Chapter 7: Memories and VowsMorgan stroked his axe-hand, looking at the other person."Since that's the case, you have no right to defy me!When I tell you to kill, you kill!"The sergeant shook his head: "I... I can't do it!"Without any wasted movement, Morgan swung his hand-axe at the sergeant."You are a traitor too!"The sergeant was immediately struck down, letting out a scream, "Waaaaahhh—"The cry echoed all around, giving Shien, who was still wandering around the base, a general direction.Although he didn't know what was happening over there, he still sent a Shadow Clone running toward the source of the scream.Upon arriving, the clone saw the following scene.Inside a transparent office, a bruised Helmeppo lay on the floor.Outside the window was a group of Marine soldiers, a high-ranking officer in a cloak, and a Marine lying on the ground.This explained why there wasn't a single Marine to be seen inside the building."It seems they're having internal strife. In that case, I can take advantage of the chaos."The clone silently plotted his next move, then kidnapped Helmeppo from the room as quickly as possible before leaving.Helmeppo was quite bewildered. He had just watched his father kill a subordinate, and before he could even recover, he had been brought to another room, and standing before him was a Marine soldier he didn't recognize."You..."Before the other could finish, the clone dispelled the Transformation Technique, covered his mouth with one hand, and began to interrogate him."Listen to me, and remember not to make a sound. Tell me which room is the archives, which room is the library, and where Zoro's three swords are.Remember, don't make a sound."The clone let go to let him speak. Helmeppo had originally wanted to scream, but remembering how formidable the other was, he held it back.Helmeppo proceeded to tell him everything about the location of the intelligence room and the library.He also revealed where Zoro's three swords were kept.Having obtained the information, the clone used Chakra to draw a dot on his arm and threatened him: "If you dare to tell anyone, this dot will explode. Remember, while the explosion isn't very powerful, it's enough to blow off half your body.If you don't believe me, feel free to try."With that, the clone used the Body Flicker Technique to leave, simultaneously dispelling the Shadow Clone to pass the information to the original body.Watching Shien suddenly vanish, fear flashed in Helmeppo's eyes. He didn't know who this person was or what kind of expert he was.But he decided to take this secret to his grave.On the other side, Shien's original body received the information and looked at the room before him, nodding. This was Helmeppo's bedroom.He looked left and right to confirm no one was coming, then slipped inside.Sure enough, there were three swords here. It seemed Zoro's blades were all here.Confirming his mission was complete, he looked out the window at the scenery; through it, he could even see the execution ground.On the execution ground, Luffy and Zoro were being fired upon.Hmm? Luffy was being fired at, why wasn't he fighting back? Oh, his fingers were tied to the rope. What a blockhead Captain.And what on earth did Luffy do to make the entire Marine force mobilize?Forget it, never mind that. Shien ordered another clone to continue to the intelligence room to gather information.While he took the three swords and exited through the window.As for why Luffy ended up in such a state, it all started after Shien left.After Shien left, Luffy started chatting with Zoro."Hey, Zoro, you're definitely going to become my crewmate, right!"Zoro didn't speak, merely keeping his head down in silence.Just as Luffy was about to continue chatting, a bullet flew in from a distance and struck Luffy directly in the head.The bullet appeared suddenly, and the process from appearing to hitting Luffy was very short, yet also very long.Short because no one expected anyone to open fire, and long because the bullet didn't pierce through Luffy's head, but rather manifested from the back of his head."You, what exactly are you!"Zoro was shocked by what he saw; after all, in his understanding, the human body wasn't supposed to be like that.After flicking the bullet away, Luffy brushed the dust off his body, as if knowing Zoro's confusion, so he explained: "I am a Gum-Gum human who ate the Devil Fruit."Faced with Luffy's statement, Zoro acknowledged