Timeskip: Two Hours Later
Roronoa Zoro had long since stopped counting time.
The sun hung high above Shells Town, its heat pressing down on his skin, drying sweat before it could even fall. His arms were bound high above his head, stretched and aching, muscles screaming with every shallow breath. Hunger gnawed at his stomach like a dull blade, but he ignored it. Hunger was familiar. Pain was familiar.
What wasn't familiar… was the sky.
Zoro stared upward, eyes half-lidded, watching the clouds drift lazily across the blue. They looked peaceful. Too peaceful for a place like this.
Then—
the wind died.
No breeze.
No sound.
The air itself seemed to hesitate.
Zoro's instincts flared.
A flash of white-blue light tore through the sky.
His eyes snapped open as lightning descended straight toward him, violent and precise. The ropes bit into his wrists as he struggled on reflex, teeth gritting—
The lightning struck.
Exactly where it had struck two hours ago.
Smoke hissed from the scorched ground. The smell of ozone filled the air.
Zoro blinked.
"And people say lightning doesn't strike the same place twice…" he muttered hoarsely.
A figure stood where the lightning had landed.
The same straw hat.
The same coat draped over one shoulder.
The same sword at his hip.
The same gun resting calmly at his side.
Monkey D. Luffy.
At first glance, nothing had changed.
But Zoro's eyes narrowed.
Something was different.
Before, the man's gaze had been empty — cold, detached, the eyes of someone who could kill without caring. Zoro knew that look well. He'd seen it in mirrors.
Now… those eyes burned.
Not wild rage.
Not blind fury.
Controlled anger. The kind that had already decided something was unforgivable.
Zoro swallowed.
He wasn't sure which version frightened him more.
"You again," Zoro said, forcing his voice steady. "What do you want?"
Luffy didn't answer immediately.
He walked closer, boots crunching softly on gravel, stopping just outside arm's reach. Close enough that Zoro could feel the faint static in the air, like a storm waiting to break.
"I have an offer for you," Luffy said.
Zoro stiffened.
"That idiot blond brat," Luffy continued calmly, "never planned to honor your deal. You're not being released after ten days."
Zoro's eyes widened.
"He plans to execute you tomorrow."
For a heartbeat, Zoro didn't breathe.
Then he exploded.
"HOW DARE THAT SON OF A—!" He thrashed violently against his bindings, veins standing out on his arms. "When I get my hands on him, I'll—!"
Luffy tilted his head, unimpressed.
"And how exactly are you planning to do that," he asked dryly, "while tied to a post?"
Zoro snarled.
"Oh, by the way," Luffy added, almost casually, "when I heard about the execution, I broke a few of his teeth."
Zoro froze.
"So there's a decent chance," Luffy continued, "that your execution gets moved up to today."
Silence.
Zoro stared at him.
"…Let me go," Zoro said slowly, voice shaking with restrained fury. "Just let me go."
"That's where the offer comes in," Luffy said.
He met Zoro's glare head-on.
"I can let you live. In return, you join my crew."
Zoro's breathing slowed.
"What crew?" he asked.
"I'm assembling one," Luffy replied. "Strong people. Real ones."
Zoro was quiet for a long moment.
Then he exhaled.
"That idiot kid took my swords," Zoro said. "Get them back… and I'll hear you out."
Luffy smiled.
Not wide.
Not cheerful.
Sharp.
The next instant, his body dissolved into lightning.
---
High above the base, Marines strained and shouted as they hauled a massive stone statue upright.
A towering likeness of Axe-Hand Morgan, chiseled into exaggerated perfection.
Morgan himself stood nearby, arms crossed, axe-hand gleaming in the sun. His jaw was clenched with pride. Behind him, Helmeppo sobbed loudly, face swollen and bruised.
"Faster!" Morgan barked. "The world needs to see who protects this town!"
Lightning struck.
The statue's head exploded in a flash of light.
When the smoke cleared, a boy stood atop the shattered stone.
Straw hat.
Captain's coat.
Eyes burning.
Luffy looked down at his foot.
"…What kind of ugly thing did I step on?" he muttered.
He raised his leg, blackening it with Armament Haki, and stomped.
The statue didn't crack immediately.
Five seconds passed.
Then it collapsed into rubble.
Morgan's face twisted with rage.
"KILL HIM!"
The marines drew weapons.
And Luffy was already gone.
---
Moments later, Helmeppo found himself dragged down a hallway, screaming.
"Where are Zoro's swords?" Luffy asked calmly.
"In— in my room!" Helmeppo cried.
Pink walls. Pink furniture. Flowers everywhere.
Three swords leaned neatly against the wall.
Luffy took them — and then froze.
Through the window, he saw the courtyard.
Zoro.
Koby.
Surrounded by guns.
Lightning cracked.
Luffy appeared between them as bullets fired.
He didn't disperse.
He hardened.
Metal screamed as bullets flattened and fell harmlessly around him.
Not to protect himself.
To protect the two people behind him.
"It won't work," Luffy said quietly.
He turned, cut Zoro free, and placed a sword in his hand.
"My name is Monkey D. Luffy," he said evenly.
"And I will become the Pirate King.".