Bonds of Conviction

On the boat, as they sailed toward the naval base, Koby and Ryomen sat, chatting while Luffy snored peacefully nearby, his hat tilted over his face.

"So, you want to join the Marines?" Ryomen questioned Koby, a skeptical tone in his voice.

"Hmhm, it's my dream!" Koby affirmed, his eyes shining with conviction.

"I see. But still, you should be careful in your decision Koby. The world isn't as black and white as you might think." Ryomen's voice was steady, but there was a hidden bitterness beneath it.

Koby frowned, sensing something deeper in Ryomen's words. "I've thought a lot about it, and I know it won't be easy, but I want to protect people."

Ryomen's gaze softened slightly, but his voice remained firm. "The Marines may seem like protectors, but don't forget, they're still human. I've seen with my own eyes how they can do the cruelest of actions, simply because someone of higher status ordered them to do it."

Koby blinked, taken aback by the intensity of Ryomen's words. "I…I know not all Marines are good, but I want to be one of the good ones!"

Ryomen let out a quiet sigh. "Do what you will, kid. Just…don't regret it later."

"Thank you! But I've already decided, and I won't go back on it!" Koby said, trying to stay confident, though Ryomen's words lingered in his mind.

Ryomen looked at him for a moment, then smiled softly, an expression he started to show more and more. "Alright then."

…

Hours later, their boat approached the imposing silhouette of the naval base.

"We're finally here!" Luffy shouted, now fully awake and bouncing with energy.

"Yeah, we made it!" The younger boy said, his voice filled with nervous excitement.

"Koby, you're amazing!" Luffy added, grinning.

"Huh?" Koby blinked in surprise.

"You actually got us here!" Luffy said, laughing.

"Of course I did! That's, like, the bare minimum for sailing the seas," Koby replied, a little flustered.

Ryomen chuckled. "Hear that, Luffy? You're not even qualified for the Grand Line without a navigator." He teased with an amused smile.

"Shut up! I'll find one soon, and then I'll show you!" Luffy shot back, his stomach growling loudly. "But first, let's eat!"

…

Inside a bustling restaurant, the trio sat at a wooden table, piles of empty plates surrounding them as chatter filled the room.

"I've slept with this woman, but I think she's married." A man at a nearby table muttered.

"I think my wife's cheating on me." another man whispered from across the room.

But it was the low voice at the table next to them that caught Luffy's attention.

"Is it true that Pirate Hunter Zoro's imprisoned at this naval base?" one man whispered anxiously.

"Shhh! Stop talking about him! You'll get us in trouble."

Luffy's curiosity piqued." Hey! Who's Zoro!?"

The room fell silent, and a collective wave of fear washed over the clients. They all stared at Luffy as if he had just said he'd kill them.

Koby leaned in, whispering urgently. "Luffy, maybe don't say that name so loudly."

"Why?" Ryomen asked, his face calm but intrigued.

"Because he's the most dangerous bounty hunter in the East Blue! They say he's a demonic beast!" Koby's voice trembled.

"Hmmm…" Luffy grin widened, clearly excited.

…

The naval base loomed larger as the three stood outside its imposing walls.

"It looks even bigger up close!" Luffy marveled, craning his neck to take in the height of the structure.

"Go on, Koby. This is your moment," Ryomen encouraged, giving him a gentle push.

"B-But I haven't prepared myself yet…" Koby stammered, but Luffy was already climbing the wall.

"W-what are you doing!?" Koby cried out in disbelief.

Ryomen watched curiously but didn't interfere. Luffy's unpredictability was something he'd already grown used to.

"I wonder if I can see… the demonic beast from here." Luffy said while looking over the wall.

"You won't find him just by looking over the wall!" Koby protested.

"Oh yeah? Well I see someone! Maybe it's Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed.

"What!?" Koby shouted in surprise.

The three peered over the wall, and there, tied to a wooden pole, was a man with a black bandana wrapped around his head.

" There he is!" Luffy said with delight.

Koby immediately turned pale and tumbled off the wall. "It's really him! Roronoa Zoro! He looks terrifying!"

"Really? Doesn't seem like much to me," Ryomen remarked, unimpressed. "He just looks like he's putting on a tough act."

"Hmm! I could just untie those ropes and set him free…" Luffy mumbled.

"That's suicide!" Lobby screeched. "He'll kill us then destroy the town!!"

"Calm down, Koby," Ryomen said with a reassuring tone. "We won't let that happen."

"That's right!" Luffy grinned confidently.

Just then, Zoro's voice rang out from below. "Hey, kid!"

"Huh?" Luffy blinked.

"Come over here… and untie me," Zoro said, his voice hoarse. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, but he managed a fierce smile. "I've been here for nine days. I can't take much more."

Koby yelped, his face drained of all color. "D-don't listen to him, Luffy! He's gonna kill us!"

Ryomen watched Zoro intently, his eyes narrowing. "Let's not act rashly. We don't know what kind of man he truly is."

Zoro chuckled darkly. "I'll make it worth your while, kid. If you free me, I'll capture a pirate with a big bounty and give you the reward. You can trust me—I'm a man of my word."

"Don't do it, Luffy! He's dangerous!" Koby whimpered.

Ryomen placed a hand on Koby's shoulder, his gaze steady. "Trust us, Koby. We'll make sure nothing happens."

Suddenly, a little girl appeared, climbing on a scale and then jumping over the wall and landing beside Zoro.

"Hey! It's dangerous!" Koby screamed.

"Hm? What do you want?" Zoro asked.

