Hunter Zoro Recruiting

"Hahaha, those people in that shop were really funny."

Without any malice, the sight of those customers fleeing in panic was simply 'funny' to Luffy.

"...Something's off..."

But Koby didn't have Luffy's 'strongman' mindset. He glanced around nervously, analyzing the situation at lightning speed.

"People being scared when they hear Zoro's name makes sense, but why are they also scared of Captain Morgan—?"

"Simple,"

Roman on the other side gave the answer directly.

"It means that compared to that so-called 'Pirate Hunter,' the colonel at the Marine base is what truly terrifies people."

"No... that can't be..."

Heh.

Facing Koby, who clung to his 'Marine dream,' Roman just tilted his chin toward the distance.

"Is it or isn't it? Why don't you go see for yourself?"

At the end of the road stood an imposing Marine base. Towering walls, dense rows of cannons, and a fluttering Marine flag...

Everything about it gave off a feeling of 'strength and power'! Only:

"As expected of a military stronghold. There's not even a building nearby, let alone any pedestrians."

Roman remarked casually, whether sincere or sarcastic unclear. As the three arrived before the tightly shut base gate:

"Go on, Koby."

Luffy pressed down on his straw hat and pointed at the Marine base ahead.

"I... I..."

"I'm gonna go see what kind of guy this Zoro is~"

Ignoring the hesitant Koby, Luffy leaped up and clung to the wall, peering into the vast central plaza of the Marine base.

"Huh? Is that the guy—"

In the center of the Marine plaza, a man was tied to a cross-shaped wooden frame!

He wore a dark green headband, with short green hair peeking out from under it. Three drop-shaped gold earrings dangled from his left ear. He had on a white T-shirt, a green belly wrap around his waist, dark green trousers, and black boots.

But what drew the eye most was his gaze!

Sharp as a blade, wild as a beast! Just meeting his eyes gave the illusion of being 'torn and sliced open.'

Strong.

Roman, who had created a 'ladder' of paper beneath his feet, narrowed his eyes. This guy's strength was about on par with his 'former' captain, the one who had sunk into the sea along with the Wave Rider!

Still, Zoro at this stage probably hadn't mastered 'Iron Cutting' yet...

Physically, Zoro likely had the advantage, but in swordsmanship, he still fell short of that captain who could unleash the 'Iron Cutting' ability.

It had been years since he'd watched the anime, plus he'd been transmigrated for quite a while. Honestly, aside from the main 'Four Emperors,' 'Shichibukai,' and the protagonist crew, Roman's memories of One Piece had long since grown hazy.

"Hey, you."

The man tied to the stake lifted his head. Even trapped in captivity, not a shred of his sharpness was dulled.

"Come over here. Untie me."

"I'll repay you—I can give you all the bounty money from future captured wanted pirates..."

"Interesting,"

Roman crossed his arms and tilted his head to look at Luffy, still perched on the wall.

"Luffy, what do you think?"

"That rope looks pretty easy to break..."

"Hey, Luffy, you're focusing on the wrong thing!" Koby interrupted anxiously, terrified that these two 'lawless' idiots would impulsively decide to free the 'criminal' in the plaza.

"If you let him go, the people in this town, and you and me, we'll all be killed—"

"No, he can't kill me."

Luffy, who had been acting clueless the whole time, flashed a confident grin. "I'm pretty strong too."

Slap.

Just as the three were 'watching the show,' a ladder was set up beside them. A little girl shot them a fierce glare, 'warning' them to keep quiet, then agilely climbed over the wall and jumped into the Marine base.

"Big Brother, I made you some rice balls..."

"Are you asking for death, brat? Get lost!"

"This is my first time making them..."

"Can't you hear me? I said get lost—"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Bullying a little girl isn't right, Roronoa Zoro."

With a frivolous voice ringing out, a guy who might as well have had 'Second Generation Rich' written on his face waddled out of the Marine base like a duck, followed by two Marine soldiers.

"Careful, or I'll tell my dad."

"Tch, a waste of space who only relies on his old man..."

