Chapter 1: Transmigrating to the Pirate King World"Alright, today is the last day before summer vacation. Have you all remembered the homework I assigned? In any case, have a great time, but remember that next semester you will be seniors..."Even on the last day before the break, the teacher kept on nagging endlessly from the podium. Alex, sitting in the front row, couldn't hear a word of what the other person was saying.After all, his thoughts had already drifted to the computer at home."Alex, Alex, Alex!"It took three consecutive calls to wake Alex up, and then Alex stiffly turned his head to look at the teacher."Did you remember what I said..."Alex nodded blankly.Seeing him like this, the teacher knew he hadn't listened: "Sigh, alright, I wish you all a happy summer vacation. School's out, but Alex, stay behind."The other students said goodbye to the teacher and left the classroom happily. A few who were close to Alex nodded at him, signaling their condolences.By noon, Alex left the school with his backpack.He should have gone back in the morning, but the teacher had dragged him back to the office to nag him for quite a while.The general gist was that Alex, you're not young anymore, it's time to settle down, not to mention that you're an orphan; if you don't study, you won't have a backer to support your squandering, and so on.Returning home, Alex threw down his backpack. He had long forgotten what the teacher said, as today was the finale of Hokage that he had been waiting for so long.Closing the manga, the word "Finished" caught his eyes, and then he began to sigh; another manga had been read to the end.He then started to think about what manga to read next.At this moment, he opened his computer, logged into the forum, and started looking for manga recommendations.While browsing the posts, he saw one where the thread starter asked if Hokage was stronger or if Pirate King was stronger.Seeing this, Alex didn't know what Pirate King was, but if it could be compared to Hokage, it must be a pretty good manga, so he decided to take a look at this manga called Pirate King.Of course, regarding this question, he chose Hokagewithout hesitation.Just as Alex was leaving his home to go to the bookstore to buy the manga, he didn't notice that the computer screen had turned black, and an invisible wave swept across his room.After Alex bought the first volume of the Pirate Kingmanga, he resisted the urge to read it and returned to his room.As soon as he entered, he saw a black hole appear before him, and the next second he was sucked in.At the last moment, Alex struggled to open the first page of the manga. It was a scene where a child stood on a high place and stabbed his own eye with a dagger, while the people around were shouting "Luffy."He couldn't see the rest of the story, because he had already been swallowed by the black hole.Just then, a voice rang in his ear."Since you think Hokage is powerful, I will give you all the knowledge from Hokage and let you struggle in the Pirate King world."After hearing this, Alex passed out.Pirate King World — East Blue — On an unknown island.Alex lay naked in the grass, with a scroll one meter high and half a meter thick beside him.The moment Alex appeared here, the trajectories of some characters in this world changed.On the other side of the island, a burly, ugly woman with a face full of freckles was waving the iron club in her hand while questioning a person who was seriously injured beside her.This young man had pink hair and chubby cheeks, but his eyes revealed a spirit of refusing to give in."Coby, in this ocean, what is the most beautiful thing!"The seriously injured Coby lay on the ground, half-raising his head to look at the woman in front of him. Breathing tore at his lungs and the wounds that had just healed, and then he coughed up a large amount of fresh blood."Cough, this, I don't know what the most beautiful thing in this ocean is, but, cough cough, but you, Alvida, you are definitely the ugliest!"After he finished saying this, the female pirate named Alvida swung the iron club in her hand and knocked Coby flying with one blow.At the same time, not far from the island, a barrel appeared.Inside the barrel was a boy wearing a Straw Hat; he was actually able to sleep soundly in such a situation.On the other side, Alvida, who had knocked Cobyflying, ordered her subordinates to bring him back, as she wanted such a stubborn guy to admit her beauty with his own mouth.The other pirate minions had no choice but to go search for Coby under Alvida's threat.However, at this time, Coby had already been knocked into the sea. His severely injured body could not move, but fortunately, a barrel drifted towards him.He took the opportunity to get on the barrel and rode the ocean current back to the island.And the place they returned to was exactly where Alex was lying.Thus, the gears of fate began to turn.Coby looked at the barrel beneath him, then at Alexlying to the side. Not knowing the truth, he hurriedly went forward to check if Alex had any wounds.At this time, Alex's consciousness had already recovered a little. He felt as if his throat was being scraped by a thousand knives, and it hurt terribly.Vaguely, he saw a figure approaching, and hurriedly shouted: "Water..."The voice was like rusted iron rubbing, or like fingernails scratching a blackboard; in short, it made people shiver.But seeing Alex fallen before him, Coby looked at the barrel beside him, wanting to open it to feed him.Just then, three pirate minions discovered Coby and the barrel beside him, as well as Alex lying on the ground.The three pirate minions looked at the two people before them, feeling happy. It seemed that besides Coby, they could take another slave back. Perhaps Miss Alvida would even give them a squad leader position.Thinking of this, the leading pirate drooled. Then, thinking of the current situation, he felt it was better to deal with Coby first, and by the way, taste the wine here to quench his thirst."Hehe, Coby, you're pretty tough, daring to insult the Captain to her face. Now we are going to taste the wine. After tasting it, we will take you back. Remember, you can't say anything, got it?"One of the minions, fearing that the other might say something, kicked Coby in the stomach.Coby spat out blood again, lying on the ground panting heavily.Just as the three minions approached the wooden barrel, a pair of fists emerged from the barrel, knocking the three minions flying."Ah! That was a great sleep! It looks like I've been saved. I thought I was going to die in the sea, hahaha!"A boy wearing a red vest and a Straw Hat emerged from the barrel.Then, this Straw Hat boy looked at the strange scene before him and said:"Who are you guys?"A few minions couldn't take it and shouted: "Who are you!"The minion next to him also curiously asked his companion: "Why did someone crawl out of the barrel?"The minion next to him hadn't answered his question when a spiked club suddenly flew from afar and smashed into them. At the same time, a voice came out."Don't be lazy!"The power of the spiked club was too strong, smashing the ground away. At the same time, the Straw Hat boy and the barrel beneath him, along with Coby and Alex, were all blown away.Subsequently, the female pirate named Alvidaarrived here.In this ruin, she picked up the iron club from the ground with a gloomy face.Then she whispered: "I ask you, what is the most beautiful thing in this ocean!"The minions heard this voice, struggled to support their bodies, and looked up at the shadow in front of them.Then they shouted loudly: "Miss Alvida, of course it's the lady Miss Alvida!"Hearing this, Alvida's face improved a little, but then she grabbed a minion and asked: "That's right, do you want to defy me?"The grabbed minion trembled and replied: "Ah... Ah? No... No such thing..."Alvida's face changed, then she shouted: "Don't play dumb! I could hear someone shouting loudly on the ship, 'That was a great sleep!' Which guy was it!"At this time, another minion remembered the Straw Hat boy in the wooden barrel, and then went "Ah?"Then he spoke up: "I... I remember! Boss, there are intruders!"Another hurriedly added: "Yes, yes, Coby just brought two strange guys in..."Hearing her subordinates say this, Alvida muttered: "What, could it be that they want to take my head? Could it be a Bounty Hunters... Coby actually dared to betray me!"At the same time, the minions nearby also started communicating: "It shouldn't be a famous Bounty Hunters in this area..."The companion beside him added: "I heard that guy has already been caught by the Marine."After hearing the younger brother's conversation, Alvida was relieved and said: "If it was him, it's impossible for him to escape."It seemed as if Alvida knew why the other party was caught.On the other side, the three people blown away by the spiked club stopped in a relatively wide area.At the same time, the scarred Coby started communicating with the boy in the Straw Hat who was in the barrel.Coby supported his body and asked: "How are you, are you hurt?"The boy lying in the barrel laughed: "Hahahaha! I'm fine, just startled! My name is Luffy, where is this, and who is that injured person next to you?"Only then did Luffy and Coby see Alex lying to the side, and the half-opened scroll beside him.At this time, Alex already had some consciousness, because when the scroll touched him, he received knowledge on how to refine Chakra.This knowledge flowed into his brain, so Alex was also able to refine Chakra.With the help of Chakra, his body began to recover slowly, which is why he could hear the content of their conversation clearly."Luffy, isn't this the boy from the first volume of the Pirate King who stabbed himself with a knife?"Coby shook his head: "I don't know who this is either. He was lying on the edge of the island, and I just saw him. It looks like he is dehydrated.""Oh, I see. It's a pity that the water I had here has been drunk by me," Luffy said regretfully.Hearing the two talking about him, Alex opened his eyes. Fortunately, Chakra could slightly enhance his physique, so Alex was able to recover."Cough, cough, well, my name is Alex."After saying this, he continued to lie on the ground to accelerate the flow of Chakra, so that his physique could continue to be enhanced, thereby repairing his body.
