Alvida's pirate ship.
Koby, the chubby guy, was laboriously pushing a wooden barrel. It was a huge barrel he had just found on a merchant ship, likely containing precious wine. With this find, he might avoid getting beaten by Alvida's iron mace.
The wooden door of the passenger ship was kicked open with a bang. Three pirates of varying heights saw Koby and blocked his way.
"You coward, trying to slack off here again? Oh, what a big wine barrel! Let us help you lighten it; we're thirsty."
"How can you? Alvida-sama will kill me if she finds out!" Koby shook his head in terror.
The three ignored the terrified Koby, threatening him not to tell anyone. They straightened the wine barrel, saying they couldn't wait and were about to split it open.
"Whoa... that was a great nap..." A young man in a red vest and a straw hat burst out of the barrel, holding a silver box in his hand. He stretched comfortably, his fist striking the pirate from before, whose fat body fell to the ground with a thud.
He yawned, tilting his head as he looked at the fat pirate lying on the ground.
"Who are you guys? And by the way, sleeping on the ground will give you a cold."
"You're the one who caused this!!! You knew we were pirates and still dared to mess with us!" The remaining two pirates roared, veins bulging, and drew their swords at Luffy.
"I'm so hungry... Is there anything to eat?" Luffy ignored the two and asked Koby, the chubby guy.
Feeling insulted and enraged, the two pirates slashed at Luffy. Luffy didn't even turn his head, yet he shattered their weapons.
With a clang, the two swords struck the silver box and shattered with a crisp sound. The broken pieces stuck into the ceiling, scaring the two pirates so much they soiled themselves. They grabbed the unconscious pirate and ran away.
Luffy heard the crisp sound and looked at the box in his hand in confusion. "Oh no, I forgot about Orochimaru!" Luffy frantically opened the lid, saw the white snake with mosquito-coil eyes inside, and quickly closed the lid.
He looked up at the sky, squinting and whistling. "Shhh... I don't know anything, it has nothing to do with me." He quickly pressed the lid of the box tight, wrapped a rope around it, and tucked it into his pants pocket. (You all know Luffy's pants pocket; if not, please consult the Sky Island Octopus-chan. The author doesn't know, really doesn't know.)
Koby approached at this moment.
"Hurry and escape! If they call for backup, you're dead!" He looked at Luffy, who was smiling and complaining about hunger, utterly terrified. "You still have the mood to complain about hunger! There are many more of their Crewmates on deck!" He grabbed Luffy and tried to pull him out.
Luffy followed the smell of food, dragging the chubby Koby behind him like dead weight. He arrived at the food storage room and happily ate his fill. Koby babbled endlessly beside Luffy, and when he heard that the chubby guy had boarded the wrong ship and been taken by pirates, Luffy chuckled. The foolish Koby continued to eat, not saying much to the cowardly Koby.
He remembered Orochimaru once saying: "If one does not know the same pain, one cannot truly understand others. Even if one understands, it is impossible to fully understand. Luffy, you are strong and talented, but not everyone is like you."
So, regarding Koby's cowardice and inability to resist, he understood but could not comprehend, so he didn't say much.
When Alvida came knocking, he easily defeated the enemies, stole a small boat, and left with Koby.
"Hey Koby, what kind of person is the Pirate Hunter that old lady just mentioned?" Luffy, who was looking for Companions, was very interested in this person.
"You mean Zoro, right? What kind of person? I heard he's currently captured at the Marine Base. Do you want him as a Companion?"
"No, no, no! I heard he's a terrifying person, like a monster. He's like a bloodthirsty beast, attacking bounty hunters and tearing them to shreds. People say he's a monster in human skin. Becoming Luffy's Companion? Absolutely not!"
"Oh..." Luffy turned his head. Beat Koby? Refute Koby? Sorry, not familiar, no need. (The importance of cultural lessons: don't deal with people who drain your emotions.)