it, then lowered his head again and didn't speak.At this moment, Luffy came up to Zoro and began to untie the ropes on his arms.Zoro hurriedly refused: "Don't worry about me, I just need to hold out for a month and it'll be fine! You should go!"Luffy, while untying the ropes, said the words the other least wanted to hear."You won't be saved; you're going to be executed tomorrow."Hearing Luffy's words, Zoro was visibly panicked."You... what did you say! That bastard son promised me that if I just held out here for a month, he'd let me go."Luffy continued untying the rope while saying: "He never intended to keep his promise! So I beat him up for you! He was just toying with you the whole time."Zoro looked up at Luffy, his eyes showing shock: "No... that can't be.""What, it's getting tighter!There's nothing that can't be; now the Marines are your enemies."Hearing Luffy's words, Zoro finally lowered his head as if completely resigned to his fate.At the same time, Luffy had completely tied the rope to his own fingers.Just then, several soldiers arrived in the open space, raised their guns, and aimed at Luffy and Zoro."This is the end! You two traitors who defied CaptainMorgan...prepare to die!"And that was what happened before Shien's eyes.At this moment, the perspective shifted back to Shien, who saw the soldiers had already fired, but the bullets were all blocked by Luffy.Hearing the noise, Morgan, who had been on the roof supervising the erection of his statue, heard the gunfire and looked down from above, seeing the scene where Luffy deflected the bullets.Finally, he called other soldiers to head down with him.Arriving at the execution ground, he saw Luffy trying to untie the ropes on Zoro."Surround the base! Don't let that Straw Hat kid escape!How interesting, are you two trying to stage a coup!"Then, Morgan rested his hand-axe on his shoulder, looking at Zoro with a contemptuous gaze: "Roronoa Zoro, your name is well-known! But don't you underestimate me!Your little bit of strength is truly insignificant before my mighty power!And you, Straw Hat kid next to him, that body of yours must have eaten a Devil Fruit, but that Devil Fruit of yours is also insignificant before my power!"The Captain on the side raised his gun, aiming at Luffy and Zoro: "Ready!"The other soldiers raised their firearms in unison, aiming at the two.I absolutely cannot die in this place! I still have things to do! I have already made a promise...These were Zoro's inner thoughts, and at the same time, his memory returned to that moment.——— Flashback Begins ———In front of a traditional-style building, a young girl and a young boy were sparring in swordsmanship.The boy had green hair; it was clearly young Zoro.The young Zoro was knocked to the ground by the girl, and a voice came from the side."Winner, Kuina!"Others began to discuss among themselves: "Two-Sword Style Zoro lost!Now Zoro's record against Kuina is 0 wins and 2000 losses!"Beside them, the young girl Kuina looked at the prone Zoro with an easy expression, then spoke: "Hmph, you really are useless!To be a boy and still be this weak!"Just then, three boys came out of the crowd; they appeared to be Zoro's friends.They pointed at Kuina and argued: "Hey! Zoro isn't weak at all!That's right! He's the strongest in our dojo!Even counting the adults, he's the strongest!"But the girl didn't care at all, shouldering her bamboo sword and saying indifferently: "Oh, really? But he's weaker than me!I don't care if you use Two-Sword Style or not, useless is useless!Loser, just shut up!"Little Zoro gritted his teeth, looking at Kuina: "Damn it!"His companions also vented their dissatisfaction: "That Kuina is so infuriating!What a hateful woman! Just because she's the dojo master's daughter, she acts all arrogant!"A man with a kind face, wearing glasses and sporting a ponytail, walked over.He consoled Zoro: "Lost again, huh! Zoro, actually, you are very strong!"Seeing the master come out, others spoke up: "Master! You can't give her special training just because she's your daughter!"The master hurriedly waved his hands: "That's not the case."Zoro, on the side, resentfully threw away the bamboo sword in his hand: "Damn it! Why can't I ever beat that woman!"The master crouched down to tell Zoro the reason: "That's because Kuina is slightly older than you..."Hearing this, Zoro immediately retorted: "I can even beat the adults!"Then, Zoro stated his