"You two, do something! She'll be killed!" Koby told them.

"It's alright, if he tries anything, I'll just use my Devil Fruit." Ryomen reassured Koby.

"Get lost! Do you want to get killed!?" Zoro shouted at her.

The girl held out a plate of rice balls, her voice soft but determined. "I made these rice balls for you! I thought you might need some food! It's the first time I've ever made them. I hope you like them."

"I'm not hungry!!" Zoro growled. "Now beat it and take that stuff with you!"

"B-But…"

"Get out of here or I'll kill you!"

Just then, a blond man in a suit entered the courtyard, flanked by two marines. He sneered down at Zoro and the girl.

"Roronoa Zoro, picking on little girls? My father will hear about this!" the man jeered.

"Who's that weirdo?" Luffy asked.

"He must be some high ranking naval officer. That little girl will be fine now." Koby said.

Ryomen's eyes narrowed. "I don't know about that." He mumbled.

"Hmpf! Well… if it isn't the idiot son. Living off daddy's wealth." Zoro exclaimed.

"Did you just call me an idiot? A man in your position should guard his tongue… or he might lose it." The man said.

He then goes and takes the food from the hands of the girl. "Did you bring these for me? How thoughtful."

"Hey! Give it back" The girl told him.

"Uhh! Disgusting! It's sweet! There's sugar on it! There's supposed to be seasoned with salt!" The man angrily exclaimed.

"B-But I like sweets. So I thought sugar would be better."

The imature man starts stomping on the rice balls. "These are completely inedible!"

"Stop! Please! Your ruining them!"

Zoro, despite his restraints, glared at the man. "You're a coward. Bullying a little girl…"

"How evil… that little girl worked hard to make them." Koby said.

Ryomen looked on with disgust on his face. But he resisted the urge to go and hit the man.

The man continued his cruel tirade, ordering a marine to throw the girl over the wall. She was tossed toward the trio, and Luffy quickly caught her.

"Are you okay!?" Koby asked her.

"Y-Yes...thank you." The girl replied.

"Glad to hear it." Ryomen said with a small smile. 'Idiot! You should have helped her! No…I can't act impulsively. She didn't get hurt, there's no need to antagonize the navy.'

Meanwhile, Zoro and the blond man started talking.

"My, aren't you a stubborn one!" The man said.

"That's right I'm gonna survive the entire month! You just keep your end of the bargain." Zoro responded.

"Hahaha! I won't dream of breaking my word. If you survive a whole month, I'll let you go!" The man said while leaving.

After they left, Luffy arrived in front of Zoro.

"You still here? Better not let Helmeppo's father catch you." The bounty hunter said.

"I'm looking for people to join my crew." Luffy told him.

"A pirate crew? You think I'd lower myself to that level? No thanks!"

"But becoming a pirate's my dream! What's wrong with it!?"

"You think if you untie me… I'll join your crew?"

"I haven't decide if I'll ask you or not…you got a pretty bad reputation you know?"

"Bad reputation, huh? Well, anyway, I don't accept. I've got my own plans for the future. I don't need your help. I can get out of here on my own. That idiot son promised me. I'll be a free man as long as I survive a month here. Then I'll be able to pursue my dream!!" Zoro said with a smirk.

"Hmm…I see. I don't think I could last one week without food." Luffy told him.

"I'm different from you. I got more willpower. So go look for a crew elsewhere."

Luffy was about to leave but was stopped by Zoro." Hey…wait a moment."

"Huh?"

"Pick that up for me" Zoro looked at the food on the ground.

"Are you gonna eat it!? It's more of a dirt ball than a rice ball now…I know you're hungry, but this–" Luffy gets interrupted by Zoro.

"Shut up! Just shut up, and feed it to me! And don't miss one grain of rice!" Luffy fed Zoro the dirt ball.

"Mhm!" The Pirate hunter forces himself to finish the food with tears in his eyes.

"Told you it was mostly dirt."

"Huh…huh…Tell the kid…Tell her I said it was delicious. Tell her I ate it all."

"Hahaha" Luffy laughed.

"Knew it. He's just a big softie." Ryomen said under his breath.

"What the hell did you say!?" Zoro barked, but Ryomen just smirked in response.

…

The three later found the little girl in town, her eyes lighting up when Luffy told her Zoro had eaten the rice ball.

"Really!?" The girl exclaimed.

"Yeah! He ate it all up!" Luffy told her.

"I'm so glad!"

Ryomen smiled softly. "He's not as bad as people say. Seems the rumors shouldn't be trusted."

"That's right! Everyone in town is afraid of him…But he didn't do anything wrong!" The girl told them. "He got thrown into prison because of me. Captain Morgan's son had a bunch of mean dogs! They attacked me…But Zoro saved me!"

"So he was imprisoned simply because he opposed them." Ryomen said angrily.

"Hmhm. Captain Morgan and his son are the bad ones! They put people to death for no reason! Everyone's afraid of them."

All of a sudden, they could hear the voice of Helmeppo coming from a distance.

He started bragging about Zoro's upcoming execution, and Ryomen's calm exterior cracked for a moment. "This bastard…"

Luffy, unable to hold back any longer, marched up to Helmeppo and punched him square in the face.

"Luffy! Calm down!" Koby went and grabbed Luffy by the arm. "Do you want to make an enemy of the navy!?"

"Koby, Ryomen, I've made my decision!"

"Huh?" Koby said, confused, while Ryomen gave a knowing smile.

"I'm going to ask Zoro to join my crew!!"