Chapter 2: The Ninja Alex"Oh~ you're called Alex, nice to meet you, I'm Luffy."Coby also responded: "I... I'm Coby, *cough cough*."Luffy climbed out of the barrel while introducing himself once again.Coby introduced himself while coughing up blood.Looking at the two in front of him, Alex nodded, acknowledging them.The three began to converse. Although it was said to be a three-way conversation, it was mostly just Luffy and Coby talking, as Alex's throat had not yet fully recovered.After the conversation, Luffy began to look around, asking Coby where they were.Coby stated their current location: "This island is where the pirate 'Iron Mace' Alvida rests. As for me, I'm a slave they dragged aboard."Luffy nodded: "Oh, is that so? Actually, that's not important at all.""Huh?" How could this guy be like this? Asking after something and then saying it's not important.This was Coby's thought, and also Alex's. He really couldn't understand how this person's mind worked.Finally, Alex forced himself to sit on the ground and began to accelerate the refining of Chakra to ensure his body could recover quickly.Determining there was no danger around, Luffycame before Coby and asked him: "Do you have a small boat you can give me? My ship was swept away by a whirlpool.""Uh... a whirlpool?! You encountered a whirlpool?!"Facing Coby's question, Luffy sighed: "Yeah, it really gave me a big scare."Hearing Luffy say it so casually, Coby exclaimed repeatedly: "A normal person would have died long ago...""If you want a small boat, I have one... but..."At the same time, he walked to the bushes on the side and pulled out a tattered wooden boat.Luffy looked at the tattered wooden boat in front of him and asked in confusion: "What is this? A coffin?"Coby said uncertainly: "It counts as a boat... My friend and I spent two years secretly building it."Luffy said with some emotion: "It took two years? You don't want it?"At the same time, Alex opened his eyes to look; he wanted to see just how broken this boat really was.The boat gave Alex the feeling that it had been hammered together using wooden planks as patches. Metaphorically speaking, it was like a piece of clothing sewn with patches; although it didn't look good, it felt like it could at least be used.Hearing Luffy's question, Coby pointed to his own body and then said: "Yeah, I don't want it anymore. We built it to escape from here, but on the first day it was finished, he was killed by Alvida, and I was beaten into a critical injury..." After that, Coby didn't speak anymore.But both Alex and Luffy heard the hidden meaning in his words. Coby's spirit had been broken, so he didn't want to run away anymore.Luffy adjusted his hat and looked at Alex, who had sat up, and asked: "Hey, Scroll Man, how did you get here?"Hearing the nickname Luffy gave him, Alex felt a massive headache: "Scroll, Scroll Man? You really are something, Straw Hat. My name is Alex, you better remember that! I was thrown here by someone."Luffy nodded with a smile, then came before Cobyand gave him a hard punch.This sudden turn of events startled Alex. He thought to himself: "What's going on? Why did he suddenly hit someone?"Coby looked at Luffy, not understanding his intentions."Hey, Coby, I thought you were a tough guy. I didn't expect you to be so cowardly. Since your companion sacrificed himself, why don't you inherit his will and leave this place!"Luffy's words were like a gale blowing through Coby's heart.He endured the sharp pain and looked at Luffy. At the same time, the scene of his friend dying tragically before his eyes began to fade, and a gentle breeze blew over his wounds.Just like that, Coby felt the piercing pain inside his body disappear.At this moment, Coby removed the bandages from his body and pushed the boat toward the shore with all his might.As he pushed, he thanked Luffy for his help, and Luffy laughed as well.Afterward, Luffy came to Alex, grabbed the scroll, and helped Alex up from the ground with one hand.Just like that, the three of them walked toward the shore.While walking, Coby asked why Luffy was in the barrel. Although he knew it was because of a whirlpool, he still didn't know why Luffy had set out to sea."By the way, Luffy, what are you setting out to sea for?""Me? I'm going to be the Pirate King."After hearing this, Coby stopped what he was doing, stood still, and then shouted loudly: "Wh... what! The Pirate King! That's the person who can obtain the greatest treasure in the world!"Luffy looked at him with a smile.Coby continued: "That means you're going to search for the great treasure 'ONE PIECE' that contains wealth, fame, and power?!"Alex, lying by Luffy's side, felt shocked when he heard ONE PIECE, because that was the name of the Pirate King manga."You'll die. Pirates from all over the world are competing for that treasure."Hearing the description, Luffy nodded. Although there was a smile on his face, the tone of his voice showed that he was serious: "Then I'll go compete for it too."Coby was about to say something when he saw Luffy holding his hat, saying with a serious face: "I've already decided to become the Pirate King, and I don't mind losing my life for it."Coby, full of admiration, marveled inwardly: "Such great determination, not even afraid of death."At the same time, as if he had made up his mind, he shouted out his dream: "My dream is to join the Marine! Although I will be your enemy, joining the Marine to become strong and catch bad guys, this! This is my dream!"Luffy smiled at Coby without saying anything.And Coby, as if he had made up his mind, continued: "By then, I will definitely be able to catch Alvida."Alex, who was being dragged by Luffy, spoke up: "I say, can you keep your voices down next time? This is pirate territory. Aren't you afraid of being heard by pirates..."Before Alex could finish his warning, the three of them heard a voice from behind, accompanied by the sound of something breaking through the air."Coby, who did you say you were going to catch!"A mace smashed down toward Coby. Coby seemed to sense something and hurriedly dodged to the side.Bang! The mace missed, smashing into the ground. The spot where Coby had just been standing was cracked open.Coby had moved away, but the boat beside him wasn't so lucky; it was smashed to pieces."My boat!" Coby was on the verge of tears. He had finally regained his confidence, he was about to leave this place, yet he didn't expect it to be destroyed by her.Thinking of this, Coby picked up the wreckage of the broken boat and lunged at Alvida.At the same time, he held the wooden club high and struck at her. Unfortunately, the disparity in strength could not be made up for by courage.Coby was hammered into the ground by Alvida's club. Only then did she look at Luffy on the side and Alex at Luffy's waist."Little ones, in this ocean, who is the most beautiful... of all!"At this moment, Luffy put down the scroll and Alex, crouched down, and pulled Coby out of the ground.Just as he was pulled out, hearing those words, Coby reflexively said: "*Cough cough*, how many times do I have to say it's not you! You savage, hateful old hag!"Luffy laughed heartily and pointed at Alvida, asking: "Who is this savage old hag?"Hearing one, then two people dare to tease her like this, Alvida couldn't take it anymore. She swung the mace in her hand and smashed it fiercely toward Luffy: "Both of you must die!"Alex hurriedly called out to warn him: "Luffy, dodge quickly!"But Luffy still didn't move, and the mace smashed onto his head.Strangely, Luffy wasn't injured. His head, just like Tom from the cartoon Tom and Jerry, was smashed right in.At this moment, Luffy's voice came: "Hee hee, that's useless against me! Because I am a Rubber Man!"Alvida, Coby, Alex, and the pirate underlings nearby were all shocked by the scene before them.But Luffy wasn't idle. He stretched his arm backward and shouted: "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"After stretching to a certain distance, utilizing the properties of rubber, he snapped his arm back to accelerate his fist, and then this punch knocked Alvida unconscious.After seeing Alvida knocked unconscious, the other pirates exclaimed together: "Miss Alvida actually lost! Is he a monster!"Then Luffy faced the pirates and began to issue orders: "Give Coby a ship. He wants to join the Marine, and you are not allowed to stop him."The underlings nodded repeatedly. Seeing that the matter was settled, Luffy finally looked at Alex in his hand.Apparently, during the battle just now, he had forgotten that there was still a wounded person beside him.Fortunately, Alex had refined some Chakra, which made his physique a bit stronger."Hey, Scroll Man, who exactly are you?"Luffy still hadn't remembered Alex's name. Alex, having recovered quite a bit, spoke up: "My name is Alex, and I am a Ninja."Saying that, Alex began to form hand signs. Although the time was short, he could still use a simple Ninjutsu.Upon hearing Alex say he was a Ninja, Luffy's eyes shone with a bright light."A Ninja? So cool! Hey, hey, Alex, do you know Ninjutsu?"Alex didn't speak, he began to form hand signs: Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger — Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
