The Great Voyage: The Props Master on the Straw Hat Ship

"You're an ambitious person too, aren't you?"

"Ah, I want to become the world's greatest swordsman; the strongest in the world is my goal."

After two bottles of wine, the atmosphere became lively, and Zoro was happy to express his convictions and ambitions.

"The strongest in the world..."

Link looked him up and down, then shook his head slightly. "You're still far from good enough."

"I will get there someday!!"

Zoro himself was full of confidence. He felt that even if he was not as good as the man he had been looking for, Hawkeye, he was not much worse.

At least there is a visible difference.

It wasn't until I actually fought the eagle Mihawk that I began to understand what the diversity of the world truly meant.

"I think so too~"

Link continued, "Zoro will definitely become the world's greatest swordsman in the future, but the environment shapes a person's growth."

"The small East China Sea is too limiting to your talent and will. Why don't you think about going to a bigger stage?"

"A bigger stage? You mean the Grand Line?"

Zoro had certainly heard of this place; "It's a graveyard for pirates."

"But it is also a place where strong people gather and experts abound."

Link said leisurely, "You think you're not weak, but do you know that some sword masters can shred a meteorite into dust with a casual slash?"

"Some powerful individuals can even raze a mountain to the ground with just a couple of easy moves?"

Hawkeye in the Barrett movie and the weakened, older version of Shiki in the Strong Kingdom movie both achieved this very effortlessly.

Do such people really exist?

Upon hearing anything related to swordsmanship, Zoro's expression immediately turned serious.

"certainly?"

Link nodded. "And the swordsman who managed to cut through a meteorite is none other than the current greatest swordsman in the world, Hawkeye Mihawk."

"Hawkeye..."

Upon hearing this title, Zoro paused slightly.

He didn't doubt what Link said, and emphasized, "You've seen it?"

I've seen it.

Link chuckled. "I've seen not only Hawkeye who can cut meteors, but also Fujitora who can summon meteors, and you who will be able to cut meteors in the future. I've seen them all."

"Slaying a meteorite, the Grand Line, huh...?"

Zoro murmured to himself, his eyes gradually becoming firm and bright.

"It seems I absolutely have to go there."

He spoke each word clearly, indicating that he had made up his mind.

"Haha, you're going to the Grand Line too? That's perfect!!"

Luffy came running over with a whoosh, his hearty, silly laughter ringing out clearly in the air above the execution ground.

"Who is that guy?"

Zoro glanced at Luffy, who was running over excitedly, and asked Link.

"His name is Luffy, and he's my captain."

Link straightened his collar. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Link, and this is Luffy. We are pirates, and we are recruiting crew members in preparation for our journey to the Grand Line."

"By the way, my captain shares the same ambition as you, well, or rather, dream, but his goal is to become the Pirate King."

"One Piece..."

Zoro stared at Luffy's smiling face, which seemed utterly unreliable.

"How could someone like that become your captain?"

He spoke with a very skeptical tone.

“Luffy is quite reliable at times.”

Link clapped his hands and then looked toward the entrance to the execution ground.

"Let's talk about some things later, let's deal with the immediate problem first."

There, three figures approached from a distance.

"Wow, it's really lively here!"

At the entrance, a harsh voice, like that of a quack, rang out.

012 I have a better idea! [Thanks to 15718.. for the monthly pass!!]

梳着大背头，留着一头油腻至极的金色头发，长有鲜明特征屁股下巴的贝鲁梅伯，身后跟着两名海军，一脸风骚欠揍的朝着这边走来。

"So the famous pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro has companions too? Are you here to break him out of prison?"

Bellemere flamboyantly twisted the hem of his shirt, his triangular eyes revealing an air of superiority.

"We did not attempt a prison break."

Luffy stepped forward, "But I've already decided, I'm going to make this guy my crewmate!!"

Zoro: "??? Don't make decisions on your own!!"

These words made Zoro's face turn black, and Nami, who was hiding by the wall, also kept twitching her eyebrows.

"Partner? What a wonderful word, hahaha."

As if that had hit a nerve, Bellemere started laughing exaggeratedly.

The two marines behind him seemed to have seen it all before, and were somewhat numb to it.

"But regardless of whether you escaped from prison or not, according to the rules set by my father, anyone who is an accomplice of a death row inmate or helps a death row inmate shall be executed as well."

