They tied their small boat to a wooden post at the dock using a rope, then stepped onto the pier.

Luffy strode forward with his usual carefree energy.

Zoro, ever sharp-eyed, noticed traces of battle—scorch marks and shattered wood—scattered along the dock. He kept it in mind, staying alert.

When they reached town, they quickly came upon a street that had been flattened—leveled completely by the force of the Buggy Bomb.

“Whoa-ho!” Luffy exclaimed, pressing his straw hat down as he bounced nimbly for a better look. “What the heck happened here?”

Zoro silently placed a hand on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji, eyes scanning the surroundings with caution.

At that moment, a group of armed townspeople approached. Though dressed like ordinary citizens, their hands gripped forks, knives, and improvised weapons. A white dog with bandaged legs snarled at the strangers.

“Who are you people?” asked the man at the front—Mayor Boodle, still clad in armor and gripping a spear. His glasses gleamed with suspicion. “What are you doing in our town?”

“I’m Monkey D. Luffy,” Luffy replied plainly. “I’m a pirate. My dream is to become the Pirate King. This guy is Zoro—he’s my crewmate, and he wants to be the world’s greatest swordsman. We’re just here looking for something to eat.”

Zoro sighed, rubbing his forehead.

That idiot always introduces himself without thinking—and he has to lead with the fact that he’s a pirate.

Pirates?!

Again?!

And one of them even dared to declare he’d become the Pirate King?

The townspeople of Orange Town were immediately on edge. The word “pirate” alone was enough to trigger them after everything they’d just been through.

“Get out of here, now!”

“We don’t want pirates around, you scum!”

“We just reclaimed our home and drove out the rest of the pirates! We won’t let you take it from us again!”

But unlike the angry townspeople, Mayor Boodle had caught something else in Luffy’s words—”Zoro.”

Wasn’t that the same name as that bounty hunter?

Could it be…?

Luffy, confused by the sudden outrage, blinked a few times and stayed silent.

“Just to clarify,” Zoro said, raising a hand, “I’m not his crewmate. We’re only traveling together for now. I don’t know what happened here, but I assure you—we mean no harm.”

Still, the townspeople remained unconvinced. They insisted on driving the two pirates away.

“That’s enough!” Mayor Boodle suddenly shouted, silencing the crowd. “Let’s hear them out first.”

His feelings about pirates were complicated.

The Buggy Pirates had brought ruin to Orange Town, and he loathed them for it. But when the town had called for help—when even the Marines refused to respond—it had been two suspicious strangers who appeared and ended up defeating the Buggy Pirates, allowing the citizens to reclaim their homes.

The remaining pirates either scattered or were driven out by force.

Now, the town had begun the process of rebuilding.

Mayor Boodle had seen the Buggy Pirates fall with his own eyes. He didn’t share the same hostility the others felt toward Luffy and Zoro—and so he was willing to give them a chance.

Still regarded as a pirate himself, Zoro sighed again and said:

“The Straw Hat guy is telling the truth. We’re just passing through. We need food, fresh water, and a place to rest. Don’t worry—we’ll pay.”

He pulled out some Berries and held them up.

“Also,” he added, “I came here looking for information.”

He tucked the money away and pulled out a brand-new wanted poster. The photo on it was fuzzy and lacked detail, but certain features were clearly visible.

While most townsfolk hadn’t seen the man in the image, Mayor Boodle recognized him immediately. His eyes widened—but only for a moment—before he composed himself.

The poster had no name, marked instead with “???” to indicate his identity was still unknown. The words “Dead or Alive” were printed underneath—alongside a staggering bounty:

25 million Berries.

A reward that high was almost unheard of in the East Blue.

Zoro noticed the mayor’s reaction and guessed he’d seen the man in person.

It wasn’t hard to conclude that the destruction around them was linked to this mysterious figure.

But a moment later, Mayor Boodle adjusted his glasses and calmly shook his head.

“I’ve never seen this man before.”

Zoro frowned, clearly unconvinced.

That reaction from before—he definitely recognized him.

Was the mayor hiding the truth because he still thought Zoro was a pirate?

After leaving Shells Town, Zoro had stopped in a small village and taken down a group of thugs using his Three-Sword Style.

Luffy had seen it happen and had been pestering him to join his crew ever since.

Zoro had repeatedly refused. If Luffy hadn’t seemed like a genuinely decent person, he would’ve beaten him up by now.

Still, it seemed that tagging along with Luffy was now causing him some trouble.

“Hold on, old man,” Zoro said, reaching into his coat. He pulled out a thick stack of wanted posters and spread them out on the ground. “Let me be honest. I’m Roronoa Zoro. I do bounty hunting work. You’ve probably heard of me.”

The townspeople were stunned.

He’s THAT Zoro?!

Mayor Boodle, however, remained calm—as if he’d expected this all along.

Back when they’d been desperate for help and the Marines refused to come, they had tried to track down Roronoa Zoro to hire him to take down the Buggy Pirates.

Unfortunately, he was hard to find, and there were no reliable means of contacting him.

Which made sense—Zoro only took bounty hunting jobs when it suited him. If he needed money, he’d go after some wanted pirates. Otherwise, he drifted.

And with his terrible sense of direction, it was nearly impossible for ordinary people to locate him.

Luffy, now squatting down, flipped through the posters with curiosity:

“Iron Club” Alvida – 5 million Berries

“Clown” Buggy – 15 million Berries

“Captain” Don Krieg – 17 million Berries

“SawShark” Arlong – 20 million Berries

“???” – 25 million Berries

“Man, I’m so jealous,” Luffy said, grinning. “I wonder how much my first bounty will be.”

Only someone aiming to be Pirate King could have such a twisted perspective.

Even with Zoro’s identity revealed and the posters proving the mysterious man’s danger, Mayor Boodle still remained silent.

Seeing he wouldn’t talk, Zoro chose not to press further.

He gathered the posters and offered a calm smile.

“I won’t ask about that monster again. For now, I just want something to eat. That’s fair enough, right?”

Grrrrrr…

Luffy’s stomach growled loudly.

“The town’s still recovering,” Mayor Boodle said after a pause. “But some restaurants have reopened. As long as you pay, they’ll serve you.”

“Mayor!” one townsman protested. “Even if Zoro’s a bounty hunter, he’s still traveling with a pirate!”

Mayor Boodle waved him off.

“Do as I say.”

His authority held weight, and the townspeople relented. They allowed Luffy and Zoro to enter the town.

But just as the pair walked about 100 meters away, the mayor suddenly called out to them.

“Hey!”

The two turned.

Adjusting his glasses, Mayor Boodle said:

“When our town was under siege by the Buggy Pirates, the Marines wouldn’t come to help us. We had no one to turn to. That man in the wanted poster—he was the one who defeated the Buggy Pirates.”

“I don’t know what crimes he’s committed in the past, or why he came to fight Buggy. All I know is—he helped us.”

Luffy and Zoro stood silently, listening intently.

“That woman on the poster—Alvida—is one of his followers,” the mayor continued.

“I heard her call him Captain Davy Jones. That should be his real name. That’s all I can tell you. As for where they went, I won’t say a word.”

Davy Jones?

Zoro furrowed his brows, then waved casually.

“Got it. That’s more than enough. Thanks.”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep