# Chapter 407: Partners
As a swordsman, Zoro naturally possessed a sharp and imposing aura, even when tied up.
When Luffy and Koby were lying on top of the Marine base wall and saw Zoro, the timid Koby was even frightened by him.
When he noticed someone had appeared, Zoro looked up toward the wall and spotted Luffy and Koby.
He had been tied up for nine days, hungry and thirsty, so he spoke to Luffy: "Hey, you kid over there, can you come untie these ropes for me?"
Having been bound for so long, Zoro wanted some relief. He had agreed to Morgan's condition of surviving for a month, but that didn't necessarily mean he had to stay tied up.
His words startled Koby again. Koby, lying on the wall, stammered: "He... he spoke!"
When Luffy heard Zoro's words, he felt like going over to help untie him, but Koby thought that someone captured by the Marines like Zoro might be a ruthless killer who wouldn't blink an eye. Worried, he tried to stop Luffy.
Just then, an adorable little girl appeared, bringing rice balls to Zoro.
The residents of Shells Town were indignant about Zoro's capture, since he had protected the townspeople. But due to their fear of Morgan, they dared not speak out.
Children, however, didn't think that way. They believed anyone who had beaten up Helmeppo must be a good person, so they wanted to bring him food.
But before Zoro could chase away this innocent girl, Helmeppo showed up. He snatched the rice balls from her hand, took a bite, complained they tasted bad, threw them on the ground and stomped them flat, then ordered someone to toss the girl out over the wall.
Luffy caught the girl outside. Having witnessed the entire scene and heard the exchange between Helmeppo and Zoro, he patted his pants, climbed over the wall, and stood before Zoro.
"Huh? You're still here?" Zoro looked at Luffy with some surprise.
"I'm looking for partners to go out to sea and become pirates with!" Luffy said.
"Oh? Are you planning to let me go and make me your partner?" Zoro asked.
Luffy pressed down on his straw hat and said: "Not planning that right now. I heard you're a bad guy!"
This so-called "bad guy" was, of course, the story Morgan had spread. Now that he was the only authority in Shells Town, even if he twisted the truth, no one dared question him. This was the description of Zoro that Luffy and Koby had heard after arriving on the island.
"Hmph, even if you don't untie me, I can survive on my own. If I last a month, that bastard will let me go!" Zoro said.
Zoro was still somewhat naive at this point. He thought Morgan would actually keep his promise, not realizing Morgan had never intended to. Even if Zoro really did endure it, Morgan would take advantage of his weakened state and throw him in prison.
Luffy was about to leave, but just then, Zoro called him back.
"Hey, do me a favor. Pick up that rice ball and feed it to me!" Zoro said, looking at the crushed, dusty rice ball on the ground.
Luffy picked up the rice ball and looked at it with surprise: "Huh? You're going to eat this? It's turned into mud."
"Shut up!" Zoro opened his mouth and said: "Just bring it here!"
Luffy had no choice but to hand over the rice ball and feed it to Zoro. Zoro chewed a few times on the grit-filled rice ball, swallowed hard, and actually managed to get it down.
Lowering his head, Zoro said to Luffy: "Hey kid, can you deliver a message to that girl for me? Tell her the rice ball was delicious, and thank you for the meal..."
"Haha!" Luffy couldn't help but laugh.
The course of history was slightly different. Originally, Zoro had been captured for killing Helmeppo's pet wolf-dog, but this time he had acted when he saw Helmeppo bullying someone. Despite these minor differences, Luffy still took a liking to Zoro.
After Luffy left, found the girl, and relayed Zoro's message to her, he also heard the complete story from her.
He had initially thought Zoro, captured by the Marines, was a bad person, but now Luffy had changed his mind about him.
Just then, Luffy encountered Helmeppo on the street. Not only did he see the residents of Shells Town kneeling in fear before him, but he also heard from Helmeppo's own mouth that his father had already decided to execute Zoro in three days.
Luffy immediately realized that Zoro's persistence was meaningless. They had no intention of letting him go.
Thinking of how Zoro had eaten that filthy rice ball, Luffy calmly walked up and punched Helmeppo.
Koby was stunned. He never expected Luffy to attack Helmeppo too.
"Luffy, are you crazy? Do you want to become an enemy of the Marines?" Koby quickly grabbed Luffy, trying to stop him.
"I've decided. I want him to be my partner!" Luffy said very seriously...
After Helmeppo was carried away by Marine soldiers, shouting threats of revenge, Luffy returned to the square and saw Zoro again.
Then he proposed that Zoro become his partner.
Zoro initially refused. Even though Ian had set an example before him, in Zoro's mind, pirates were still representatives of evil. But when Luffy told him that Morgan had no intention of keeping his promise and planned to execute him, Zoro got angry too.
The only reason he had endured was fear of implicating innocent residents of the town. But when he realized his persistence meant nothing to them, Zoro was furious.
