Capítulo 193: 6. Roronoa Zoro
Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: p@treon.com/CosmicKaminari
----------
Not far away, Koby noticed a Marine chatting amicably with Ikki, and he felt a wave of relief.
"I mean, Luffy, what do you think Ikki is talking about with that Marine captain?" Koby asked, curious.
Luffy picked his nose casually and shrugged. "I dunno."
Suddenly, Luffy sneezed without warning, then went right back to picking his nose, completely unbothered.
Meanwhile...
In the Calm Belt, Garp sneezed violently and muttered to himself, "Sengoku must be banging the table again!"
Right on cue, a Den Den Mushi call from Sengoku came through.
"Garp... have you had enough of wandering around? Get back to headquarters immediately!" Sengoku barked.
"Yeah, yeah... I'm already on the way!" Garp replied lazily, still picking his nose.
"And another thing... did you steal the senbei from behind my bookcase?"
"Uh... a Sea King just popped up in front of me! Gotta go!" Garp quickly hung up.
Elsewhere...
After a heated discussion with the Marine captain, Ikki boarded a small boat with Luffy and Koby. The Marines had even provided them with fresh water and ample food supplies.
"These Marine uncles are really nice people!" Luffy said with a cheerful grin.
"My identity as a private Marine came in handy!" Ikki said proudly, shrugging his shoulders.
Luffy figured Ikki must have mentioned his grandfather during the conversation, but he didn't dwell on it. If Ikki wanted to be a Marine on his pirate ship, that was fine by him. After all, having a Marine onboard sounded pretty fun.
'In the future, I'll have musicians, chefs, navigators... why not add a Marine? It'll be interesting!' Luffy thought, his smile widening.
For the rest of the journey, Koby steered the ship, Luffy focused on eating, and Ikki sat at the edge of the boat, lost in thought.
More accurately, he was staring at a system panel visible only to him.
After the encounter with the Alvida Pirates, Ikki's account had gained over 200 points, allowing him to perform two silver draws. The significant number of points wasn't because he defeated a large pirate crew but because he had saved many lives.
The Alvida Pirates weren't a massive group—just seventy or eighty members in total. Among them, only Alvida herself stood out as an elite pirate. Most of Ikki's points came from saving the passengers on the ship the pirates had attacked.
The justice system rewarded him for both eradicating evil and supporting good. The more people he saved, the more points he earned.
After deliberating for a while, Ikki decided to save his points for now. He wanted to accumulate enough for ten consecutive silver draws. A guaranteed silver-level reward came with the ten-draw set, which was far more reliable than drawing individually and risking only bronze rewards.
"I'm not exactly the luckiest guy," Ikki thought to himself, dismissing any hopes of a miraculous jackpot from single pulls.
The small boat eventually reached Shells Town.
Ikki knew this was where Luffy would meet Roronoa Zoro. Of course, Luffy's decision to come here was no coincidence—he was already aware of Zoro's existence.
"Mr. Luffy, it's too reckless for you to recruit someone like that as a crewmate!" Koby protested, trying to dissuade Luffy.
Luffy smiled nonchalantly. "I haven't decided yet. If he's a good guy, I'll think about it."
"But he's a bad guy! That's why the Marines arrested him..." Koby argued.
At that moment, Ikki, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "Not everyone arrested by the Marines is a bad person, and not all Marines are good people."
After hearing Ikki's words, Koby fell silent.
His brief time with Luffy had already taught him an important lesson—not all who aspire to be pirates are bad people. Luffy was undeniably a good person. And, of course... so was Ikki.
Unaware that he'd just been labeled a "good guy," Ikki approached Luffy and said, "Finding Roronoa Zoro isn't too complicated. He should be at the Marine base's school grounds."
"Oh? Really? Let's head there right away!" Luffy exclaimed, brimming with excitement.
Outside the Marine Base's School Grounds
Luffy grabbed the edge of a wall and peered over. At the center of the school grounds was a man tied to a large wooden cross.
The man wore a green bandana, a plain white T-shirt, an abdominal belt around his waist, and three earrings dangling from his left ear. His identity was unmistakable—Roronoa Zoro, the future swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates.
"There he is!" Luffy said with a big grin.
Ikki, who had also climbed the wall, spotted Zoro immediately.
Zoro was in rough shape. His clothes were filthy, his body was covered in dirt, and clear signs of whipping marred his frame. It was obvious he had endured torture.
Pointing at Zoro, Luffy declared, "Let's set him free right now!"
