Attendance Please:
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The salty air of the restaurant, once warm with the scent of stew, had gone cold. Luffy, Yuji, and Koby sat with the little girl, Rika. In a small, steady voice, she told her story. She told them of her mother Ririka's struggling restaurant, of Helmeppo's wild dogs, and of the green-haired man who had cut them down to save her. She explained the trap: Zoro had been blackmailed into surrendering to protect the very people he'd defended.
"That's why big bro Zoro is in prison… because he hurt that guy's dogs to save me and the others!" Rika finished, her small fists clenched on the table.
A piece of the puzzle clicked for Koby. "That makes sense," he muttered. "Zoro's really scary, but he only goes after criminals with bounties. He wouldn't get thrown into prison for that."
Rika nodded hard. "Yeah. Captain Morgan and his son are the bad ones! They execute people for no reason! Everyone's afraid of them."
The fragile quiet shattered as the restaurant door smashed inward, splinters flying across the floor. "Hahahahaha!! You're not bowing your heads low enough, scum!" Helmeppo's sneering voice came first. He strutted inside, a cruel smirk on his face. "Do you want to be jailed like Roronoa Zoro?" He dropped into a chair and kicked his boots onto the table. "We're going to execute him publicly in three days!! We'll make an example of him! I can hardly wait!"
Luffy, sitting beside Yuji, blinked slowly. He tilted his head in confusion. "Three days? But you promised him!"
"Huh!?" Helmeppo's head swiveled, his eyebrow raised in contempt. "Promise!? Oh, that… that promise was a joke!" He shrugged. "He's just a stupid beast for believing it!" His high, grating laughter filled the tense room.
That laugh was the last straw. Luffy's hand, resting on his knee, clenched into a tight fist. He stood up slowly. The wooden floorboards creaked under his sandals as he walked toward Helmeppo. The blonde man's laughter died, replaced by a sneer. "You got a prob—"
The CRACK of Luffy's punch was sickeningly loud. Helmeppo's head snapped back, a spray of spit and blood flying through a sunbeam.
The restaurant froze. Everyone held their breath. Patrons shrank back in fear. The two Marine guards, stunned for a second, fumbled for their weapons and took a shaky step forward. A heavy hand landed on each of their shoulders, stopping them. They looked back, eyes wide, to find Yuji standing behind them, his face calm.
"Sorry about this," he said, almost politely. Then, with two quick chops to the back of their necks, he dropped them to the floor, unconscious.
Luffy looked up, his knuckles red. "Yuji, I've made up my mind! I'm going to ask Zoro to join my crew!"
Koby stood frozen, a silent scream on his face. Whispers spread through the crowd.
"H-He really did it!"
"He punched the captain's son! Captain Morgan will skin us all!"
Yuji heard them and clicked his tongue. "A scumbag is a scumbag… no matter who his father is."
On the floor, Helmeppo groaned, spitting out two teeth that clattered like dice. He looked up, his face twisted with shocked rage. "Y-You hit me!! No one ever hits me! Not even Daddy!" He scrambled backwards. "I'm Captain Morgan's son!! I'm telling my father about you!"
"Don't run crying to your papa! Face me!" Luffy shot back, as Koby desperately clung to his arm. "Luffy-san! Please, stop!"
Helmeppo stumbled toward the broken door, his threat fading as he retreated. "You'll die begging for mercy! YOU'RE A WALKING COR—"
Thwump.
He collapsed face-first, joining his men. Yuji stood over him, lowering his hand. The restaurant was so quiet they could hear distant seagulls.
"D-Did he kill him!?" someone squeaked.
"N-No, look, he's breathing! He's just knocked out!"
Koby fell to his knees, pulling at his hair. "Now you've really done it…"
But Rika broke the tension, darting forward with a bright smile. "Wow, big bro Luffy, mister Yuji… you two are so brave! I feel a lot better now!"
Luffy's angry look vanished. "Then I wish I'd hit him a few more times for you!"
Before the mood could lighten, a woman rushed from the kitchen, her face pale. "Rika!! Get over here!" She hugged the girl tightly, then stared at Luffy and Yuji in terror. "P-Please, leave. You've caused enough trouble! We don't want any more!"
"But, Mommy, they are good people. And big bro Zoro is good, too—" Rika pleaded.
Her mother's voice dropped to a horrified whisper. "WHAT!? You didn't go to the parade ground, did you!?"
Rika's eyes darted away. "Um… well… no-o-o…" She looked back at the trio, her face falling.
Luffy and Yuji shared a look. They just waved and turned for the door. Koby followed, apologizing over and over to the mother, the daughter, and everyone else.
Outside, the sun felt heavier.
"So… what now?" Yuji asked, falling into step beside Luffy, his tone relaxed.
"Hmmm…" Luffy stared at the stark shape of the naval base in the distance. "Let's go talk to Zoro."
Yuji just nodded.
NAVAL BASE---
The base courtyard was a bare, silent cage of dirt. Luffy and Yuji vaulted the wall easily, landing softly. Koby scrambled over behind them, panicked. They walked toward the crucified figure.
"Yo," Luffy greeted, raising a hand as if meeting a friend.
Yuji gave a solid nod.
Zoro's head lifted, his eyes sharp under his bandanna. "You again…" he muttered. His gaze swept over Yuji. "…And he's with you?"
"Yuji Itadori," Yuji said, pointing a thumb at Luffy. "This guy's first mate."
Zoro clicked his tongue. "So, are you just visiting, or are you still trying to recruit me? If so, my answer is still no!"
