"Straw Hat Pirates? Trainer?"
Zoro frowned deeply, confusion written all over his face."I've never heard of your name before."
Though he wasn't exactly a professional bounty hunter, he prided himself on having a solid understanding of the pirate crews active in the surrounding area.
With the kind of nerve Red and Luffy showed—storming straight into a Marine base—it made no sense that he'd never heard of them.
Yet in response to Zoro's confusion, Red merely smiled calmly.
"That's only natural."
"After all, this is just our second day at sea."
"What!? The second day!?"
Zoro was momentarily stunned, his mouth twitching."You've only just set sail and you already dared to break into a Marine base and free a prisoner? Are you trying to get yourselves killed?!"
"Hahaha~ It's just a Marine base," Red laughed casually. "It's not as serious as you're making it out to be."
Then he added,
"To be precise, it hasn't even been twenty-four hours since we set sail."
"So calling this our first day at sea wouldn't be wrong either."
"But I believe—"
"—that the name Straw Hat Pirates will one day echo throughout the entire world!!!"
"Isn't that right, Luffy?"
Red tilted his head toward Luffy.
Hearing this, Luffy immediately tossed aside the rope he'd been holding, raised both arms high, and shouted with absolute confidence,
"Of course!!!"
"I'm the man who's going to become the King of the Pirates!!!"
"You guys…"
Zoro blinked, first looking at Luffy—who clearly didn't seem mentally sound—then shifting his gaze to Red, who was confidently nodding along.
"Are you always like this?"
"Probably," Red replied with a smile meant to reassure him."There's nothing we can do about it. That's just how our captain is."
"If we can't change it, all we can do is slowly get used to it."
"How is anyone supposed to get used to that!?"
"Wait!"
"Our captain!?"
Zoro froze. "Hey! When did I ever agree to become a pirate!?"
Smack!
A crisp sound rang out as Red suddenly placed both hands on Zoro's shoulders and leaned in close.
"Give up resisting, Zoro."
"Anyone Luffy sets his eyes on can't escape—just like me!"
"I'm even starting to suspect that the reason I had to go to sea with him is because of some kind of protagonist aura…"
"Protagonist… aura?" Zoro clearly had no idea what Red was talking about.
Red waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about those details."
"Either way, you're about to be on the Marines' blacklist. Pirate or not, it won't get much better for you."
"Come with us."
"The East Blue is way too small to hold back someone like you."
"Sail with us. Head to the Grand Line—and see the real world!!!"
Red's voice grew heavier as his gaze locked onto Zoro's eyes.
"Your goal is to become the world's greatest swordsman, isn't it?"
"You've heard my story?" Zoro asked.
"No!" Red replied. "It's written all over your face!"
Zoro: "???"
"Hahaha, just kidding."
Red laughed heartily. "Anyway, once you're on this pirate ship, don't even think about jumping off!"
"The Straw Hat Pirates' number-one combatant can only be you!"
"And in return—your dreams and ambitions—leave them to me!!!"
"Help me? With you?" Zoro frowned.
Though he'd only wandered the East Blue, he never believed his dream was something easily achieved.
More importantly, he couldn't sense even the slightest trace of a swordsman's aura from Red.
"Bragging isn't a good habit," Zoro said as he carefully examined Red and Luffy.
Red just smiled back. "Did you forget who I am?"
"Even if I'm a rookie, I'm still a Trainer!!!"
"A Trainer? What's that?" Zoro asked curiously.
Red's eyes lit up—this was the perfect chance for Zoro to acknowledge his identity as a Trainer.
But just as he was about to explain, Luffy suddenly interrupted.
"Red, someone's coming!"
"Hm?"
Red paused and followed Luffy's gaze behind them.
A blond man with a slicked-back pompadour and a very pronounced cleft chin was approaching, escorted by two armed Marines.
It was none other than Helmeppo, the son of Axe-Hand Morgan—the one who made the deal with Zoro and had him tied here in the first place.
He strutted forward like an upstart rich brat, tugging at his collar with exaggerated flair.
"Well well~ It was so noisy downstairs, I wondered what was going on."
"So the pirate hunter who swore on his honor couldn't even keep his promise—had his companions set him free early, huh?!"
"Looks like you're ready for prison and punishment!"
Then Helmeppo abruptly turned his sharp duck-like voice toward Red and Luffy.
"And you two! Don't you know freeing prisoners in Marine Branch 153 is a capital crime!?"
"Capital crime?"
Red snorted, anger flashing in his eyes.
Since Helmeppo interrupted them, he'd have to explain the meaning of 'Trainer' another time.