Koby's face went pale at the suggestion. "Don't be ridiculous! That's Zoro—"
Before Koby could finish his protest, a little girl climbed over the opposite side of the wall. Once inside the school grounds, she ran toward Zoro, clutching two rice balls in her hands.
Zoro, despite his gruff exterior, immediately refused the food. He wasn't rejecting the girl out of arrogance or cruelty, but out of concern. He feared that if he accepted her kindness, it might bring danger to her and her family.
To protect her, Zoro tried to scare her away with a roar. But the little girl wasn't frightened at all. She looked up at him with unwavering determination, fully convinced that the man in front of her was a good person.
The truth was, the reason Zoro was tied up here in the first place was because of this very same little girl.
The girl's family owned a small restaurant. One day, Helmeppo, the son of Captain Morgan, was strolling through town with his dog.
The dog wasn't leashed, which was a disaster waiting to happen. But because of Helmeppo's status, no one dared to complain, even when the dog caused trouble. Most just muttered their frustrations in private.
The dog barged into the little girl's family restaurant and nearly attacked her. In that moment, Zoro stepped in, beating both the dog and Helmeppo to protect the girl.
Helmeppo, knowing he was no match for Zoro in a fight, retaliated by threatening the lives of the little girl and her mother. He promised to let them live, but only if Zoro agreed to be tied up for a month without food or water.
Naively underestimating how cruel people could be, Zoro accepted the deal without hesitation. And so, he ended up bound in the school grounds.
As the little girl continued to plead with Zoro to eat the rice balls, the iron gate to the school grounds creaked open. Helmeppo swaggered in, flanked by a group of Marines.
Helmeppo wore a flashy suit, his greasy, slicked-back hair parting down the middle. His arrogant demeanor practically begged for a punch.
Spotting the little girl and her rice balls, Helmeppo smirked with malice. "Zoro, bullying a little girl now? How disgraceful."
Without waiting for a response, he reached out to snatch the rice balls from the girl's hands, clearly intending to eat them himself.
But before his hand could touch them, a sudden gust of wind sent Helmeppo flying backward.
Immediately, Luffy and Ikki appeared behind the little girl.
And it was Ikki who had acted.
Capítulo 194: 7. Morgan, You Are Arrested.
Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: p@treon.com/CosmicKaminari
----------
After Helmeppo was sent flying, he scrambled to his feet, pointing at Ikki and Luffy with a mix of fury and disbelief. "You fools, what are you standing around for? Take them down!" he barked at the nearby Marine soldiers.
Reluctantly, the soldiers reached for the rifles slung over their shoulders, aiming them at Ikki and Luffy.
Ikki, unfazed, swiftly pulled out a letter of appointment from his coat and held it up. "Stand down! I am Admiral Ikki of the Private Marines. I'm here to investigate Captain Morgan's exploitation of civilians and abuse of power for personal gain!"
Ikki's declaration stunned the Marine soldiers. They exchanged bewildered looks, unsure of how to respond.
They understood the weight of the title "Admiral," but Private Marine? That was new to them. Still, the mention of investigating Captain Morgan's corruption resonated with them. Though their expressions remained neutral, the thought of someone standing up to Morgan filled them with quiet relief.
For too long, they had been complicit in Morgan's oppressive regime. Instead of upholding justice, they were forced to carry out his family's selfish whims, which weighed heavily on their conscience. Without much hesitation, the Marines lowered their rifles.
Meanwhile...
Luffy and Koby stood with the little girl, who had just finished explaining why Zoro was tied up. Her story left Koby visibly shaken. His dream of becoming a Marine admiral had been built on the belief that the Marines embodied justice. But now, hearing about Morgan's cruelty, his faith in it wavered.
Luffy, on the other hand, burst into laughter after hearing the tale. "Zoro! Come join my crew and become a pirate with me!"
Zoro sneered at the offer, his voice dripping with disdain. "You want me to join you? To plunder, loot, and become a scum like the rest of the pirates? Keep dreaming!"
As a pirate hunter, Zoro's disdain for pirates was deeply rooted. He had initially taken up bounty hunting to earn money for food, but over time, he realized just how lawless and vile pirates could be. Eliminating them didn't trouble his conscience in the slightest.
At that moment, Ikki returned, having tied up Helmeppo and secured the situation with the Marines. He walked over to Zoro and held out his Private Marines appointment letter.
"Zoro," Ikki said confidently, "if you sign this, you'll officially join us as a member of the Private Marines."
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Marine? I thought you were pirates. Aren't you all in the same group?"
