"Save me!"
"Got it!"
As soon as Zoro called for help, Bai Yun immediately agreed. That was the sentence he had been waiting for. Now, there was no way Zoro wasn't joining his crew.
Bai Yun swiftly raised his arm, and the bracelet on his wrist instantly transformed into a silver shield, intercepting the bullets.
The bullets struck the shield, sending sparks flying. They neither penetrated nor stuck to the surface, instead dropping directly to the ground.
"What is this?"
"Where did you pull that out from?"
Zoro stared at the shield in shock, wondering how it had appeared in the blink of an eye.
"This is called magic."
Bai Yun kept Zoro in suspense. With a flick of his wrist, the shield reverted to a long sword, and he made two quick slashes toward Zoro, instantly severing the ropes binding him.
"You can use a sword too?"
Zoro stood up straight and rotated his wrists.
"Just a rudimentary skill."
Bai Yun replied, then took a side step, putting some distance between himself and Zoro.
Zoro didn't understand. What was he up to now?
Immediately, two arms stretched out past him and gripped the wooden stake.
"I'm coming!!"
Zoro turned his head and saw Luffy launching himself forward.
"What the hell!!"
With a loud thud, Luffy bounced off, knocking Zoro right back against the stake.
"Cough, cough."
Zoro coughed twice, feeling a sharp pain in his chest, and frowned, "Damn it! Are you trying to kill me?! You Straw Hat bastard!"
Luffy held his straw hat, stepping back with a cheeky grin. "Hahaha, wasn't that the most convenient way to get down?"
"There were three swords in there, and since I didn't know which one was yours, I brought them all."
As he spoke, Luffy took the three swords from behind his back and held them out in front of Zoro.
"These three are all mine!"
"I use the Three-Sword Style."
Here it is: the debut of the Three-Sword Style Roronoa Zoro.
This was the historic meeting between Pirate King Luffy and Three-Sword Style Zoro.
Zoro retrieved all three swords, and Luffy said with a laugh.
"Three-Sword Style, huh?"
"That sounds pretty interesting."
"Heh."
Zoro sneered twice, thinking, It certainly is interesting. It would be even more interesting if I were cutting you with it.
"What was the deal with your arm just now?"
Zoro asked while adjusting his grip on his swords.
"That's because I'm a rubber man who ate the Gum-Gum Fruit."
Luffy replied.
"Rubber man?"
"Open fire! All of you, open fire now!"
"Yes, just like that!"
Just as Zoro questioned this, Morgan arrived at the square with his soldiers. Seeing the three of them, he immediately ordered the soldiers to open fire.
The soldiers dared not disobey and began shooting.
A volley of bullets struck Luffy, but instead of penetrating, they merely indented his body before bouncing back entirely.
"Oh my god!"
"Quick, get out of the way!"
This sight terrified the Marines in the square, who scrambled to dodge the returning fire.
"What kind of monster is this!!"
After the round of bullets bounced back, several soldiers fell wounded, and the rest stared at Luffy in terror.
Axe-Hand Morgan, however, was much calmer, still wearing a grim expression as if everyone owed him five million Berries.
"Don't panic!"
"He just ate a Devil Fruit, that's all."
"What! A Devil Fruit, the legendary Devil Fruit."
The adjutant next to Morgan dutifully played the role of the astonished sidekick.
"Straw Hat Boy, I don't care who you are. If you offend the great me, you must die."
"And Roronoa Zoro, your infamous name may be widespread, but it is utterly meaningless compared to my authority!"
Morgan yelled, then immediately ordered the soldiers to switch to sword attacks.
Zoro's momentary surprise vanished, replaced by his usual cold demeanor.
"So you are a descendant of the Devil."
"I've already offended the Marines anyway."
"I might as well sail out with you and become a pirate!"
"That's great!"
"Welcome to the crew."
Luffy and Bai Yun were both delighted and welcoming upon hearing his decision.
As soon as Zoro finished speaking, he clenched the hilt of the third sword between his teeth, instantly flashed in front of Luffy, and blocked the swords of all the charging soldiers.
"If you dare move, I'll cut you down!"
His dominance was absolute; all the soldiers were too terrified to move.
"Although I agreed to become a pirate with you,"
"But I have my own ambition: to become the world's greatest swordsman. Now, whether through infamy or fame, I will make the whole world know my name!"
"You were the ones who asked me to join your ship. If you ever dare force me to give up my dream, then you will be the ones forced to commit seppuku in front of me!"
Despite bracing against the soldiers' swords and biting the hilt, Zoro's words were perfectly clear.
"I'm not that petty."
That was Bai Yun's reply.
"Hahaha, the world's greatest swordsman—now that's interesting! The Pirate King's crew needs to be exceptional."
Luffy replied this way, immediately following up with a whip kick that sent the soldier behind Zoro sprawling.
Morgan's eyes bulged in shock, but he immediately ordered the soldiers who had shown weakness to commit suicide.
Luffy and Zoro were stunned; this Marine unit was clearly wrong.
They instantly launched their attack.
Coby, who had somehow managed to flip himself back over, heard Morgan's order firsthand. His faith in the Marines nearly shattered, and he cried out.
"Luffy, hurry up and take down these kinds of Marines!"
Luffy indeed confronted Morgan, jumping to dodge his axe swing, and quickly pounded Morgan into the ground.
The square instantly fell silent.
...
A/N: The journey continues! If you're eager to read far ahead and support this story, consider joining the Eternal Phoenix community. You can find me on Patreon by searching for "Eternal_Phoenix".
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