Hello everyone! This story is based somewhere between Fishman Island and Punk Hazard.
Warning: cursing, violence
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters
. . . . .
The Sunny's hull broke through the waves as it drifted towards a distant island shrouded in mist. It seemed rather large and forested but not much else could be made out about it.
"Are you sure that's the right island?" Usopp asked for about the fifth time, looking at it with squinted eyes and a frown.
"Yes Usopp I'm sure. And it's the only island nearby anyways." Nami rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to smack him over the head for being annoying. It had been a while since they'd seen any land and they were running low on supplies. Despite the mist visible even this far away, giving the island a creepy look; she was still hopeful they'd be able to restock there.
"I wonder what sort of dangerous creatures lurk there…" Robin mused, smiling lightly.
"Robin, why!?" Usopp cried, falling dramatically to the ground. No one ever listened to him. Across the ship, drooped over Sunny's head Luffy whined once again for meat.
"We don't have any meat Luffy, that's why we're stopping at this island!" Sanji snapped.
"But I'm hungry," he whined, giving Sanji puppy eyes.
"Your bento's in the galley. But try and wait until we get ashore to eat it," Sanji sighed rolling his eyes.
"Food!" Luffy cheered, brightening up and leaping off Sunny's head.
"Quiet down Luffy. And everyone gather around!" Nami called out.
Nami-swaan!" Sanji noodled over to her, while everyone else meandered over in a much calmer fashion.
"We need to decide who's going to stay with the ship once we arrive. I want to make sure it's safe, so I'll wait to map it until you guys have checked it out," she explained.
"Sadly, due to a strong case of I-can't-go-on-the-spooky-island-disease, I should also stay on the ship," Usopp announced, nodding his head sagely.
"I should stay too, there's a SUPER invention I've been working on," Franky said.
"Anyone else?" Nami asked. When no one spoke up she continued, "Alright... Since there doesn't seem to be any village or town on that island you guys won't be needing an allowance. Sanji-kun, make sure you get enough food to last a few weeks, I don't know how far away the next island is."
"Of course Nami-swaan!" he flailed.
"Chopper, you should probably see if you can find any medical herbs, I think we're running low.
"Alright."
"And Luffy, try not to cause any trouble this time," she sighed.
"Aw, what do you mean Nami?" he tilted his head to the side.
"You know what I mean idiot!" this time she did whack him over the head.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the shore of the island. The mist seemed even thicker up close, and they couldn't see anything beyond the tree line. Luffy bounced with anticipation while a few feet away Usopp shook in fear.
"Are you all sure-"
"Yes Usopp. We need the supplies," Nami gave him a warning look. She didn't like the island much either, but they couldn't starve to death.
"Let's go!" Luffy tried to jump from the ship, only to have Sanji yank him back.
"Sanjiii!" he pouted,
"We need to stick together idiot. If we get separated with all this mist, it'll take forever to find each other again," he explained. Luffy gave an exasperated noise but waited for the rest of them before going ashore.
"Try not to take too long, okay? Get back by this afternoon," Nami called out.
"Of course Nami-swaan!" Sanji cooed.
"Idiot," Zoro rolled his eyes.
"What was that shitty-swordsman?" Sanji turned to glare at him.
"I said you're a dumbass ero-cook!" he snapped. Nami heard their argument slowly fade as the group made its way into the forest.
Luffy cheerfully leaded the way, singing a random song about fog creatures while only occasionally tripping over hidden roots. As they went along, the group stopped a few times for either Sanji or Chopper to inspect some plant or fruit before deeming it unusable.
"It's strange. There are so many poison plants here and almost nothing edible or useful," Chopper sadly looked at his feet. They really had been running low on herbs and he'd had high hopes for this island.
"Yeah," Sanji too was pissed off about the situation. Their food stocks had been growing dangerously low and they needed to find something edible on this island to replenish them. But that was proving to be a challenge.
Completely unperturbed by the frustration of his crewmates, Luffy continued with his song, growing louder and more obnoxious by the moment. Brook joined in, playing a little tune on his guitar to match the silly words. Zoro followed at the back of the group boredly. There wasn't much to see with the fog and he'd rather be training or taking a nap than following his overly energetic captain around this forest.
