The two women looked at each other nervously as the walked the long gray stone bridge into the mountain, the bridge wove a giant twisted maze around the mountain so that they would enter on the other side, hidden from view. As the looked into the angular halls that stood before them they looked to each other for comfort, both women wore long gray robes with cowls that hid their faces and a blue silken sash around their wastes, they stared at the entrance to the cavern kingdom. Of the gloomy cave this door was more than dark, a enormous rectangle cut into the very stone with a triangle set above, the thick stone offering no cracks nor mar against the gray edges. As the two walked down the halls they descended the Great Spiral Down until they reached their objective- two doors two and seventy feet tall and four and twenty wide of pure silver, carved with great care were depictions of gruesome battles, severed heads being held above the masses of prisoners, dragons soaring the skies setting the clouds aflame before lightning smote ruin down upon those below, giants and trolls standing among the masses of Men with great clubs and swords and axes in their hands, but at the center of the doors was another depiction, across the two were two figures-heads bowed and bound in chains they knelt with hands behind them, one had a fruit with odd swirls set in front of him sitting in a overturned skull bowl, the other had a sword and a open rib cage with the heart sitting on top.
The taller of the two figures gulped and took a hesitant step forward and the door opened silently and allowed them to walk in before closing with an ominous crash. Like a bell of fate. They continued down the long hall, lit by an orange glow from deeper in the hall and saw pillar after pillar, angular and gray yet smooth and unmarked just like everything else in this place, but as they walked they saw a section of raised rock with two thrones on it, one cut like a tree and it's companion into the form of a forge, the sole source of light.
They stopped until a happy and carefree voice called from everywhere at once "Well c'mon, don't be shy!" and the again continued on until they stood before the dais. Then he appeared, a young man with a red buttoned vest with shorts, sandals and a straw hat happily perched on his head, not a whips of smoke or a flash, he just appeared. with a smile he greeted "Hi! Welcome to my home!" the two bowed shakily, when they lifted their heads the leapt back in shock, he was right in front of them! He pulled the hoods down and smiled happily "There we go! No need for those here!" the first was a woman with long orange hair and her companion wore her own black hair straight, both the women looked terrified for a long moment before stepping back hastily.
A pillar of fire rose behind him before a man appeared, shirtless wearing only black shorts, a belt, a necklace and a hat, he stared for a moment "Who are you to come here?" he asked without much emotion.
The one with the straw hat bent so that he leaned ahead and twisted to the side to peer up into the fire man's face owlishly "Ace, what's a matter? These are the first visitors in a long time! I bet even the other two are happy to see them…Right guys?"
And the girls looked behind the man named Ace to see a man in a long dark coat with a fuzzy black and white hat with a long katana strapped to his back leaning against a pillar "I guess we are Luffy" and said Luffy grinned at the girls before hopping back to the stone tree and sitting in one of the high limbs, completely ignoring the actual seat that branched off the 'trunk' of the tree.
Peeking around Luffy asked the only unnamed member of their group "Hey guy, where is he?"
The man with the large sword closed his eyes and sighed "My name is Law, he's probably outside staring at the stars"
Luffy laughed "Stick around for a few hundred million years and I might remember it" although he said it lightly there was something unnerving about what he said "Go get him and we can talk to these two!"
The two girls huddled together "Robin…I'm not so sure about this…" the orange headed one asked-almost fearful that the three men would overhear.
The other looked equally frightened "Neither am I but this is the only way" they both jumped as the ringing of a hammer on anvil shot through the air. Sitting in the formerly empty throne was a green haired man who slammed a large hammer into a red hot piece of steel, the forge now working was the only sound for a long while.
Luffy broke the silence again "Alright! Now that Zoro's here can you tell us your name and why you came all this way? I mean, there's nothing out here but wastelands…well, and us"
Zoro stopped hammering and Law and Ace moved beside their respective throne-bearers. The black haired woman stepped forward "My name is Nico Robin"
The other stepped forward putting them on equal footing "My name is Nami, we came asking for help"
Zoro looked up, he was shirtless but he wore a black bandana and his left eye had a scar over it and was closed, he looked to Law before hammering again "He asks why you are coming for help." the man with the long coat received a nod of thanks.
