Onepiece: I'm Vice Captain Of Strawhat Pirates

The words I wanted to say got stuck in my throat.

(ᇂ_ᇂ|||)

Coby and I shared the same bewildered expression, watching as Luffy devoured the food like he hadn't eaten in weeks.

I mentally spiraled.

[I rehearsed that line for so long, and you only let me say one sentence? Do you know who I am? Just "okay"? Is it because I gave you too much food? Can you slow down? How long have you been starving...]

Coby's thoughts didn't seem much better.

[Who am I? Where am I? Who is this guy? Didn't we just talk about finding a navigator? Why did someone randomly pop out saying he wanted to join, and Luffy just... agreed?]

We both silently questioned the sanity of this world.

"Ah~ I'm full!" Luffy patted his stomach, looking completely satisfied. "Coby, let's head to the naval base. If you join the Marines, I'm sure you'll become a great sailor!"

Coby, eyes red and misty, wiped his glasses (yes, his glasses) with his arm. "Thank you so much, Luffy! You have to become a great pirate too. Even though... even though we might have to fight one day..."

Luffy just grinned, completely unfazed. He turned to me, mouth still half full. "Hey, what's your name? You said you wanted to be a pirate, right? So now you're my first crewmate!"

His face lit up like he'd won the lottery. "I wonder if that Zoro guy is still locked up at the base."

∑(O_O;)

The street went dead silent.

Pedestrians flattened themselves against walls, looking at us in horror. Two guys even hugged each other like they were about to die.

The corner of my eye twitched so hard I thought I'd have a stroke. If complaints were fuel, I could blow up Kaido right now. I took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"My name's Lock. I used to be a bounty hunter. And... aren't you taking this a bit lightly? You barely know me! And judging by everyone's reaction, it sounds like 'Zoro' is a forbidden word here."

Luffy shrugged, completely unfazed. "You seem like a good guy, and I need crewmates. If you want to come, just come."

Coby finally snapped out of his shock. "I heard there's a Marine captain here called 'Axe-Hand Morgan.' They say he's a hero who captured Kuro from the Black Cat Pirates — a pirate with a bounty of 16 million Berries!"

("゜ロ゜)"

The street buzzed with even more panic. The two hugging guys squeezed each other tighter, and I started wondering if they were just using this as an excuse.

---

Luffy clutched his stomach, tears in his eyes from laughing too hard. "Hahaha! The way everyone freaked out! That was hilarious. I have to do it again later!"

I walked behind him, rubbing my temples. It still felt surreal that I got into Luffy's crew this easily. Something just... felt off.

Coby, on the other hand, looked like he was about to pass out from stress. "This is weird... why are people scared of Zoro escaping? And why did they react like that to Morgan?"

I stretched my arms lazily. "Probably because he's done something bad."

Coby immediately bristled. "That's impossible! He's a Marine hero! He caught a dangerous pirate!"

I exchanged a look with Luffy, who just grinned.

"Alright, alright," I muttered. "Let's see for ourselves."

Soon, we reached the Marine base. Luffy gave Coby a thumbs-up. "Go sign up, Coby. Lock and I are gonna look for Zoro!"

Coby hesitated, glancing between us and the imposing base.

Luffy didn't wait — he just strolled off with me in tow.

---

We didn't go far before Luffy stretched himself up onto a wall like rubber. "Lock, look! That's gotta be him!"

I climbed up beside him and saw a guy tied to a post. Black bandana, three swords, eyes sharp enough to cut through stone.

"Yeah, that's definitely Roronoa Zoro," I said. "Want me to cut him down?"

Luffy tilted his head, thinking. "But we don't know if he's a good guy..."

[Then why the hell did you decide I was a good guy just because I gave you food?!] I screamed internally.

I exhaled through my nose, cracking my neck. "If he turns out to be bad, we can just tie him back up."

Luffy's face brightened like that was the smartest thing he'd ever heard. "Lock, you're a genius!"

Just as we were about to move, a small voice whispered, "Shh!"

We turned to see a little girl with a finger to her lips. She climbed over the wall, ran to Zoro, and tried to give him a rice ball.

[Oh, I know this scene...]

I watched, deadpan, as Helmeppo stomped the rice ball into the dirt and ordered his men to throw the girl out.

Without thinking, I hopped off the wall, caught her mid-air, and landed smoothly.

"Are you okay?" I asked gently, setting her down. "Go home. We'll take care of this."

Luffy climbed down and walked up to Zoro, eyes serious for once.

"Who are you?" Zoro growled.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who'll become King of the Pirates! I'm looking for crewmates, and I already found one. He's a good guy."

"You want to set me free so I can join your crew?"

"No. I heard you're a bad guy."

"..."

The silence stretched awkwardly until Zoro finally sighed. "Pick up that thing on the ground and give it to me."

Luffy hesitated. "It's all dirty... do you really want to eat it?"

"Just give it to me."

Luffy shoved the muddy rice ball into Zoro's mouth, and the swordsman chewed without complaint.

I sighed and pulled a massive piece of roasted meat from my bag, holding it up like an offering.

"You full? I've got more."

Zoro froze, staring at me like I was some mythical beast.

After a long moment, he swallowed and said gruffly, "Tell the little girl the rice balls were delicious. And... thanks for the meat."

I grinned, tossing the rest of the food in front of him.

"Rest up, demon hunter. Looks like you're about to get a few new friends."

Zoro chewed slowly, his expression unreadable. But as he ate, I could've sworn I saw the faintest hint of a smile.

---

(A/N: Don't Forget To Add In Your Collection And Support via Powerstone)