Chapter 2: The Ninja Alex"Oh~ you're called Alex, nice to meet you, I'm Luffy."Coby also responded: "I... I'm Coby, *cough cough*."Luffy climbed out of the barrel while introducing himself once again.Coby introduced himself while coughing up blood.Looking at the two in front of him, Alex nodded, acknowledging them.The three began to converse. Although it was said to be a three-way conversation, it was mostly just Luffy and Coby talking, as Alex's throat had not yet fully recovered.After the conversation, Luffy began to look around, asking Coby where they were.Coby stated their current location: "This island is where the pirate 'Iron Mace' Alvida rests. As for me, I'm a slave they dragged aboard."Luffy nodded: "Oh, is that so? Actually, that's not important at all.""Huh?" How could this guy be like this? Asking after something and then saying it's not important.This was Coby's thought, and also Alex's. He really couldn't understand how this person's mind worked.Finally, Alex forced himself to sit on the ground and began to accelerate the refining of Chakra to ensure his body could recover quickly.Determining there was no danger around, Luffycame before Coby and asked him: "Do you have a small boat you can give me? My ship was swept away by a whirlpool.""Uh... a whirlpool?! You encountered a whirlpool?!"Facing Coby's question, Luffy sighed: "Yeah, it really gave me a big scare."Hearing Luffy say it so casually, Coby exclaimed repeatedly: "A normal person would have died long ago...""If you want a small boat, I have one... but..."At the same time, he walked to the bushes on the side and pulled out a tattered wooden boat.Luffy looked at the tattered wooden boat in front of him and asked in confusion: "What is this? A coffin?"Coby said uncertainly: "It counts as a boat... My friend and I spent two years secretly building it."Luffy said with some emotion: "It took two years? You don't want it?"At the same time, Alex opened his eyes to look; he wanted to see just how broken this boat really was.The boat gave Alex the feeling that it had been hammered together using wooden planks as patches. Metaphorically speaking, it was like a piece of clothing sewn with patches; although it didn't look good, it felt like it could at least be used.Hearing Luffy's question, Coby pointed to his own body and then said: "Yeah, I don't want it anymore. We built it to escape from here, but on the first day it was finished, he was killed by Alvida, and I was beaten into a critical injury..." After that, Coby didn't speak anymore.But both Alex and Luffy heard the hidden meaning in his words. Coby's spirit had been broken, so he didn't want to run away anymore.Luffy adjusted his hat and looked at Alex, who had sat up, and asked: "Hey, Scroll Man, how did you get here?"Hearing the nickname Luffy gave him, Alex felt a massive headache: "Scroll, Scroll Man? You really are something, Straw Hat. My name is Alex, you better remember that! I was thrown here by someone."Luffy nodded with a smile, then came before Cobyand gave him a hard punch.This sudden turn of events startled Alex. He thought to himself: "What's going on? Why did he suddenly hit someone?"Coby looked at Luffy, not understanding his intentions."Hey, Coby, I thought you were a tough guy. I didn't expect you to be so cowardly. Since your companion sacrificed himself, why don't you inherit his will and leave this place!"Luffy's words were like a gale blowing through Coby's heart.He endured the sharp pain and looked at Luffy. At the same time, the scene of his friend dying tragically before his eyes began to fade, and a gentle breeze blew over his wounds.Just like that, Coby felt the piercing pain inside his body disappear.At this moment, Coby removed the bandages from his body and pushed the boat toward the shore with all his might.As he pushed, he thanked Luffy for his help, and Luffy laughed as well.Afterward, Luffy came to Alex, grabbed the scroll, and helped Alex up from the ground with one hand.Just like that, the three of them walked toward the shore.While walking, Coby asked why Luffy was in the barrel. Although he knew it was because of a whirlpool, he still didn't know why Luffy had set out to sea."By the way, Luffy, what are you setting out to sea for?""Me? I'm going to be the Pirate King."After hearing this, Coby stopped what he was doing, stood still, and then shouted loudly: "Wh... what! The Pirate King! That's the person who can obtain the greatest treasure in the world!"Luffy looked at him with a smile.Coby continued: "That means you're going to search for the great treasure 'ONE PIECE' that contains wealth, fame, and power?!"Alex, lying by Luffy's side, felt shocked when he heard ONE PIECE, because that was the name of the Pirate King manga."You'll die. Pirates from all over the world are competing for that treasure."Hearing the description, Luffy nodded. Although there was a smile on his face, the tone of his voice showed that he was serious: "Then I'll go compete for it too."Coby was about to say something when he saw Luffy holding his hat, saying with a serious face: "I've already decided to become the Pirate King, and I don't mind losing my life for it."Coby, full of admiration, marveled inwardly: "Such great determination, not even afraid of death."At the same time, as if he had made up his mind, he shouted out his dream: "My dream is to join the Marine! Although I will be your enemy, joining the Marine to become strong and catch bad guys, this! This is my dream!"Luffy smiled at Coby without saying anything.And Coby, as if he had made up his mind, continued: "By then, I will definitely be able to catch Alvida."Alex, who was being dragged by Luffy, spoke up: "I say, can you keep your voices down next time? This is pirate territory. Aren't you afraid of being heard by pirates..."Before Alex could finish his warning, the three of them heard a voice from behind, accompanied by the sound of something breaking through the air."Coby, who did you say you were going to catch!"A mace smashed down toward Coby. Coby seemed to sense something and hurriedly dodged to the side.Bang! The mace missed, smashing into the ground. The spot where Coby had just been standing was cracked open.Coby had moved away, but the boat beside him wasn't so lucky; it was smashed to pieces."My boat!" Coby was on the verge of tears. He had finally regained his confidence, he was about to leave this place, yet he didn't expect it to be destroyed by her.Thinking of this, Coby picked up the wreckage of the broken boat and lunged at Alvida.At the same time, he held the wooden club high and struck at her. Unfortunately, the disparity in strength could not be made up for by courage.Coby was hammered into the ground by Alvida's club. Only then did she look at Luffy on the side and Alex at Luffy's waist."Little ones, in this ocean, who is the most beautiful... of all!"At this moment, Luffy put down the scroll and Alex, crouched down, and pulled Coby out of the ground.Just as he was pulled out, hearing those words, Coby reflexively said: "*Cough cough*, how many times do I have to say it's not you! You savage, hateful old hag!"Luffy laughed heartily and pointed at Alvida, asking: "Who is this savage old hag?"Hearing one, then two people dare to tease her like this, Alvida couldn't take it anymore. She swung the mace in her hand and smashed it fiercely toward Luffy: "Both of you must die!"Alex hurriedly called out to warn him: "Luffy, dodge quickly!"But Luffy still didn't move, and the mace smashed onto his head.Strangely, Luffy wasn't injured. His head, just like Tom from the cartoon Tom and Jerry, was smashed right in.At this moment, Luffy's voice came: "Hee hee, that's useless against me! Because I am a Rubber Man!"Alvida, Coby, Alex, and the pirate underlings nearby were all shocked by the scene before them.But Luffy wasn't idle. He stretched his arm backward and shouted: "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"After stretching to a certain distance, utilizing the properties of rubber, he snapped his arm back to accelerate his fist, and then this punch knocked Alvida unconscious.After seeing Alvida knocked unconscious, the other pirates exclaimed together: "Miss Alvida actually lost! Is he a monster!"Then Luffy faced the pirates and began to issue orders: "Give Coby a ship. He wants to join the Marine, and you are not allowed to stop him."The underlings nodded repeatedly. Seeing that the matter was settled, Luffy finally looked at Alex in his hand.Apparently, during the battle just now, he had forgotten that there was still a wounded person beside him.Fortunately, Alex had refined some Chakra, which made his physique a bit stronger."Hey, Scroll Man, who exactly are you?"Luffy still hadn't remembered Alex's name. Alex, having recovered quite a bit, spoke up: "My name is Alex, and I am a Ninja."Saying that, Alex began to form hand signs. Although the time was short, he could still use a simple Ninjutsu.Upon hearing Alex say he was a Ninja, Luffy's eyes shone with a bright light."A Ninja? So cool! Hey, hey, Alex, do you know Ninjutsu?"Alex didn't speak, he began to form hand signs: Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger — Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
Chapter 3: First Intelligence GatheringAs the hand signs finished, Alex felt the Chakrawithin his body begin to flow toward his throat, and he opened his mouth to spray outward.In the next second, a massive fireball erupted from Alex's mouth, and this fireball bypassed Luffy and headed straight toward the person behind him.It turned out that after Luffy defeated Alvida, the other pirate lackeys didn't say anything, but one of the petty Captains was preparing to ambush Luffy.He first silently came up behind Luffy, drew the short blade from his waist, and thrust it forcefully toward Luffy's back, clearly intending to take his life.At this moment, a huge fireball rushed toward him, instantly engulfing his entire body in flames, and before long, he gradually lost his life under the burning fire.Seeing this, Alex was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected that the Fire Release, which was notoriously incapable of killing anyone in Naruto, could actually kill someone here.Another thing that made Alex feel somewhat incredulous was that he didn't feel any discomfort at all. Logically speaking, shouldn't one have a bad reaction the first time they kill someone?Actually, this was a small gift given to him by the big shot who transported him here.One was that he could quickly master various types of Ninjutsu, and the other was that his mind had been strengthened, allowing his psychological endurance to be greatly improved.Otherwise, how could he use Ninjutsu so quickly upon extracting Chakra for the first time, and remain clear-headed after seeing a dead person?Similarly, Luffy was incredibly excited after seeing Alex actually form a few hand signs and spew a fireball from his mouth.He shouted, "Wow, wow, wow, Ninja, Ninja, Ninja..."He completely failed to notice the person behind him who had turned into charcoal, or perhaps he had already noticed and simply didn't care.After using the Ninjutsu, Alex sensed the amount of Chakra in his body and discovered that it hadn't consumed too much, leading him to marvel at the strength of