Pirates: The wages are in place and the Yonko will be kicked out.

A seagull flew over the Golden Mellie docked in the port.

In the cabin, Sanji, who was wearing the work clothes prepared by Franky, wiped the sweat from the tip of his nose and was busy repairing the hull with tools. Franky, the real shipwright, had already dived under the sea and was busy working on the ship. It is responsible for the more important cleaning and maintenance work of the bottom of the ship.

Sanji pulled the saw very accurately, and under his control, the specially-made saw teeth fit perfectly as if they were sucked into the board. Then he took down the wooden board marked by Franky, replaced it with a new one, and then used a hammer to hammer the nails in one by one - ignoring the nature of what he was doing. In fact, it is exactly the same as the way he sometimes handles food, handling hard bones, delicate presentation...

"Sure enough, the master is right. An excellent chef can apply the concept of cooking to various things and still do it well! But...hey! How sleepy are you, Green Algae Head? Come here and help. ! Use your brute strength to bring me some pieces of steel!"

In the patio of the cabin, a Santo-ryu swordsman who was taking a nap with one leg hanging down. Although he heard Sanji's words clearly, he didn't even look at him. Instead, he continued to open his mouth with his hands. Inserted in the green abdominal roll, snoring.

Zoro knew very well that Curly Eyebrows didn't really need his help, he just used to talk to him. He couldn't see him being so leisurely and happy - if he really passed by stupidly, the other party would definitely say something like "No" with a smirk. Sorry, I don’t need you anymore” and the like.

"cut……"

Pouting his lips, Sanji beat out the rhythm of the sound of hammering nails. Zoro simply listened to the sound as a lullaby and fell asleep more and more comfortably.

Therefore, he did not notice at all that a line of sight was staring at him from the far forest on the opposite side of the town on the island.

Sudden--

Whoosh! clang!

After hearing a sound, something rubbed Sauron's face and was nailed to the main mast of the ship.

"..."

Sauron looked over sharply - it was a short sword, and its huge stamina made it half-inserted on the mast and still swinging unsteadily.

Zoro closed his eyes and dodged the short knife thrown towards his face.

There was no doubt that this short sword was aimed at Sauron's face just now, with extremely strong killing intent. When the distance is far, it can still be hidden from Sauron's perception, but the passing distance like just now is the result of Sauron's conscious control of dodge.

"?!"

Zoro had a sullen look on his face - but then his eyes widened, his shock beyond words.

The owner's name - "ZORO" - was clearly engraved on the wooden handle of the cheap-looking short knife that was a few years old.

That was Sauron's own name, and the clumsy and childish handwriting was exactly what he had carved on it himself when he was a child.

Zoro straightened up and looked for the person who threw the dagger.

The handle of the dagger that was thrown was pointed in the direction of the town. This was the deck of the ship. If you wanted to aim at him, you would have to stand on the roof of the town building.

or it could be--

"I knew I was going to sleep in broad daylight. Okay, I really need your help now. Use your knife to help me cut out some steel parts. The error needs to be... eh?"

Sanji stuck his head out from the entrance and looked at the deck with squinted eyes, veins jumping on his forehead.

The figure of the green algae head who was supposed to be sleeping there until just now was nowhere to be seen.

"Could this guy..."

…

Zoro was walking on the road leading to the forest outside the town.

Aska Island is full of mountains, with only plains near the coast of the sea, where the town is located. Walking a little further in, starting from the foot of the mountain is an endless forest similar to Crown Island.

He walked along the slope in the forest - are there other villages ahead? This road must have been walked by many people. Although there are no footprints anymore, it is very smooth.

The port town gradually became invisible behind the trees, and Zoro also stood firm.

Figures extended down from the top of the ramp - one, two, three, standing side by side, blocking Zoro's direction.

"You must be Roronoa Zoro!"

First, a lanky swordsman asked.

I saw that he was wearing metal armor all over his body, and his long hair like a comb was tied back. The eyes under the helmet looked at Sauron with cold eyes.

