Rolling My Way to Pirate King (One Piece Chaos Gacha) (Patreon)

Chapter 4: My First Mate

Shells Town — Nami’s POV

Just a little bit more.

Nami just needed to gather a little more Berry, and she would finally have enough money to buy back her village from the clutches of Arlong.

After eight long years, her personal nightmare of working for the scum who had killed her mother would finally come to an end.

All she needed now was one or two big hauls, and she would finally have the 100 million Berry she needed.

The problem was that she was running out of weak pirates to steal from.

That was when she came up with a great idea.

If Nami could somehow reach the Grand Line—a place called the Pirate Graveyard, yet still considered by many to be overflowing with riches beyond imagination—then just one successful trip could be enough to earn the remaining money she needed.

Maybe even enough to keep some for herself if she got lucky.

A pretty girl like her had needs after all.

That was why she traveled to the Yotsuba Region and eventually arrived at Shells Town. Nami had heard from a reliable source that the Marines stationed here were guarding a map of the Grand Line.

As she sat inside a diner, quietly gathering information about the Marine base, her attention was drawn toward the entrance when three teenagers walked in while talking loudly.

Two were boys.

One looked around her age, with black hair, a red cardigan, black shorts, and a straw hat that surprisingly fit the outfit well. The second boy looked younger, with pink hair and glasses, and had a timid appearance despite speaking excitedly to the older teen.

Then her eyes landed on the last person.

A beautiful blonde girl dressed in black, calmly following behind them.

Nami blinked slightly.

What was a beauty like that doing with those two boys?

Well… the black-haired one was somewhat handsome, she admitted to herself, noticing his toned physique and the katana hanging from his waist. Judging by the way his muscles moved beneath his clothes, he was clearly well-trained.

Still, she quickly lost interest—

—until she noticed the blonde girl staring directly at her with intense blue eyes.

Nami quietly returned to her meal.

Even so, she found her attention drifting back toward the strange trio multiple times despite her attempts to ignore them.

At first, she overheard the black-haired teen talking about becoming a pirate, instantly souring her mood.

But then she heard the pink-haired boy speak about wanting to become a Marine while still hoping to remain friends with the future pirate.

That confused her.

What kind of future Marine wanted to be friends with a filthy pirate?

As their conversation continued, however, the straw hat boy said something that unexpectedly caught her attention.

About the world not being black and white.

About how both good and bad Marines and pirates existed.

He even spoke about a pirate who had once saved his life at the cost of an arm when he was young.

Nami’s mood darkened slightly at that.

Her own experience with pirates had been the exact opposite.

If only someone like that had arrived at her island instead of the monster known as Arlong…

Her thoughts shifted again as she noticed something strange.

The entire restaurant had panicked the moment the name Zoro was mentioned.

And things only got worse when the captain of the local Marine base came up.

Nami frowned slightly.

Maybe stealing that map of the Grand Line wouldn’t be as easy as she originally thought.

=====

Back to Luffy and co.

Walking in the direction of the Marine base, we talked amongst ourselves.

Well… it was mostly Koby nervously muttering to himself and rambling while I checked out our surroundings.

‘Man, this world is really weird when it comes to civilization and technology,’ I thought with my hands behind my head.

‘Some places look ancient, yet things like telephones exist through Den Den Mushi. And they come in all shapes and sizes, with some even able to transmit video feeds.’

‘Now that I think about it… could I get a cellphone from the Gacha? Or maybe even a laptop? Preferably one with access to Earth’s internet? It’d be nice to have anime or movies to watch while we’re stuck at sea.’

As I drifted deeper into thoughts about the comforts of modern technology, I felt Tiche gently tap my hand, snapping me back to reality.

Blinking, I noticed we had reached our destination.

Turning toward Koby, I saw he looked more nervous than ever, scratching his arm anxiously.

“W-Well… this is it. I’m never going to forget your kindness, Luffy-san,” Koby muttered gratefully while looking down.

Unfortunately for him, my attention had already shifted elsewhere.

To the side, a little girl—the daughter of the restaurant owner we had eaten at, if I remembered correctly—placed a ladder against the wall and slowly climbed up while carrying a small bag.

Turning to Tiche and Koby, who were also watching the girl curiously now that Koby had finally stopped rambling, I shrugged and followed her example, stretching upward and pulling my head over the wall.

A moment later, Tiche and Koby joined me, though Koby struggled a bit getting up.

Inside the courtyard, the little girl—Rika, I think—jumped down and hurried toward the center, where a man with short green hair was tied to a post.

‘There’s my first mate,’ I thought with a small grin.

Even weakened and starved, I could still feel the aura Zoro unconsciously gave off.

Honestly, it was impressive.

