Chapter 406: Zoro's Path
Zoro had been at sea for quite some time now since setting out.
From the very beginning, his goal was to reach the Grand Line. With Ian as an example ahead of him, Zoro always believed that only by stepping onto the Grand Line could he gain true training.
However, the Grand Line wasn't a place you could just go to whenever you wanted. Zoro knew absolutely nothing about navigation, and on top of that, his terrible sense of direction meant that every time he tried to sail toward Reverse Mountain, he ended up lost. As a result, he was still wandering around the East Blue to this day—how pathetic was that?
After spending a long time in one place, he naturally had to consider the problem of eating. Zoro was completely broke, so he had to earn money to survive. Thus, he took up the same line of work Ian had started with: being a bounty hunter.
As a junior disciple sharing the same swordsmanship lineage as Ian and Kuina, Zoro's sword skills were already quite advanced. He quickly made a name for himself in this trade, becoming a well-known bounty hunter in the East Blue.
And the reason he was "well-known" was that the strongest bounty hunter in the East Blue at the time was still Ian!
It was like the saying: "Though the brother is no longer in the East Blue, his legend is everywhere." There were many bounty hunters in the East Blue now, but none dared to compare themselves to Ian.
At first, Zoro didn't think much of it. But as his reputation as a bounty hunter grew, he gradually felt the pressure Ian, his senior disciple, brought him. Ian's achievements in the East Blue were like a shadow, always looming over Zoro.
If Zoro had casually revealed that he was Ian's junior disciple, he might have instantly gained the admiration of all bounty hunters in the East Blue. But Zoro had his pride—he refused to admit he was inferior to Ian.
So, the bounties of the pirates Zoro hunted kept getting higher. This was his way of competing with Ian, even though Ian had no idea about his thoughts.
Just a few days ago, Zoro had captured a notorious pirate in the East Blue named "Mountain Whale" Dick, whose bounty was as high as ten million Berries. In the East Blue, that was considered a major pirate.
After catching the pirate, the next step was to claim the bounty. Normally, the largest Marine base in the East Blue was the one in Loguetown, and such a high bounty would be best claimed there. But Zoro didn't want to go to Loguetown for it.
Why? Because he knew Kuina had become a Marine there and had already been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. In the East Blue, the two most famous Marines were "White Hunter" Smoker the Captain and Kuina!
Every time Zoro met Kuina, he couldn't help but argue with her. So, even as a bounty hunter in the East Blue, he stubbornly refused to go to Loguetown.
He was mainly afraid of running into Kuina and getting knocked down by her again.
So, after catching Mountain Whale Dick, Zoro had been wandering at sea. And as he wandered, he actually managed to find a Marine base.
If you had to describe Zoro's sense of direction, it was like this: if he wanted to go somewhere, he usually couldn't get there. But if he wandered aimlessly, he might accidentally end up at his destination.
Ian had once seriously told him: "If you're lost, there are two ways. One is to stay put and wait for someone to find you. The other is to not think about where you're going and just wander around."
Now, Zoro was faithfully following Ian's advice, and so he found a place to claim his bounty!
However, when he happily brought Mountain Whale Dick ashore on this island, he didn't realize it was the East Blue's 15th Branch.
Zoro didn't know the details of Ian's departure from the East Blue, so he naturally had no idea about the grudge between Captain Morgan, the current head of the 15th Branch, and Ian.
That's right. It was because Ian had captured the Buggy Pirates here that Morgan had gotten lucky and been promoted.
Logically, Morgan should have been grateful to Ian. But unfortunately, Morgan's thinking was far from normal!
Ever since Ian had provoked him back then, Morgan's desire for power had grown stronger and stronger. And by some stroke of luck, the Marines had actually entrusted him with the 15th Branch, making him its commander.
Once people gain power, they tend to get inflated egos. After rising to a high position, everyone around Morgan treated him with utmost respect, which made him even more arrogant.
And then, Morgan couldn't help but think of Ian again.
Back then, the Buggy Pirates had been captured by Ian, but when Morgan announced it to the residents of Shells Town, he claimed he had done it himself.
Only Morgan knew about this lie. This deception made him constantly worry that if Ian ever returned to the East Blue, he might expose him.
Ian had almost forgotten about Morgan by now—why would he come all the way back to the East Blue just to expose him? But Morgan didn't know that. The more he thought about it, the more Ian's existence felt like a thorn in his side. He knew Ian was now one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and as a mere Captain, he couldn't do anything to Ian. But no matter what, Ian, that bounty hunter, was like a splinter stuck in Morgan's heart, almost becoming his obsession.
"A favor becomes a grudge when it's not repaid"—that was probably the idea. Gradually, Morgan changed. Not only did he throw his weight around in Shells Town, acting arrogantly, but he also began to hate the profession of bounty hunting.
So, when Zoro came to claim his bounty with Mountain Whale Dick, he was caught in the crossfire.
And coincidentally, Morgan's son, Helmeppo, gave his father a perfect assist. The spoiled Helmeppo, relying on his father's status, was bullying the residents of Shells Town when Zoro, who had just landed, ran into him.
Zoro couldn't stand that kind of thing, so he gave Morgan's foolish son a thorough beating.
When Helmeppo ran back crying to his father, Morgan was furious. And just then, Zoro showed up with Mountain Whale Dick to claim his bounty.
Not only was Zoro a bounty hunter like Ian, but he had also beaten up his son. Morgan's anger toward Zoro skyrocketed, and he immediately ordered the Marine soldiers to arrest him.
The Marine soldiers at Shells Town had become terrified of Morgan over the years and dared not slack off on his orders. Even though they knew Zoro hadn't committed any crime, they still surrounded him.
Given Zoro's personality, he wasn't about to go down without a fight. So, he started resisting.
The base's Marine soldiers were no match for Zoro. By now, Zoro was known as the "Demon" bounty hunter, and his resistance nearly caused a riot at the 15th Branch.
That was when Morgan stepped in. But he didn't directly fight Zoro—because if he did, he would lose. Instead, Morgan used another method: he threatened the residents Zoro had saved, telling him that if he didn't surrender, they would be listed as accomplices and arrested as pirates.
At the same time, Morgan told Zoro that if he could survive being tied up in the Marine base for a month, he would let him go.
This was the helplessness of a good person. When a villain uses innocent lives as leverage, a good person is often bound by their own moral code and forced to agree to the demand.
Having grown up in Shimotsuki Village, Zoro's environment had shaped him into a kind person. To avoid dragging innocent people into trouble, he agreed to Morgan's demand.
And so, he was tied up.
It was early summer, but the sun in Shells Town was still scorching. Zoro was tied up in the Marine training ground, exposed to the blazing sun.
He held on for eight or nine days. While tied up, Morgan's foolish son Helmeppo often brought Marine soldiers to beat him up as revenge. The physical and mental exhaustion constantly wore Zoro down.
But he still held on. That's how a stubborn fool works—as long as there's a obsession in his heart, it gives him the strength to keep going.
Zoro still had many things he wanted to accomplish, so he refused to die here. He firmly believed he could make it through.
However, as he continued to be sun-scorched, a boy with pink hair and round glasses rowed a boat into Shells Town's harbor, bringing along a boy in a vest and a straw hat.
Luffy had set sail. And, as usual, he had run into Coby at sea, who then brought him to Shells Town.