The sunlight was piercing.
Little Rika held two lopsided, hand-pressed rice balls in her hands, carefully offering them to Zoro. They were dusted with black sugar—far from gourmet, but filled with her earnest gratitude.
"Big Brother, you must be hungry, right?" Rika looked up with clear, innocent eyes. "I made these sugar rice balls especially for you. Please, eat!"
Zoro's Adam's apple bobbed. He had been starving for twenty days; the scent of the rice balls was pure torture. But he glanced at his surroundings, his gaze instantly turning fierce.
"You're an eyesore! Get lost!" Zoro barked through gritted teeth. "I'm not hungry! If you don't leave, I'll beat you up!"
"But..." Rika flinched, tears welling in her eyes.
Just then, the heavy gates creaked open. A man in a flashy purple suit with a strange "butt-chin" hairstyle strolled in, flanked by two Marine guards. Helmeppo walked with an air of smug derision.
"Now, now, we shouldn't bully children, hahaha!" Helmeppo sneered. "My, it's lively here. You dare trespass on a Marine base? Do you know the consequences?"
He reached out, intending to snatch the rice balls from Rika. "Trash food like this belongs to the ants!"
Snap.
A soft sound. Helmeppo's wrist was caught mid-air, held by a grip that felt like a steel vice. It didn't budge an inch.
"We shouldn't bully children, indeed."
A voice, smiling yet devoid of warmth, whispered in his ear. Viktor had appeared between them at some unknown moment, one hand in his pocket, the other crushing Helmeppo's thin wrist.
Helmeppo's face turned the color of a bruised plum. "Who... who are you?!" he shrieked. "Let go! I'm Helmeppo! My father is Captain Morgan!"
"Oh? So you're just a useless brat relying on his daddy."
Viktor's smile deepened, but the pressure in his fingers increased sharply.
Crack.
"AAAAAAAAAGH!!!!"
A blood-curdling scream echoed across the courtyard. Helmeppo collapsed to his knees, snot and tears flowing freely. "It's broken! It's breaking! My hand is breaking!!"
The two Marine soldiers were horrified. They raised their rifles, aiming at Viktor, but the barrels were shaking violently. "W-what are you doing?! That's Captain Morgan's son! Are you trying to start a rebellion?!"
Koby, having already lost his soul to fear, skillfully ducked behind Viktor, clutching his coat. "Viktor-san! Please explain things to them! We're really going to become wanted criminals now!"
"Explain what?" Luffy asked, squatting in front of Zoro as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Hey, Marimo-head. Since this little girl is bringing you food, that means you're a good guy, right?"
Veins popped on Zoro's forehead. "Who are you calling Marimo-head?! What do you people want? They're Marines! If you don't want to die, get out of here!"
"No! Big Brother is a good person!" Rika cried out, her voice cracking as she shouted the truth. "Captain Morgan's wolf was going to bite me, and Big Brother killed it to save me! He let himself be tied up here so the Marines wouldn't arrest us!"
The two Marines wavered, their rifles lowering slightly. They were locals too; they hated the tyranny of the Morgan family. But in Shells Town, Captain Morgan was the absolute "Law."
"Dammit! What are you idiots waiting for!" Helmeppo screamed hysterically from the ground. "Kill them! I'm the Captain's son! I order you to fire! I'll kill every last one of—"
POW!
Before Helmeppo could finish, a fist expanded in his field of vision. Without a word, Viktor delivered a plain, unadorned straight punch into Helmeppo's nauseating face. He didn't use Chakra, but the raw strength was more than enough.
Helmeppo spun twice in the air, two bloody front teeth flying out, before he skidded across the dirt like a dead dog.
"Too noisy." Viktor flicked his hand and disdainfully wiped it on Helmeppo's suit.
The yard went deathly silent. Viktor looked up, his crimson eyes sweeping over the paralyzed soldiers.
"Go inform your Captain Morgan," Viktor said. "Tell him our Captain, Luffy, wants to challenge him. If he doesn't come... I'll kill this pig." He casually nudged Helmeppo with his toe.