No wonder no one in East Blue had been able to challenge him if he was already this strong at the beginning of the journey.

“L-Luffy-san! You have to stop her!” Koby whispered in panic. “Who knows what he’ll do to her, even tied up like that!”

“Nah, let’s watch,” I said with a shake of my head, surprising him. “Now that I’ve gotten a good look at him, I can already tell he’s not a bad guy.”

“Shishishi~ Do you think he’d join us if I offered to free him?”

I wasn’t lying either.

Luffy had always been a great judge of character, and now that instinct was mine too. With just one look, I could already tell the rumors surrounding Zoro were massively exaggerated.

My thoughts were proven right almost immediately.

Rika offered him some rice balls, and despite harshly telling her to leave, there wasn’t a trace of fear in her eyes as she unwrapped one and held it out toward him.

Unfortunately, that was when an annoyance made his appearance.

A blond kid with one of the most smug and punchable faces imaginable.

Helmeppo.

We watched in tense silence as Helmeppo mocked Zoro and talked about their deal for a bit before the bastard ordered the Marines escorting him to throw Rika over the wall.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Koby gasp in shock as he experienced firsthand that what I had told him earlier was true.

Marines weren’t always the good guys.

“…No way.”

Even while looking reluctant, one of the Marines still picked up the now terrified Rika and, with a tight expression, tossed her over the fence.

“Kyaaaaa!!”

I moved instantly.

Appearing in Rika’s trajectory, I gently caught her in my arms before landing smoothly on the ground.

“It’s alright, little one. You’re safe now,” I muttered softly to the trembling girl, whose eyes were squeezed shut in fear.

Rika blinked in confusion before realizing she was in my arms and looked up at me in surprise.

“Luffy-san, is she alright?” Koby asked worriedly as he and Tiche hurried over.

“Yeah, she’s fine. Just a little scared,” I said with a reassuring smile as I carefully set her back down.

“T-Thank you, mister,” Rika sniffled while wiping her eyes.

“Shishishi, don’t worry about it,” I replied. “Though, do you know why Zoro is tied up like that? He doesn’t really seem like a bad guy to me.”

“He’s not!” Rika immediately exclaimed. “Mister Zoro didn’t do anything wrong at all. It’s all Helmeppo’s fault!”

Her eyes burned with frustration as she quickly explained what had happened.

“Mister Zoro saved me from a wolf Helmeppo brought into our restaurant and killed it. Then Helmeppo threatened to arrest us, but Mister Zoro made a deal with him to leave us alone.”

“Ever since the Morgans came here, everyone’s been too scared to stand up to them,” she continued bitterly. “They always get away with horrible things.”

“So Luffy-san was right…” Koby muttered, his fists clenching tightly. “There really are bad Marines.”

A rare look of righteous anger crossed his face.

“How dare they bully innocent people? Marines are supposed to protect others, not extort them!”

“Shishishi, see? I told you I was right about Zoro,” I said proudly, placing my hands on my hips. “Now I know for sure that I want him in my crew.”

“Does that mean you’re going to help Mister Zoro, Mister Luffy?” Rika asked hopefully.

“Yep. Leave it to me,” I said while cracking my knuckles. “You guys should wait back at the restaurant, though. Things might get a little interesting soon.”

“N-No! I want to help too,” Koby suddenly protested, shaking his head with determination in his eyes.

I raised an eyebrow.

Looking at him for a moment, I realized he genuinely meant it.

A small grin spread across my face.

“Alright,” I nodded. “But give me a few minutes to talk to him privately first. If things get chaotic, then you can help.”

Koby immediately brightened.

“As for you,” I said, turning to Rika, “head back home. This is no place for children.”

“O-Okay! Good luck, Mister Luffy!” Rika nodded enthusiastically before hurrying off. “And make sure to come eat at our restaurant again when you’re done!”

“Will do,” I laughed.

Turning toward Tiche, I subtly gestured toward Koby, silently asking her to keep an eye on him.

She gave me a small nod in understanding.

“Remember, only step in if things get chaotic,” I reminded them.

Then, with a single jump, I leapt over the wall and landed inside the courtyard.

Walking calmly toward Zoro, I immediately saw him focus on me with a harsh glare, clearly trying to intimidate me into leaving him alone.

It only made the grin on my face grow wider.

I also noticed his eyes briefly shift toward the katana at my side with a curious look.

“Get lost. Or do you want to end up dead?” Zoro warned as I stopped in front of him. “Unlike that little girl, they won’t show any mercy to you.”

“Shishishi, don’t worry about that,” I waved him off casually, my grin still in place. “If those weaklings try something, I’ll just kick their asses. Simple as that.”