Nami stepped forward "…I'll explain the entire thing if that's what you want…" a false step now would mean the death of her and Robin. Very slowly. Very painfully. Luffy nodded brightly "…After the angels drove you back-" she immediately stopped when the four hissed loudly and wrathfully, a long tense moment passed before she started again "…they took to living in our kingdom. At first it was just a little here and there but now, now we humans are reduced to paupers and beggars while the world grows sick. Our…cult thought we could come and convince you to help us be rid of them…"
Ace pierced through them with his gaze "And how would you convince us? How would you repay us?"
Robin pulled her friend a step back as Nami trembled under the glare "We were told you would do whatever a sorcerer asked if he sacrificed a maiden. That's why we came"
Zoro spoke, a rough deep voice that was soft and at once filled with brutal power "What idiot told you that? We have no interest in human sacrifice, it's ridiculous. If we wanted blood we'd get it ourselves."
Robin took the opening "But I thought the angels bound you in this cave?"
Law laughed "Maybe the lesser of us, but I can assure you the only reason we stay in here is that the outside world has not had any interesting happenings since your ilk called the winged idiots to this world."
Ace growled "Do you have any idea who you are talking to?!" and he allowed his presence to fill the room.
The two humans were nearly smothered under it until Luffy commanded "ACE STOP." the women fell to their knees gasping as Luffy turned an unhappy eye on his second "That was rude"
The sounds of sharpening, now long replaced the hammering fell silent and the girls looked at the finished weapon. With one hand Zoro lifted the monster claymore, nearly as tall as he was and walked over to one of the pillars and waved a hand in front, from the smooth face an opening appeared and he reached in to pull out a slab with a man shaped bear. Zoro turned to Law and gratefulness filled the latter's face as the former simply said "For Bepo" those of the Throne of the Tree and Law took off their hats and placed them over their hearts as the blacksmith laid the sword to rest with the bear and sliding him back before kneeling and pressing his head to the ground.
Robin asked after a respectful moment "That was a beautiful sword, surely someone living would have made use of it?"
Law drew his sword while fire danced in Ace's hands, Luffy stiffened but Zoro growled like a beast "Put those away! They wouldn't know, raised on pigeon psalms and drivel…there will be a time when all those who died in that war will rise again to fight, I promised that each of them would be outfitted with my best works. They shall never again brave a wound from anything I make. Now, back to why you're here. What do you want us to do. Demon kings and their generals do not come easily" he warned.
Nami and Robin bowed before the former "We have come to ask you to help us drive off the angels and retake our homes, our lives. We came because we thought that if we sacrificed ourselves that you would do it…please, we just want our homes back!"
Law smirked "Well, demons are the only ones that can kill those glorified birds"
Ace laughed "It's been too long since I let loose and roasted something!"
Luffy giggled, but Zoro stared and jerked his head back and they all disappeared for a long while.
Nami and Robin had long since stopped feeling scared and nervous, now exhaustion had set in and the two fell asleep leaning against each other and a pillar. When they woke the were side by side on a large plush bed, sheets made of the softest thing they had ever dreamt of cradled their bodies. Nami smiled as she patted her arms and legs "Alive, that's something" Robin yawned and stretched and the women quietly got up and looked around, a large room painted like the rising sun sat around them, a large window took up the opposite wall and four doors interrupted the flowing reds and oranges, the only other furniture in the room were two bedside tables, two comfortable chairs facing each other and a small glass table between the two. To there surprise one of the doors opened up and Law stepped into the room.
A tense silence filled the air before he bowed "Sorry for my…rudeness earlier. I had forgotten that human only live a short amount of time."
Robin looked around at the barren yet extremely comfortable surroundings "Is this your room?"
The dark haired demon general chuckled "No, most demons don't actually like this sort of thing, we prefer to sleep in close quarters, we live together and eat together, fight together and it keeps us happy"
The woman asked another question "Then who's room is this? And why do they have such a large bed?"
Law stopped for a long moment before almost sobbing once quietly, his voice was tense and filled with emotion "This is Lord Zoro's room, demons move into larger rooms once they find a mate"
Nami asked the question "I didn't see her earlier, where is she?"
Their guide stared at the floor "She was killed, Zoro moved into this room with her and she was killed before his eyes in the war. That is why of all the creatures in this line of existence he hates angels more than anyone else."