this body.After all, Chakra is produced by the combination of physical energy and spiritual energy, and from the amount of Chakra, one could see that the physical constitution and spiritual power of this body had been greatly improved.Just as Luffy was marveling at Alex's identity as a Ninja, and amidst Coby's exclamations from the side.The remaining pirates hurriedly brought over a small sailboat and placed it in front of the three of them, fearing they would become the next target.The three of them looked at the boat in front of them and speculated that this should be a supply ship because the supplies on board were very abundant.The group nodded in satisfaction. Alex casually stripped a set of clothes off a pirate and, despite his reluctance, put them on. Then, he picked up the scroll from the side and jumped onto the boat with Luffy and the others.Subsequently, the boat began to set sail toward the distance.After Luffy, Alex, and Coby boarded the boat, those pirates were still on the shore waving goodbye to them.On the boat, Luffy extended a pirate invitation to Alex."Alex, won't you become my crewmate?""Okay, I agree. Then let me introduce myself properly once more. My name is Alex, and as you can see, I am a Ninja."Facing Luffy's invitation, Alex nodded and agreed; after all, in this unfamiliar world, following someone who was clearly a protagonist was the best thing possible.Seeing Alex agree, Luffy shouted, "That's great! I've found my first crewmate."Then, Luffy started pestering Alex to perform Ninjutsu for him."Alex, was that Fire Release just now? And do you know the Clone Technique? Hey, hey, perform for me, okay, Alex..."Unable to stand his pestering, Alex had no choice but to start performing."Alright, Luffy, watch closely. Next, I will perform the Clone Technique."Alex began to form hand signs, and then a puff of smoke appeared, along with an identical figure appearing beside him.Looking at the two identical people, Luffy cheered happily, "Clone Technique, Ninja, Clone Technique, Ninja..."Coby was also stunned by this scene; after all, this thing was just as incredible as Luffy's transformation earlier.Subsequently, taking advantage of the performance, Alex began to demonstrate walking upright on the mast and walking on the water surface.This made Luffy feel very novel.After performing for a while, Alex told Luffy, "Next, I need to continue studying. After all, being a Ninja is a profession that requires constant learning. You don't need to worry about me during this time."After speaking, Alex took out the scroll and began to look through it.At this moment, Luffy was still in a state of excitement; after all, the first crewmate he found was a cool Ninja, so naturally, he would be excited.Seeing the other person looking through a scroll, this coincided with the manga he had read, making him even more excited.At this moment, Coby's voice came over, "Um, Luffy, did you eat the Gum-Gum Fruit? It's truly shocking."Luffy nodded to indicate that was correct.After confirming it was a Devil Fruit, he continued to ask Luffy if he knew how to search for 'ONE PIECE'.But Luffy shook his head, indicating he didn't know.Subsequently, Coby used his shallow knowledge to explain 'ONE PIECE' and the Grand Line to the other, and of course, Alex also heard their conversation.Seeing that this knowledge was useful, he diverted a portion of his energy to record this knowledge, intending to look it up once they arrived at their destination.When Coby finished talking about the Grand Lineand 'ONE PIECE', he also mentioned Roronoa Zoro.Alex was studying the knowledge on the scroll nearby when Luffy's voice came over, "Hey, Alex, I've decided to go look for that person named Roronoa Zoro. If he's suitable, I'd like him to be my second crewmate."Alex looked at Luffy, "No problem, Luffy. You are the Captain, everything is up to you."Seeing Alex agree, Luffy sat on the bow of the boat and shouted, "Alright, since that's the case, then let's head toward the Marine Base ahead."Hearing that Luffy wanted Zoro to be his crewmate, Coby couldn't really refuse, so he started introducing the person Zoro to the others."Roronoa Zoro is also known as the Pirate Hunter, and he is a very terrifying person.I heard he is like a bloodthirsty wolf, drifting on the sea to capture wanted criminals..."At this moment, Alex closed the scroll, stood up, came over to Coby, and patted him on the shoulder with his hand."Alright, Coby, don't discuss it so casually before meeting the person in real life. No one knows what the specific situation is."Hearing Alex's words, Coby stopped and didn't continue saying anything, and of course, Luffy was still sitting on the bow looking into the distance.In the time that followed, Coby used the navigation knowledge he had learned to start maneuvering the boat toward the nearby Marine Base.Alex, on the other hand, continued to perform Ninjutsu. Calling it a performance was actually more of a practice, but seeing Luffy's look of admiration, Alex still benefited a lot.The boat had been sailing for who knows how long when it finally touched land.Stepping onto land, Coby took out a rope to tie up the boat, while Luffy exclaimed, "We've finally arrived at the Marine Base. Coby, you're really amazing!"Alex, who had come down from the boat, strapped the scroll to his back and also exclaimed, "Yes, such navigation skills are really great."Coby shyly rubbed his head, indicating this was nothing, "That's a matter of course. This is a skill that is essential for those who go out to sea."Then Coby began to tell Luffy, "Luffy, if you rely on drifting to go to sea every time, you won't be able to be a pirate! At the very least, find a Navigator to be your partner."However, Luffy didn't hear him; at this moment, all he was thinking about in his head was eating, "Alright! That's it! Alex, let's go eat."Alex nodded after hearing this; he also felt his stomach starting to growl.After all, drifting on the sea for so long, combined with refining Chakra, had long since left him starving.Seeing that Luffy was also preparing to eat, the two hit it off immediately and started searching for a place to eat by following the scent.Seeing the two leave, Coby immediately chased after them, and finally, the three had a full meal at a restaurant named 'FOOD FOO'.The three, having eaten their fill, began to say their goodbyes in the restaurant.Luffy rubbed his stomach, "Then, Coby, let's part ways here! You go join the Marines and become an excellent soldier!"Alex also wiped his mouth clean and said goodbye to Coby, "Coby, I believe you will definitely be able to become an excellent Marine."Coby also wiped away tears of excitement and said goodbye to Luffy and Alex, "Yes! Thank you so much, Luffy, Alex. You will become excellent pirates and find 'ONE PIECE', although one day we will cross swords..."Before Coby could finish, Luffy seemed to have thought of something, "Right, that guy named Zoro, I wonder if he's in the base."After Luffy finished this sentence, the other people in the restaurant all fell to the ground, and tables and plates were knocked over everywhere.The three of them looked at everything in front of them and felt somewhat shocked.Coby whispered to Luffy and Alex, "It seems that here, Zoro is a taboo..."Luffy nodded, seemingly understanding, while Alexexpressed that it was a bit suspicious.He patted Luffy on the shoulder and whispered, "Luffy, I'm going out for a bit, and I'll take the opportunity to scout for some intelligence nearby."Luffy smiled and nodded, then continued to discuss with Coby.Leaving the restaurant, Alex first changed his attire slightly. Although there was nothing wrong with his clothes, the scroll on his back was simply too large and too conspicuous.After turning left and right, he arrived at a corner. Confirming that there was no one around, Alexbegan to form hand signs, and in the next second, a puff of white smoke emanated from his body.When the white mist vanished, Alex was gone, and in his place was an ordinary-looking woman, with the scroll on his back transformed into a backpack, making him look like a housewife out shopping for food.That's right, this was the Transformation Technique. Next, Alex began his intelligence gathering; after all, the aunties selling vegetables were the best at gossiping.Arriving at the vegetable market, Alex began his acting. After picking a few apples, he easily struck up a conversation with an auntie."Oh my, I haven't seen you before. Are you new here?""Yes, I just moved here. You can just call me Xi. Um, sister, can I ask you a few questions? It's mainly because my husband is at the Marine Base..."Before long, through this auntie's words, Alexlearned most of the intelligence about this island, such as the general number of Marines on the island, the highest-ranking officer, and the location where Zoro was being held.With the intelligence gathering complete, Alexslowly retreated outward, striving not to attract anyone's attention during this time.But despite all his calculations, he still missed one step."Lady over there, please stop. You dropped your apples here."A patrolling Marine soldier called out to Alex in a frivolous tone.At first, Alex thought the other person was calling someone else, so he didn't pay attention, and he didn't dare to increase his speed, continuing as he was.It was only when he heard the approaching footsteps that Alex realized the other person was calling him.Helplessly, Alex had to turn around. At the same time, he was also wondering why such an ordinary female face could still attract attention, and from such lecherous Marine soldiers at that.When those two Marines saw the heaving chest after Alex turned around, drool flowed all over the ground."Ah, um, thank you, two military gentlemen, for helping me pick up the apples. This little woman is deeply grateful."Taking the apples, Alex thanked them softly, then turned to leave, but was quickly stopped by one of the Marines."Don't go, little beauty. We helped you, shouldn't you help us a bit in return? You should know that we are soldiers following Master Helmeppo, and we have quite a bit of money in our hands. Also, you just told that auntie that your husband works at the Marine Base. Madam, you wouldn't want..."