The two arrived at the entrance of the Marine Base. Merchants and pedestrians along the way spoke of Morgan and Zoro with changed expressions. Luffy decided to find out the truth for himself.
He was lie on the wall, looking at the green figure tied to a wooden stake. A little girl climbed up a ladder, shushed Luffy, jumped off the wall, and ran towards Zoro.
Ignoring Koby's constant nagging, Luffy stared intently at the two, watching the little girl bring Zoro a rice ball, which was then thrown down and stomped on by a foolish man with a butt chin.
When the little girl was thrown over the wall by the Marine, Luffy saved her and then stood in front of Zoro.
"I heard you're a bad guy."
Zoro's voice was calm. "Why are you still here?"
"Tied up here for public display, are you really that strong?"
"Mind your own business." Zoro showed no reaction.
Luffy walked over, adjusting his straw hat. "If it were me, I'd starve to death if I didn't eat for three days."
"My willpower isn't like yours. I absolutely must live. I absolutely must live. Can you get that for me?" Zoro's gaze was fixed on the dirty rice ball that had been stepped on.
"Emmm..." Luffy thought for a moment, then picked up the rice ball and fed it to Zoro. He heard the man say it tasted good, then left.
Luffy told the little girl that Zoro had eaten the rice ball and said it tasted very good. The little girl was very happy.
The little girl told Luffy her name was Rika, and she was the daughter of the city's tavern owner. Zoro was tied up here because he saved her from being eaten by that Foolish son's wolfdog. If she hadn't agreed to that Foolish son, she and her Mama would have been tied up there.
While taking Rika back, Luffy heard that the butt-chinned man planned to renege on their deal and execute Zoro tomorrow. After beating him up, he left Koby at the tavern and turned to leave.
"What did you say?" Zoro looked at the person in front of him, bewildered.
"It means I've decided I want you to be my Companion." Luffy tilted his head.
"Don't decide on your own!!!" Zoro roared.
"Oh right, you use swords, right? I'll go get them back for you. So if you want your swords, you have to be my Companion." Luffy squinted, smiling brightly, but with a hint of cunning. He wondered who he learned that from.
"You brat are too despicable!!" Zoro had a shark-like face.
"Oh right, that Foolish son plans to break his promise. You're going to die tomorrow, you know."
Luffy laughed loudly and ran into the Marine Base. He caused a ruckus, kidnapped the Foolish son, destroyed Morgan's statue, and swept through the place. He found three swords, then catapulted from the rooftop to appear before Zoro, deflecting the incoming bullets.
Zoro looked at the person in shock.
"You... who exactly are you?"
Luffy turned, giving a thumbs-up and smiling brightly.
"I'm Luffy, Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King!"
"Oh right, I wasn't sure which one it was, so I brought all three." Luffy held the swords up to him.
"You'll accept them, right? If you fight alongside me now, you'll be a bad guy going against the government. Or do you want to be killed by the Marine like this? Which do you choose?" Luffy nudged his nose, gesturing for him to look at the surrounding Marines.
"Are you a child of the devil, you brat? So malicious. Fine, rather than hanging around here, I might as well become a pirate." Zoro stared at him solemnly, a slight smile on his lips.
"That's great! You're willing to be my Companion! Hooray, that's great!" Luffy danced excitedly.
"You'd better give me the swords!" The Marines arrived!
The moment Zoro bit down on a sword, he cut the ropes, blocking the swords and blades of a group of people.
"I promise you, to become the Pirate King. Since we're going to have a big fight with the Marine, I'll rightfully become a bad guy. But let me make one thing clear: I will absolutely pursue my ambition. I will become the world's greatest swordsman. If you cause me to fail in achieving this ambition, then you'll commit seppuku to atone to me. Whether it's infamy or whatever, I want my name to be known throughout the world!"
"The world's greatest swordsman, not bad. To be the Pirate King's Companion, you at least need a title like that."