One Piece: The Strongest Trait System novel Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - [11] : An Absolute Man of Steel!

"Shishishi! He's got personality! If we just untie the ropes, we can let him go, right?" Luffy grinned, completely unfazed by Zoro's intense, beast-like stare.

Having been frequently tossed into packs of wild beasts for training by his unreliable grandpa Garp since childhood, Luffy was all too familiar with that kind of gaze.

Those are the eyes of a wild animal.

In fact, Zoro's glare was even sharper than those of the beasts he remembered.

Although Luffy hadn't witnessed Zoro's strength yet, just based on that intense gaze, his instincts told him Zoro was strong.

Thump!

Just then, a ladder appeared against the wall. A little girl climbed up and held a finger to her lips, signaling cutely at Rowen and Luffy.

"Shhh."

The little girl gestured for caution, then hopped down from the wall and ran towards Zoro.

"Hm? What is it?" Zoro asked, his fierce eyes softening considerably as he looked at the approaching girl. His tone, though no longer icy, was still tinged with impatience.

"Big brother, you must be hungry, right? I brought rice balls," the little girl said, offering a bright smile. She held a carefully wrapped bundle of rice balls close to her chest.

"It's my first time making them, but I put my heart into it!"

"Kid, you wanna die? Get lost," Zoro replied instantly, his expression unchanging even at the sight of food, despite having had nothing to eat or drink for twenty days.

His harsh words were meant to protect her, to avoid implicating her.

"Even if you don't want to involve the girl, you don't need to push her away like that."

A calm voice interjected.

"Who the hell are you? I told you already, you're annoying," Zoro snapped, his face hardening as he watched Rowen jump down from the wall.

"This is a child's heartfelt gesture. A child's sincerity is more precious than gold," Rowen said, gently patting the little girl's head reassuringly as she looked crestfallen that Zoro wouldn't eat her rice balls.

Rowen definitely didn't want this sweet girl's kindness trampled by that scumbag Helmeppo.

"Shishishi! Well said, Rowen!" Luffy declared, hopping down from the wall to join Rowen.

Although he had wanted to observe Zoro a bit longer—after all, Luffy's standards for crewmates went beyond just strength—since his nakama had decided to step in, Luffy wouldn't just stand by and watch.

Luffy would always fully support his comrades' decisions.

"You're Zoro, right?" Luffy asked, grinning at the tied-up swordsman.

"Yeah. And who are you guys?" Zoro asked, his icy demeanor thawing slightly after hearing Rowen's words, though his tone remained unfriendly.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! The man who's gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy declared proudly, pointing at himself with a grin.

"Rowen. Luffy's comrade," Rowen added, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"King of the Pirates? Are you an idiot?" Zoro deadpanned, his eyebrow twitching as he looked at Luffy.

"But Rowen, what did you mean? Why did you say Zoro didn't want to involve the little girl?" Luffy asked curiously.

"Simple. Judging by how the townspeople react to the Marines here, the local Marine Captain can't be any good. And the name 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro is pretty famous throughout the East Blue right now. As a renowned bounty hunter, he wouldn't be tied up here unless there was a specific reason," Rowen explained smoothly.

"My willpower is completely different from yours. I will survive," Zoro declared with a determined grin. _{ƒгeewёbnovel.com}

When it came to sheer willpower, Zoro was absolutely top-class. Later in the story, Zoro would endure the full measure of pain extracted from Luffy by Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit—suffering horrific injuries and massive blood loss—

"Die here? What are you talking about? I only have ten days left to fulfill the agreement. I will survive," Zoro retorted coldly, assuming Rowen doubted his ability to last the final ten days.