"Ahahahaha...we've been waiting for you for a long time!"

This time, it was a giant man with feminine eyes.

He should be about the same height as the swordsman just now, but his shoulders are twice as wide as an average adult male. Her hair was tied behind her ears, and her arms, which were as thick as the previous man's waist, were tattooed with ferocious tattoos. His upper body was just shirtless and wearing a vest. From his head to his abdomen, there was a scar that seemed to have severed his body. The traces remained after stitches.

Even Sauron, who has experienced hundreds of battles, can't imagine why he was so seriously injured and how he survived - compared with himself, the spikes on his two hands were The mace seemed ordinary.

"Thank you for your hard work, pirate hunter, no, former pirate hunter."

The third person is a young man who uses a knife like Zoro.

The face covered with freckles still looks childish. He looks to be fifteen or sixteen years old. He is wearing a hat with a broken brim that seems to have been worn for a long time. His naturally curly hair is styled casually. His appearance can be said to be the most normal of the three.

As for the three people who were all wearing different clothes or using different weapons, the only thing they had in common was the navy seagull logo on the back of their clothes.

Who threw the dagger?

No, not these three people. Zoro suddenly figured it out - the guy who could throw the dagger from this forest to the Golden Merry parked in the distant harbor with perfect accuracy, Zoro finally knew who he was.

"Please go this way, Mr. Zoro."

The freckled young swordsman smiled kindly and led the way for Zoro.

Zoro remained expressionless, holding the dagger tightly.

…

Cannons roared and smoke flew.

The water on both sides of the "Golden Merry", which opened its sails and made various evasive gestures, was hit by cannonballs. The temperature of the sea surface seemed to have increased due to this fierce battle.

"Don't even think about running away! Damn Luffy Pirates!"

The "Ultimate Smash" belonging to the Navy's G-7 Fortress kept firing its guns.

On the deck of the battleship, Major General Litru, the captain with a beard, kept shouting the names of these pirates who were closely related to him, while stubbornly chasing the Golden Merrie.

"Fire the cannons, fire the cannons! Sink them for me!"

Major General Litru, while giving instructions to the adjutant, encouraged the sailors on the deck and ordered them to attack wildly.

Along with the "Ultimate Smash", there are three warships, and the other two, the "Cheer" and the "Destruction", have formed an encirclement from the opposite side. If it were an ordinary pirate, he would have been captured long ago.

"Wow……"

Chopper screamed.

Being bombarded continuously by the navy, Chopper was drenched by splashes of water, and the deck of the "Golden Merry" was constantly shaking from side to side.

"Why is Zoro not here? Sanji, didn't you watch the ship together?"

Luffy shouted while sitting on his captain's special seat - the statue on the bow of the ship, pushing up Porusalino's sunglasses with his hand.

"I've said it countless times! Just when I was helping Frankie repair the cabin, that guy ran away without knowing where he was! He was probably lost! That idiot!"

A shell exploded at the nearest position, shaking the Mellie violently. Chopper was suddenly thrown up from the bow deck, crossed the railing and landed on the lower deck.

What happened was like this - Luffy, Chopper and Nami were going to the port town to buy things. When they were about to return to the ship with their luggage, a navy warship suddenly appeared on the sea, and then attacked the "Golden Merry" launched an attack. In this emergency situation, Luffy discovered that when Zoro was not around, their ship had already untied the moorings and left the harbor.

"Really, it's so annoying!"

Nami gritted her teeth in anger on the back deck, glaring fiercely at the three warships chasing behind her.

"Did Zoro get lost while out for a walk?"

Franky, who was steering the helm in the cockpit, said this. His modified powerful arms accurately controlled the direction of the ship.

"It's more like sleepwalking than walking! The hateful green algae head will only cause trouble for people!"

When the battle was so fierce, Sanji still did not forget to smoke and puff while injuring his opponent.

"Miss Nami!"

Then he suddenly changed into a greasy and attentive voice and looked at Nami standing in front of the cabin - "What should we do next? Give the order quickly!"

