Cassandra crossed her arms, staring at the grinning young man in front of her. Luffy's carefree smile was as infectious as ever, but she wasn't about to just accept his invitation so easily.
"I'm not interested and if you are looking for Zoro, I killed him in a duel to claim his sword," she said flatly, stroking the hilt of Wado Ichimonji watching his reaction closely.
Luffy didn't waver for even a second. "Sure you are!" he declared, laughing. "You wouldn't be here if you weren't looking for something fun to do and if you killed Zoro, that just means you must be stronger!"
Cassandra narrowed her eyes. "I have my own goals. I don't just follow someone because they ask."
Luffy tilted his head. "What's your goal?"
Cassandra's grip tightened on Shigure's hilt as she thought about how to phrase it. "I want to collect all named swords in the world and become the strongest swordswoman alive. Not just strong I want my name to be known by every swordsman who matters."
Luffy's grin widened. "Sounds awesome!"
Cassandra arched a brow. "What about you? Why should I follow you?"
"Because I'm going to be the Pirate King!" Luffy shouted without hesitation, his eyes full of unwavering determination.
Cassandra found herself smirking. "That's a big claim."
"Yup!" Luffy grinned. "But I'm gonna do it. No matter what."
She studied him carefully. That kind of confidence wasn't fake, it was pure, honest belief. Cassandra had watched the show, had seen how Luffy inspired others with his conviction. Now, standing in front of him, she felt it firsthand. It was different from what she expected. It was real. Luffy had a pull, that she couldn't describe.
"Fine, but one more thing." She stepped forward. "I don't fight like a goody two shoes. I kill my enemies."
Luffy's smile faded slightly, but he didn't look surprised. "I don't really kill people, but I don't have a problem with you doing it, as long as you don't hurt good people."
Cassandra let out a small chuckle. "Fair enough."
She wanted to join the crew, but didn't want to make it to easy for Luffy. Yet she was astonished how convincing his aura and smile was.
Before she could say anything else, shouting erupted from nearby. The Marines had finally gathered themselves after Cassandras little stunt and now standing at the front of them was their leader Captain Morgan.
"You damned pirates think you can just do whatever you please?" Morgan bellowed, brandishing his massive axe-hand. "This is my town! My rule is absolute!"
Cassandra placed a hand on her sword, a smirk curling on her lips. "Oh, this guy's delusional."
Luffy cracked his knuckles. "He's loud."
Morgan pointed at them. "Men! Kill them both!"
The Marines hesitated. Some clearly wanted to follow orders, but others looked uneasy. All of them could imagine what happened here with Helmeppo and his dead wolf. They wanted to do the right thing, but they were afraid of what Morgan would do. So they had no choice. The ones most contempt with the tyrannical Morgan stepped forward first, charging at Cassandra and Luffy with drawn swords.
Cassandra moved in an instant, her blade flashing as she sliced through their weapons like butter. She didn't kill them, not yet, but she left deep gashes in their arms and legs, making sure they wouldn't be standing anytime soon.
Luffy, meanwhile, stretched his arms out and sent a powerful punch straight into a group of Marines, sending them flying.
Morgan snarled, watching his men fall so easily. "Weaklings! If you can't handle this, I'll do it myself!" He lunged forward, his massive axe swinging straight at Cassandra.
She sidestepped at the last second, feeling the wind rush past her as the axe cleaved through the air. "Not bad," she admitted. "For an amateur."
Morgan turned, bringing his axe around for another strike, but this time, Cassandra didn't dodge. Instead, she caught the blade with her own sword, holding him in place. His eyes widened in shock.
"You're… strong." He gritted his teeth, pushing against her.
She smirked. "I know." With a flick of her wrist, she twisted his axe away, opening his defense.
Before Morgan could recover, Luffy stepped in, his fist already pulled back. "Gum-Gum Pistol!"
His fist slammed into Morgan's face, breaking his iron jaw and sending the massive man crashing into a wall with a loud thud. The Marines froze, staring at their fallen leader.
One of them swallowed hard. "Captain Morgan is… unconscious?"
Another looked around hesitantly. "So… does that mean we don't have to listen to him anymore?"
The rest of the Marines exchanged looks before, one by one, they started cheering.
"We're free!"
"Lock that bastard up!"
The Marines swarmed Morgan's unconscious form, quickly restraining him. Cassandra chuckled at the sudden turn of events. "That was easy."
Luffy was a little startled by the marines sudden change of attitude, but than he grinned. "Yeah, it was!"
Meanwhile, Koby stood to the side, watching everything unfold. He took a deep breath, then turned to Cassandra and Luffy. "I'm going to become a Marine!"
Cassandra tilted her head. "You sure about that?"
Koby nodded. "I want to help people, and not all Marines are like Morgan."
Luffy gave him a thumbs-up. "Sounds good to me!"
Cassandra smirked. "Well, good luck, kid."
Than she kicked him away. He also fell unconcious. Luffy looked at Cassandra confused and a bit furious.
"They will never let him become a Marine, if he is friendly to pirates." Luffy thought for a moment and started his usual laughing and nodded in agreement.
With Morgan taken care of, the Marines allowed them to leave without trouble. Cassandra turned to Luffy as they stood near the docks.
"You're different from what I expected," she admitted. "But you're strong, and I respect that."
Luffy beamed. "So you're joining?"
Cassandra sighed, but there was amusement in her tone. "Yeah. I think I will … captain."
She had always liked the Straw Hats in the show, but now being here she realized, that this world was even more thrilling than she had imagined. She had no idea what the future held, but one thing was certain, this was going to be one hell of an adventure.
With that, they boarded Cassandra's small boat and set sail toward their next destination.