Chapter 4: Roronoa ZoroWithout waiting for the other party to finish speaking, Alex just kept his head down and walked forward, aiming to lead the two to a secluded spot before dealing with them.The two soldiers didn't suspect anything and followed Alex the whole way. When they reached a corner, Alex sighed.Then, after looking around to confirm no one was paying attention, he immediately dispelled his Transformation Technique and knocked both soldiers out with two quick punches."Good grief, how could I hear such a conversation here..."As Alex spoke, he stripped the Marines' uniforms off the two, rolled them up, and tucked them into his shirt. At the same time, he saw their names: one was "Jabbes," and the other was "Lenus."These were useless to him, so Alex tossed the two identification cards aside and left.He then headed toward the restaurant to regroup with Luffy and the others, but he hadn't gone far before he saw Luffy and Coby walking along the road.Alex waved to get their attention. Luffy saw him and hurriedly waved back to greet Alex.Once the three met up, Alex began to share the information he had gathered."Luffy, I've gathered enough information. The highest-ranking officer of this Marine Base is Colonel Morgan..."Before Alex could finish, Coby covered his mouth to stop him from continuing.Coby looked around to make sure no one was there before letting go."Cough, cough! Coby, are you trying to kill me? I know the reputation of this Colonel Morgan here, so don't worry. There aren't many people around. Also, his son is the one who framed Zoro..."Upon hearing this, Luffy's ears twitched. It was clear he was interested in this news, but only just interested.Afterward, Alex explained all the gathered intelligence, including the location of the person named Zoro, the number of Marines, and so on.After finishing his report, Alex took out two Marineuniforms. "Luffy, we're going to sneak in next. Be careful and stay quiet..."Again, before Alex could finish, he saw Luffy's face twist into an expression of extreme disdain."Eh~"Seeing Luffy like this, Alex knew he didn't want to wear them. It seemed there was no choice; the stealth mission would have to turn into a forced breakthrough.The group then followed the path Alex indicated and arrived at the gate of the Marine Base."It's really magnificent up close!" Luffy exclaimed, looking at the building in front of him.At the same time, Alex and Luffy both looked at Coby. "Go on, Coby."Coby swallowed hard as he looked at the building, but he still knocked on the gate.After seeing him go in, Alex and Luffy climbed up onto the wall to look inside.Meanwhile, Luffy muttered to himself, wondering where the devil was.In the execution yard, there stood a cross, and tied to it was a man wearing a black bandana and a green sash.Because he was too short, his lower body just dangled down; he had to rely on the strength of his arms to keep from sliding down. This position was incredibly physically draining.The man seemed to hear some movement, looked up toward the wall, and saw a grinning idiot and someone who looked like a pretty boy, before losing interest."That must be Zoro, right? The ropes look like they could be cut easily." Luffy said to Alex.As if he had heard him, the man spoke up: "Hey, you kids over there, come over and help me... untie these ropes, will you? I've been tied up for nine days, and I'm exhausted!"Seeing that the man was smiling while making the request, Luffy admired him even more."Alex, that guy is amazing. Even in that state, he's still smiling."Alex nodded as well. Indeed, having been starved for nine days and bound in that position, the physical toll must be immense.Seeing that Luffy and Alex made no move, the man continued: "I'll reward you! Once I catch the wanted criminal, the bounty will be yours. I never lie; I always keep my word."Alex asked Luffy: "What do you think, Captain? Should we save him? Judging by the villagers' reactions, he seems quite dangerous. Aren't you afraid we might get killed by him?"Although his words were serious, his tone was unusually flippant.Luffy replied with a smile: "We won't be killed. Because I... I'm very strong!"Hearing Luffy's words, Alex also revealed a faint smile.Suddenly, the two heard some sounds.Alex and Luffy looked to the side and saw a little girl setting up a ladder to climb up.She looked at Alex and the other, making a'shh' gesture with her hand.Luffy and Alex were both puzzled, and the man below was equally confused, letting out a "Huh?"Then, they watched as the little girl jumped down from the wall and quietly approached the man who was tied up.Luffy and Alex lay on the wall, watching silently.Perhaps because he had been starving for so long and couldn't see clearly, the man asked."Hey, who are you?"Once she got closer, he finally saw her clearly and quickly said with a grim face: "Are you looking to die, kid? Get lost!"However, the little girl wasn't scared. She held up the rice balls and said: "I made rice balls for you! Big brother, you've been tied up this whole time, you must be hungry!"The man swallowed hard as he looked at the rice balls, then said against his better judgment: "I'm not hungry at all. Take that stuff and get lost."But the little girl acted as if she hadn't heard him and continued to introduce them to herself: "Even though it's my first time making rice balls, I really tried my best! But..."Seeing that the little girl wouldn't leave, the man started to roar: "I said I don't want them! Go back! Or I'll kill you, kid!"Just then, a voice came from not far away: "Roronoa Zoro, bullying people is wrong! I'm going to tell my father."A man wearing a suit, with a long, horse-like face and a strange hairstyle, walked over."Another weird guy has shown up."Luffy muttered as he looked at the strangely styled man.But Alex heard Luffy's muttering and began to introduce who this person was."Luffy, this is Colonel Morgan's son, Helmeppo, and he's the one who started all this."Luffy listened, nodded, and then continued to watch.Zoro saw Helmeppo approaching and knew that the little girl wouldn't be able to leave, so he decided to mock him to draw the hostility toward himself."Hmph—just a stupid son who relies on his dad..."Upon hearing this, Helmeppo's face changed immediately: "You bastard! Don't get cocky! My dad is Colonel Morgan."Seeing his behavior, Alex thought to himself that the man named Zoro was right; he really was just a second-generation brat who threw his weight around by relying on his father.After scolding Zoro, Helmeppo didn't pay him any more mind. Instead, he walked up to the little girl, picked up a rice ball, and said to himself: "Hey! Little girl, these rice balls look delicious. Are they a consolation gift?"As he said this, he popped it into his mouth.The little girl saw this and tried to stop him: "Ah! No!"Unfortunately, he had already eaten it. Then, his face began to contort: "Pfft—this tastes awful! It's sweet! Did you put Sugar in it? Rice balls are supposed to have salt!"The little girl explained: "B-but I thought sweet ones would taste better..."Her voice grew quieter and quieter, and she looked like she was about to cry.But Helmeppo ignored her, threw the rice ball onto the ground, and stomped on it forcefully.As he stomped, he said: "Idiot! How could anyone eat this kind of thing!"The little girl became anxious when she saw this, crouched on the ground, and tried to stop him: "Ah! Don't step on it! Don't! Now it can't be eaten!"Alex, lying outside the wall, muttered to himself, "What a piece of trash."At the same time, he realized he couldn't let the guy hurt the little girl.Luffy, meanwhile, watched everything happening before him with a gloomy expression.Hearing the little girl's words, Helmeppo laughed and said: "It's fine, the ants will eat those rice balls, hehehe."As he spoke, he shook his body as if he were struggling to hold something back.The little girl looked at the flattened rice balls and finally burst into tears: "That's too much... I worked so hard to make them..."Whether out of a sudden pang of conscience or because he was brewing some idea, Helmeppouncharacteristically covered his face and said to the little girl: "Oh, stop crying, stop crying. This is why I hate children the most."He then pointed to a wooden sign and said: "You're the one in the wrong! It's written clearly right here, didn't you see it?"The sign read: 'Anyone who helps a criminal is an accomplice' 'Marine Colonel Morgan'He then crouched down, grabbed the little girl's chin to force her to look at him, and warned her with a sinister expression: "You should know how terrifying my dad is! If you were an adult, you'd be sentenced to death."After threatening the little girl, he stood up and said casually to the soldier behind him: "Hey, throw this kid out."The soldier behind him looked confused, as if he had misheard: "What?!""Ugh, good grief. You people just aren't as sensible as Jabbes and Lenus."Helmeppo then turned around, grabbed the man by the collar, and shouted: "I said throw her outside the wall! How dare you disobey my orders! Watch out, or I'll tell my dad!"The soldier replied nervously: "Y-yes, sir! I'll do it right away."He then came up to the little girl and threw her over the wall.Seeing this, Luffy and Alex reached out and caught the little girl.Luffy then stood there without a word, gently brushing the dirt off the little girl.After doing this, he looked toward the other side of the wall; no one knew what was going through Luffy's mind at that moment.