dream: "In the future, I'm going to set sail and become the world's greatest swordsman! Therefore, I absolutely cannot lose to her now!"After saying this, Zoro left. Until the moon rose, in a secluded place—this was Kuina's training ground.She was there alone under the moonlight, practicing her swordsmanship and stamina with her bamboo sword.Then she heard some noise and stopped her movements, looking to the side: "Zoro!"At this moment, Zoro arrived in front of Kuinacarrying two real swords: "Kuina, take a real sword, and let's settle this!"Kuina panted as she looked at Zoro: "With me? Alright."Hearing this, Zoro drew his two swords and assumed his usual stance: "Here I come!"Kuina looked at him with an easy expression: "Come on!"The next moment, the two clashed, Zoro swinging his two long swords in an attack on Kuina.The stance looked strong, but Kuina had fought him two thousand times; she knew Zoro's moves by heart.Within a few moments, Zoro's dual swords were knocked away by Kuina.Then Kuina knelt on Zoro, the blade stuck beside his head."My 2001st victory!"Zoro covered his head and said resentfully: "Damn it! I'm not satisfied..."Seeing this, Kuina got off Zoro, and the two sat beside the building.She said with a look of dissatisfaction: "Actually, the one who isn't satisfied is me..."Hearing Kuina's words, Zoro felt puzzled: "Huh?"
Chapter 8: My Name is Luffy, Pleased to Meet YouKuina said slowly: "Girls become weaker than boys when they grow up. I will be caught up by you all very soon. Don't you always say that you want to become the world's greatest swordsman! My father said it's impossible for a girl to become the world's greatest. Zoro, I really envy you for being a boy! I want to become the world's greatest too!"As she said this, Zoro could see tear tracks appearing on Kuina's face; it was clear that she truly hated being a girl.While crying, Kuina covered her chest with her hand: "My chest is starting to develop. If only I were a boy...""You won against me and yet you say things like that! That's too despicable! You are my goal!" Zoroshouted at Kuina with an angry face, as if he wanted to vent all his anger from his failure and his dissatisfaction with Kuina.Kuina stopped crying and looked up at him: "Zoro..."Zoro didn't stop. He picked up the two swords that had fallen beside him and shouted angrily: "What does being a boy or a girl have to do with it! That would mean even if I beat you one day, it wouldn't be based on real strength! Stop saying things like that! Otherwise, wouldn't I be like a fool for training so hard every day just to catch up to you! Let's make a promise! One day, either you or I will become the world's greatest swordsman! Let's compete to see who can become the world's greatest!"Hearing Zoro's words, Kuina broke into a smile through her tears: "Idiot—you're clearly the one who lost to me."But Kuina didn't refuse. Instead, she reached out and shook hands with Zoro; this counted as their promise: "I agree!"Under the moonlight, the two shook hands and made their vow, to see who could become—the world's greatest!The next day, "Zoro—something bad has happened to Kuina! She fell down the stairs at home... and died!"Zoro stood frozen in place upon hearing the other person's words; he couldn't believe it was true, nor could he believe everything he was seeing.Kuina, who had been talking about her dreams with Zoro just last night, was now lying on the ground with a white cloth covering her face.Zoro was now both angry and sad: "Damn it! You just promised me yesterday! You aren't allowed to run away!"Zoro ran toward Kuina like a madman, but he was quickly held back by his companions nearby."Hey, Zoro, don't do this! Kuina..." Clearly, these companions were also feeling sad about Kuina's death.After a long time, Zoro finally accepted the fact of Kuina's death and calmed down.After Kuina was laid to rest, Zoro went to his master's room."Humans are truly... fragile, Zoro." Although the master's words were gentle, Zoro could hear the reluctance in his master's tone regarding his daughter.After all, as a father, he couldn't accept this fact, but since the result was such, he could only force himself to admit it."Master, can you give me her sword!" Facing Zoro's request, the master didn't refuse: "Sure."The master walked to the very center of the room, took down Kuina's sword, and handed it to Zoro.Zoro took it into his hands: "I will add her share to mine, and we will work hard together! I must become stronger! I will become the world's greatest swordsman and let my name reach heaven!"The master said nothing, just nodded and turned to leave. He already knew about the promise the two had made last night and understood the meaning of these words. He thought that Kuina's spirit in heaven would also be happy.