Chapter 5: Forcing the Issue
The sunlight was a bit dazzling.
The little girl Rika held two crookedly shaped rice balls in both hands and carefully handed them to Zoro.
The rice balls were still dusted with a bit of black sugar frosting; they didn't look delicious or refined, but they were filled with her heart.
"Big brother, you must be hungry, right?" Rika looked up, her eyes clear. "These are Sugar Rice Balls I made specifically for you. Please eat them."
Zoro, tied to the cross, felt his Adam's apple bob slightly.
He had been hungry for a full twenty days; the aroma of these rice balls was simply a form of torture.
But he glanced around, and his gaze instantly became fierce.
"You're an eyesore, get lost!" Zoro gritted his teeth and roared fiercely. "I'm not hungry! If you don't leave now, I'll send you flying!"
"But..." Rika was startled, tears welling up in her eyes.
Just then, the gate opened.
A blond man wearing a flashy purple suit and sporting a strange "butt-chin" hairstyle walked over swaggeringly, flanked by two Marines.
Helmeppo had a playful, mocking look on his face.
"You shouldn't bully children, hahaha."
"Yo, it's quite lively here. You dare to trespass into a Marine base? Do you know the consequences?!"
As he spoke, he reached out to snatch the rice balls from Rika's hands. "Garbage food like this should be fed to the ants!"
A soft slap.
A soft sound.
Helmeppo's wrist was firmly caught in mid-air, held as if by an iron pincer, completely immobile.
"You shouldn't bully children."
A voice, smiling yet devoid of warmth, rang in his ear.
Tatsuya had appeared between the two of them at some point, one hand in his pocket, the other gripping Helmeppo's thin wrist, his fingers exerting a bit of pressure.
Helmeppo felt as if his wrist was about to shatter, and his face instantly turned the color of pig liver.
"W-who are you?!"
"Let go! Let go! I'm Helmeppo! My father is Captain Morgan!"
"Oh? So you're just a piece of trash who relies on his daddy."
The smile at the corner of Tatsuya's mouth deepened, but the force in his hand suddenly increased.
*Crack.*
"AAAAAHHHH!!!"
A shrill scream echoed throughout the Training Ground.
Helmeppo knelt on the ground in agony, tears and snot flowing. "It's broken! It's going to break! My hand is going to break!!"
The two Marine soldiers behind him were horrified and raised their rifles at Tatsuya, but the barrels were shaking violently.
"W-what do you think you're doing! This is Captain Morgan's son! Are you trying to start a rebellion?!"
Koby had long since been scared out of his wits, habitually hiding behind Tatsuya and trembling while clutching his coattail.
"Mr. Tatsuya! Please explain to them! We're really going to become wanted criminals now!"
"Explain what?"
Luffy, however, acted as if nothing was wrong. He squatted in front of Zoro and asked curiously.
"Hey, moss-head. Since this little girl is bringing you food, that means you're a good person, right?"
Veins bulged on Zoro's forehead, and his mouth twitched.
"Who are you calling moss-head?! What do you people want? They're Marines! If you don't want to die, get lost!"
"No! Big brother is a good person!"
Rika suddenly shouted, her voice thick with tears as she blurted out the truth.
"It's because the wolf Helmeppo keeps tried to bite me, and big brother killed the wolf to save me!"
"He volunteered to be tied up here so the Marines wouldn't arrest us!"
Hearing this, the faces of the two Marines holding guns changed, and their barrels lowered slightly.
They were also locals; how could they not detest the tyranny of Morgan and his son?
But in Shells Town, Captain Morgan was the absolute, the only "Law."
"Bastards! What are you trash waiting for?!"
Helmeppo knelt on the ground, clutching his wrist and roaring hysterically.
"Kill them! I'm the Colonel's son! I order you to fire! I'm going to kill all these..."
*Bam!*
Before Helmeppo could finish, a fist rapidly enlarged in his vision.
Tatsuya didn't waste any words. With a plain, unadorned straight punch, he heavily smashed into Helmeppo's disgusting face.
Although this punch didn't use Chakra, it was full of power.
Helmeppo spun twice in the air, two bloody front teeth flew out, and then he slumped on the ground like a dead dog.
"Too noisy."
Tatsuya shook his hand and wiped it on Helmeppo's suit with disgust.
Total silence.
Tatsuya looked up, his Red Pupils sweeping over the two terrified Marine soldiers behind.
"Go and inform your Captain Morgan."
"Tell him our Captain Luffy wants to challenge him. If he doesn't come... I'll kill this pig."
He casually kicked Helmeppo on the ground with his toe.
Helmeppo was so scared that cold sweat poured down, ignoring the intense pain as he cried out loudly.
"What are you standing there for? Go!"
"Ah?! C-challenge the Colonel?!"
The two Marines were scared into a cold sweat by that terrifying gaze.
