Chapter 22 – Is Zoro Dead?
"Oh? Really? Let's head there right away!" Lily exclaimed with excitement when she heard she was getting a new crewmate.
…
…
Outside the Marine Base's Grounds
Lily grabbed the edge of a wall and peered over. At the center of the training grounds was a woman who was tied to a large wooden cross.
She was wearing a green bandana, a plain white T-shirt, and a glasses in her eyes. She was Kuina, Zoro's childhood friend.
"There she is!" Lily said with a big grin.
I had also climbed the wall and spotted Kuina immediately.
In the anime One Piece, Kuina was Roronoa Zoro's childhood friend, rival, and daughter of swordsman Koshiro. She was a skilled young swordsman who dreamed of becoming the world's strongest swordwomen, but she died in a fatal accident of falling down stairs.
She later became a major motivator for Zoro's ambition to become the world's greatest swordsman.
But now she was alive in this world.
'Oh… Kuina instead of Zoro? Is Zoro dead from falling off the stairs?? '
I was surprised that she was alive, but more than that, I was surprised how sexy she was. She had a perfect body with dark hair, domineering eyes, big boobs, and a bouncy-looking ass. In body proportion she was as good as the Yamato from Wono.
Kuina was in rough shape. Her clothes were filthy, her body was covered in dirt, and clear signs of whipping marred her frame. It was obvious she had endured torture.
Pointing at Kuina, Lily declared, "Let's set her free right now!"
Before I could say anything, a little girl climbed over the opposite side of the wall. Once inside the school grounds, she ran toward Kuina, clutching two rice balls in her hands.
Kuina, despite her gruff exterior, immediately refused the food. She wasn't rejecting the girl out of arrogance or cruelty, but out of concern. She feared that if she accepted her kindness, it might bring danger to her and her family.
To protect her, Kuina tried to scare her away with a roar. But the little girl wasn't frightened at all. She looked up at her with unwavering determination, fully convinced that the woman in front of her was a good person.
'Why is acting like Zoro? Is she Kuina or female version of Zoro?'
The truth was, the reason Kuina was tied up here in the first place was because of this very same little girl.
The girl's family owned a small restaurant. One day, Helmeppo, the son of Captain Morgan, was strolling through town with his dog.
The dog wasn't leashed, which was a disaster waiting to happen. But because of Helmeppo's status, no one dared to complain, even when the dog caused trouble. Most just muttered their frustrations in private.
The dog barged into the little girl's family restaurant and nearly attacked her. In that moment, Kuina stepped in, beating both the dog and Helmeppo to protect the girl.
Helmeppo, knowing he was no match for Kuina in a fight, retaliated by threatening the lives of the little girl and her mother.
Because Kuina was a pretty girl, he demanded that she have sex with him and threatened that if she didn't, his father would destroy that pub and kill the person who owned it.
But Kuina beat him and kicked him out of the pub. He went to Marine and used his father and connection to take revenge. He told Kuina that if she didn't obey, then he would label the mother and daughter as pirates and put a bounty on them.
He then promised to let them live, but only if Kuina agreed to be tied up for a month without food or water.
Naively underestimating how cruel people could be, Kuina accepted the deal without hesitation. And so, she ended up bound in the marine grounds.
As the little girl continued to plead with Kuina to eat the rice balls, the iron gate to the school grounds creaked open. Helmeppo swaggered in, flanked by a group of Marines.
Helmeppo wore a flashy suit, his greasy, slicked-back hair parting down the middle. His arrogant demeanor practically begged for a punch.
Spotting the little girl and her rice balls, Helmeppo smirked with malice. "Kuina, bullying a little girl now? How disgraceful."
Without waiting for a response, he reached out to snatch the rice balls from the girl's hands, clearly intending to eat them himself.
But before his hand could touch them, a sudden gust of wind sent Helmeppo flying backward.
Immediately, Lily and I appeared behind the little girl. And it was I who had acted.
After Helmeppo was sent flying, he scrambled to his feet, pointing at me and Lily with a mix of fury and disbelief. "You fools, what are you standing around for? Take them down!" he barked at the nearby Marine soldiers.
Reluctantly, the soldiers reached for the rifles slung over their shoulders, aiming them at me and Lily. But I was not afraid, as I had just increased my attribute stats and was confident that I could handle these ordinary marines.
Meanwhile...
Lily stood with the little girl, who had just finished explaining why Kuina was tied up. Lily, on the other hand, burst into laughter after hearing the tale.
"Kuina! Come join my crew and become a pirate with me!"
Kuina sneered at the offer, her voice dripping with disdain. "You want me to join you? To plunder, loot, and become scum like the rest of the pirates? Keep dreaming!"
As a pirate hunter, Kuina's disdain for pirates was deeply rooted. She had initially taken up bounty hunting to earn money for food, but over time, she realized just how lawless and vile pirates could be. Eliminating them didn't trouble her conscience in the slightest.
At that moment, I returned, having tied up Helmeppo after defeating marine soldiers. There were no challenges. I walked over to Kuina to convince her to join. I could not let this sexy girl go.
Understanding Kuina's hesitation, I added, "You've already offended the Marines. Now your only choice is to defeat Axe-Hand Morgan if you want to save this little girl. But after that, you'll automatically become a pirate. So it's best if you join us. We're good people, unlike most pirates."
At that, a smirk appeared on Kuina's face. "Fine. I'll join you… but on one condition. I have my own ambition—I'm going to become the world's greatest swordswoman. If you ever get in the way of that, I'll cut you down myself."
Lily burst into laughter, thrilled by Kuina's resolve. "Sounds good to me!" she said, completely unbothered by the threat.
I stepped forward and removed the ropes that bound Kuina.
Just as she was freed, the gate to the school grounds creaked open again. Captain Morgan, the commanding officer of the base, entered with dozens of Marine soldiers behind him.
"Who dares to run wild on my territory?!"
Morgan was an intimidating figure, his iron jaw glinting under the sunlight and a massive axe taking the place of his right hand—a feature that earned him the nickname Axe-Hand Morgan. To the people, he was a tyrant, a nightmare looming over all of Shells Town.
"Hmph! Freeing a criminal? That's punishable by death!"
Morgan stepped back and motioned for his soldiers to advance. "Shoot them! Shoot them all!" he barked.
"Haha… I'm really becoming a pirate with bounty," I muttered.
Before the Marines could fire, a storm of bullets flew through the air—only to bounce off Lily's rubber body and ricochet back toward the soldiers.
"It's useless! It's useless!" Lily shouted with a grin before sweeping through the group with a powerful Gum-Gum Whip.
Morgan's eyes widened as his men collapsed. "How did she do that?!"
"Everyone, forget the guns! Use blades and cut them down!"
But I was already moving. With my increased strength, I tore through the Marines with ease. A single strike sent a Marine soldier flying across the courtyard.
In moments, the combined efforts of Lily and me left the area filled with unconscious soldiers. Only Morgan remained on his feet, while his son Helmeppo—still tied up—mumbled helplessly behind him.
"Morgan, you're dead!" I shouted.
"Kill me?!" Morgan sneered. "You're not qualified—"
Before he could finish, Lily attacked with a Gomu Gomu no Bazooka, slamming Morgan into the ground with overwhelming force.