The silence after the final blow lasted only for a moment.
It was broken not by the clash of swords or a command, but by a single, hesitant cheer from a Marine soldier.
Then another.
And another.
Soon, the entire base courtyard, which had just been a battlefield, erupted in celebration. The Marine soldiers, who had lived under Morgan's brutal tyranny, were now throwing their hats into the air. They were hugging each other, some even crying with relief. They weren't celebrating a Marine victory. They were celebrating their own freedom.
Amidst the jubilation, Zoro, who had been standing tall on pure willpower, could finally hold on no longer.
Nine days of starvation. His injuries. An intense battle.
The world in front of him began to spin. The sound of cheering grew distant.
"Hey, Moss-Head?" Luffy noticed something was wrong, quickly turning.
Zoro swayed. He didn't say a word, simply collapsing, his body tipping forward like a felled tree.
"ZORO!" Luffy and Koby yelled in unison, rushing to catch the swordsman. The Demon of the East Blue, after playing his part, had finally succumbed to exhaustion.
In Rika's family restaurant, a warm and cheerful atmosphere had taken hold. It was a world away from the fear and silence of that morning.
At one table, an incredible sight was unfolding.
Roronoa Zoro was eating.
He wasn't just eating; he was annihilating food. Plate after plate. Rice, meat, fish, soup, everything that was brought out vanished into his mouth at a phenomenal speed. He ate as if there were no tomorrow, making up for nine days of hell.
Rika happily scurried back and forth, bringing him more rice balls (savory this time) and water. Her mother, Ririka, was busy in the kitchen, cooking more food with a smile on her face.
Beside him, Luffy was keeping pace. A tall stack of empty plates was piled neatly next to him.
Koby, his shoulder carefully bandaged, sat there, watching them with a mixed expression of joy and anxiety.
"So," Zoro said after swallowing a massive piece of steak, his voice still a bit hoarse. "What's the plan now, Captain?"
"The Grand Line!" Luffy declared loudly, his mouth still full of rice. "We're gonna go there and find the One Piece!"
Koby's eyes filled with worry again.
Zoro glanced at him. "What are you so worried about, kid? You're not coming with us. You want to be a Marine, remember?"
"I know..." Koby mumbled. "But... I'm worried about you two. The Grand Line is dangerous."
"No, it's not," Zoro said bluntly. "You're worried about yourself."
Koby flinched.
"Joining the Marines isn't easy," Zoro continued, pausing his meal, his eyes sharp. "They'll do a background check. And they'll find out you were on Alvida's ship for two years. How can someone with ties to pirates become a Marine? Have you thought about that?"
Zoro's words hit Koby like a bucket of ice water. He had never thought about that. His face went pale. The dream he had just reclaimed seemed to be slipping through his fingers again.
Just then, the restaurant door opened.
Lieutenant Rokkaku, the one Morgan had slashed, now with his chest bandaged, entered with a group of Marines.
The atmosphere in the restaurant tensed up again. Koby instinctively flinched.
Rokakku looked directly at Luffy and Zoro. "Monkey D. Luffy. Roronoa Zoro."
Luffy and Zoro looked up, pausing their feast.
"You two are pirates, correct?"
"Yup," Luffy answered casually.
"That's right," Zoro confirmed, still holding a chicken leg.
Instead of drawing their swords, Rokakku and his men did something no one expected.
They bowed in unison.
"On behalf of the entire Marine detachment at Shells Town," Rokakku said, his voice full of sincerity, "we would like to express our deepest gratitude. You have liberated us, and this entire town, from Morgan's tyranny."
Luffy, Zoro, and Koby were all surprised.
"However," Rokakku continued, raising his head, "the law is the law. You are pirates, and we cannot allow you to stay here. Please leave this town immediately."
He paused for a moment. "But... as a token of our gratitude, the incident that occurred today... will be reported in a... 'simplified' manner. No pirates will be mentioned by name. Marine Headquarters will not be notified of your presence. Let's just say we never met."
It was a repayment. An act that went against the rules but followed the spirit of justice.
Luffy grinned. "Okay! We were about to leave anyway." He turned to Ririka. "Thanks for the meal, ma'am! It was delicious!"
Luffy and Zoro stood up, getting ready to leave.
The Lieutenant looked at Koby, who was still frozen in place.
"And you," he asked, his voice stern. "Are you with them?"
This was the moment of truth. Koby's future hinged on his answer.
"I-I... I'm not!" Koby stammered, terrified.
The Lieutenant turned to Luffy. "And do you know this boy?"
Luffy, with his brutal honesty, began to ramble on.
"Oh, this is Koby! He's a real dummy! Was a chore boy for that fat hag Alvida for two whole years! He's a crybaby and a wimp, but—"
SMACK!
Koby, in a fit of pure, unadulterated panic, had done something he couldn't believe himself.
He had punched Luffy.
It was a weak, pathetic punch with no force behind it, but it was filled with all his desperation. His biggest secret had just been exposed to the very people he wanted to join.
The entire restaurant was stunned.
Luffy looked at Koby, surprised. Then, as if understanding something, a mischievous grin spread across his face.
"Oh! This little brat! You dare hit me?!"
Luffy began to "retaliate." He threw punches that looked powerful, yelled at the top of his lungs, creating a chaotic scene. But if one looked closely, they would see his punches were either missing Koby or landing softly on non-vital spots.
It was a performance. A clumsy, but effective one.
"Stop it!" Lieutenant Rokakku commanded. Two soldiers stepped in and pulled Luffy and Koby apart.
The Lieutenant looked at Koby sprawled on the floor, then at Luffy who was panting theatrically.
"I see," he declared. "He is clearly not one of them."
He pointed to the door. "You two pirates, leave at once!"
Luffy and Zoro shrugged and walked out.
Koby lay on the floor, bruised (mostly from falling), but with a new resolve in his heart. He pushed himself up and faced the Lieutenant.
"PLEASE!" he yelled. "I WANT TO JOIN THE MARINES! I'LL DO ANYTHING! I'LL SCRUB THE FLOORS! I'LL BE THE CHORE BOY! PLEASE, JUST GIVE ME A CHANCE TO FIGHT FOR REAL JUSTICE!"
Rokakku looked at the trembling boy whose eyes were filled with determination. He saw the courage behind the weak exterior. He understood the whole performance.
He smiled faintly.
"Alright, kid. You've got guts... in a weird way. Welcome to the Marines."
At the edge of town, as Luffy and Zoro were walking towards the port, they heard a shout.
"LUFFY-SAN! ZORO-SAN!"
They turned. Koby was running towards them. He was already wearing a simple Marine recruit's uniform.
He stopped, came to attention, and raised his hand in a crisp, military salute, full of formality and respect.
It was a salute from a future Marine, for the two pirates who had saved his life.
Then, something miraculous happened.
Lieutenant Rokkaku and the other Marines, who had followed Koby, all raised their hands in salute as well.
They were saluting their nominal enemies, but their true saviors.
Luffy grinned and waved back. Zoro just gave a rare, slight smirk.
As their boat began to sail away, Rokakaku placed a hand on the shoulder of Koby, who was still holding his salute.
"Let's go, recruit," he said. "For saluting a pirate, we're all on a one-week fast."
He looked out at the shrinking boat on the horizon, then said quietly, just for Koby to hear.
"You've got a good friend there, Koby. Don't you ever forget him."
Koby smiled, tears streaming down his face. He would never forget.
The small boat with two figures continued towards the horizon. Their paths had diverged, but their promises and friendship would remain forever.