"What's this, rice balls to reward the Marines?" The Second Generation Rich snatched the little girl's rice ball and took a bite, then:

"Ptooey, ptooey, what's inside this rice ball? Sugar?—What kind of crappy cooking is this..."

"Careful, or I'll tell my dad!"

After throwing the rice ball to the ground and stomping all over it, the Second Generation Rich ordered the little girl thrown out. Then he stormed off in a huff, not even sparing a comment for the three 'spectators' on the wall, making Roman silently wonder if this guy was also a StarCraft player...

He remembered this guy later reformed, didn't he? And he even wore an eyepatch.

Probably really blind...

"Thank you, Big Brother."

"It's nothing," Roman waved a hand and patted the little girl he'd caught after she was tossed over the wall. "Go on home now. It's dangerous here."

The Marine base is dangerous...

Beside him, Koby opened his mouth as if to speak, then stopped in his tracks, torn between advancing and retreating, at a loss...

"Hey, you're still here, huh... Aren't you afraid that Second Generation Rich will tell his dad?"

Meanwhile, Luffy had already jumped into the Marine base and stood before the man tied to the stake.

"Not afraid."

To a single-minded guy like Luffy, what Captain Morgan, what Marine base... Could you eat them?

"I'm looking for someone to be my crewmate and go to sea as a pirate."

A pirate? What a degenerate...

"Hey, help me pick up that rice ball—"

"You're not gonna eat that, are you? It's all muddy..."

Facing Luffy's disgust, the man named Zoro just opened his mouth.

"Shut up!"

"Give it to me—!"

Crunch, crunch, swallow.

"Pass a message to that little girl for me," the man with the headband lowered his head. "The rice ball was delicious. Thank you."

"Hey, your captain's already gone."

Same square, same man tied to the stake.

But this time, Roman stood before him instead.

"What are you still doing here, pirate!"

"Hmm, I'm thinking."

Roman rubbed his smooth chin, lost in thought.

"How many days have you been tied up here?"

"Nine days. What about it—"

"You,"

Roman's gaze dropped to Zoro's lower region, making the man extremely uncomfortable.

"You're not full of piss and shit in your pants by now, are you...?"

???

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!"

"Don't get worked up, don't get worked up.—If you can't hold it in all of a sudden, don't blame me."

Roman waved a hand.

"Alright, let's get to business."

"I think you're exactly Luffy's type, so, he'll definitely come back to drag you onto his ship soon. So:"

Roman waved his hand, conjuring a paper 'chair' on the spot and sitting down.

"I'll just wait here for a bit."

"Hello there."

Sure enough, it wasn't long before Luffy came back, making Zoro, tied to the stake, flicker his gaze.

"If you're trying to persuade me to become a pirate—" "I'll untie your ropes, and you become my crewmate."

"Listen when someone's talking..."

"I don't care, I've already decided you're gonna be my partner."

"Don't go making decisions for me!!"

"Oh yeah, I heard you're a really strong swordsman. Where's your sword?"

Luffy changed the subject in a second, leaving Zoro, still tied up, a bit slow to react.

"It was taken. That thing's second only to my life—"

"Great,"

Luffy clapped his fist into his palm, looking like he'd just had another bright idea.

"I'll go get your sword back, and you'll be my partner!"

"You... you're despicable!"

But Luffy just left behind a "Stay here and don't move, I'll be right back," before dashing off toward the Marine base in a flash.

"This... this guy's an idiot..."

"Hahahaha~~"

Roman, who'd been watching the whole show from the side, stood up with a laugh. He waved his hand, and the "chair" on the ground broke apart into sheets of paper that fell into his palm, then turned into a sailor's knife.

"So, you've seen how stubborn that guy is, huh?"

Roman twirled the paper knife in his hand. "Don't bother thinking about it. Anyone Luffy sets his sights on ends up having no choice but to board his ship."

"Are you two human traffickers?"

"And what's there to be proud of—"

Facing the furious Zoro, Roman just shrugged, barely holding back a laugh.

"No, I'm just happy to see someone else end up in the same 'predicament' as me~~~"

"That's all."