When Luffy had called a sudden stop at a large coast city on the way to the Grand Line, claiming that there was one final member they needed for their crew to be complete, Zoro had expected to find someone older, more experienced with the sea and navigation, maybe even a much-needed medic, considering how often they acquired injuries.
But...
A sixteen-year-old girl with long red hair in an illegal fight for people to place bets on the winner (the person who survived)?
Not likely.
But that's what he was seeing...
In a clearing between the intersection of four dark alleys had been constructed a cage made out of wire fencing with two doors, one on the North side and one on the South. Inside the cage was Max, a stickly little girl, and Luther, an alleged convict recently escaped from an asylum after brutally murdering an entire family with nothing but the blunt end of a pipe.
Zoro didn't see this ending well from where he stood in the shadows among the East alley, but he was here to watch, so that was what he'd do. If Max couldn't win here, then they didn't need her on their crew.
Not that he thought they needed her regardless.
"I present to you...Max versus Luther!" the announcer - and bookie - yelled, and there were some dark cheers from the small crowd that had amassed. "Since Max was the victor last week, she gets a handicap! Today, she has a limit of only two weapons!" Some more cheers as the announcer presented Max with two small knives.
Sadistic bastards.
"Luther, for his first time in the ring, has no limitations! He may use any and all of the weapons he brought with him and has, presently, inside the ring!"
Luther grinned. Not a pretty sight, that.
"All right. Let the fight begin!"
Nobody moved right away, but then suddenly - a flash of red hair as Max darted forward, her locks trailing behind as she slashed twice at Luther before sidestepping and backing away.
Speed. That's what she's counting on, Zoro analyzed silently. For some reason, the scene reminded him of the dog fight in White Fang with Max as the wolf and Luther as the pitbull. But in White Fang, the pitbull wins and the wolf almost dies.
He hoped today would end differently.
Max continued her short, sudden attacks, but finally, with deep scores crisscrossing his chest and abdomen, Luther swung out a pipe just as Max moved in.
Crack.
Max fell back, taking the swing in her rib cage and in clear agony as she pressed against the metal cage, forcing herself to stay on her feet even though a few bones had just been broken.
Luther just laughed. Laughed, and laughed, and laughed, his mouth open and his eyes glinting with a lust for violence and spilled blood.
His eyes.
With zero hesitance, Max brought up a knife in one hand and released it.
Left eye.
The laughter turned to screaming.
Max let go of the second knife.
Right eye.
The screaming grew louder.
Max walked over to Luther and slowly grabbed the pipe he'd hit her with. She picked it up, tested its weight. Then she cracked his skull open with it.
She dropped the pipe and picked up the knives, wiping off the blood on Luther's shirt before tucking them into her deep, loose pockets.
The crowd cheered.
Max was silent.
Zoro just watched.
***
The crowd melted away, flowing back into the darkness of its origins, and then Max and the announcer were alone, Zoro still observing from nearby.
"Well done," the announcer said, a smile on his face as he walked over to Max. Suddenly, he smacked her, and her head flew sideways from the force. "But you're worthless if you become damaged goods. Remember that."
Max was silent.
Zoro, however, couldn't stand still any longer. It was clear that Max was just going to let the man hit her, would do nothing to fight back, and that aggravated Zoro beyond restraint. "She's coming with me," he said, moving out from the shadows.
The announcer stared at him. "No, she's not. I'm her handler. She's mine."
Zoro scowled. "I said, she's coming with me." He held a sword up to the handler's throat. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"Hell yeah I have a problem! If you take her, I'm losing tons of revenue!" He fell silent, and for a second Zoro thought it was his own doing, that he'd scared some sense into the man, but then he fell over, a knife protruding from his back, piercing his heart from behind, and Max slowly pulled it out, wiping it off before returning it to her pocket.
"Where are we going?"
"...Just follow me." Zoro sheathed his sword again, but he kept a hand on the hilt. He didn't trust the stickly girl who was walking three steps behind him, and he felt that the chances were fairly high that she'd try to kill him too.
***
He made it back to the ship safely, girl in tow, and presented her to Luffy. "She's the one you wanted, right?"
Luffy nodded, grinning. "Welcome, Max! You're part of my pirate crew!"
"Pirate...crew?"
Luffy nodded. "You're a pirate now!"
"...Okay."
And that's how their adventures began...
Although things quickly became even stranger.