He flicked his collar. "So, I declare that today is the day of your death, including yours, Roronoa Zoro!!"

"Um?!"

Zoro stared over. "Didn't we already agree on this? And I'm still here without moving. They just came to talk to me."

"Can't you see it yet?"

Link interjected, "How could a spoiled brat like him, who treats human life like dirt, possibly let someone like you, who slapped him in front of so many people and embarrassed him, leave so easily?"

"I'm afraid that when we made this agreement, I never intended to keep it properly?"

"You're absolutely right!!"

Bellumeber showed no shame in breaking the contract; instead, he smugly declared.

"How could I possibly let you off so easily after you've humiliated me so much?"

"Only blood and death can atone for our sins!!"

"Even if you are a renowned pirate hunter, you still fell to my power, didn't you? Hahaha!!"

Zoro had initially been staring at the other man with the eyes of a wild beast because of his breach of trust.

But as Helmeppo continued his arrogance and wild laughter, Zoro's eyes, though still filled with anger, gradually calmed down.

"It seems there's nothing to talk about with someone like you from the start."

"That's natural. We are two people from heaven and earth."

Bellumeber arrogantly waved to the soldiers behind him, "Fire!!"

His posture and tone made it sound as if he were killing a chicken.

The two numb soldiers struggled slightly for a moment, but ultimately raised their guns.

This sight caused Zoro's pupils to shrink slightly, and his hands unconsciously reached out to grab something.

This feeling of being unable to control one's own life and death is extremely distressing.

However, upon seeing Luffy's confident smile and Link's calm gaze, for some reason, his heart also calmed down.

Boom! !

Several gunshots rang out, bullets left the barrels, and flew at high speed toward Luffy and his companions with clear targets.

"It's no use!!"

Luffy stepped forward, raising his hands to block all the bullets in front of him.

"He is..."

Zoro stared in shock at Luffy's elastic rubber body, which had stretched and contracted due to the impact of the bullets.

Not only him, but Nami and Coby, who were standing by the wall, were also staring wide-eyed.

"Luffy is a Devil Fruit user; his abilities are not weak, and his strength is also very strong."

As Link spoke, he took out the [Famous Sword? Lightning Bolt].

Are you a swordsman too?

Zoro was shocked by Link's ability to produce something from who-knows-where, and then he was drawn to the electric weapon in Link's hand.

Although it looks like a toy knife, Zoro, as a swordsman, holds all swords in high esteem.

"No, I am a prop maker, and this famous sword in my hand is just one of my many props."

Link smiled, and after Luffy deflected the bullet, he instantly moved forward with the help of the Lightning Bolt.

Click!

With two quick parries, he easily knocked the two numb marines, who didn't even seem shocked, to the ground.

"Not bad skills!!"

Zoro's eyes lit up slightly; even though he was tied up, he was still somewhat eager to try.

As a swordsman, one always wants to challenge other masters of swordsmanship.

"Let's put you down first."

Luffy stepped forward, intending to untie the rope around Zoro's wrist.

"Wait a moment."

Link stopped him. "I have a better idea."

He looked at Bellumeber, who was lying on the ground, mouth agape, snot running down his face.

“Rich kids like this love to bully others, so it’s better to let them taste the consequences of their own actions.”

As Link spoke, a gun suddenly appeared in his hand—a tiny, green pistol with a red trigger, which looked like it was made of thin paper.

"This is called the 'Fence Exchange Gun.' You'll see what it does when you point it at that spoiled brat and pull the trigger."

013 [Position Exchange Gun]! [Seeking flowers and ratings!!]

Link placed the [Field Switcheroo Gun] into Zoro's hands.

"I am a swordsman, not a sniper, and I have never had the habit of using a gun to take down the enemy."

Zoro, however, seemed somewhat resistant.

"Strictly speaking, this is not a gun, but a prop I have. It has no lethality. Try it and you'll see how effective it is."

Link said with a smile, and Luffy, who was next to him, also came over with shining eyes.

"Link, is this another one of your new gadgets? It looks really fun! Zoro, if you're not going to use it, let me try it out!!"

"I've told you so many times, my props aren't toys for you to play with!!"

The two were arguing there, while Zoro looked at the strange little pistol in his hand and then at the limp Helmeppo.

"Fine, I don't know what's going on, but just aim at him and pull the trigger, right?"

He pointed the small pistol at Bellumeber and then pressed the trigger.

My love!