"Straw Hat Pirates? Trainer?"
Zoro frowned.
"I've never heard of your crew."
He wasn't a professional bounty hunter, but he kept track of the pirates nearby.
Given how boldly Arelon and Luffy had trespassed into a Marine base… he should have heard of them.
But Arelon only smiled calmly.
"That's normal."
"After all… today is only our second day at sea."
"…What? Second day!?"
Zoro's eyes widened.
"You just set sail and you're already breaking into a Marine base to free a prisoner? Are you suicidal!?"
"Haha~ It's just a Marine base. Don't exaggerate."
Arelon waved it off casually.
"Actually, to be precise, we haven't even been at sea for 24 hours."
"It wouldn't be wrong to say this is our first day."
"But I believe…"
A confident light flashed in his eyes.
"The name Straw Hat Pirates will one day resound across the world!"
"Right, Luffy?"
Arelon tilted his head toward him.
Hearing this, Luffy instantly tossed aside the rope, throwing both arms into the air.
"Of course!!!"
"I'm gonna be the Pirate King!!!"
"You two…"
Zoro blinked, staring first at the mentally questionable Luffy, then at the overly confident Arelon .
"Are you always like this!?"
"Pretty much." Arelon laughed.
"Can't be helped. Our captain's personality is… like that."
"Once you realize you can't fix him, you just get used to it."
"How could anyone get used to this!?"
"Wait!"
"Our captain??"
Zoro froze.
"Oi! When did I ever say I'd join you!?"
Slap!
Arelon suddenly clapped both hands onto Zoro's shoulders, leaning in with a sigh.
"Give up, Zoro."
"Once Luffy sets his eyes on you, you can't escape. Same thing happened to me."
"Sometimes I wonder if his protagonist aura forced me onto the ship…"
"Protagonist aura?" Zoro had no idea what Arelon was talking about.
Arelon waved it off.
"Don't worry about the details."
"The point is—after today, you're going on the Marines' blacklist. Even if you don't become a pirate, the outcome won't be pretty."
"So just come with us."
"Tiny East Blue is far too small for your ambitions!"
"Follow us to the Grand Line—go see the real world!"
Arelon's tone hardened, his gaze locking with Zoro's.
"Your dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman, right?"
"You heard about me?" Zoro asked.
"No! Your face is full of story!"
Zoro: "???"
"Hahaha, kidding."
Arelon burst out laughing.
"Anyway, once you're on our pirate ship, there's no getting off!"
"You'll be the Straw Hat Pirates' first combatant!"
"And in return—your dream and ambition… leave them to me!"
"I'll help you achieve them."
"You? Help me?"
Zoro narrowed his eyes.
He knew becoming the world's greatest swordsman was no trivial matter.
And Arelon… had no swordsman aura at all.
"Bragging isn't a good habit," he said coldly.
But Arelon only smirked.
"Forget my identity already?"
"I'm a Trainer—rookie or not!"
"Trainer? What the hell is that?"
Zoro asked curiously.
Arelon's eyes lit up—this was the perfect chance to impress him.
But before he could explain—
"Arelon, someone's coming!"
Luffy suddenly interrupted.
"Hm?"
Arelon turned.
Approaching with two armed Marines was a blond man with gelled-back hair and a distinctly ugly butt-shaped chin.
It was none other than Helmeppo, Captain Morgan's son—the one who had Zoro tied up here.
Helmeppo strutted forward like an obnoxious rich kid, popping his collar dramatically.
"Well well~ what's all the noise down here?"
"So the mighty pirate hunter couldn't keep his promise, huh? Had your friends sneak you down early?"
"Looks like you're ready for prison!"
Then he turned to Arelon and Luffy, screeching in his grating falsetto:
"And you two! Don't you know jailbreaking is punishable by death in the 153rd Branch!?"
"Death penalty?" Arelon snorted, irritation flashing in his eyes.
Thanks to the interruption, he'd have to explain "Trainer" another time.
