Part 12: Let’s make a total mess... 31/36

A few minutes later, dressed in Smoker's clothes, Yosaku, smoking one of the captain's cigars, cast a satisfied glance at the marine. Out of all Smoker's clothes, only his white underwear remained on him. Yosaku was even glad that Johnny hadn't let him kill the damn Logia. Death is instant, but such humiliation lasts a lifetime. And the look on Smoker's face! If before Smoker had looked at Yosaku as if he had killed his entire family, now the guy couldn't even find a fitting comparison. Smoker's hatred seemed almost tangible. Johnny and Yosaku, at that moment, felt on top of the world. Riding high on their good mood, the guys even let slip a couple of soldiers dragging away the pierced lieutenant and closed their eyes to them. They really should have headed back to the ship by now, but Johnny and Yosaku were in no hurry. When else would they have the chance to thoroughly mock a Logia? However, the fun for the guys came to an abrupt end with Zoro's appearance.

"I finally found you!" The voice of the green-haired swordsman, coming from beside Johnny and Yosaku, sounded like thunder in a clear sky, instantly bringing the two close friends back to earth. What was strange was that the voice sounded unusually cheerful and with a notable sense of relief. And Zoro himself looked a bit pale, with visible beads of sweat on his forehead.

Luffy had sent Zoro to deliver a warning to Smoker… Luffy had sent Zoro to deliver a warning to Smoker… Luffy had sent Zoro to deliver a warning to Smoker! Whatever you say, Luffy's got a sharp mind… and no, that wasn't sarcasm. Luffy was indeed sharp, but being completely absorbed in his fantasies and thoughts about how soon many people would feel disgusted and unwell, he managed to forget an incredibly important fact — Zoro's topographical idiocy. Luffy had tripped over this same issue at least twenty times, and he still managed to do it again. Zoro always looked so serious and reliable that his behavior and appearance somehow managed to dull even Luffy's senses.

"Zoro-aniki?!" Johnny exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

Yosaku was more verbose and emotional:

"You were looking for us?! Alone?!! And you found us?!!!" The guy asked three important questions in a row.

Zoro, having received the captain's order, had set out to fulfill it… and only the realization that he was hopelessly lost and had no idea where he was reminded him of his directional problems. If it didn't sound so idiotic, one could say that Zoro's appearance and behavior managed to affect even himself, causing him to regularly forget his enormous flaw. So, the fiery dragon stretching across the sky, along with smoke and clear signs of a fire starting, were perceived by Zoro as signs from above. First mate or not, strongest after Luffy or not, Zoro didn't even want to think about what Luffy would do if he didn't carry out his order simply because he once again managed to get lost. Nevertheless, he had to work hard to get to the right place — the smoke rising from the fire was rapidly moving through the city, causing Zoro plenty of trouble. Hence his pale complexion and sweaty forehead — he feared that if he missed Johnny and Yosaku, he would not only fail to complete Luffy's order but also fail to reach the ship. As for why Zoro couldn't use his Observation Haki for navigation, even the lord god probably didn't know the answer.

"Of course I found you, what's the problem? Just so you know, if I really wanted to, I could find anyone and go anywhere I wanted!" Zoro declared proudly, glowing with self-satisfaction.

Upon hearing the swordsman's reply, Johnny and Yosaku exchanged looks but couldn't muster the courage to tell Zoro that he shouldn't boast about what even small children could do.

"…So why were you looking for us?" Johnny decided to change the subject.

"I have orders…" Zoro hesitated, 'captain' was not allowed, 'Luffy' was not allowed "Cthulhu… orders from Cthulhu."

Zoro was a terrible conspirator. Although he managed not to mention 'captain' or 'Luffy,' he clearly hadn't thought about how the phrase 'I have orders' sounded coming from him. The notorious 'Pirate Slayer' following someone else's orders? Fortunately, the only outsider listening was Smoker, who was in no state to notice such details. Zoro, Yosaku, and Johnny each had a decent chance of ruining Luffy's plan, and each time they got lucky. Miracles, indeed. I mean, it was a miracle that none of them had yet fallen out of Luffy's favor, despite their missteps. Luffy himself could come up with something else, no problem, — plus, a small compensation in the form of turning some family members' lives into a complete hell — but the guys would be in trouble, and in a big way.

"And what did Cthulhu-ani ask you to do?" Yosaku asked, emphasizing the word 'asked,' hoping Zoro would catch his hint.

"I need to tell something to the local captain… I understand, this naked pervert is the local captain," Zoro turned his gaze to Smoker, who was lying a few meters away.

"The only perverts here are your subordinates!" came the angry reply.

"…Did you strip him?" Zoro raised an eyebrow in surprise after a brief pause.

"Johnny burned all my clothes," Yosaku shrugged slightly, as if stealing someone's clothes was not strange. "If the marines hadn't attacked us, I wouldn't have lost my clothes, so I just sought satisfaction. And since the duel has already happened, I decided to take the clothes as well."

Zoro, after hearing Yosaku's answer, frowned, considering what he had just heard. The guy's behavior seemed a bit strange to the swordsman. Johnny usually liked to chat aimlessly, while Yosaku was more likely to stick to silent gestures or short phrases. In a normal situation, Yosaku would have just answered with a brief 'yes' and that would have been it. Zoro glanced again at the marine lying near them and only then realized what had seemed strange from the very beginning but had gone unnoticed — the net. The captain was entangled in a net. To Zoro, the conclusion seemed obvious:

"Is he a Logia?" Zoro asked.

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(the Loguetown arc is finished in there, and next one started explaining part of Luffy's past...)