companion!"
At this moment, Zoro froze.
He was deeply drawn by Luffy's extremely confident demeanor.
To remain unflustered when a mountain collapses before you—what immense courage that takes!
At this point, Zoro, who had been worried about Luffy, suddenly calmed down.
How could someone with such confidence and courage possibly lose?
Zoro suddenly smiled, a powerful sound escaping his throat.
"Oh!!!"