Then there was suddenly a terrified scream, from somewhere behind them. Zoro reached for his swords but before he could draw them, a blinding flash filled his vision.
. . . .
Zoro blinked open his eyes to look up at the barely discernable canopy of trees above. He shot up from where he'd been laying on the ground, looking all around him. Nothing, no one. 'Where'd they all go?' he wondered, trying to find some clue. But there was nothing, no disrupted foliage or even a broken twig aside from where he'd been laying.
"Hey! Where'd are you guys!?" he called out. He knew if there was something dangerous out there it would have heard him too, but he didn't worry so much about that. He could take on anything that came his way. Yet, aside from a few birds being startled and flying off, there was nothing. He tried again, still met with only silence.
If no one was around, he decided the Sunny would be the next best place to look. It had also been the direction the scream had come from. His frown deepened. If something had hurt any of his crewmates… He began to walk in what he hoped was the right direction. He thought he could hear the sea so he was sure he was going the right way. Besides, he didn't get lost, despite what everyone seemed to think; everything just moved.
His surroundings were eerily silent as he moved along, the only sounds being the crunch of leaves and twigs under his boots. He hoped the reason he couldn't find anyone was because they'd already went ahead to the Sunny and would be waiting for him. It made the most sense, after that scream, for them to head that way to check it out. Though, he still couldn't understand why they would leave him behind.
After what seemed to be an hour of walking Zoro was growing very annoyed. He knew the ship shouldn't be this far away, and yet he still hadn't reached it. And it wasn't helping that he could barely see five feet in front of him. The fog was strange; sometimes lightening up so he could see a few yards ahead and other times growing so thick he almost couldn't see even his own feet.
In the distance, a village came into view. The fog cleared away enough for Zoro to notice a few old and cracked buildings with moss growing over them. He cautiously approached them, looking around as more equally old buildings emerged through the fog. He wondered if the others had maybe found this place, but it was so silent and empty. There's no way it could be this quiet if Luffy were here.
As he walked through the village, he noticed a strange building in the center of the town. It was large and rectangular, with no windows and large metal double doors on the front. It looked newer than the rest, no mold coating it or cracks formed in the stone. Zoro approached the building, looking it over before raising a fist and knocking on the door.
It echoed lightly, but there was no response from within the building. He sighed, then turned and continued to walk through the village. Luffy and the others definitely weren't here. If they were he would have heard them by now. A few minutes later he made it to the other side and exited back into the forest. The trees as well as the fog was denser on this side and he had to move slower to not trip.
He sniffed suddenly, a strange metallic scent having been in the air, and one he knew very well. Blood. He stopped walking and looked around the area. Then he spotted it; several small splotches staining the ground. But that little amount wouldn't cause this strong a smell. The source had to be nearby. Placing a hand on his katana, he decided to call out.
"Hey, who's there!?" there was no response at first, but after a few moments he heard footsteps slowly approaching, and a figure began to take shape through the fog.
"Marimo?" it was Sanji. He had taken off his suit jacket and had it tied tightly around his middle where there was a large dark red stain.
"Do you know where anyone else is?" Sanji asked, coming to a stop in front of Zoro. He was a lot paler than usual.
"What happened to you?" Zoro asked instead of answering the cook's question.
He seemed annoyed at being ignored but answered anyways, "Not sure. It seemed like some kind of... monster? I didn't get a good look at it before it ran off." Zoro nodded. Maybe this monster had something to do with why they'd been separated.
"I haven't found any of the others; I was trying to find the Sunny," Zoro answered Sanji's earlier question.
"Yea, all this damn fog is making it hard. I couldn't find anything. I'm worried about Nami-san and the others," he sighed, taking out his cigarette pack. He frowned, shaking one from his diminishing supply and lit up.
"I guess we just have to keep looking." They began to walk, neither of them really knowing where to go. Usually Sanji would have made some snide comment about how easily Zoro got lost by now, but he'd been unusually quiet. Zoro knew they'd need to find Chopper quickly, or the cook just may bleed out. But neither of them had had any luck finding the rest so far… How likely was it they'd come across them anytime soon? Then a thought crossed Zoro's mind. There had been that village. He was pretty sure he remembered where it was, and they may be able to find some bandages or something there.