“Tch. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Zoro grunted before taking a closer look at me and narrowing his eyes. “So what do you want?”

“I heard what you did to get yourself into this mess,” I said instead, ignoring his question for now. “You do know people like that have no honor and won’t keep their promises, right?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“Hmph. Even so, I won’t go back on my word,” Zoro scoffed. “And there’s nothing you can say that’ll change my mind.”

Despite how unconcerned he acted, I still caught the brief flicker of doubt in his eyes before it vanished.

“Now are you going to tell me what the hell you want or not?” Zoro asked irritably.

“Hmmm…” I ignored him again, much to his annoyance, while rubbing my chin thoughtfully before nodding to myself. “That settles it.”

“Once that blond onion-head shows his true colors and decides to kill you early, I’m stepping in. In exchange for saving your life…”

I pointed at him with a grin.

“Join my crew!”

Zoro raised an eyebrow before scoffing.

“So you’re a pirate then? I refuse. I’m not interested in becoming scum. And stop deciding things on your own, idiot.”

“Shishishi, nope. You can’t change my mind,” I laughed, shaking my head while he looked even more irritated. “You’re joining my crew, and that’s final.”

“Are you even listening to me, dumbass!?” Zoro snapped before suddenly slumping forward slightly as exhaustion and hunger caught up to him.

“Nope~ Welcome aboard, Zoro. The name’s Monkey D. Luffy!” I declared proudly. “The man who’s gonna become King of the Pirates!”

“King of the Pirates?” Zoro repeated with a scoff. “Just about every pirate out there says the same thing. And I already told you I’m not joining.”

“Well, finding the One Piece is one of my dreams, so that’s the path I chose,” I shrugged before raising an eyebrow at him. “What about you?”

“Hah? What about me?”

“Don’t you have a dream too?” I asked more seriously, catching him slightly off guard with the sudden shift in tone. “I can tell you do. Those eyes of yours are full of ambition.”

Zoro blinked before frowning, seemingly debating whether to answer.

“Hmph. I wouldn’t call it a dream,” he finally muttered. “But I made a promise…”

His eyes sharpened with determination.

“I’m going to become the World’s Greatest Swordssman! I’ve bet my life on it.”

“Shishishi—!”

I burst out laughing in excitement.

“Perfect! I wouldn’t expect anything less from my first mate!”

Zoro stared at me for a moment before huffing quietly to himself.

Still… I could tell my words had gotten through to him a little.

“Alright, I can’t wait to see what you can do,” I grinned as I turned away, stuffing my hands into my pockets. “See you later, Zoro. I’ll be waiting for when that idiot breaks his promise.”

And with that, I calmly walked away.

“Wait.”

Stopping, I turned my head back toward Zoro and saw him staring at the rice ball on the ground that Rika had tried to give him.

Though calling it a rice ball at this point was generous since it was completely smashed and covered in dirt after Helmeppo stepped on it.

“Give me that rice ball,” Zoro demanded seriously.

Shrugging once more, I bent down and picked it up before walking back over to him.

“Sure, but it’s more dirt than food now,” I pointed out casually.

“Never mind that. Give it to me. I’ll eat it as it is,” Zoro replied with a glare.

Tossing it into his open mouth, I watched him chew through the dirt-covered mess with tears gathering in his eyes while coughing slightly before staring straight ahead.

“It was the best rice ball I’ve ever had,” Zoro said calmly. “Tell her I said that.”

A grin spread across my face.

“Shishishi, sure thing. See ya later, First Mate,” I laughed as I turned to leave again.

“I never agreed to anything!”

Ignoring him completely, I jumped back over the wall and landed in front of Koby and Tiche.

Koby looked stunned while Tiche remained as calm as ever.

Judging by their expressions, they had clearly heard everything.

“Come on, everyone. Looks like rescuing Zoro will have to wait a little bit,” I said while already walking back toward Rika’s mother’s restaurant.

The other two quickly followed behind me.

Then I suddenly blinked as I felt a familiar presence moving toward the Marine base before coming to a stop.

“On second thought, you two go ahead. There’s something I want to check out,” I said with a smile as I turned around again.

Koby blinked curiously.

“Come, Koby-san,” Tiche said calmly while continuing forward. “I’m sure Master has something important he needs to do alone.”

“W-We’ll be waiting for you, Luffy-san!” Koby yelled before hurrying after her.

I gave them a small wave before crouching slightly and launching myself onto the rooftops.

A moment later, I was following behind a certain cat burglar who was currently sneaking into the Marine base.

Meanwhile, I ignored the notification I had just received.

‘Hopefully I can make a good impression on Nami early so we can build some trust and maybe skip the whole ‘betraying us later’ thing,’ I thought silently.