Helmeppo, drenched in cold sweat and forgetting his pain for a moment, wailed, "What are you standing there for?! GO!"
"A-A challenge to the Captain?!" The two Marines turned tail and scrambled toward the base headquarters.
"Hahahaha! How interesting! Is this how the Vice-Captain handles things?" Luffy slapped his thigh, laughing. "But why am I the one challenging him? Hahaha!"
Luffy turned back to Zoro. "That settles it! Zoro! I'll untie you right now! Be my partner!"
"You people are insane..." Zoro muttered, feeling like he'd used up a lifetime's worth of shock in one day. "Are you inviting me to become a scoundrel with you? I refuse! I have my own ambition!"
"What's the problem?" Luffy picked his nose. "You've already got a reputation as a bad guy anyway."
"Think what you want!" Zoro snapped, his eyes resolute. "I will survive no matter what. I'm going to be the World's Greatest Swordsman! I won't die here, I still have to fulfill my—"
Just as Zoro reached the climax of his emotional vow, a hand reached out.
"Mmph?!"
Before Zoro could react, Viktor snatched the two rice balls from Rika. With his right hand, he shoved one into Zoro's mouth, cutting off his vow. With his left, he stuffed the other into Luffy's mouth just as he was about to speak.
"Mmph mmph!!" Zoro's eyes widened, nearly choking.
"Too much talking." Viktor brushed the rice grains off his hands and looked at Luffy, whose cheeks were bulging as he chewed. With a perfectly serious face, Viktor said:
"Luffy, Zoro just told me with his eyes."
"He said: 'If you can get my confiscated swords back for me, I'm willing to join you.'"
Luffy's eyes went round. He swallowed a mouthful and asked excitedly, "Really?!!"
"MMPH MMPH!! (I DIDN'T!!)" Zoro shook his head violently, but with his mouth full, it only came out as muffled protests.
"See? He's so excited he's speechless," Viktor lied through his teeth without blinking.
"Hahahaha! It's a deal!" Luffy took it as gospel. He snatched up the unconscious Helmeppo like a sack of grain. "Alright! I'm going for the swords! Wait for me, Zoro!"
Luffy charged toward the base like a runaway bull, leaving a trail of dust.
"Wait for me, Luffy-san!" Koby scrambled after him.
The scene was left with Viktor, Rika, and Zoro, who was finally coughing up the rice ball. "Cough... cough... you bastard!" Zoro glared at Viktor, his face flushed. "When did I ever say that? You're a devious brat!!"
"How did it taste?" Viktor ignored the anger and asked with a smile.
Zoro paused, the sweetness of the sugar lingering on his tongue. He looked away with a huff. "...Not bad. Best thing I've ever eaten."
Rika's eyes crinkled into crescents. "Yay! Rika is a rice ball genius!"
Viktor smiled and turned to the dazed Koby (who had paused to look back). "Koby."
"Yes! Viktor-san!" Koby stood at attention, filled with awe for Viktor's "ruthless" methods.
"Take Rika away from here and find somewhere safe to hide. What happens next isn't for kids."
"Right! I understand!" Koby hurried to lead Rika away.
Once the courtyard was clear of "extras," only Viktor and Zoro remained. Viktor walked unhurriedly behind the cross and pulled out a black kunai.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Zoro asked warily. "Isn't that straw-hat idiot getting my swords?"
"He's getting the swords, I'm letting you down. Is there a conflict?" Viktor flicked the kunai, Chakra coating the edge.
Swish!
The thick hemp ropes, tough as they were, parted like paper before the kunai. Zoro felt the tension vanish and dropped to the ground. He stretched his stiff wrists and neck, his joints popping. He looked at the mysterious red-eyed youth with a complex expression.
"Aren't you afraid I'll go back on the deal? Or kill you?" Zoro asked in a low voice.
Viktor pocketed the kunai and offered his right hand. "If you were the type of man to go back on his word, you wouldn't be worthy of a dream like 'World's Greatest.'"
"Welcome to the Straw Hat Pirates. Vice-Captain... oh, wait, I guess you're the Combatant. Welcome, Zoro."