Luffy ignored the refusal. "Call me Luffy! I'll untie you if you join my crew, okay?"
Zoro gritted his teeth, the ropes digging into his wrists. "You don't listen!! I've got my own mission. I'm not becoming a pirate!"
"You think you're too good to be a pirate? A bounty hunter everyone calls a demon?" Luffy asked, tilting his head.
"I don't care what people think. I live by my own code," Zoro's voice was low and intense. "I've never done anything I regret. That's why I'll never be a pirate!"
"Sorry, but I've made up my mind! You're joining my crew!" Luffy declared. A visible vein throbbed on Zoro's temple.
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DECIDE!!" Zoro's roar echoed off the walls, making Koby jump. Luffy just smiled, making Yuji chuckle.
"Hey, you're a swordsman, right?" Yuji cut in.
Zoro's glare shifted. "Yeah. If I wasn't tied up, I'd show you."
"So where are your swords?" Luffy asked.
"They took them. The captain's idiot son…" Genuine pain flashed across Zoro's face. "Next to my life, those swords are my most precious treasures."
"Treasures, huh?" Luffy muttered. He snapped his fingers. "I know! I'll get your swords back!"
"Huh!?" Zoro stared, confused.
"Then, if you want them back, you'll have to join my crew!" Luffy grinned.
"YOU LITTLE—!"
Ignoring him, Luffy turned to Yuji. "Hey Yuji. Stay here and keep an eye on him. I'll be back soon."
Yuji gave a thumbs-up.
As Luffy bounded toward the marine tower, Zoro watched him go, then looked skeptically at Yuji. "You're just letting your captain walk into a marine base like that?"
"He can handle himself," Yuji said, leaning against the sun-warmed post.
A heavy silence fell, broken only by Koby's nervous shuffling. Then, from deep inside the base, came a tremendous CRASH, followed by the sound of splintering wood and shouts.
Zoro's eye twitched. 'What is that guy doing!?'
His curiosity got the better of him. He looked at Yuji, who was now talking quietly with the pink-haired kid. "So, what are you? What's your job as first mate?"
Yuji looked back, a little puzzled. "Well, I'm not sure yet."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Right now, it's just Luffy and me. So… yeah." Yuji shrugged.
Zoro's mouth fell open. 'What!?' He looked to Koby, who just nodded solemnly in confirmation.
"Hmph… well, it doesn't matter to me!" Zoro grumbled, looking away.
"Oh, I think it does," Yuji replied, his tone shifting.
"Huh?" Zoro looked back, confused.
Koby stepped forward then, his voice low and urgent. He explained everything: the restaurant, Helmeppo's gloating, the broken promise.
As the words sank in, Zoro's eyes widened, then hardened. A low growl rumbled in his chest. "THAT BASTARD…" The scream tore from him, raw with fury. He strained against the ropes, the wooden beam groaning. "Hey, if that's true, untie me now!! I can't die here like this—!"
The thunder of marching boots cut him off. Squads of Marines flooded the courtyard, rifles aimed at the trio. "STAY WHERE YOU ARE! CAPTAIN MORGAN HAS ORDERED YOUR EXECUTION!"
Then Morgan himself stomped forward. "SURROUND THE FORTRESS! DON'T LET THE ONE IN THE STRAWHAT ESCAPE!" He glared at Zoro. "Roronoa Zoro! Peasants may fear you… but you're no match for me! You may be a barracuda… but I'm a great white shark!" he bellowed. "TAKE AIM!"
The sound of dozens of rifle hammers clicking back filled the air. Zoro's mind raced. 'I can't die yet! I still have a promise to keep…' Beside him, Koby whimpered, sinking down.
Yuji stepped forward, placing himself between the firing line and the two behind him. His hands stayed at his sides.
Morgan sneered. "You want to die first? FIRE!"
The volley was deafening.
What happened next was a blur. Yuji's arms moved impossibly fast. His hands snatched through the air—left, right, left again. The sound changed from gunfire to a rapid ping-ping-ping as something rained down at his feet.
Silence fell, thicker than the gun smoke.
Yuji opened his palms and let the last few bullets trickle out. They clicked harmlessly on the cobblestones among two dozen others.
Every Marine stared, stunned. A rifle clattered to the ground.
"WHAT!?"
'H-How… did he do that!?' Zoro's mind reeled.
Morgan's face went from shock to rage to a desperate guess. "I get it…" he breathed, pointing a shaky finger. "You… you must have eaten a Devil Fruit! A speed-enhancing one!"
Yuji looked at him, an amused glint in his eyes. "Well, whatever helps you sleep at night…"
FWOOM-CRASH!
A shadow blotted the sun. Luffy landed in a crouch between Yuji and the Marines, dust billowing around him. As it cleared, he stood up, grinning, with three familiar swords slung over his shoulder.
"Shishishishi… looks like I made it in time!"
"D-Did he just jump from the tower!?" a Marine choked out.
"I-Is he a Devil Fruit user, too!?"
Morgan's face turned purple with rage. "Criminals! All of them!" He turned on his men. "What are you waiting for?! If bullets don't work, use your swords! KILL THEM!"
Trembling, the Marines dropped their rifles and drew their cutlasses.
Luffy didn't look back. "You can handle them, right?"
Yuji cracked his neck, then his knuckles. A fierce, focused grin spread across his face. "Yeah. Just go free Zoro."
"Okay," Luffy replied, his own grin widening.
As Luffy turned, Yuji took a single, deep breath. His relaxed posture vanished, replaced by a poised, ready stance. He pointed at the advancing Marines, his voice a clear challenge.
"Let's get this over with…"
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