"Hey, I found this empty village over there," Zoro gestured somewhere to his left, "maybe the rest of the crew got there sometime after I left. Or we'll at least be able to find some bandages."
"Sure you won't get us lost marimo?" he huffed.
"I don't get lost that much," Zoro lightly snapped, turning to walk in the direction he remembered the village being. At least if he could keep the cook talking he'd be less likely to drop from blood loss; even if only to spite Zoro by getting in the last word.
"Pft, sure. All those other times were just coincidences."
"Maybe they were!"
"You got lost on a straight road once seaweed brain."
"It's not getting lost! Everything just moves around, it's not my fault," Zoro crossed his arms over his chest.
"Okay, sure," Sanji smirked. Zoro shot him a short glare. Maybe it was luck, but only a few minutes late they had found the village again. Zoro tried calling out once more to see if any of the crew had shown up. But instead of getting a response, a strange looking man stepped out from a nearby alleyway.
Zoro immediately drew his swords, looking the man over. He had a thin face and scruffy brown hair. He was about Zoro's height, but had a very thin, lanky build to him.
"Who are you?" Zoro growled, narrowing his eyes threateningly.
"Woah, calm down, " the guy put his hands up, "I'm not a threat." Zoro's hands clenched tighter around his swords.
"Um..." the man faltered for a moment, "look, you two need help right? I could-"
"You didn't answer the question," Sanji cut him off.
"Oh… sorry, sorry," he smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm Ketto, and you two are…?"
Neither Zoro nor Sanji answered, watching the man carefully. Something just didn't seem right about him. Zoro didn't know where he'd come from. He knew the village had been empty the last time he'd passed through.
"Okay. Well, I know where the village keeps their medical supplies. You look like you could use them," he said, gesturing for them to follow before beginning to walk. Zoro and Sanji shared a glance, then followed after. Zoro did not want to trust this man, but if he really was leading them to some medical supplies, then he knew they needed to believe them for now. Sanji wouldn't last much longer if they didn't stop the bleeding and bandage him up. Thankfully, the guy wasn't lying, and soon had them in a little infirmary with all the basic medical supplies. Ketto quickly grabbed some bandages, alcohol, and a towel before passing them to Zoro.
"Take off your shirt," Zoro said. Sanji gave him an annoyed look but complied, carefully untying his suit jacket from his waist before lifting his shirt over his head. The wound was jagged, and despite the dried blood caked around it, there was still some leaking out. Zoro frowned, pouring some the alcohol onto the towel and beginning to clean the wound. Sanji let out a quiet hiss of pain but otherwise remained silent. Zoro tried to be gentle, not wanting the wound to get any worse. Once it looked relatively clean, he began to wrap the bandages tightly around the cook's waist. He could feel the strange guy watching while he worked.
He shot the man a brief glare, which was met with a nervous smile. Once he finished, he taped down the bandage and stood back. At least he wouldn't have to worry about the cook bleeding out now. As Sanji slipped his shirt back on, Zoro turned to face Ketto. The man coughed, awkwardly looking off to the side.
"So… I have something to take care of. Um. You two can stay here, I'll be back," he made for the door. Zoro stood in his path, glaring the man down.
"Where are you going?" Zoro asked. He gave a nervous laugh.
"Um, just to my house. I have to check up on something important," he stepped around Zoro, opening the door. "I'll be back." He repeated, then left.
"Let's go look for the rest of the crew," Sanji spoke up. Even though they'd stopped the bleeding, he still looked sickly pale.
"No. You should get some rest," Zoro sighed, taking a seat in a nearby chair.
"I'm fine marimo," Sanji growled, kicking out at Zoro's head. Zoro barely ducked in time, the wind from the attack ruffling his hair.
"Sure, but it's no use wandering around when we have no idea where they are," he responded.
"I don't trust that guy. We should get out of here," Sanji frowned.
"I don't either. But you lost a lot of blood and it'd do us no good to leave only for you to pass out." Zoro crossed his arms over his chest. Even if that Ketto guy was shady, they were better off waiting for now. At least when he did come back, they might be able to find out some information about the rest of the crew and this island.
"Fine," Sanji huffed, plopping down on the single mattress in the room. "Wake me up whenever that guy gets back."
"Sure."