———End of Flashback———Looking at the firearms in front of him, Zoro's mind was occupied with the thought: "I promised... I absolutely will not die in this place..."Colonel Morgan shouted: "Fire!"Bullets sprayed out, heading toward Zoro and Luffy.Because Luffy's fingers were becoming more and more entangled with the rope, but his body could still stretch, he simply wrapped himself around Zoroto block the attack.Then, he used his Gum-Gum body to block all the bullets and deflected them all back.At this moment, Shien also utilized the Body Flicker Technique to block the space between the soldiers and Luffy.Seeing the person who appeared, Luffy shouted happily: "Shien!"Zoro was also stunned in place; one was a strange person whose body composition was unknown, and the other was a strange existence that had appeared out of nowhere.He couldn't help but question the two: "Who on earth are you people!"Luffy looked at Zoro with a smile on his face and replied earnestly: "I am... the man who will become the Pirate King!"At this moment, Shien also turned his head and said coolly: "As for me, I am a Ninja, but my goal is to become the world's strongest!"Then, Shien brought the swords he had retrieved and placed them in front of Zoro. "These are your swords, right? You're actually a Three Sword Styleuser?""That's right. I didn't expect you to have heard of my name?"Zoro nodded. Although he knew his name was well-known, the fact that someone knew he used the Three Sword Style far exceeded his expectations.Shien nodded, then looked at Luffy, the meaning being whether to save him or not.However, he felt very speechless when he saw Luffy's hands tangled up with the ropes.Luffy looked at Zoro: "Hehe, if you team up with me to deal with the Marines now, you'll become a rebel wanted by the World Government, or you can just die here. You choose."Zoro looked at this idiot who had gotten tied up with him just to save him. After thinking for a moment, he resigned himself to his fate and decided on his path forward.A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "You're a descendant of the devil, aren't you... It doesn't matter. Instead of being beaten to death here, I might as well join you... and become a pirate!"Luffy became happy: "That's great! You've agreed to become my crewmate!"After saying this, Zoro felt much more relaxed: "Yeah, yeah. Hurry up and tell that guy next to us to help us untie the ropes!"At the same time, the Marine soldiers over there were confused by the situation before them."Who on earth is that guy..." "One of them was actually able to deflect all the bullets, and the other just suddenly appeared on the scene..."Morgan was worthy of being a Colonel; he had some insight into these things: "He is not an ordinary person... Those two brats... must have eaten one of the legendary 'Devil Fruit' series."The soldiers were shocked: "That treasure of the sea! No way? Does that mean their abilities are of the devil..."Before the soldiers could finish discussing, they saw Shien had already drawn his sword and slashed at the ropes.Seeing this, the soldiers immediately shouted: "Colonel, he's untying Zoro's ropes!"Seeing this, Morgan shouted: "Stop him quickly! Firearms are useless against that rubber brat, so use swords to cut him! As for the one in the back, use firearms to shoot at him first! Attack!"By the time they finished shouting, Shien had already cut one rope and freed one of his arms.But soon he heard the sound of something cutting through the air near his ears. He then placed a sword into the other's hand: "Zoro, handle the rest yourself. I'll go buy you some time."Then Shien quickly performed hand seals: Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall.A huge earthen wall appeared in front of Shien, successfully blocking the incoming bullets."De... devil, this person is a devil!"One person in the front couldn't handle the pressure, dropped the gun in his hand, and crouched on the spot, but was quickly shot down by Morgan."All traitors who defy me must die!"On the other side, after