"Okay! Let's go find Zoro!"

Luffy, who really thought he was a captain who could give orders, jumped from the bow of the ship, landed on the main deck, and shouted to his friends.

Nami shook her head: "Everyone, pay attention! We are moving to the small island over there now!"

After hearing the instructions from the real captain, even Chopper, who was rolling on the deck, stood up, and everyone looked in the direction indicated by Nami.

It was a sea area with countless small islands around Aska Island. Although Nami knew that there was a risk of running aground if she entered such a complicated sea area, she decided to turn there and rely on the Meili's maneuverability to throw the navy away.

"Nami! Don't make the decision on your own! It's me, the captain, who should decide the direction of the ship!"

"Clear your identity for me! Luffy! Miss Nami will do whatever she says!"

"I'm going to find Zoro! Go back to the port!"

"Idiot! Can't you see the current situation? Move first, and then find a way to contact Sauron!"

While a group of people were discussing their next move, many more cannonballs rubbed against the hull of the ship and fell into the water.

The more violent explosion seemed to destroy the hull and overturn it. Chopper yelled and staggered on the deck again.

"Wow! The front is coming too!"

…

Located deep in Aska Island, there is a naval dojo.

And since it is a dojo, that is to say, this is a place where the Navy trains its soldiers in hand-to-hand sword fighting. But at first glance, it looks like a temple-like building. However, the walls that are three times as high as ordinary people, the word "MARINE" written on the large iron gate, and the sailors on duty in front of the gate and on the gatehouse all show that this place is no different from an ordinary naval base.

"I brought Mr. Zoro, master."

As soon as he entered a large room in the center of the field, the young swordsman with freckles shouted loudly.

On the way to the dojo, the only thing Zoro understood was the names of these three guys. The tall one wearing armor is Besmer nicknamed "Iron Knight", the big guy with woman-like eyes is named Bukanji, and the young swordsman seems to be named Toma. The three of them are all direct disciples of the master of this naval dojo, that is, the best disciples.

In the large room, dozens of sailors lined up left and right, forming a walkway similar to a human wall.

Zoro, surrounded by them, narrowed his eyes and looked ahead.

In front of the plaque with the word "Justice" written in a bright style, the back of a man carrying a long sword stood in the light coming in from the skylight.

The sailors stamped their feet on the ground at the same time, turned around, and drew their swords together.

The navy on the left and right crossed their swords with their companions on the opposite side. When the sound rang out, an arch made of swords was formed. Then they pulled the sword back to their chests together. This was the naval sword etiquette.

"please."

The young swordsman Thomas made a gesture of invitation to Zoro.

Zoro walked among the marines without saying a word.

Although he used to be a pirate hunter who had a decent relationship with the navy, and now he can be regarded as half a navy secretly, but these are far away from the navy headquarters, and he knows that it is impossible to know the relationship between himself and others, Admiral Porusalino and the navy headquarters. The sailors actually greeted him with a welcoming gesture, which made Zoro have to be skeptical.

Is it a trap? Although the opponent did not ask to take off the three knives on his belly, even if dozens of sailors rushed up together, Zoro would not lose if he had no weapons in his hands.

Zoro stopped in front of the podium.

The man on the altar slowly turned around and looked at Zoro.

"This is the master of the Navy Dojo, Mr. Saka."

Thomas said so.

The three direct disciples all knelt on one knee and saluted.

The whole atmosphere was very solemn and solemn. This man seemed to know that he was completely opposite to the fiery Zoro and would not show any emotion easily. His hair was combed back, his long-sleeved clothes were tied with a belt in the front, and a long sword that was as tall as a man was tied to the scabbard with a belt and carried on his back.

The man known as the Master walked down from the platform to greet Zoro.

"Saka..."

Zoro's eyes widened and he called the navy master's name in a deep voice.

However, this master, Saka, did not respond at all.

The two looked at each other in silence for a short time, no one dared to interrupt, only the air between them was still flowing.