"Of course..." Luffy started to reply, but before he could utter the word "pirates," Ikki quickly clamped a hand over his mouth and whispered, "Idiot, can't you see Zoro doesn't want anything to do with pirates? Let's get him to join us as a Private Marine first."
Luffy blinked, then grinned widely. "Oh! You're so smart, Ikki!"
Standing tall, Luffy struck a proud pose. "Yes! That's it—we're Private Marines!"
Zoro stared blankly. "...Right."
Ignoring Luffy's antics, Ikki addressed Zoro directly. "What do you say? Join us, and this punishment ends here and now."
Zoro didn't answer immediately. Instead, his gaze shifted to the little girl, who was watching him with innocent, hopeful eyes.
Understanding Zoro's hesitation, Ikki added, "Don't worry. Now that we're here, we'll take care of Morgan and his corruption."
At that, a smirk crept onto Zoro's face. "Fine. I'll join you... but on one condition. I have my own ambition—I'm going to become the world's greatest swordsman. If you ever get in the way of that, I'll cut you down myself!"
Luffy erupted into laughter, thrilled by Zoro's resolve. "Sounds good to me!" he said, completely unbothered by the threat.
Ikki stepped forward and summoned a blade of wind, slicing through the ropes that bound Zoro. "Ambition drives motivation."
Just as Zoro was freed from his restraints, the gate to the school grounds creaked open again. Captain Morgan, the commanding officer of the base, entered with dozens of Marine soldiers in tow.
"Who dares to run wild on my territory?!"
Morgan was an intimidating figure, his iron jaw glinting menacingly under the sunlight and a massive axe replacing his right hand—a feature that had earned him the nickname Axe-Hand Morgan.
The soldiers who had surrendered to Ikki moments earlier visibly trembled at the sight of Morgan. For them, he was a tyrant—a nightmare that loomed over the entire town of Shells Town.
Ikki stepped forward confidently, holding up his Private Marines appointment letter once again.
Morgan's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the official Marine headquarters seal stamped on the letter. His heart sank. He knew exactly what he had done in Shells Town, and if word got out, it would mean a lifetime behind bars.
His expression darkened as a cruel glint flickered in his eyes. Whether the boy claiming to be a Private Marine was legitimate or not didn't matter—Morgan had no intention of letting him leave Shells Town alive.
"Hmph! Pretending to be a Marine officer? That's punishable by death!"
With that, Morgan took a few steps back, motioning for his soldiers to move forward. "Shoot them! Shoot them all!" he barked.
Koby and the little girl turned pale with fright as the soldiers raised their guns. Meanwhile, Zoro, Luffy, and Ikki stood their ground, expressionless.
"Haha..." Zoro chuckled. "Looks like your Private Marine status didn't work after all."
Ikki scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well... it was worth a shot. But either way, this guy doesn't look like he's letting us walk out of here. So, let's just get it over with!"
Before the soldiers could fire, a volley of bullets was unleashed. Luffy stepped forward, his rubber body absorbing the projectiles effortlessly before bouncing them back toward the Marines.
"It's useless! It's useless!" Luffy declared with a grin, sweeping the soldiers aside with a powerful Gum-Gum Whip.
Morgan's eyes widened as he watched his men crumble under Luffy's attack. "How did he do that?!"
"Everyone, forget the guns! Use blades and cut them down!"
But Ikki was already in motion, his hands swirling with violent gusts of wind as he charged forward. "Let's see... do I lose justice points for taking down Marines?" he muttered to himself.
With a swift strike, Ikki sent a Marine soldier flying. A quick glance at his system confirmed that his justice value hadn't been deducted. Relieved, he grinned. "Well then, no holding back!"
In mere moments, the combined efforts of Luffy and Ikki left the courtyard littered with unconscious soldiers. Only Morgan remained standing, his son Helmeppo still tied up nearby, mumbling incoherently through his gag.
Ikki pointed at Morgan, his tone resolute. "Morgan, you're under arrest!"
"Arrest me?!" Morgan sneered, his voice dripping with defiance. "You're not qualified—"
Before he could finish the word "fool," Ikki unleashed a Sky Dragon's Roar that sent Morgan flying, slamming him into the ground.
As Morgan fell, Ikki's system chimed with a notification. He glanced at it and grinned.
He'd earned two significant justice rewards: ten points for defeating Morgan and a massive fifteen hundred points for saving the entire town of Shells Town.
Ikki's eyes widened at the unexpected windfall. "So, defeating corrupt Marines is also an act of justice," he mused with satisfaction.
Estado de energía semanal
200+ Ranking de
Poder 
0 Piedra de
Poder También te puede interesar
Comentario de párrafo