The First Crewmate!

Roronoa Zoro looked back at Daddy, his expression one of pure disbelief; he hadn't been able to scratch the man's defense at all!

"It seems your blade isn't up to the task! Take this Yubashiri. You may use your strongest technique."

"If you can break my defense, you can take Yubashiri and the spoils of this pirate ship and leave. If you can't, Yubashiri remains yours, but you will set sail with me!"

Daddy pulled the Skillful Grade Sword: Yubashiri directly from its sheath and tossed it to Zoro before speaking.

"Hey! What are you babbling about! Big Brother Zoro won't lose! Big Brother Zoro is the strongest! Your turtle shell is definitely going to be smashed to pieces by Big Brother Zoro!"

Yosaku and Johnny, his two underlings, immediately began shouting and cheering from the sidelines to encourage Zoro.

Meanwhile, the pirates of the Tulip Pirates were trembling as they huddled around their severely wounded Captain Rika, waiting for the duel between these two powerhouses to conclude.

It wasn't that they didn't want to run; it was just that the gazes of Daddy and Zoro were too terrifying. Every time they thought about moving, they were enveloped by such intense killing intent that they didn't dare to budge.

Captain Rika's only hope now was for these two bastards to leave each other mortally wounded so he could launch a surprise counterattack; otherwise, he was truly finished.

"Even if you aren't a swordsman, I will keep my word! Let's see if my blade is sharper than your shield is hard!"

Zoro wasn't a man of many thoughts; he simply picked up the Skillful Grade Sword: Yubashiri, drew it, and tossed his broken blade aside.

"This is my strongest technique!"

"Nine mountains and eight seas, there is nothing I cannot cut. Three."

Three-Sword Style Secret Technique: Three Thousand Worlds!

The two swords in Zoro's hands spun at high speed like a windmill, generating fierce gales in the surrounding area. After his chant, he vanished from his spot in an instant. Before even a shadow could be seen, he had already struck Daddy's barrier shield.

When Zoro reappeared, he was panting slightly. The ordinary sword in his left hand had shattered into a dozen pieces. He stared at Daddy's transparent shield in disbelief, his eyes filled with frustration.

His strongest technique hadn't even left a single mark on the man's shield, which left him feeling incredibly bitter!

"I lost!"

Zoro took the Wado Ichimonji from his mouth and sheathed it. He sat down on the ground, feeling somewhat defeated, and began to doubt his own strength for the first time.

If he couldn't even break through a shield like this, was he truly qualified to challenge the World's Greatest Swordsman?

"Big Brother Zoro!!"

Yosaku and Johnny immediately ran to Zoro's side, glaring at that bastard Daddy. It was just a turtle shell—what was there to be so arrogant about!

"Roronoa Zoro, don't forget that girl's dream! Our path to the top has only just begun!"

Daddy walked over to Zoro, extended his hand, and spoke with earnest solemnity.

Zoro looked up at this guy. How did he know about Kuina? He really was a mysterious fellow!

"Fine, I'll stay on your ship for now! Once I cut through your pathetic barrier, I'm leaving! I don't acknowledge a captain weaker than me!"

Zoro placed a hand on Daddy's, allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, and looked at Daddy with a serious expression.

"Haha! Zoro, you lost the bet, yet you still get a Skillful Grade Sword: Yubashiri, and from now on I have to provide your food and lodging. You really should have a conscience!"

Daddy laughed heartily. He had finally secured his first crewmate. As for the protagonist Luffy? What did that have to do with Daddy?

A guy with such a massive background, backed by the Hero of the Marines and the leader of the Revolutionary Army, had destiny favoring him—did he really need someone like Daddy to worry about him?

"..."

Zoro's forehead was covered in black lines, but he gripped the Skillful Grade Sword: Yubashiri tightly. It seemed he hadn't lost out; he'd have a human compass who could actually find his way, and the guy even had a decent-looking sailboat!

"Big Brother Zoro! Are you really going to team up with him? Can you take us along too!"

Yosaku and Johnny immediately shouted. Sticking with a powerful big shot was the only truth!

"Ask him! He's the captain of that ship!"

In truth, Zoro wasn't particularly close to Yosaku and Johnny; he just considered them casual acquaintances he'd teamed up with to hunt pirates.

"Um..., Captain Daddy, look..., could you take us along too?"

Yosaku and Johnny suddenly asked Daddy with bashful hesitation, especially since they had just been insulting him moments ago.

"Your strength is too weak. You won't survive the Grand Line. Besides, to get stronger, Zoro and I might even end up fighting the Marines. We'll likely become wanted criminals. Do you dare to become pirates?"

Daddy said indifferently. He truly didn't think much of these two; they were just fishermen who moonlighted as bounty hunters to make a little extra cash.

While they were loyal, their lack of strength was an undeniable fact. Going to the Grand Line would just be serving themselves up on a platter!

"Are you really going to the Grand Line, the graveyard of pirates? Do you know how dangerous it is there? Have you heard of the Shichibukai?"

Yosaku and Johnny shouted. They were indeed terrified of the Grand Line because it was home to too many powerful pirates, and as two small-time losers who couldn't even beat pirates with a few million berries on their heads, they didn't dare go to the 'graveyard of pirates'!

"Nonsense! Of course we're going! And my knowledge of the Grand Line is far greater than yours!"

"Alright, let's take down this pirate crew and claim the bounty. You two can have this pirate ship!"

Daddy jumped up and tore down the Tulip Pirates' flag, keeping it as his own trophy.

Captain Rika saw that the bounty hunters and this stranger hadn't ended up destroying each other, but he didn't want to just surrender like this.

"Fight! Kill them!"

Captain Rika clutched his wound and screamed, but the pirate underlings didn't listen to their captain. Some immediately jumped into the sea to escape, while others knelt and begged for mercy.

Most of them did not have bounties on their heads; even if they were captured, they would at most be imprisoned for a few years. There was no need to risk their lives against these two gods of death, nor was there any reason to remain loyal to their captain!

"It's too late to act now!"

Daddy charged straight at them, plunging Sandai Kitetsu into Captain Rika's chest. Since the bounties for these small-time pirates were valid dead or alive, he would get the reward money regardless!

Zoro also wielded his new blade, Yubashiri, cutting down the underlings until they lay on the ground, while Yosaku and Johnny scrambled to tie the pirates up.

Once the pirates who had jumped into the sea were dragged back and captured, Daddy, Zoro, and the other two used the Tulip Pirates' food reserves to host a small banquet right there on the spot.

At the pleading of Yosaku and Johnny, Daddy agreed to let these two rookies tag along within the East Blue for a while, allowing them to help out with chores, odd jobs, and sailing duties.

Afterward, Yosaku and Johnny took the Tulip Pirates' crew to the nearest Marine branch to exchange them for the bounty money, taking the opportunity to sell off the pirate ship as well.