"I leave my life to you."

It was Zoro who broke the heavy silence.

The short knife with "ZORO" engraved on it was returned to the opponent who threw it - Saka.

Saka held out his left hand.

Zoro handed over the short knife while staring at the emotion in Saka's eyes.

Then, he glanced at the right hand hidden in the long sleeve; yes - Zoro knew this navy master. Moreover, he knew him earlier than all the sailors here.

Saka handed the short knife to Toma who took a step forward.

"Is this Mr. Zoro's favorite knife when he was a child?"

Toma, who held the dagger respectfully in both hands, seemed to have a deep interest in the knife.

"..."

"Besides, it is also a proof of friendship with the master, right? Haha..."

A carefree smile that a boy of his age should have appeared on Toma's face.

After Saka heard these words, his lips moved suddenly.

Facing Saka, who finally showed an expression, Zoro's tense nerves relaxed and he smiled softly:

"But it's really inappropriate now! Speaking of which, I can be considered an enemy of the navy now."

Zoro turned around and looked at the sailors behind him.

"Indeed, it surprised me a lot. The original pirate hunter suddenly became a pirate himself! Zoro!"

"For you who have been pursuing the 'Sword of Justice' since you were a boy, I should be an enemy you cannot let go of!"

Zoro looked up at the word "Justice" on the plaque.

"I think you should give up being a pirate!"

"You said it so easily. I also went through a lot of things before deciding, and..."

"ah……"

While Zoro was talking, Saka suddenly groaned and squatted on the ground.

"Saka?"

"master?"

"Do not touch me!"

Just when Toma was about to run over in panic, he was suddenly stopped in place by Saka's loud shout.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?"

Zoro also walked to the podium, and Saka pressed his chest with his left hand, shaking uncontrollably.

"I have something to ask you!"

Saka's left hand grabbed Zoro's arm forcefully.

"..."

"Can you help me? Roronoa Zoro!"

The navy master looked at Zoro in front of him with a pleading look, and even called out his full name. Zoro, sensing the other man's solemn mood, calmly replied:

"Tell me what happened..."

…

Finally getting rid of the "Golden Merry" pursued by the naval fleet, it continued upstream along the river on Aska Island, escaping into the middle of the dense forest.

"Hey! Green Algae Head!"

"where did you go?"

Sanji and Luffy each shouted, but the only answers they received were the cries of birds and animals.

"There are dense forests everywhere, and Zoro doesn't seem to be here, Luffy!"

Chopper said while standing on the observation deck with a telescope in his hand.

Luffy completely ignored Chopper's statement and leaned out from the bow of the ship, making a face while shouting his partner's name at the top of his lungs:

"Zoron! Where have you been? Come back quickly!"

"He won't be attacked by the enemy, right? But since he's not in this jungle, he should have gone to the town, right? No, maybe, after all, he is an idiot who can get lost in the same place..."

Sanji scratched his head impatiently, leaned against the main mast and smoked a cigarette.

"Zoron—Zoron—"

Luffy continued shouting.

"Speaking of which, where is our current location on the island?"

Nami suddenly remembered this question and quickly asked Chopper on the observation deck.

but--

"Hey! There's a big pond out front!"

"Um?"

"That's called a lake, Chopper!"

Sanji said amusedly as he stared ahead.

…

The lake, which covers ancient ruins, is crystal clear.

I saw a girl staring at the sparkling water and swimming on her back in the lake.

The girl's body, only wearing a swimsuit, was illuminated by the light reflected from the lake and washed by the water. The long hair spread out like water plants, slowly rising from the bottom of the lake, and revealing his head from the water.

She took a sudden breath of fresh air into her lungs.

Heaven——

"..."

Pairs of birds flew over, chirping affectionately.

Looking at this scene, her slightly gloomy face seemed to suddenly remember something.

"It's been a year since then..."

Looking back at the old castle on the other side of the lake, Maya continued to swim to the shore. She stepped on the steps on the ruins in the water and slowly walked to the lake shore.

