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Chapter 3: Helmeppo: I Want to Interrogate Her Myself
1,305 Words
The sunlight was faint, and the sky was high and clear.
After a day and a night of sailing, the two arrived at an island on a quiet morning.
Shells Town.
This was the first island Luffy landed on after setting sail in the anime, the territory of Marine Captain "Axe-Hand" Morgan, and also the island where Zoro first appeared.
If nothing unexpected happened, Zoro was about to suffer.
"I already brought you all the way to this island, why are you still stopping me? Can't you find your way?"
At the port dock, a man with three swords at his waist was frowning, staring impatiently at the woman blocking his way.
The commotion attracted the attention of many people at the dock.
Both of them were far too conspicuous.
One of them, exuding an aura that warned others to keep their distance, was clearly not a good person. The other was breathtakingly beautiful, dazzling the many men at sea.
It was hard to imagine that two people like this would disembark from the same ship.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the exquisitely beautiful woman spoke, her voice clear and melodious.
"I'm hungry."
"Huh?" Zoro's eyes widened, as if he had heard something absurd. "If you're hungry, go find a restaurant to eat!"
"I have no money."
What does it matter to me if you don't have money?
Ganyu blinked, tilted her head slightly, and said, "Can't you treat me to a meal, considering we've been shipmates for a while?"
"Why should I treat you to a meal after I brought you to this island..."
Zoro instinctively wanted to refuse, but he couldn't resist her expectant gaze. He stopped halfway through his sentence and sighed.
"Never mind. Let's go."
Although he outwardly showed disdain, Zoro had to admit that he didn't actually dislike this woman during the two days they spent together.
However, he had already made up his mind to ditch this woman after this meal.
Traveling with a woman was just too much trouble.
"As expected..." Walking behind Zoro, out of his sight, Ganyu's eyes curved slightly, revealing a sly smile.
For someone who had read the original story, handling Zoro was a piece of cake.
This pirate hunter appeared cold on the surface, but he was a typical softie, especially when dealing with women and children. He almost never refused their reasonable requests.
However, this guy is probably thinking about getting rid of me after this meal.
Heh. It's not that easy.
Five minutes later.
Inside a restaurant called "Foodfoo".
"One grilled meat, one fish soup, two servings of fried rice, and a bottle of rum... Your meals are all ready!"
A young woman with a good figure and a headscarf placed plate after plate of food on Ganyu and Zoro's table.
There was also a little girl next to her helping serve the dishes; she appeared to be her daughter.
A key character from the original story.
Ganyu thanked the woman, then let her gaze linger on the little girl for a few moments before looking away.
In the original story, Zoro killed Helmeppo's pet wolf in order to protect this little girl.
To avoid implicating the girl's family, he made a bet with Morgan's son. If he could survive being tied up for a month without food or water, the matter would be settled.
Can a person really go a month without food or water?
She wasn't sure if Zoro could last a month.
But she remembered that in the original story, Zoro had already endured for nine days before Luffy arrived.
Going nine days without eating or drinking... that wasn't something a normal human could do. After eating a single rice ball, he immediately regained his fighting power and wreaked havoc on the Marine base with Luffy.
That's inhuman!
"Hey! What are you daydreaming about? If you don't eat, I'll finish it all!"
Zoro swallowed his food in large gulps, but when he looked up and saw that Ganyu hadn't moved, he couldn't help but ask.
From the moment they met, this woman would often space out, lost in thought.
"Hmm..." Ganyu came to her senses, picked up a piece of roast meat with her fork, and put it in her mouth. She chewed it slowly and said:
"I was wondering if you could survive for a month without food or water?"
"Huh?" Zoro was stunned for a moment, almost choking on his soup. After taking a sip, he said irritably:
"I'm not a monster. I would have died long ago if I didn't eat or drink for a month!"
What kind of questions is this woman asking?
...
After finishing their meal, the two parted ways at the restaurant entrance.
Zoro was used to traveling alone. He also believed that Ganyu was already a member of a pirate crew, which was naturally incompatible with his identity as a pirate hunter. There was no need to continue traveling together.
However, before parting, perhaps out of camaraderie from their shared journey, he uncharacteristically spoke a few more words.
"Hey. Judging from your appearance, you seem like a noble lady who hasn't been out for long. You need to understand, the ocean... is very dangerous! Don't get yourself killed so easily."
"But don't worry. If something really happens to you and I happen to be free, I'll help you get revenge."
After saying that, he turned and left in the exact opposite direction from Ganyu without looking back.
However...
He had only turned the corner when he suddenly stopped, a vein bulging on his forehead.
"Hello..."
He turned around abruptly and saw the woman with ice-blue hair keeping a perfect distance, following him lightly about three meters behind like a cat.
When she saw him turn, she casually tilted her head, and the bells in her hair made a crisp ding-a-ling sound.
"How long are you going to follow me?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"Huh? Are you asking me?" Ganyu looked around blankly, as if she had just noticed his question.
Suddenly.
Her pupils contracted. A primal instinct gave her an early warning, an urge for her body to act on its own, but she forcibly controlled it.
Because a long sword had already been drawn. Zoro took a step forward, shielding Ganyu behind him with one hand while slashing the air with his sword in a crescent moon arc.
Whoosh!
Blood splattered everywhere, accompanied by a shrill wail. A huge body was suddenly thrown backward, crashing to the ground and leaving a long trail of blood.
"This is..." Ganyu looked toward the spot where the enormous creature had fallen. It had thick fur, sharp teeth and claws, and the body of a dog. It was clearly a wolf.
A look of panic suddenly flashed in her eyes.
That's not right!
A wolf doesn't just appear out of thin air on the street. It's most likely Helmeppo's wolf, but why would it attack me? Shouldn't it be the little girl in the restaurant?
Wouldn't that ruin the plot? Would Zoro really agree to the bet with Helmeppo for my sake?
"Hey! You savage, where did you come from? How dare you kill my precious pet!"
Pedestrians gave way, as if they had seen a creature more terrifying than the wolf, but their eyes showed more disgust than anything else.
A guy with an arrogant, domineering walk, a middle-parted hairstyle, and the look of a foolish landlord's son strode over aggressively.
His thin frame certainly didn't exude an "impressive presence," but he was followed by a large contingent of Marines carrying guns.
There are only two people on this island who can travel with so many naval personnel: Morgan and Morgan's son. This person was obviously Morgan's son, Helmeppo.