"Can you get my swords for me?" Zoro asked Luffy.
"Are you good with swords?" Luffy asked curiously.
"Yeah..." Zoro didn't want to explain further.
Luffy didn't ask more and ran toward the Marine base. At that time, Morgan was gathering the base's Marine soldiers to erect his statue.
But Luffy stretched his arm, taking a shortcut to the Marine base, and accidentally knocked over Morgan's prized statue. As Morgan and the soldiers stared in disbelief, this guy said with relief: "Close call! Almost got hit!"
What happened next goes without saying. Luffy started causing chaos at the Marine base, being chased by a large group of soldiers while searching for Zoro's swords.
Meanwhile, Koby was in the square, desperately trying to untie Zoro's ropes.
Zoro told him to leave, but Koby, who had always been timid, found his courage today. He remembered what Ian had said to him when they met.
He wanted to do his best to help Zoro and Luffy. But just then, he was shot.
When Morgan realized someone was trying to free the prisoner, he sent Marine soldiers. They surrounded Koby and Zoro with rifles raised.
Zoro was still tied up when Morgan ordered them to open fire!
Just as Zoro thought he and Koby were about to be killed, a figure suddenly jumped in front of them, taking the bullets for them.
Luffy had returned, carrying Zoro's swords. His rubber body was unharmed by the bullets. Instead, he stretched his body and bounced the bullets back.
Zoro stared at Luffy in shock: "You... you're a Devil Fruit user!?"
"Yeah! So you know about Devil Fruits too!" Luffy turned around and grinned.
Of course Zoro knew what Devil Fruits were. He had even seen one in person. Remembering how Kuina had beaten him senseless after eating a Devil Fruit, Zoro said irritably: "Hmph! Devil Fruits are all heresy!"
"I brought your swords!" Taking advantage of the stunned Marines, Luffy untied the swords he had found and said: "Why are there so many?"
Luffy had brought three swords in total. Perhaps Ian's training had paid off—having Zoro bite down on large rocks had developed his jaw strength. So when Zoro went to sea, he still ended up on the Three-Sword Style path.
The difference was that Zoro's three swords no longer included the Wado Ichimonji, because Kuina had taken it with her.
Zoro's current three swords were just ordinary ones.
While Luffy was untying Zoro, Morgan finally reacted.
"Damn it, that brat is a Devil Fruit user too!?" Morgan was alarmed. He had witnessed Buggy's Bara Bara no Mi ability before.
"Hurry! Charge! Kill them!" Morgan ordered urgently. "Bullets don't work on him. Cut him down with swords!"
The Marine soldiers drew their cutlasses and charged at Luffy with war cries. But at that moment, Luffy had only freed one of Zoro's hands.
Koby, who had been shot, finally woke up. The first thing he saw was several Marine soldiers surrounding Luffy and Zoro, all swinging their swords down at once.
Just as he thought Luffy and Zoro had been killed, he saw that Zoro had been freed!
Zoro held a sword in each hand and bit another in his mouth. All three swords blocked the soldiers' strikes simultaneously.
"That's awesome!" Luffy raised his arm excitedly.
"Stay right where you are. If you move, I'll kill you!" Zoro glared at the Marine soldiers with murderous intent.
"So... so scary!" The soldiers looked like they were about to cry...
While holding off the soldiers' swords, Zoro said to Luffy: "I'll agree to go to sea with you as a pirate, but I have my own ambition. I made a promise to someone—I need to surpass at least three people and become the world's greatest swordsman. Whether it's a good name or a bad one, I'll do it. I'll make the whole world know my name!"
"Oh!" Luffy nodded dumbly.
"You're the one who dragged me into being a pirate. So if you get in the way of my dream, you'll have to commit seppuku in front of me!" Zoro roared at Luffy. "Can you promise me that!?"
"The world's greatest swordsman, huh?" Luffy smiled. "That's perfect. I'm going to be the Pirate King, and the Pirate King's partner... has to be that outstanding!"
"Hmph, you talk big..." Zoro smirked and snorted.
Once completely free of his bonds, Zoro and Luffy unleashed their power. They fought together, sending Marine soldiers flying in all directions. Even Morgan personally intervened, but Luffy pinned him down and beat him thoroughly.
Helmeppo pressed a gun to Koby's head, threatening Luffy and Zoro to stop. But Koby, now filled with courage, refused to be Luffy's burden and told him to act without worrying about him.
Luffy followed Koby's wishes and attacked. He and Zoro executed a brilliant combination—Luffy used his Gum-Gum Pistol to send Helmeppo flying, while Zoro guarded Luffy's back, cutting down Morgan who tried to sneak an attack.
"Nice work, Zoro!" Luffy said without looking back.
"Piece of cake, Captain!" Zoro replied, biting down on his sword hilt...