On her long hair that reached her waist, gem-like water drops kept falling down. She walked out slowly with bare feet, carefully holding three orbs in her arms.

It's not that she wants to swim in the sun because of the comfort of the lake, but because she wants to perform a ritual - in order to pay homage to the gods, she must first bathe her body in the water, leaving no trace of dirt behind.

Maya is a witch who serves the gods.

She stood in front of the altar. Due to years of wind and rain erosion, most of the pillars around the altar had collapsed.

She spread a piece of cloth on the altar and placed the three orbs on it.

On the front wall, there is a relief sculpture that looks like a witch.

Maya faced the relief, as if facing a mirror, closed her eyes and opened her arms.

Then, she gently touched the surface of the orbs, and saw three orbs suddenly emitting a faint light.

Maya, who looked a little dazed, slowly half-opened her eyes.

She stretched out her arms again, and then touched the surface of the orb again. The light slowly disappeared again.

"Um?"

It was just the right time for the ceremony to end.

Maya regained consciousness and turned her head, just in time to see a boat on the other side of the lake, breaking the silence on the water and driving over noisily.

"Pirate?"

Seeing the skull symbol painted on the sail, Maya was stunned and speechless.

"Ah! There's someone over there!"

Chopper from the observation deck shouted to the deck.

"Is it Zoro?"

Luffy, half of his body leaning out of the side of the ship, looked desperately in the direction Chopper pointed - there was indeed a figure in the altar-like place made up of a pile of stones on the shore of the lake.

"It's a girl! And, and, and she's also a super cute and beautiful type!!!"

Sanji's nose suddenly puffed out a burst of smoke like a steam engine. Although his fate was affected by Porusalino, his life goal still included saying a bunch of love words to all the beautiful ladies in the world. .

"Hey! Hello! Have you seen a guy named Zoro around here?"

Luffy suddenly shouted.

However, Maya hid behind the altar, quickly put on her top and skirt, and then immediately appeared in front of the altar, wrapped all the orbs in cloth and held them to her chest, and looked at "Golden Plum" in a panic. "Lehao" direction, and immediately ran into the depths of the dense forest.

"Hey! Cute little girl! Don't run!"

Sanji looked like a lewd pirate right now.

"Really, why are you running away?"

"Ordinary people will run away when they see a pirate ship, right?"

Chopper didn't expect Luffy to ask such a question - this was common sense in human society that even a reindeer like him knew.

"Um……"

Luffy thought about it for a moment, and then he exerted force with his feet. He used the "moon step" and "shaving" techniques at the same time, and in the blink of an eye he reached the altar on the shore of the lake.

"Hey! Have you seen Zoro? It's Zoro! He's a ferocious-looking guy with three swords. Although he's a good man - have you seen him?"

"Stop it! Luffy! If this happens, won't we look like the kind of bad guys who run around chasing cute girls?"

Sanji also hurriedly caught up, and then chased Luffy and ran deep into the forest to find the girl.

"Really, where did those two guys go?"

Nami and the others, who followed them from the lake shore to the land, could no longer see Luffy and Sanji at all.

"over there!"

Chopper's ears twitched and he suddenly pointed to the depths of the forest.

The girl could be clearly seen in the distance. It seemed that Luffy and Sanji had not found her hiding at that time and had already gone further into the forest.

"You don't have to be afraid! We are not suspicious people!"

"You're not suspicious at all, Franky, you're a pervert!"

"Hey, Nami, why are you praising me again? Although I am indeed a super pervert!"

Franky put on an exaggerated bodybuilding pose, and during this time, the little girl disappeared at the end of the forest.

"Ah! Wait! We have something to ask you!"

Nami, Chopper, Franky and others quickly ran to catch up.

After walking in the roadless forest for a while, the group's eyes suddenly opened up. They suddenly found themselves in a valley with a small river flowing through it.

"Forget it Luffy, Sanji really, where did he go?"

