The Straw Hat Pirates' Scientist

"Zoro, you're still so weak."

Familiar faces and familiar voices appeared before my eyes in a daze.

At that moment, Zoro's eyes trembled violently; his mind and body were filled with rage.

It wasn't the fear of death, but the fact that he, a swordsman, had ended up like this.

"shot!"

But Monka did not hesitate at all; instead, a ferocious smile appeared on his face.

In an instant, more than a dozen marines, armed with flintlock muskets, pulled the triggers on Zoro.

"A rubber, rubber... rocket launcher!"

At this critical moment, Luffy descended from the sky and stood in front of Zoro.

Puff puff puff puff...

More than a dozen bullets rained down on him like a storm.

"Mr. Luffy!"

"You bastard..."

At this moment, both Coby and Zoro were shocked.

Clearly, they hadn't expected Luffy to suddenly jump out, let alone stand in front of them.

But then something even more shocking happened.

The bullet, powerful enough to turn a person into a sieve, was miraculously intercepted. Then, Luffy exerted a sudden burst of strength...

In an instant, all the bullets bounced off his body.

"The little devil in the straw hat..."

"How is this possible!"

"Are you seeing things?"

At this moment, the marines who fired were even more shocked than Zoro and Coby.

"Useless! Hahahaha..."

Luffy burst into laughter, then confidently declared, "Didn't I tell you? I'm very strong!"

"Who exactly are you?!" Zoro asked from the bottom of his heart.

The others also stared intently at Luffy, wanting an answer.

"My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm a man determined to become the Pirate King!"

Luffy immediately turned his head, gave Zoro a thumbs up, and his white teeth even gleamed.

"What? You want to be the Pirate King?!" Zoro was also shocked when he heard Luffy's words.

"Do you even know what that means?"

These are not just three simple words; their meaning is as heavy as a mountain peak and as vast as the sea.

Even if Zoro's dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman, he still pales in comparison.

"The Pirate King is the Pirate King, does it have any other meaning?" Luffy said nonchalantly.

The Marines on the other side were speechless with shock upon hearing Luffy's words.

"Right? I was startled too, but Mr. Luffy is serious, that's just the kind of person he is."

He wants to become the Pirate King and obtain the ultimate treasure in the world.

Find the legendary One Piece!

Koby, who was standing next to him, also spoke excitedly.

Although his dream is to become a Marine, Luffy's dream is to become the Pirate King, they are two seemingly opposing and unrelated camps.

But Coby saw that dazzling light in Luffy.

It was this light that drove Koby to believe that the faint flame deep within his heart could slowly burn and eventually bloom into a dazzling brilliance.

He, too, is a man destined to become a naval officer.

"Here you go, these are your treasures. But I didn't know which one it was, so I took all three." Luffy said, raising the three swords in his hand.

"All three are mine, because I'm a three-sword style user," Zoro immediately declared.

"We agreed that you would accept my invitation, right?"

Luffy smiled slightly and continued, "However, if you fight alongside me here, you'll become a villain rebelling against the government, or you'll just get killed by the Navy. Which do you think is better?"

"Are you a demon?"

Zoro also showed a slight smile, but there wasn't much anger in it.

Kuina's image seemed to flash through his eyes again, and then Zoro said, "Forget it, rather than die here, I'd rather be a pirate!"

"Great! You're willing to be my partner? That's wonderful, fantastic!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly, jumping for joy.

"If you understand, hurry up and untie the rope!" Zoro shouted, somewhat speechless at Luffy's state.

At this point, shouldn't you help me untie the rope first?

"What's wrong with that guy?"

"Incredible! He actually ricocheted the bullet back!"

The sailors were dumbfounded, even sweating profusely. This was the first time they had ever seen anything like it, and it was simply incomprehensible.

"That straw hat kid isn't an ordinary person; he must have eaten that legendary Devil Fruit!"

Colonel Monca also looked grave, with beads of sweat appearing on his face.

"Devil Fruit? That great treasure of the sea!" The Marines were also shocked.

"It is said that people who eat Devil Fruits can gain unimaginable abilities, such as the ability to breathe fire, the ability to cause tsunamis, and so on."

I've heard many legends about Devil Fruits, but there are so many kinds that I don't know the specifics.

But without a doubt, this brat in front of me has definitely eaten some kind of Devil Fruit.

Colonel Monca acted as a commentator, explaining things to the other naval personnel.

"However, no matter who you are or whether you've eaten a Devil Fruit, anyone who dares to oppose me is doomed. Since guns aren't working, then get him and hack him to death with your swords!"

The marines exchanged glances, then immediately raised their swords and charged towards Zoro and the others.

Compared to the awe-inspiring Devil Fruit, they were more afraid of the tyrannical Colonel Morgan.

"Hurry up and untie it!"

Zoro immediately spoke up, clearly annoyed.

"Huh? Why can't I untie it? Oh no, it's getting tighter the more I try! How did they tie it like this?!"

However, Luffy, who was trying to untie the ropes, was in a bit of a mess. The ropes binding Zoro seemed to get tighter the more he pulled on them.

For a moment, Luffy was unable to untangle it.

"You'll give me the knife!"

Zoro was so angry he was practically fuming.

