5. Meeting Zoro

"Hahaha, good work Gojo" Luffy laughed loudly. 'He just used you as a shield!! Don't you have to say something about it?' This question entered everyone's brain.

"Hey, Luffy don't you have something to say about Gojo using you as a shield?" Nami asked slowly. "What do you mean by that?" Luffy asked with confusion written on his face.

Luffy's question made them more confused. "Let me say why I used him as a shield" Gojo was done tying both marines and Helmeppo turned to them.

"First for Luffy, his crew mates are his partners. He doesn't have a normal captain-subordinate relationship like other pirates. And for the matter that I used him as a shield, Luffy has eaten Gomu-Gomu no Mi so his entire body is made up of rubber.

That makes him immune to blunt weapons but sharp weapons are still a threat. I haven't reached a point where I could dodge the bullets accurately, so I used him as a shield" Gojo said with a smile and put his arms around Luffy's neck.

'Partner... huh?' Looking at both Gojo and Luffy, jealousy brews in Nami's heart. She also wants to roam around the world with such a partner but thinking of evil Arlong, she suppresses this thought.

"You truly are... different from other... pirates" Ririka said with surprise. Everyone in the sea knows that the captain's orders are law and should be obeyed. Luffy may be the first to have such a unique pirate group.

"Hey!! Gojo, let go and see this Zoro guy. He looks interesting" Luffy said with a grin on his face. "Follow you captain" Gojo replied jokingly and both of them walked towards the Marine base.

"Let's follow them" Rika said, taking a piece of cloth from the drawer. "Okay let go but first let me lock these guys up" Ririka said and pulled the three guys into a room. Tieing their hands and stuffing clothes in their mouth.

Nami also followed Gojo as he still had her treasures, while Koby also wanted to see if marines were as bad as Rika said to him.

...

Marine base.

"Is he Zoro?" Luffy asked as he looked at a young green-haired man being tied to a wooden cross in the middle of the area. The four sides were covered with walls with only a small gate to enter, guarded by 2 marine soldiers.

"Yes. He is big brother Zoro" Rika said while her voice contained sadness. Gojo also looked at the Zoro whom he had only seen in anime, he didn't seem to have any muscles and looked like he would die anytime.

But his eyes told a different story, Zoro looked at them fiercely like he would eat them up. "H-He looks scary..." Nami unconsciously moved closer to Gojo, who noticed this and smiled.

"Well, let me take care of the guards while Luffy you go and talk to him" Gojo jumped back and walked towards the gate. The two marines saw a young man walking towards them and shouted "Brat, what are you doing here?"

"Don't you know that this marine area and only marines can come here?" Another soldier said to him arrogantly. Seeing the arrogant behaviour of these guys made Gojo understand that many people in the Marines also like to exert power on civilians.

"Forget it. Come here and let me break your bones to warn those people in town that marines shouldn't be provoked" The first soldier cracked his fingers and said.

"Hey, let me join too" Another soldier also added. Gojo's eyes turned cold hearing them 'Let me repay the same favour' he thought and moved towards them.

"Hahaha, are you going to resist? Let me-" Seeing Gojo move the marine wanted to taunt him but soon realized that he had appeared in front of him suddenly. Before he knew a sudden pain from his arms screamed in pain.

"AAAAHHHHH!!" 

He was hearing his partner's made the other marine turn his head. "Y-You!! What are you doing?" He saw his partner's arms bend 90 degrees downwards. Gojo first wanted to cut off his arms completely but thought this would be too cruel.

So make him handicapped for a few months "What are you doing there? Come here and have the same treatment" Gojo said with a kind smile, but this kind smile looked demonic to the other marine.

"N-NO!! DON'T COME HERE-AAAHHHH!!" Soon his screams were heard. Gojo looked at the two people whose arms were broken was a bit shaken mentally but quickly forced it down.

After taking some deep breaths he calmed down, Gojo used to live in a peaceful era and suddenly been transferred to a world where strong eats weak, and he knows that he has to adapt to this situation quickly.

Gojo took the swords that were on their waist and walked into the training ground which no one used. "Hey Gojo, what was that scream just now?" Nami asked timidly.

Gojo began to tell them about what happened near the gate. "T-This... this..." Koby was shaking, he couldn't believe that a marine wanted to break a person's arm for such a small reason.

"But... isn't it too cruel?" Rika couldn't help but say. Gojo smiled at her innocence, got on one knee and said "Rika, remember this. Kindness to the enemy means being cruel to ourselves. Although you won't understand it now, in future you will"

"So what about this guy, Luffy?" He turned his head to Zoro, looking at him with dangerous eyes. "Shishishi, Gojo meet our new partner, Roronoa Zoro," Luffy said with a smile.

"I refuse to join your pirate crew!! Bastard!!" Zoro yelled with bulging veins on his forehead. "Then I refuse your refusal," Luffy said with determination in his voice.

"It doesn't work that way!!" Zoro and Nami yelled together, both looked at each other and noticed that both were in the same condition. They began to sympathise with each other.

"Hahaha, Luffy let me handle him" Gojo said and walked closer to Zoro. "Hey buddy, I don't know what your dream is but do you want to die without fulfilling it?" Gojo asked.

"What do you mean by dying? Isn't Helmeppo going to release me tomorrow, after which I can succeed in my dream of being the greatest swordsman" Zoro asked in confusion.

Gojo then begins to tell about Helmeppo's plan to weaken and execute him to show his power, which makes Zoro angry "...and you just heard the screams from the two marines right? Some will notice them and alert the whole base.

If you don't escape soon, you might even lose your life" Gojo said seriously while trying to lure him into the crew. Zoro was first angry for tricking them seriously and began to think of escaping from there.

Just when he was thinking about it, rapid footsteps were heard coming near them. Gojo quickly picked up Koby and pushed him over the wall "Hey Gojo what are you doing?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"Just helping that little guy" Gojo said with a smile.

"How can this be called helping?" Zoro asked a question which was in everyone's mind except Luffy's. Who unexpectedly have a high IQ when it comes to dreams and goals.

"That guy wants to be a marine. If he was seen with us moving a prisoner, it might cause some trouble for him" Gojo explained to which everyone nodded.

"WHAT ARE YOU BASTARDS, DOING HERE!!??" Everyone heard a sudden shout.