They looked at each other, threw out a "You just wait!", and then scrambled away toward the Base Building.
"Hahahaha! So interesting! Is this the Vice Captain's style of doing things?"
"But why am I the one challenging him? Hahaha."
Looking at this, Luffy wasn't afraid; instead, he laughed excitedly, slapping his thighs.
He turned to look at Zoro: "That's it! Zoro! I'll untie the ropes for you right now! Be my partner!"
"You bunch of lunatics..."
Zoro watched the scene before him, feeling as if he had used up a lifetime's worth of shock today.
"Are you inviting me to be a bastard with you? I refuse! I have my own ambitions!"
"Is there a problem?" Luffy picked his nose. "Anyway, you're already a bad guy with a terrible reputation now."
"Think whatever you want!" Zoro gritted his teeth, his gaze resolute.
"No matter what, I will survive. I'm going to become the Worlds Greatest Swordsman! I absolutely won't die here, I still have to complete my own..."
Just as Zoro reached the climax of his speech, preparing to deliver a heartfelt vow.
Suddenly, a hand reached over.
"Mmph?!"
Before Zoro could react, Tatsuya directly picked up the two sugar-dusted rice balls from Rika's hand.
With his right hand, he forcefully stuffed one rice ball into Zoro's mouth, cutting off his vow.
With his left hand, he stuffed a rice ball into Luffy's mouth just as he was about to speak, silencing him.
"Mmph mmph mmph!!" Zoro's eyes widened, nearly choking to death.
"Too much nonsense."
Tatsuya brushed the rice grains off his hands and looked calmly at Luffy, who was chewing the rice ball with bulging cheeks, and said solemnly:
"Luffy, Zoro just told me with his eyes."
"He said: 'As long as you can help me get back my confiscated swords, I'm willing to join you'."
Luffy, who was chewing with gusto, suddenly had his eyes go wide and round. He said in a muffled, pleasantly surprised voice, "Hontoni?!!"
"Mmph mmph!! (I didn't!!)"
Zoro shook his head desperately, wanting to retort, but his mouth was so full of rice ball that he could only make muffled sounds of protest.
"See, he's so excited he can't even speak."
Tatsuya pointed at Zoro, talking nonsense with a straight face.
"Hahahaha! It's a deal!"
Luffy immediately believed it, swallowed the rice ball, and let out an excited roar.
He snatched up the unconscious Helmeppo from the ground like he was carrying a sack.
"Alright! I'm going to get the swords! Wait for me, Zoro!"
With that, Luffy charged toward the Base Building like a bull, carrying the hostage and leaving a trail of dust.
"Hey—!! Wait for me, Mr. Luffy!"
Only Tatsuya, Koby, Rika, and Zoro—who finally swallowed the rice ball and was coughing violently—remained on the scene.
"*Cough cough cough*... You bastard!"
Zoro's face was red from coughing, and he glared angrily at Tatsuya.
"When did I ever say such a thing! You kid are too despicable!!"
"How did it taste?" Tatsuya completely ignored his anger and instead asked with a smile.
Zoro froze for a moment, subconsciously savoring the sweetness in his mouth, then turned his head away with a huff.
"...Not bad. It's the best thing I've ever eaten in my life."
Hearing this, Rika's eyes narrowed into crescents.
"Yay! Rika is a rice ball genius!"
Tatsuya smiled and turned to look at Koby, who was already dumbfounded behind him.
"Koby."
"Yes! Yes! Mr. Tatsuya!" Koby immediately stood at attention, full of awe for the "brutal" Tatsuya.
"Take Rika away from here and find a safe place to hide. The next scene won't be suitable for children."
"O-okay! I understand!" Koby didn't dare to delay and hurriedly pulled Rika along.
"Little sister, come with me quickly. This place is about to become a battlefield!"
After the bystanders had left, only Tatsuya and Zoro remained on the Training Ground.
Tatsuya walked unhurriedly to the back of the cross and pulled out a pitch-black Kunai.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Zoro asked warily. "Isn't that Straw Hat idiot going to get the swords?"
"He's going to get the swords, and I'm letting you down. Is there a conflict?"
Tatsuya swung the Kunai, Chakra coating the edge of the blade.
*Swish!*
The incredibly tough hemp rope was as fragile as paper before the Kunai, snapping and falling away instantly.
Zoro's body relaxed as he fell back to the ground.
He stretched his stiff wrists and neck, letting out a series of "cracks."
Then, he looked at the mysterious red-eyed youth before him with a complex gaze.
"Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word? Or kill you?" Zoro asked in a low voice.
Tatsuya put away the Kunai, a smile appearing on his lips.
He looked at this future great swordsman and extended his right hand:
"If you were the type of person to go back on your word, then you wouldn't be worthy of carrying the dream of being 'the world's greatest'."
"Welcome to the Straw Hat Pirates, Vice Captain... oh no, you should be the Combatant, Zoro."