Red slowly turned his gaze toward Helmeppo.
"First, my name isn't 'hey.'"
"Second…"
"Zoro's swords—you're the one who stole them, right?"
He then turned to Luffy.
"Luffy, take care of those two Marines."
"And make this guy help us get Zoro's swords back."
"No problem!"
Luffy grinned.
"Shave!"
In an instant, a faint cloud of dust kicked up beneath his feet—
—and Luffy vanished completely from where he'd been standing!
"What!?"
Zoro's eyes widened in shock. Before he could react, overlapping screams rang out beside him.
He snapped his head around—
—and saw the two Marines who'd been following Helmeppo sprawled unconscious on the ground.
Standing beside them was none other than Luffy, who had just vanished moments earlier!
"How is that possible!? Is that some kind of magic!?" Zoro shouted in disbelief.
"That's not magic~"
Seeing Zoro's stunned expression, Red smiled meaningfully and pressed the advantage.
"That was a move Luffy learned—from me, a Trainer."
"Trainer…" Zoro muttered to himself.
He still didn't fully understand what a Trainer was—but Luffy's incredible speed made Red suddenly seem unfathomably powerful and mysterious.
He even forgot all about refusing to become a pirate.
"W-What's going on!?" Helmeppo's back went cold as he heard the screams.
When he turned around and saw Luffy's grinning face up close, it felt like he'd fallen straight into an ice cellar.
His body went stiff.
At that moment, Red walked over to one of the unconscious Marines, picked up a long-barreled musket, and calmly aimed the dark muzzle at Helmeppo's chest.
Smiling, he asked,
"Now, can you speak properly?"
D-Devil…!
Cold sweat poured from Helmeppo's forehead as he stared at Red's smile.
Somehow, he instinctively knew—
"If I say the wrong thing, he'll pull the trigger without hesitation!"
"T-What do you want!?" Helmeppo trembled.
Then he saw the playful look in Red's eyes.
"Relax."
"You're Helmeppo, right? Captain Morgan's son?"
"We just want you to help us retrieve our crewmate's swords—and pay your father a little visit."
"W-What!? Visit my father!?"
Helmeppo yelped, but when he felt the gun press harder into his chest, he immediately shut up and forced a flattering smile.
"Hahaha~ No problem. No problem at all."
"The swords are in my room. And my father is on the rooftop of the Marine base."
"Just spare me—I'll agree to any conditions!"
Of course, deep down he was thinking:Once we see my father, all of you are dead.
Red noticed the hatred hidden in Helmeppo's eyes, but said nothing—only nudging him forward with the gun to signal him to lead the way.
Luffy and Zoro exchanged a glance before following behind.
…
…
Under Helmeppo's guidance, they entered the Marine branch building without incident.
Strangely, there wasn't a single Marine soldier inside.
In less than ten minutes, they reached Helmeppo's room—and recovered Zoro's three swords.
One of them was one of the Great Grade Meito—Wado Ichimonji—along with two ordinary blades.
As Zoro returned all three swords to his waist, Luffy stared at him in curiosity.
"Huh? Why do you carry three swords?"
"Hmph!" Pride flashed in Zoro's eyes. "Because I use Three Sword Style."
With his swords back, his presence and mindset completely changed—as if he'd already forgotten his earlier shock at Luffy's speed.
But soon, Zoro's expression turned serious again.
He looked at Luffy and Red with complicated emotions and said,
"Alright. You helped me get my swords back, and I've made enemies of the Marines. I have nowhere else to go…"
"So I'll reluctantly… become your companion!!!"
"But let me say this first!"
"My goal is to become the world's greatest swordsman!"
"If any of you dare to stand in the way of my ambition—"
"—be prepared to atone with your lives!!!"
At that moment, wild ferocity exploded from Zoro's eyes, making it clear he wasn't joking.
However, after finishing his cool, dramatic declaration, he turned around—
—and saw a ridiculously dumb face, picking its nose.
"Huh? What were you saying?" Luffy asked curiously.
"Didn't you already become our companion the moment I untied you?"
"You idiot!" A vein bulged on Zoro's forehead as he shouted."Don't treat your self-imposed agreements as fact!"
"And another thing…"
He swiftly turned to Red.
"Are you sure this guy is fit to be captain? You seem way more reliable to me!"
"Hahaha~" Red grinned. "Don't say that. Luffy can be pretty reliable sometimes."
"Right, Luffy?"
"Yeah, yeah!"
After flicking a booger away—with perfect aim, landing it on Helmeppo—Luffy nodded confidently.
"I'm super reliable!"
(End of Chapter)