Inside the wall, Helmeppo saw the little girl being thrown away; he turned to look at Roronoa Zoro and spread his hands."However, I really didn't expect you to be so tenacious! Hehe, I will let you live for a full month."Roronoa Zoro lowered his head and said indifferently: "You must keep your promise!"Helmeppo walked toward the gate with indifference, saying as he walked: "Hehehe, I will keep it! As long as you can live like this for a full month, I will keep my promise and let you go. Keep it up."After Helmeppo left, Luffy and Alex jumped over the wall and entered inside.Roronoa Zoro saw that it was the two people who had been lying on the wall earlier: "You two are still here. If you stay here and he discovers you, he will tell his father."Luffy responded indifferently: "Is that so?" The meaning was clear: he didn't care.Then he began to state his purpose: "I am currently looking for partners to be pirates with me, and I have already found one, this Ninja, Alex."Alex waved his hand as a greeting to the other party.Roronoa Zoro ignored him and instead looked at Luffy: "Pirates, ha, you are actually debasing yourselves to become bad guys...""This is my will. What is wrong with being a pirate!"Alex said: "Me too. Although I don't know what to do, it seems being a pirate is not bad."Luffy and Alex's words made Roronoa Zoro reflect, so he asked the other party half-jokingly: "Are you planning to release me and then have me help you?"Luffy shook his head: "I don't have that intention yet, because I heard you were a bad guy, so I came to take a look.""Bad guy... I'll say it clearly from the start, I won't agree to your request. Because I still have things to do. Even if you don't help me untie the ropes, I can survive on my own. As long as I can live for a full month... that bastard will let me go according to the agreement."Having said so much in one breath, even a tough guy like Roronoa Zoro was a bit tired.After catching his breath, he continued: "The most important thing is to find a way to survive. Then go complete the things I need to do!"Of course, Alex laughed out loud on the side."What, is what I said wrong!"Roronoa Zoro was obviously angered by this laugh, thinking Alex was mocking his dream.Alex waved his hands quickly to explain: "No, I'm not laughing at anything else. I'm just laughing at how you expect the other party to keep their promise. You should be a swordsman, right? Having lost your weapons, how can you ensure the other party will keep their word? After all, you also know that the other party is scum..."Before Alex could finish, he was stopped by Luffy: "Alright, don't say anymore, Alex."Seeing this, Alex gestured that he understood and then stepped aside to start reading his scroll.At this moment, Roronoa Zoro was also pondering the other party's words. After all, he also knew that all of this was not right, but he really couldn't think of another path.Luffy spoke up, intending to let the matter pass: "Oh, you say you can hold out for a month, but if it were me, I would definitely die in a week."Roronoa Zoro's train of thought was interrupted by these words: "I am different from you. You should go find someone else with your partner!"Hearing this, Luffy turned and left, while Alex put away his scroll and followed behind Luffy.Not long after Luffy and Alex left, Roronoa Zorocalled out to them: "Hey, wait a second! That... could you pick that up for me?"Luffy looked in the direction of Roronoa Zoro's gaze; it was the rice ball on the ground that had been trampled flat.After Luffy picked it up, he asked with an incredulous look: "Are you going to eat this? This rice ball has already turned into mud... no matter how hungry you are, you shouldn't eat this..."Roronoa Zoro was indifferent: "Stop yapping and being annoying! Stop the nonsense and bring it over quickly. I want everything that fell on the ground."After saying this, he opened his mouth and waited on the side.Seeing this, Alex knew that someone who hadn't drunk water for a long time would definitely choke if they suddenly ate rice, so he immediately formed a hand seal on the side.It would be a sin to let such a tough guy choke to death here.Luffy stuffed the rice ball into his mouth, and he swallowed it after only a few chews; naturally, he started to choke."Open your mouth."Upon hearing the voice, Roronoa Zorosubconsciously opened his mouth.Alex saw a stream of water condense at his fingertips, which slowly entered Roronoa Zoro's mouth.With the water to assist, he swallowed the rice ball stuck in his throat in one go."Ha, thanks, I'm saved. Is this the ability of a Ninja? It's really amazing."Alex didn't say anything, just waved his hand, while Luffy on the side opened his eyes wide and looked at Alex with admiration."That's amazing! Hey, hey, what does the water from Ninjutsu taste like!""First, my name isn't 'Hey'. Second, I just finished eating a sweet, salty, and fishy rice ball, and you're asking me what it tastes like!"Perhaps having eaten something, Roronoa Zoro's mental state was quite good.Alex looked at Luffy who also wanted to taste it, and immediately explained: "Luffy, this stream of water is just ordinary water. If you want to drink it, I can help you."After hearing this, Luffy immediately opened his mouth, and Alex also formed hand seals to create a small stream of water for him to drink."Hmm, it's just ordinary water, nothing special.""You two bastards, if you want to play, leave here!"Roronoa Zoro couldn't stand it anymore and angrily scolded Alex and Luffy: "Also, can you pass a message to that little girl for me?"Luffy and Alex stopped fooling around: "What should we say?"Roronoa Zoro lowered his face: "The rice ball was delicious, thanks for the treat."Luffy didn't say anything, but left with a smile.When leaving, Alex saw Roronoa Zoro with his head down and discussed with Luffy whether Roronoa Zoro was crying.Hearing the other party teasing him like this, Roronoa Zoro nearly ground his back teeth to pieces.At the same time, he cursed in his heart: It was just trying to look cool, did you have to undermine me like that! Forget it, I hope these two don't come back. Thinking of this, Roronoa Zoro looked up at the sky.On the other side, the two found the little girl on a street, and Luffy truthfully recounted the events, including the message Roronoa Zoro had asked them to pass on."Yeah, he ate the whole rice ball with gusto, not a single bit left."The little girl said happily: "That's great."Similarly, Luffy's perception of Roronoa Zoro greatly increased, and he became even more curious about why someone like Roronoa Zoro would be tied up.Alex then told Luffy the information he had gathered."Roronoa Zoro was captured because of this little girl. Of course, the main reason was that he killed Helmeppo's wolf. Because before that, that guy's wolf was running around the streets, and everyone was terrified, so Roronoa Zoro killed the wolf. Also, in order not to implicate others, Roronoa Zoro chose to reach an agreement with Helmeppo to go a month without eating.""So, Roronoa Zoro was captured because he killed Helmeppo's wolf?""Yes, you could say that."At this moment, the little girl also started cursing: "It's all the fault of Morgan's son! As long as there is even the slightest bit of resistance against him, it will immediately be sentenced to death, and everyone is living in fear."At this moment, a voice came from afar: "Hey! Luffy, Alex!"The two looked up and saw it was Coby. At this time, he was already a logistics soldier responsible for purchasing food for the base."Haha, Coby, I didn't expect you to pass. How does it feel to wear that uniform?""Hmm, it feels pretty good. Although I'm in logistics now, one day I will definitely be able to become a real soldier...""Is that so? Then keep it up."Just as Luffy and the others were reunited and discussing, a disgusting voice came over."Hehehehe! Kneel down quickly! Otherwise, I will tell my father!"At this time, Helmeppo walked over with an arrogant stride."Do you want to end up with the same fate as Roronoa Zoro?! Three days from now, I am going to publicly execute him! I'm really looking forward to this 'killing the chicken to warn the monkey'!"Helmeppo walked toward this side, and wherever he passed, people knelt on the ground, just like an emperor.After seeing this scene, Coby could no longer hold back. He picked up a brick from the ground and rushed toward the other party."Bastard, do you even count as a Marine acting like this!"The brick hit the other party's head hard, and blood flowed down from Helmeppo's forehead.Holding his forehead with one hand and seeing blood flowing out, he shouted tremblingly to the soldiers behind him: "You... are you blind! Hurry... hurry up and catch him!"Two soldiers rushed directly at Coby, and Cobygrappled with them.However, Coby was someone who had survived under Alvida. Facing two ordinary soldiers who only knew how to throw their weight around, beating them up was more than enough.After knocking down the two soldiers, Coby also sustained some injuries. He then came in front of Helmeppo and looked at him.Helmeppo knelt on the ground begging the other party to let him go. Coby didn't say anything, just punched him hard.Then he took off his uniform and threw it heavily on the ground."I never want to be a Marine again, I never want to become an existence like you!"After speaking, he lowered his head and left. Luffyand Alex did not stop him; after all, neither of them knew how to comfort him.Seeing Coby leave, Helmeppo, who had just been begging for mercy, immediately got up, brushed the dirt off his body, and looked at the others, putting on that same arrogant posture again.It was as if everything Coby had done was fake. If not for the scar on his face as proof, someone might really have been fooled.Helmeppo continued his previous shouting: "Hmph, very well, I am going to execute Roronoa Zorotomorrow to kill the chicken to warn the monkey!"Hearing that Roronoa Zoro was to be executed tomorrow, Luffy immediately questioned him: "Don't you have a 'one-month agreement'?"Helmeppo was startled by the voice. He looked up and saw it was a silly-looking idiot and a pretty boy.He said unhappily: "What? Who do you think you are? Where did you hear that from? How rude!"Then he said with a grin: "That was obviously a joke! But he believed it for real; he's really as stupid as a beast!"At this moment, both Luffy and Alex remembered the image of Roronoa Zoro seriously saying that he would be able to come out as long as he persisted for another month.Likewise, there was also Coby's disappointed expression from earlier.Although Alex knew a little about the other party, he didn't expect him to be so inhuman. He actually abandoned the promise between men, and he also shattered Coby's lifelong pursuit.Thinking of this, Alex clenched his fist and hit the other party hard. At the same time, another fist hit him even faster."Ouch!" Helmeppo, who was punched away heavily by two fists, was a bit confused. What was going on? How did three people who dared to attack him appear all at once?Luffy clenched his fist and said to Alex: "Alex—I've decided! I'm going to make Roronoa Zoro my partner!"