Nami thought of Luffy, who was hopelessly stupid, and Sanji, who had become unreliable because of beauty, and held her head in annoyance.

"You didn't get lost in the forest, did you?"

Chopper guessed.

"Lost? They are not Zoro... Now there are three people missing! These guys will cause trouble for others!"

After entering the forest again along the riverside road, the three people could not find the girl's whereabouts again.

Nami and others searched the surroundings.

"There is a village over there."

Franky's eyes with telescope function were the first to notice the anomaly.

I saw a real village on the edge of the forest, with tall sentries outside.

"Ah! She's over there!"

On the stairs leading to the village, the girl from before was running up there in a panic.

So, led by the tallest Franky, the two of them and the deer also ran towards the direction of the village.

…

At the entrance of the village, the men with bamboo baskets on their heads all looked back at the girl who ran in hastily.

"Miss Maya?"

"Everyone! Pirates! Pirates are coming!"

The girl Maya shouted desperately.

Upon hearing the news, all the nearby villagers started making noises. Of course, some people were frightened by the news of the pirates' arrival, and dropped everything in their hands to the ground, stunned.

A muscular man came out to meet Maya.

"Pirates? Is this true? Miss Maya?"

"Ah! Lux! The pirate ship has stopped at the lake!"

"Oh...damn it, it's here at this time!"

The man who was being made Lux put down the firewood in his hand angrily and shouted to the other men on the field: "Everyone! The pirates are here again! Men, go pick up your weapons!"

"oh!"

Countless people answered loudly, and all the adult men who could fight ran towards the village's weapons depot.

"Miss Maya, my mother-in-law leaves it to you!"

"Um!"

Maya ran away with the cloth bag containing three orbs in her arms.

Around the village altar where incense burners and offerings are placed, only women who are qualified to perform sacrifices can come here.

"I thought no more pirates would come here..."

"what happened?"

The women were all trembling with fear at the news brought by Maya that the pirates were coming.

"Don't panic!"

"Mother-in-law..."

Everyone fell silent when they heard a loud shout from the mother-in-law who was standing on the steps of the altar, holding a cane in one hand and her back bent deeply.

"Anyway, you take the children and hide in the forest."

"As you command!"

The women interrupted the ceremony and scattered back to the village.

- Pick up the knife!

- Pick up the pitchfork!

——Women protect their children! please!

——For the sake of caution, there are people guarding the back door!

The navy cannot protect every village on the sea, so almost every village has its own way of dealing with pirates.

"Mother-in-law, you should hide early."

"No, I'll stay here."

The old woman dressed in a witch costume refused to leave the altar no matter how much Maya tried to persuade her.

At this moment, a greeting suddenly came - "Hello!"

"Pirates! Have they been killed already?!"

Maya turned her body as if to hide the orb in her arms.

What appeared in the square in front of the altar, in Maya's eyes, was a tall, dangerous and perverted man. Secondly, there was a girl who looked very calculating and her reindeer pet.

That is Franky, Nami, and Chopper.

"Miss Maya, please hide quickly!"

Several villagers who noticed that the pirates had invaded appeared in the square with weapons.

"Huh? Your name is Maya? What a good name! Where are you, mother-in-law?"

Looking at the young girl and the wrinkled old woman in front of her, Nami took the initiative to speak in a friendly manner.

but--

"This is not the place for pirates like you!"

Lux held the shield in his left hand, raised his sword and roared at Nami and others.

"This... this man's tone is really annoying."

"It seems that we are unwelcome guests, but all the men are fully armed. They must have rich experience in fighting pirates, right?"

Franky took a step forward and blocked Nami slightly - although they were not pirates who really wanted to invade the village, if they really had a conflict with the villagers due to some misunderstanding, he couldn't let Nami Meet the enemy at the front.

"Compared to this...there seem to be a lot of interesting things here!"

Nami noticed a huge boulder wrapped around the roots of a big tree. Although a large part of it had been weathered by time, the delicate large-area relief carvings carved on it could still be vaguely seen.