What Kind of Monster Are You?

Though his tone was no longer cold and harsh, it still carried a hint of impatience.

"Big brother, you must be starving, right? I brought you some rice balls." The little girl tilted up her face, revealing an especially pure smile. She clutched a bundle of rice balls carefully wrapped in cloth tightly to her chest.

"This is my first time making rice balls, but I put lots of love into them!"

"Brat, are you looking to die? Get lost!" Zoro refused without hesitation. Though he had gone twenty days without food or water, the sight of food did nothing to soften his expression.

His harsh rebuke was actually meant to protect her, so the Marines would not give her trouble.

"Even if you didn't want to drag her into this, you didn't have to use such harsh words to drive her away."

A calm male voice rang out leisurely.

"Who are you? I've already said it—you people are really annoying." Zoro's gaze darkened as he watched Rayson drift down from the wall, and he snorted coldly.

"This is the child's heartfelt offering. A child's sincerity can sometimes be more precious than gold." Rayson stepped forward and gently stroked the little girl's hair. Seeing how hurt and aggrieved she looked because Zoro refused to eat, he softly comforted her.

Rayson had no intention of letting this kind girl's goodwill be trampled into the mud by trash like Helmeppo.

"Shishishi! Well said, Rayson!" Luffy shouted in approval, then jumped down from the wall as well and stood beside Rayson.

He had wanted to observe Zoro a little longer. After all, Luffy's standards for choosing companions were not limited to combat strength. But since his right-hand man had decided to step in, Luffy naturally would not just stand by and watch.

Luffy had always given unconditional support to the decisions of his own people.

"You're Zoro, right?" Luffy grinned as he looked over the bound swordsman.

"Yeah? And what are you two supposed to be?" Zoro asked calmly. After hearing Rayson's earlier words, the icy mask on his face had melted somewhat, though his tone was still far from friendly.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The man who'll become the King of the Pirates!" Luffy proudly slapped his chest and introduced himself with a laugh.

"Rayson. Luffy's right-hand man." Rayson nodded, a faint smile playing on his face.

"King of the Pirates? Are you an idiot?" Zoro raised a brow and glanced sideways at Luffy without expression.

"But Rayson, what did you mean just now? Why did you say Zoro didn't want to drag this little girl into it?" Luffy turned and asked curiously.

"It's simple. Look at how the townspeople react in fear whenever they mention the Marine captain, and it's obvious the officers here are no good. And the name of pirate hunter Zoro now echoes throughout the East Blue. With his reputation, how could he possibly be trapped by nothing more than a wooden post unless he agreed to it himself?" Rayson analyzed unhurriedly.

Though he could not directly reveal that he was a transmigrator, drawing a logical conclusion from the situation before him was effortless.

Rayson then crouched down and looked at the little girl.

"But could you tell us exactly what happened? Since you risked coming here to bring him food, this must have something to do with you, right?" Rayson asked gently.

"Big brother, my name is Rika." The girl quietly introduced herself with polite manners, then told them everything in detail.

It turned out that Helmeppo, the son of Morgan, the captain of the local Marine branch, often strutted through the streets with a vicious dog in tow.

That day, the dog had charged into the tavern where Rika and her mother made their living, driving away customers and wrecking the place. Rika bravely stepped forward to stop it, angering Helmeppo.

At the crucial moment, Zoro stepped in and swiftly took care of Helmeppo and the vicious dog.

To settle the matter, Zoro had made an agreement with Helmeppo: he would willingly remain tied up at the base for a month without food or water. If he endured it, Helmeppo would spare Rika and everyone else.

And today happened to be the twentieth day.

"Wow, you're incredible! If I went three days without eating, I'd definitely starve to death!" Luffy cried out. After hearing the story, he had already decided that Zoro was the companion he had been looking for.

"My willpower isn't something a guy like you can compare to. I'll definitely survive." Zoro looked proud and fierce.

"You really are a tough one. It'd be such a waste for you to die in a place like this." Rayson spoke approvingly.

When it came to willpower, Zoro was unquestionably among the very best in the entire story. In the future, he would endure all the pain Tyrant Kuma used the Paw-Paw Fruit to extract from Luffy's body—a monstrous agony that could make someone feel as though they were being cut into a thousand pieces, bleeding without end.

Yet when Sanji questioned him, he would stand there proudly, covered in blood, and merely say, "Nothing... happened."

"Die here? What nonsense are you talking about? I only have ten days left before I fulfill the agreement. I'll definitely make it through." Thinking Rayson was doubting his limits, Zoro immediately retorted coldly.

"I'm not questioning your ability to survive. I'm questioning how you could naively believe that trash who throws his weight around would keep his promise." Rayson replied calmly.

"Hahahaha! He's right!"

Just then, an exceptionally grating laugh rang out in the courtyard.

A luxuriously dressed young man with an arrogant expression swaggered over, followed by two armed Marines.

"Helmeppo..." Zoro's pupils contracted slightly. The moment he recognized the newcomer, his gaze turned even colder.

"I was originally planning to tell you tomorrow, right before your execution. But since someone has already made it clear for me, it doesn't matter if I send you on your way today." Helmeppo laughed wildly with mockery written all over his face, gloating at the bound Zoro.

"You bastard..." The veins at Zoro's temples bulged as he forced out the words through clenched teeth.

"Hahahaha! The famous pirate hunter is actually going to die by my hand! The name Helmeppo will soon spread across the seas! Hahahaha!" Helmeppo put his hands on his hips, completely carried away with himself.

Whoosh! Bang!

Just as Helmeppo was laughing so hard he bent over backward, a suddenly lengthened fist tore through the air with a piercing whistle and slammed solidly into his smug face, sending his entire body flying.

"What a scumbag." Luffy withdrew his long rubber arm with a cold expression and spat.

"Y-you... what kind of monster are you?!" Witnessing something so far beyond the realm of humanity, Zoro stared in shock, his mouth hanging open.

"Luffy is a rubber man who ate the Gum-Gum Fruit." Rayson smiled, looking perfectly calm.