Sailing: His comprehension is against the sky, and he comprehends the Eight Gates at the beginning.

So we know that Luffy dealt with the pirates a long time ago.

As for what Luffy and Nami were saying together, she couldn't hear it.

Luffy said.

"Uta, let me introduce you. This is Nami, the navigator I just found."

"Nami, this is Uta, the musician of our pirate crew."

Uta then realized why Luffy had been taking so long.

He then took the initiative to greet Nami.

After the two women briefly introduced themselves, Luffy suddenly remembered something and interrupted to ask Nami a question.

"By the way, isn't there a pirate hunter named Roronoa Zoro around here?"

Upon hearing Zoro's name, Nami was immediately taken aback, and couldn't help but recall the legends she had heard from other pirates.

Just thinking about it made her body tremble with fear.

She looked nervous and began to describe Luffy in vivid detail.

"Yes! He is the most famous pirate hunter in this sea area. All pirates tremble at the mere mention of his name."

"Legend has it that no pirate who has fought him has ever escaped his grasp. He is a terrifying being known as the 'Monster'."

"Any pirate crew that encounters him is doomed."

At this point, Nami suddenly asked a question out of curiosity.

"By the way, why did you ask about that pirate hunter?"

Luffy responded calmly.

"Oh! I want to find him to be our partner!"

"..."

The air became incredibly quiet for a moment.

Nami seemed to be frozen in place once again.

After a while.

Nami suddenly hugged Luffy's leg, looking at him with tears in her eyes, and cried out.

"Captain, I don't want to die, Captain!"

"If we go to find that pirate hunter, we'll definitely be killed."

"I still have dreams to fulfill, and I don't want to die so soon!"

"You should find someone else to be your partner, Captain."

Luffy was quite helpless when he saw this scene; Nami truly lived up to her reputation as one of the cowardly trio.

Uta spoke up for Luffy from the side.

"Nami, Luffy is really strong!"

Uta's words calmed Nami down a bit. Considering that Luffy single-handedly drove off the entire Alvida Pirates, he must be quite formidable.

But if they were facing a pirate hunter...

She still had some doubts, after all, those were beings known as "monsters"!

"Get up, Nami! Now that you're part of my crew, I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

Luffy looked down at the girl clinging to his leg and smiled slightly.

"Eh?"

Nami was taken aback when she heard Luffy's words.

She didn't know why, but she just felt that Luffy was very reliable.

It seems that his assurance makes me feel inexplicably at ease.

Nami wiped away her tears, let go of Luffy, and stood up again.

Luffy then asked the question.

"Nami, do you know where that pirate hunter is right now?"

"do not know!"

Nami shook her head.

She didn't lie to Luffy because she was afraid to go to Zoro; she genuinely didn't know the truth.

Luffy was somewhat disappointed upon hearing this. In this vast ocean, without a map, where was he supposed to find one?

"I know!"

Just then, Luffy heard a sound coming from a certain direction on the deck.

Looking in the direction of the sound, he was taken aback.

It turned out that Koby had been standing in the same spot the whole time since he left.

Coby was no longer the same person he had been when he left.

His expression had become noticeably more resolute.

"Your name is Luffy, right? I'm Coby."

"Thank you, Mr. Luffy."

"Your words made me understand what I want."

"I know where the pirate hunter is; I'll take you to him."

Chapter Seventeen: Pirate Hunter, Zoro.

On the vast, azure sea, the weather was clear and a gentle breeze was blowing.

A ship flying a pink heart-shaped pirate flag is slowly sailing in a certain direction.

Of course, the crew of Alvida Pirates were not on the ship at this moment.

Instead, it was Luffy and his four companions.

There was no other way; his old little boat was just too small, and it was manually operated.

So Luffy temporarily used Alvida's ship as a substitute for a while.

"We can already see Shells Town, Luffy."

Uta stood by the ship, excitedly gazing at the distant town, and said to Luffy.

Upon hearing this, Luffy also came to the bow of the ship.

From afar, you can see a huge tower with the number "153" marked on it.

This is the 153rd branch of the East China Sea Fleet, directly under the Navy.

"If I remember correctly, the one who manages this branch is Colonel 'Axeman' Monka."

Luffy searched his memory and muttered to himself.

This Monka is a scumbag. He's a naval captain who acts like a mountain bandit, implementing tyranny and being the only one who matters.

"Since you're here, help get rid of this menace!"

Luffy thought to himself.

After sailing for some time, Luffy and his crew officially landed in Shells Town.

"Luffy, what do we do next?"

Nami asked somewhat nervously.

The thought that the pirate hunter was in this town terrified her.

"Let's go find Zoro!"

Luffy said without hesitation.

This shattered Nami's plan to find a place to rest and ease her fear.

"It's alright, Nami. Luffy's here!"

Uta gently comforted Nami.

Nami looked at Uta curiously upon hearing this, wondering why Uta trusted Luffy so much.

But this trust seemed contagious, which reassured her a lot.

Upon hearing that Luffy wanted to go directly to Zoro, Coby spoke up from the side.

"Come with me, Mr. Luffy."

Koby led the way while explaining to everyone.

"That pirate hunter offended the son of the colonel here a while ago, and he's currently being tortured inside the Marine branch..."

...

Led by Koby, the group soon arrived at a wall.

At that moment, Koby lowered his voice and said.

"We've arrived. The pirate hunter is inside this walled area."

"However, we must be careful not to disturb the navy that has come here."

As soon as Coby finished speaking, everyone saw Luffy stretch out his arm and jump over the wall.

"!!!"

Nami and Coby were stunned. Their mouths gaped open in horror, but they dared not make a sound and could only weep silently in their hearts.

Inside the wall.

There was a spacious courtyard with a cross in the middle. Zoro was tied to the cross and was being tortured by the scorching sun and starvation.

boom!

With a dull thud, a cloud of smoke rose.

"Cough cough..."

Zoro coughed twice, and then saw a man wearing a straw hat suddenly appear in front of him.

"Where did you come from, you rascal?"

Zoro made a sarcastic remark, then put on a fierce expression and said in a low voice.

"Who are you? Get out of here if you don't want to die."

Luffy got straight to the point.

"I am Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm here to ask you to join my pirate crew."

Upon hearing Luffy's words, Zoro's lips curled into a wicked smile.

"You bastard, haven't you ever heard of me?"

"A pirate invites a pirate hunter to become a pirate? I think you're still dreaming."

Luffy smiled faintly upon hearing this.

He turned to face the naval base where Morgan lived, amidst Zoro's puzzled gaze.

Then...

Luffy lightly lifted his right foot, then stomped it down with a powerful stomp.

next moment...

Boom!

A deafening roar suddenly echoed from the earth.

Immediately afterwards, the entire naval base was gripped by violent tremors that lasted for several seconds.