getting his sword, Zorolooked at the approaching soldiers. Without a word, he slashed the knotted rope on the other side. At the same time, he quickly picked up the two swords on the ground—one in each hand and one in his mouth—and parried the Marine soldiers' attacks with a cool pose.Seeing this scene, Colonel Morgan appeared quite panicked: "Ro... Roronoa Zoro!"Luffy watched as one used Ninjutsu to block the firearms and the other used his swords to parry the other Marine soldiers' attacks. Standing in place, his eyes sparkled: "Wow! That's so cool!"Zoro, with a gloomy face, looked at the soldiers nearby: "You all better stand still! If anyone dares to move, I'll kill you!"The soldiers were so scared by this threat that they didn't dare to move. While crying, they thought to themselves: "Ah! That's too scary!"Then Zoro looked at Luffy: "I agree to become a pirate! Since I'm opposing the Marines, I'm a bad guy too, but I have my own ambition. To become the world's greatest swordsman! At this point, I don't care if I have fame, whether it's a bad name or a good name, I want the world to know my name! You're the one who dragged me into being a pirate! So, if you ever dare to force me to give up my dream... at that time, I will make you commit seppuku to apologize!"Luffy responded with a smile: "The world's greatest swordsman... That's awesome! A crewmate of the Pirate King... has to be that excellent!""Hmph! You sure talk big."Morgan was furious at this point. He shouted at the soldiers: "What are you all spacing out for? Hurry up and execute that guy!"Zoro didn't take action upon hearing this, remaining standing where he was.But Shien, who was on the side, noticed that those few rice balls were not enough to replenish the stamina Zoro had lost.Seeing this situation, Shien quickly performed hand seals and then shouted: "Luffy, hurry and take Zoroaway from there!" Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!A huge fireball came rushing toward Zoro. Luffy and Zoro heard the voice.Luffy stretched his arm, grabbed Zoro, and jumped to the side.The next second, a huge fireball swept over the position where Zoro had just been.The flames engulfed those soldiers. Fortunately, Shien had lowered the Chakra output. This kept the fireball at a level that could severely injure them but would not be fatal.With a sword in his mouth, Zoro asked Luffy and Shien: "Who are you two?""I am a rubber man, and Shien is a Ninja."The injured soldiers lay on the ground, hearing Luffy's introduction."Ru... rubber man, ni... Ninja! Co... Colonel, we... we are not their match. They are not ordinary people. Furthermore... even Roronoa Zoro has joined them... we... can't win..."At this moment, Shien came to Luffy and Zoro's side, and the three of them each took their respective stances.Luffy stood with his hands on his hips, head bowed, toes pointed inward. To his left, Zoro held one sword in each hand and one in his mouth, while glancing sideways at the soldiers lying on the ground. Shienstood to Luffy's right, performing hand seals with a huge scroll strapped to his back.Morgan walked in front of the fallen soldiers and clenched his left hand: "The Colonel orders! Those who showed weakness just now... shoot yourselves! This Colonel does not need... useless subordinates! That is an order!"Hearing Morgan's words, many soldiers forced their bodies to lift their firearms and put them to their temples, clearly intending to shoot themselves.This scene left Luffy, Shien, and Zoro stunned.Zoro acted first: "There is something wrong with this unit..."Shien also quickly performed hand seals; after all, with so many soldiers about to commit suicide, neither he nor Zoro could stop them alone."Stop talking, Zoro. I'll coordinate with you to knock all these people down!"Luffy rushed directly toward Morgan, and at the same time, he shouted loudly: "I am an enemy of the Marines! If you have the guts, come and kill me!"Luffy's intention was very clear: he wanted to raise the soldiers' fighting spirit so they would attack him. As long as they did that, they wouldn't have to commit suicide.Seeing this, Morgan threw off his cloak, raised his hand-axe, and stared straight at Luffy."Guys with no status or reputation... have no right to resist this Colonel!"Then he brandished his hand-axe: "I am MarineColonel 'Axe-Hand' Morgan!"Luffy also responded with a serious face: "My name is Luffy. Pleased to meet you."