Chapter 6: Captain MorganThe onlookers nearby were actually even more bewildered than Helmeppo himself at this moment; what on earth was going on? First, a chubby Marinesoldier wearing glasses had hit him and then taken off his uniform to leave.Now two other people had hit him, and it looked like they weren't satisfied yet and wanted to continue attacking.When everyone saw Luffy knock Helmeppo down, the people who had originally been kneeling stood up and began to discuss those few individuals."Oh no... this is terrible! Who are those three people!""The Captain's son has been beaten... Captain Morgan will definitely not sit idly by!"At this moment, Luffy and Alex were staring straight at Helmeppo lying on the ground.Clutching the spot where he had been hit, he sat on the ground and said, "You... you all dare to hit me one after another, even my old man has never hit me!"The more he spoke, the more courage he found, and he actually roared out, "I am the son of MarineCaptain Morgan! I'm going to tell my old man!""If you have the guts, then hit me back yourself!" Luffy looked at him seriously, the fighting spirit in his eyes almost overflowing.However, the person opposite was helped up by the soldiers beside him, and the three injured guys actually fled in the direction of the Marine Base."What a coward," Alex said, watching the other party. He crouched down, wanting to kick him away.But he was stopped by Luffy, who lowered his hat and said, "Forget it, Alex. Fighting someone like this is completely pointless."Watching them leave, the little girl from before came out from behind the two and thanked them gratefully, "Big brothers, you are truly amazing, you vented our anger for us.""Is that so? Then I should have punched him a few more times just now!"Then the door behind them opened, and a woman's voice came, "Ri... Rika! Come back here immediately!"It seemed this was the little girl's mother, and she dragged Rika into the house."Don't talk to them! If you are considered their accomplices, it will cost us our lives!"Rika retorted, "But Mama, they are good people... and so is Zoro..."Hearing this, Mama became even more anxious and hurriedly interrupted her, "Don't say silly things! Did you sneak off to the execution grounds?!"Hearing this, Rika realized that going there was such a dangerous thing."Uh... uh, I didn't!"Hearing this, the mother knew she had already been there, and helplessly said, "Hurry up and get inside!"Before entering the house, Rika looked at Luffy and Alex, and the two waved goodbye to her.After confirming Rika had gone back, Alex teased Luffy, "Luffy, it seems that Captain Morgan won't let us off. Do you think he'll take his anger out on us later?"Luffy responded nonchalantly, "We'll deal with that later! Let's go see Zoro first."On the other side, inside the Marine Baseheadquarters, a man sat at the highest level, looking outside through the window, muttering to himself as he watched, "I... am truly great!"At the same time, the soldier behind him responded tremblingly, "Yes! Because you are the Captain, Captain Morgan!"But immediately after, Morgan asked him with dissatisfaction, "However... don't you think the townspeople's tributes... have decreased a lot lately!"Hearing Morgan's question, the soldier hurriedly replied, "Yes! Regarding the funds contributed to the Captain... it is because the people's economic ability is truly limited."The soldier's words did not concern Morgan much; instead, they stirred up his anger, "It's not a problem of economic difficulties... it's that they don't respect me enough!"Bang! The door was opened, and Helmeppo was helped inside.Morgan asked him indifferently, "Helmeppo, what's the matter, making such a racket.""I want you to kill a few people!"At this time at the execution grounds, Alex and Luffy arrived in front of Zoro again."Hello!" Luffy waved his hand as if he were greeting a friend on the street."Yo, Zoro, long time no see!" Alex also greeted him very relaxedly."Why are you here again! If you've come to persuade me to become a pirate, then you can give up on that idea!"Zoro slumped in place, his tone full of disdain.But Luffy didn't care; he walked straight up to him and introduced himself, "My name is Luffy, and I will help you untie the rope, so be my partner!"Zoro was a bit confused; was this guy deaf?"Are you even listening to me! I already said I have things to do. Who would want to be a bad guy like a pirate."Luffy said nonchalantly, "What does it matter! You've already been treated as a bad guy anyway."Zoro looked at Luffy with a serious expression and said firmly, "I don't care what others say! I have never done anything that went against my beliefs or made me regret, and I won't in the future either! So I won't become a pirate.""I don't care! I've already decided that you're going to be my partner!""Don't make decisions for me..."Alex really couldn't watch anymore; he came to Luffy's side and quietly told him the information he had gathered about Zoro.Hearing Alex's words, a smile appeared on Luffy's face, but for some reason, this smile felt a bit evil."I heard you're very good with a sword, is that right?"Although Zoro had a bad feeling, he didn't hide it, "Yeah... if I weren't tied up, I definitely would be..."Seeing that he confirmed it, Luffy continued to ask, "Where are your swords?""They were taken away by that jerk. They are things only second to my life... my treasures!"Hearing Zoro's words, Luffy responded with a serious expression, "Oh, treasures! That's serious then! Alright, Alex, go help him get his swords back from those jerks!"Zoro realized something was wrong, "What!"Luffy looked at him with a grin, "Hehe, if you want your swords, you have to be my partner!""You bastard, you're so despicable!" Zoro broke down.But he really had no other choice."Alright, Luffy, you stay here and watch him. I'll be back soon."After saying this, Alex used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.Seeing Alex disappear, Luffy and Zoro both found it incredible."No matter how many times I see it, Ninjas are amazing.""How about that, my partner is pretty great, right.""That's just because that guy named Alex is skilled; it has nothing to do with you!""Eh, it's all the same."...The two just started chatting like that at the execution grounds.Relying on the Body Flicker Technique, Alex arrived inside the base, where he couldn't see a single soldier."Hmm, it's not noon, so where is everyone?"Since he couldn't see any soldiers, he couldn't determine where Zoro's swords were hidden."Forget it, I'd better go look for that guy named Helmeppo; after all, he's the one who collected the swords."Afterward, Alex began to perform hand seals, and the next second, two clones appeared beside him; this was the Ninjutsu—Shadow Clone.Then he performed Ninjutsu again, this time the Transformation Technique; after all, for a stealth mission, he at least needed some disguise.Just like that, three Marine soldiers with different appearances headed in three different directions.At this time, Helmeppo was still in Morgan's room, and he was loudly questioning him.And outside the window, it was shown why not a single soldier could be seen in the base.It turned out everyone was straining to pull up a huge statue.And in the room, Helmeppo was questioning his old man."Dad! That guy hit me, why won't you avenge me! Even you have never hit me in the face!"At this time, Morgan, sitting in his seat, said indifferently, "Do you know why I never hit you?"Helmeppo responded confidently, "That's obviously because I am Dad's..."Before he could finish, Morgan immediately interrupted, "That's right, you are..."Before the words were finished, Morgan stood up abruptly and punched him, sending him flying, "A jerk of a son not worth me lifting a finger!"Helmeppo was sent flying.At this time, Morgan stood up; his right hand had been cut off and he had installed a giant axe in its place, and his chin was made of iron, apparently because it had been shattered.Wearing a captain's cape and a cigar in his mouth, he continued nonchalantly, "Why should I clean up your messes? You can use my prestige to bully others, but I only punish those who defy me."Then he came to Helmeppo, looking down at his son with a mix of threat and warning."Don't you make any mistake; what's great is not you, but your father! Which is me!"After threatening Helmeppo, he thought of the previous report and began to question him."Speaking of which, did a little mouse sneak into the execution grounds!"Helmeppo dared not hide it, "Huh? Yes... there was a little girl. I will handle this matter."But that wasn't what Morgan meant; he said with a gloomy face, "You should have already killed her!"Hearing this, Helmeppo suddenly realized his father's intention and hurriedly protested, "Huh? No way, she's just a little kid! She doesn't even know what she did wrong!"It was clear that although Helmeppo was cruel, he still had some humanity; at the very least, he knew he couldn't do that to a little girl.Morgan didn't speak after hearing this, but pointed at the officer beside him and ordered, "Hey, you go to town and kill her for me. Even though she's a child, anyone who defies my orders is a traitor!"The officer's conscience had not yet been extinguished, and he immediately retorted, "This... this isn't right, Captain! The other party is just a child. Even if it's the Captain's order... but I..."The officer's voice grew lower and lower, because Morgan had raised his hand-axe and was walking over."You can't do it? You're a Marine Lieutenant, right! A Lieutenant isn't as powerful as a Captain, right?"The officer stammered in reply, "Ye... yes."
