"Waaa—hahahahaha! So this is Shells Town?"
The moment his feet touched solid ground, Luffy spread his arms wide and let out a hearty laugh at the somewhat deserted streets.
Tugging down his straw hat, he showed zero awareness of being a pirate infiltrating Marine territory. Instead, he marched toward the center of town with pure excitement.
"Alright! Time to find a crewmate!"
Koby, lugging a massive rucksack that looked entirely too large for his small frame, followed behind in a cold sweat, pleading desperately. "Luffy-san, please calm down! Trying to recruit a man called a 'Demonic Beast' is just too reckless!"
"Hmm? What's reckless about it?" Luffy looked back, his expression matter-of-fact. "I haven't decided yet. If he's a good guy, I'll let him join."
Koby screamed in despair, "He was caught precisely because he's a bad guy!..."
Luffy ignored him completely, his head swiveling as he looked around. Koby, realizing he was getting nowhere, turned his pleading eyes toward Viktor, who was strolling leisurely beside them.
"Um, Viktor-san! You're the Vice-Captain! Please talk some sense into Luffy-san! Something terrible is going to happen!"
Viktor paused, the corners of his mouth curling upward. "Well, Koby, humans are very complex creatures." He tapped Koby lightly on the forehead with a meaningful look.
"Sometimes, the one wearing a Marine uniform isn't necessarily 'Justice,' and the one tied to a cross isn't necessarily a 'Demon.' Seeing isn't always believing—that's the first lesson for a magician."
"Huh?"
Koby looked dazed. Before he could process that, Luffy cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled at the top of his lungs:
"HEY—!! WHERE'S THE GUY CALLED ZORO—!!"
The shout was like a bomb dropped into a quiet lake. The townspeople walking nearby shrieked and scattered instantly. Shop doors slammed shut one after another—bang, bang, bang—as locks clicked into place. Within seconds, the street was a ghost town. Not even a fly remained.
"Eh? Everyone ran away so fast." Luffy tilted his head, looking entirely innocent.
Viktor sighed and stepped forward, placing a hand on Luffy's shoulder while hoisting the trembling Koby up by his collar with the other.
"Enough, Captain. Stop shouting. Since everyone is so afraid of him, it's pretty obvious where he'd be." Viktor nodded toward the towering Marine fortress in the distance.
"Let's head to the base. Koby, didn't you say you dreamed of joining the Marines? It's on the way."
At the word "Marines," the fear in Koby's eyes flickered and was replaced by a sense of longing. "Y-yes! I want to join the Marines!"
"Oh! As expected of my Vice-Captain! You've got spirit!" Luffy grinned and sprinted toward the base.
"Wait! Viktor-san, Luffy-san! I-I'm not mentally prepared yet—!"
Under the scorching sun, outside the walls of the Marine 153rd Branch.
The three stood at the foot of the high stone wall.
"Oh, this is it!" Luffy, like an agile monkey, scrambled up the wall and sat perched on the edge, peering inside. "Where is he? That Zoro beast?"
Koby stood at the bottom, whispering up at him, "He won't be out in the open, Luffy-san. A dangerous criminal like that must be locked in a dark, underground dungeon specifically built for—"
"Ah, found him."
Luffy's voice cut through Koby's logic. He pointed toward the center of the training yard. "Right over there."
"Eh?!" Koby froze. Before he could react, he felt his collar tighten.
Viktor gripped him like a kitten. With a sudden burst of Chakra to his soles, Viktor leaped. He cleared the three-meter wall in a single bound, landing silently beside Luffy on the ledge.
From their vantage point, the three of them saw the scene clearly. In the middle of the vast, dusty courtyard stood a lone wooden cross.
A man was tied to it with thick, heavy ropes. He wore a black bandana, a white haramaki (stomach warmer) over a plain shirt, and dark green trousers.
Even covered in dust and looking haggard, the fierce, predatory aura he radiated could be felt from a distance.
"It really is... Roronoa Zoro..." Koby's voice shook as he peered over the wall. "They've just left him out there to bake in the sun..."
Luffy stared at Zoro for a few seconds and suddenly laughed. "He doesn't look like much. We just have to untie those ropes, right?"
"Don't joke around, Luffy-san!" Koby shrieked. "That's a monster! If you untie him, he'll kill you instantly!"
"It's fine," Luffy said, thumping his chest confidently. "I'm strong!"
Koby's mouth twitched. He instinctively looked at Viktor, who remained calm. Actually... that sentence would be a lot more convincing coming from Viktor-san...
At that moment, the man on the cross seemed to sense their gaze. Zoro slowly lifted his head. His eyes, sharp as a tiger's, pierced through the blinding sunlight and stabbed toward the three on the wall.
"Hey. You're an eyesore."
"If you don't want to die, get lost."
"Eeeek!" Koby ducked behind Luffy immediately.
Just as the tension reached a breaking point, a small, childish voice came from beneath the wall.
"Um... Big Brother, please move aside."
Viktor looked down. A little girl with twin tails was struggling to lean a ladder against the wall—a ladder that was taller than she was. Seeing Viktor looking at her, she blushed slightly and looked down.
"I need to get in."
Luffy and Koby were still in a "stare-down" with Zoro and didn't notice. Viktor looked at the girl—Rika, the famous rice ball girl from the original story—and his eyes softened. He hopped down from the wall, landing gracefully in front of her.
"The ladder is too dangerous."
Viktor took the ladder with one hand and set it aside. He offered her a warm smile. "Are you going to bring that 'Big Brother' something to eat? I'll help you get inside."
Rika blinked, looking at the handsome stranger, and nodded shyly. "Yes... I want to give Zoro-niichan some rice balls."
"Hold on tight."
Without further ado, Viktor scooped the little girl up, seating her securely in the crook of his arm. He bent his knees, Chakra surging to his feet.
Whoosh!
No run-up. No climbing. Like a feather caught in a breeze, Viktor leaped with the girl in his arms. They cleared the high wall and drifted down, landing softly on the grass inside the courtyard.
Silent landing.
Koby's eyes nearly flew out of his head. He clutched his face and screamed, "AAAAAAAAH! Viktor-san! That's a Marine base! Why are you acting as reckless as Luffy-san?!"
"Shishishi! This is fun!"
Luffy laughed, adjusted his hat, and grabbed the still-screaming Koby. "Let's go too!"
"Wait! Wait—noooooo!"
Accompanied by Koby's desperate cry, the two tumbled over the wall and crashed into the dirt, kicking up a cloud of dust. The commotion finally made Zoro, who had been maintaining a cold facade, knit his brows in annoyance.
"A bunch of brats with a death wish..."
Zoro gritted his teeth, watching the intruders. His swords had been taken by Helmeppo. Meanwhile, Viktor set Rika down and patted her head.
"Go on."