Luffy walked through the streets of Shells Island. It wasn't too busy and it wasn't too peaceful.

Somehow Luffy ended up in a mess on the ship, so he was craving something good to eat - preferably meat. Anything would do, however. That whole fiasco and pink haired kid he send to his grandpa didn't allow him to finish those delicious apples.

He was disguised as a civilian too, so he couldn't get free food from the ship. Usually, he got all the food he wanted, because he was previously a Vice-Admiral.

I'm hungry. His stomach growled, but he didn't need to fret. The place was full of stalls with a variety of things. He was sure there were restaurants around too.

Once he ate, he'd get to what Nini told him to do.

Luffy was confused though. He didn't know why he had to disguise himself first, so he could recruit someone. It was a pain too; he would have to change later into his Marine uniform too.

That thing was so uncomfortable - not to mention repulsive in Luffy's perspective!

"Nini always has to be like that." Luffy pouted. "Whatever, I'm going to eat!"

And then he stomped off to who knows where.

➵

Everything felt especially sensitive, but these distractions did little to stop the empty ache in his stomach. He was the only one so aware of the small rumblings that came every now and then.

His stomach felt like it was on fire from that hunger.

The only thing that he hung onto was winning this challenge - this bet. That and his will to make his dream a reality had kept his goals obstinately clear.

He would live, he told himself.

Nothing would stop him from--

"Yo," called an unfamiliar voice.

Zoro looked up in surprise. In all his time here, with a few days to go, the only voice he heard was that obnoxious one. But now, he heard a different one, which he mistook as a childlike voice.

In front of him, however, was just that. A young boy was walking towards him with a silly grin on his face. He looked scrawny, but despite that, he walked as if there wasn't a care in the world.

It made Zoro wonder if he was oblivious to the fact that he was in a restricted area or just dumb.

"Who are you?" He asked. "And what are you doing here?"

The boy chewed on his unbelievably large meat, staring at Zoro in an unervingly unblinking way. It was similar to a fish staring you down.

"I'm Luffy." Zoro barely could make out what he was saying, but luckily, this Luffy guy had finished his piece of meat in an inhumane speed.

"I'm here to recruit you. I want you to be apart of my crew!"

"Huh?" Zoro made a face. "Your crew? A pirate crew, I'm assuming?"

"Not yet, but yes!" Luffy answered happily.

He was completely oblivious to the heavy judging this Zoro - a famous pirate hunter Nini told him about - was conveying through his eyes alone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He questioned.

"It means what it means!"

"Yeah, no, I'm not joining your-- whatever it is," Zoro said, averting eye contact. "As you can see, I'm busy doing my own things."

"Like what?" Luffy looked Zoro up and down, glancing at the rope that tied him down.

It was quiet for a minute.

"So do ever need to take a dump?"

➵

The sun had finally come out, yet he wasn't too eager today. He'd grown tired of asking around and not getting the answers he wanted.

Was it false information he received that day? Did he come back to this day for nothing? The thought was frustrating him to no ends, but there was a small ray of hope. There was still time; tomorrow or today would be the day.

He just had to believe it.

So he got up, got ready and left the hotel room. His hat remained in his hand and he only put it on when he reached the entrance.

The receptionist greeted him and he done the same. This place was quite small, but the people were friendly. It reminded him of his home.

Walking down the streets, there'd been a raucous outside, near the centre of Shells Island. They say that Helmeppo was making a scene, but that wasn't what gathered all these people around the small restaurant-slash-bar.

In the short amount of time he was here, he knew the cause of this island's anguish was the Marine Captain and his son. They had gotten used to it, but still felt oppressed.

Point being, if anything, they avoided Helmeppo when he was on his little power-abusing spree around town.

It was only when he asked a random person what was happening that he understood.

"Someone punched him in the face!"

"What will happen to him now?"

"Will he be punished like that swordsman?"

"Oh, dear."

He held back a snicker.

So someone finally stood up to him, huh?

He tilted his hat down to cover his face. "Maybe I should take a closer look," he mumbled, inaudible to anyone.

➵