Chapter 7: Memories and VowsMorgan stroked his axe-hand, looking at the other person."Since that's the case, you have no right to defy me!When I tell you to kill, you kill!"The sergeant shook his head: "I... I can't do it!"Without any wasted movement, Morgan swung his hand-axe at the sergeant."You are a traitor too!"The sergeant was immediately struck down, letting out a scream, "Waaaaahhh—"The cry echoed all around, giving Alex, who was still wandering around the base, a general direction.Although he didn't know what was happening over there, he still sent a Shadow Clone running toward the source of the scream.Upon arriving, the clone saw the following scene.Inside a transparent office, a bruised Helmeppo lay on the floor.Outside the window was a group of Marine soldiers, a high-ranking officer in a cloak, and a Marine lying on the ground.This explained why there wasn't a single Marine to be seen inside the building."It seems they're having internal strife. In that case, I can take advantage of the chaos."The clone silently plotted his next move, then kidnapped Helmeppo from the room as quickly as possible before leaving.Helmeppo was quite bewildered. He had just watched his father kill a subordinate, and before he could even recover, he had been brought to another room, and standing before him was a Marine soldier he didn't recognize."You..."Before the other could finish, the clone dispelled the Transformation Technique, covered his mouth with one hand, and began to interrogate him."Listen to me, and remember not to make a sound. Tell me which room is the archives, which room is the library, and where Zoro's three swords are.Remember, don't make a sound."The clone let go to let him speak. Helmeppo had originally wanted to scream, but remembering how formidable the other was, he held it back.Helmeppo proceeded to tell him everything about the location of the intelligence room and the library.He also revealed where Zoro's three swords were kept.Having obtained the information, the clone used Chakra to draw a dot on his arm and threatened him: "If you dare to tell anyone, this dot will explode. Remember, while the explosion isn't very powerful, it's enough to blow off half your body.If you don't believe me, feel free to try."With that, the clone used the Body Flicker Technique to leave, simultaneously dispelling the Shadow Clone to pass the information to the original body.Watching Alex suddenly vanish, fear flashed in Helmeppo's eyes. He didn't know who this person was or what kind of expert he was.But he decided to take this secret to his grave.On the other side, Alex's original body received the information and looked at the room before him, nodding. This was Helmeppo's bedroom.He looked left and right to confirm no one was coming, then slipped inside.Sure enough, there were three swords here. It seemed Zoro's blades were all here.Confirming his mission was complete, he looked out the window at the scenery; through it, he could even see the execution ground.On the execution ground, Luffy and Zoro were being fired upon.Hmm? Luffy was being fired at, why wasn't he fighting back? Oh, his fingers were tied to the rope. What a blockhead Captain.And what on earth did Luffy do to make the entire Marine force mobilize?Forget it, never mind that. Alex ordered another clone to continue to the intelligence room to gather information.While he took the three swords and exited through the window.As for why Luffy ended up in such a state, it all started after Alex left.After Alex left, Luffy started chatting with Zoro."Hey, Zoro, you're definitely going to become my crewmate, right!"Zoro didn't speak, merely keeping his head down in silence.Just as Luffy was about to continue chatting, a bullet flew in from a distance and struck Luffy directly in the head.The bullet appeared suddenly, and the process from appearing to hitting Luffy was very short, yet also very long.Short because no one expected anyone to open fire, and long because the bullet didn't pierce through Luffy's head, but rather manifested from the back of his head."You, what exactly are you!"Zoro was shocked by what he saw; after all, in his understanding, the human body wasn't supposed to be like that.After flicking the bullet away, Luffy brushed the dust off his body, as if knowing Zoro's confusion, so he explained: "I am a Gum-Gum human who ate the Devil Fruit."Faced with Luffy's statement, Zoro acknowledged it, then lowered his head again and didn't speak.At this moment, Luffy came up to Zoro and began to untie the ropes on his arms.Zoro hurriedly refused: "Don't worry about me, I just need to hold out for a month and it'll be fine! You should go!"Luffy, while untying the ropes, said the words the other least wanted to hear."You won't be saved; you're going to be executed tomorrow."Hearing Luffy's words, Zoro was visibly panicked."You... what did you say! That bastard son promised me that if I just held out here for a month, he'd let me go."Luffy continued untying the rope while saying: "He never intended to keep his promise! So I beat him up for you! He was just toying with you the whole time."Zoro looked up at Luffy, his eyes showing shock: "No... that can't be.""What, it's getting tighter!There's nothing that can't be; now the Marines are your enemies."Hearing Luffy's words, Zoro finally lowered his head as if completely resigned to his fate.At the same time, Luffy had completely tied the rope to his own fingers.Just then, several soldiers arrived in the open space, raised their guns, and aimed at Luffy and Zoro."This is the end! You two traitors who defied CaptainMorgan...prepare to die!"And that was what happened before Alex's eyes.At this moment, the perspective shifted back to Alex, who saw the soldiers had already fired, but the bullets were all blocked by Luffy.Hearing the noise, Morgan, who had been on the roof supervising the erection of his statue, heard the gunfire and looked down from above, seeing the scene where Luffy deflected the bullets.Finally, he called other soldiers to head down with him.Arriving at the execution ground, he saw Luffy trying to untie the ropes on Zoro."Surround the base! Don't let that Straw Hat kid escape!How interesting, are you two trying to stage a coup!"Then, Morgan rested his hand-axe on his shoulder, looking at Zoro with a contemptuous gaze: "Roronoa Zoro, your name is well-known! But don't you underestimate me!Your little bit of strength is truly insignificant before my mighty power!And you, Straw Hat kid next to him, that body of yours must have eaten a Devil Fruit, but that Devil Fruit of yours is also insignificant before my power!"The Captain on the side raised his gun, aiming at Luffy and Zoro: "Ready!"The other soldiers raised their firearms in unison, aiming at the two.I absolutely cannot die in this place! I still have things to do! I have already made a promise...These were Zoro's inner thoughts, and at the same time, his memory returned to that moment.——— Flashback Begins ———In front of a traditional-style building, a young girl and a young boy were sparring in swordsmanship.The boy had green hair; it was clearly young Zoro.The young Zoro was knocked to the ground by the girl, and a voice came from the side."Winner, Kuina!"Others began to discuss among themselves: "Two-Sword Style Zoro lost!Now Zoro's record against Kuina is 0 wins and 2000 losses!"Beside them, the young girl Kuina looked at the prone Zoro with an easy expression, then spoke: "Hmph, you really are useless!To be a boy and still be this weak!"Just then, three boys came out of the crowd; they appeared to be Zoro's friends.They pointed at Kuina and argued: "Hey! Zoro isn't weak at all!That's right! He's the strongest in our dojo!Even counting the adults, he's the strongest!"But the girl didn't care at all, shouldering her bamboo sword and saying indifferently: "Oh, really? But he's weaker than me!I don't care if you use Two-Sword Style or not, useless is useless!Loser, just shut up!"Little Zoro gritted his teeth, looking at Kuina: "Damn it!"His companions also vented their dissatisfaction: "That Kuina is so infuriating!What a hateful woman! Just because she's the dojo master's daughter, she acts all arrogant!"A man with a kind face, wearing glasses and sporting a ponytail, walked over.He consoled Zoro: "Lost again, huh! Zoro, actually, you are very strong!"Seeing the master come out, others spoke up: "Master! You can't give her special training just because she's your daughter!"The master hurriedly waved his hands: "That's not the case."Zoro, on the side, resentfully threw away the bamboo sword in his hand: "Damn it! Why can't I ever beat that woman!"The master crouched down to tell Zoro the reason: "That's because Kuina is slightly older than you..."Hearing this, Zoro immediately retorted: "I can even beat the adults!"Then, Zoro stated his dream: "In the future, I'm going to set sail and become the world's greatest swordsman! Therefore, I absolutely cannot lose to her now!"After saying this, Zoro left. Until the moon rose, in a secluded place—this was Kuina's training ground.She was there alone under the moonlight, practicing her swordsmanship and stamina with her bamboo sword.Then she heard some noise and stopped her movements, looking to the side: "Zoro!"At this moment, Zoro arrived in front of Kuinacarrying two real swords: "Kuina, take a real sword, and let's settle this!"Kuina panted as she looked at Zoro: "With me? Alright."Hearing this, Zoro drew his two swords and assumed his usual stance: "Here I come!"Kuina looked at him with an easy expression: "Come on!"The next moment, the two clashed, Zoro swinging his two long swords in an attack on Kuina.The stance looked strong, but Kuina had fought him two thousand times; she knew Zoro's moves by heart.Within a few moments, Zoro's dual swords were knocked away by Kuina.Then Kuina knelt on Zoro, the blade stuck beside his head."My 2001st victory!"Zoro covered his head and said resentfully: "Damn it! I'm not satisfied..."Seeing this, Kuina got off Zoro, and the two sat beside the building.She said with a look of dissatisfaction: "Actually, the one who isn't satisfied is me..."Hearing Kuina's words, Zoro felt puzzled: "Huh