He slowly aimed a cold gaze at Helmeppo.
"First of all, my name is not 'hey you.'"
"Second… you stole Zoro's swords, didn't you?"
Then he said to Luffy:
"Luffy, take out the two Marines, and have this guy fetch Zoro's swords."
"No problem!"
Luffy grinned—
"Soru!"
A puff of dust burst at his feet—
—and he vanished.
"What!?"
Zoro's eyes bulged. Before he could even react, he heard two overlapping screams beside him.
He snapped his head around—
Both Marines were sprawled unconscious on the ground.
And Luffy stood right beside them.
"H-How!? What kind of magic is that!?" Zoro shouted.
"That's no magic~"
Seeing Zoro's astonishment, Arelon grinned triumphantly.
"That's a technique taught by me—the Trainer!"
"Trainer…" Zoro repeated internally.
He still had no idea what it meant—but after seeing Luffy's speed, he subconsciously looked at Arelon with newfound awe and mystery.
He even forgot to continue refusing the crew invitation.
Meanwhile—
"W-What's happening!?"
Helmeppo felt cold sweat trickle down his spine.
Then he turned—
and came face-to-face with Luffy's grin.
He nearly fainted.
Arelon walked over to a fallen Marine, picked up a long rifle, and casually aimed it at Helmeppo's chest.
"Now you can speak properly, right?"
D-Demon…!!!
Helmeppo trembled violently.
For some reason, he knew—
If he said the wrong thing, this guy would absolutely pull the trigger.
"W-What do you want!?" he stammered.
Arelon's smile widened mischievously.
"Relax."
"You're Helmeppo, Captain Morgan's son, right?"
"We just want you to bring us our crewmate's swords… and introduce us to your father."
"Eh!? Meet my father!?" Helmeppo squeaked.
But feeling the barrel push harder into his chest, he immediately switched to a sycophantic grin:
"Ahahaha~ Sure, sure!"
"The swords are in my room. My father is on the roof."
"As long as you spare me, I'll do anything!"
Of course, in his heart, he was thinking:
Once I bring them to Father, they're dead!
Arelon noticed the malice in his eyes—but didn't comment.
He simply shoved the gun lightly: lead the way.
Luffy and Zoro exchanged a glance and followed.
Under Helmeppo's guidance, they entered the Marine building without encountering a single soldier—which was odd.
Within ten minutes, they reached his room and found Zoro's three swords:
The Great Grade 21 Sword – Wado Ichimonji
And two ordinary blades.
As Zoro slid all three into his sash, Luffy blinked in confusion.
"Eh? Why do you need three swords?"
"Hmph!" Zoro's eyes gleamed with pride.
"Because I use Three-Sword Style."
With his swords back, his aura changed completely—his composure restored.
Soon, though, his face turned serious.
He looked at Arelon and Luffy, expression complicated.
"Alright. Since you retrieved my swords, and I've made enemies of the Marines… I've got nowhere else to go."
"So I'll reluctantly… join you!!!"
"But let me make something clear!"
"My dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman!"
"If any of you dare stand in my way, be prepared to commit seppuku!!!"
His eyes flashed with savage determination—showing he wasn't joking.
But right after his dramatic declaration, he turned—
—and saw Luffy picking his nose.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Luffy tilted his head.
"Didn't you already become our crewmate when I untied you?"
"You—!"
A vein bulged on Zoro's forehead.
"Don't take your one-sided declarations seriously!"
"And also—"
He turned sharply to Arelon .
"You're sure that guy can be a captain? You seem way more reliable!"
"Hahahaha~" Arelon grinned.
"Don't say that. Luffy's reliable… sometimes."
"Right, Luffy?"
"Yeah yeah!"
Luffy flicked the booger on his finger—
which landed perfectly on Helmeppo.
"I'm super reliable!"
~~--------------------------
P@treon 30+ Advanced Chapters:
patreon.com/FrostWarden