He realized that the guy in front of him was a careless man.

"Kill them!"

"Kill them!"

The approaching navy arrived instantly, and at the critical moment...

With a long sword in his mouth, Zoro instantly cut the ropes binding him, his Three-Sword Style instantly taking shape, easily blocking the attacks of more than a dozen people.

"So cool!"

Luffy became excited upon seeing this.

This was the first time he had seen Zoro make a move, and he hadn't expected the other's swordsmanship to be so good, instantly blocking the frenzied attacks of more than a dozen sharp blades.

He became increasingly excited; this was the second partner he had found.

Although he cherished and valued Ron, Ron was a researcher and could not fight alongside him.

Zoro's current appearance clearly demonstrates his exceptional combat skills, which momentarily ignites Luffy's fighting spirit.

Men always have a special feeling for their partners who can fight alongside them.

Only the camaraderie forged through shared battles truly reveals its preciousness.

"Don't move, or I'll kill you all!"

Zoro glanced at the dozen or so marines behind him out of the corner of his eye, but didn't move an inch. Instead, he said something confidently and arrogantly.

"That's terrifying!"

"Is this the strength of Zoro, the Pirate Hunter?"

The Marines who were slashing Zoro couldn't help but burst into tears. The man in front of them was on a completely different level from the small-time pirates they had faced before.

"I promise you, I'll become a pirate."

Since a war with the navy is inevitable, I can rightfully become the villain.

But let me make this clear first: I also have my own ambitions.

"I will absolutely see this through to the end," Zoro said in a low, serious, and earnest voice.

"Ambition?" Luffy blinked, looking somewhat curious.

"I want to become the world's greatest swordsman!"

If you prevent me from achieving this ambition, then you should commit seppuku to atone for it.

Zoro's eyes gleamed with determination, an ambition he would carry out even unto death, one that nothing and no one could stop.

"The world's greatest swordsman, not bad. The crew of One Piece should at least be like that."

Upon hearing this, Luffy immediately smiled and nodded.

They didn't mock Zoro's dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman at all; on the contrary, they thought it was more in line with his dream of becoming the Pirate King.

"You really dare to say that! In that case, I'll make myself famous all over the world, no matter what it is, whether it's infamy or whatever."

Seeing Luffy's attitude, Zoro's eyes flickered slightly, then became even brighter.

Because Luffy didn't ridicule his dream; instead, he thought it was something that should be taken for granted.

This made Zoro feel a sense of identification with Luffy deep down.

A man who affirms his dreams is someone he can entrust his back to.

"What are you useless idiots standing around for? Get this done right now..."

Colonel Morgan was furious when he saw Luffy and Zoro chatting right in front of him, completely ignoring his presence. His jaw nearly dropped with rage.

But before he could finish speaking, an even more casual voice came from afar.

"Hey, our future Pirate King, haven't you had enough fun? I've already explored this whole area!"

Ron appeared on the wall of the square at some point, holding an orange in his hand, peeling it as he spoke.

He's already explored the entire town, but Luffy's side is still not finished.

If recruiting Zoro weren't such an important matter, Ron would have been prepared to go back to the ship to do his research first.

After all, they managed to acquire so many materials this time, and even obtained the complete blueprints for a Grade C energy shield.

He was already eager to dive into his studio and study it for ten days and ten nights straight.

Try to complete the C-level energy shield in one go.

"Hey, Ron, you've finished buying your materials?" Luffy looked at Ron on the wall, then laughed and waved.

"Damn it, where did they come from? One of Straw Hat Boy's accomplices?!"

Colonel Monka was absolutely furious.

One after another, they ignored him, this great naval captain, treating him as if he were invisible.

Especially this kid who just appeared, look what he's doing?

While talking, he leisurely peeled an orange!

Facing the great Colonel Monka, he was so relaxed and at ease, treating him like he was nothing.

Do you need me to bring you a stool, grab some sunflower seeds, or make you a cup of hot tea?

"You idiots, get rid of them now. I want them all dead. Anyone who can't do it, just shoot yourself."

Colonel Monka immediately roared loudly.

Upon hearing this, the naval soldier trembled all over.

They were furious, yet dared not defy Colonel Monca.

They are in the navy, and they must obey orders from their superiors.

Yet, such superiors filled them with immense suspicion and even humiliation.

"Hey, hey, hey, something feels off about this navy." Zoro frowned immediately.

"You lowly, titleless lot dare to oppose me? I am a naval captain, Axe-Hand Meng..."

Luffy clenched his fists immediately, ready to step forward and punch this despicable guy away.

Bang! Just then, a gunshot rang out.

Colonel Monca, who had been so arrogant just moments before, stared wide-eyed. Before he could finish speaking, his body stiffened abruptly, and he collapsed to the ground with an expression of disbelief.

And between his eyebrows, there was a hole the size of an egg that had pierced through the back of his head.

"So noisy..."

Ron blew away the non-existent gunpowder smoke from the muzzle of his right gun, then twirled it and tucked it into his waistband.

Then, with his left hand, he put the last half of the orange into his mouth, chewing as he said rather unhappily.

"All that babbling and complaining is a waste of my time!"

Just then, the familiar notification sound echoed in Ron's mind again.

"Ding~"