~~~Yay Chapter 2. Warnings include disgusting, drunken pirates being evil. Not much beyond that. I own nothing and no one from One Piece.~~~
Zoro stopped short in his plowing through the undergrowth and immediately dropped into a crouch. He couldn't be certain, but he was sure he heard something like a cry in the distance, and didn't want to walk into some animal's den.
Moving soundlessly through weeds and shrubs, Zoro paused to switch the sword he had been hacking with to his right hand, put Wado Ichimonji in his mouth, and then crept forward using his empty left hand for balance. As he made his way forward he realized he didn't need stealth. The sounds of hearty male laughter and the scent of fire and alcohol proved that there were in fact others on this island. His stomach clenched in revulsion, as he smelled what could only be the scent of puke mixed with the vile bouquet assaulting his senses. With instincts honed by years of fighting and running in bad circles, he estimated that this group had been around the area for about two weeks, drinking and eating too much. One would have thought that there would be little to entertain after two weeks, but several men were chortling with mirth
Hearing the insults that were being slung about, Zoro really didn't want to look up and see what these bastards had been entertaining themselves with.
"It's a good thing you showed up, boy," said one thug with stringy black hair and a beer stained white shirt, "we was getting bored." More laughter ensued at this 'witty' remark.
"Its amazing that the darts we set out to paralyze animals would actually work on a person. You must have been real dumb." Sounded a mountain of a man, at least six feet tall, and barrel chested, as he looked slightly better dressed than the others; Zoro assumed he was the leader of this band.
There was more raucous laughter at the leader's 'joke' and Zoro, beginning to seethe with rage, cautiously rose out of his crouch to observe more of his surroundings.
There were three more thugs; one apparently wandering off to relieve himself, had a recently broken nose and had glared sullenly at the leader before walking into the woods opposite the camp from Zoro's position. One short, gaunt looking man was busily downing some ale, and a final man actually caught Zoro's attention. The last man wore only faded blue pants and brown boots, but unlike his accomplices, this man was carrying weapons. The thug had a pair of daggers that he was flipping and catching in the air, and with a malicious glint in his eye, he threw one of them at the feet of the leader. Confusion struck Zoro at the pointlessness of this attack until a few seconds later when the 'ground' at the boss's feet gave a low groan.
Slowly, bracing for what he was about to see, Zoro stood up completely, and over the foliage the group's feet came into view.
The man, or so Zoro assumed from the taunts of 'boy', on the ground was dressed in what seemed to be blue and black rags, and was currently curled protectively around his midsection, arms hugging his ribs. The man's back was to him, and from this angle the head wasn't visible, but Zoro could see the dagger, thrown by the shirtless thug, sticking out of the man's upper arm. The victim appeared to be covered in numerous similar wounds, and a clear liquid that Zoro believed, or hoped, was from drinks being thrown on him.
Laughing, the leader reached down and plucked the knife from the man's arm. As he tossed the blade back to his owner he kicked the fallen man, earning another low groan.
"So, boy, you all out of smart-ass remarks now? Ready to tell us what ship you came in on? Maybe if you play nice, we'll be kind enough to bring you with us when we take it over." The leader then upended his drink on the hapless man, causing a shudder and hiss from the victim as the alcohol hit his open wounds.
Incredulously, Zoro watched the man try to rise from the ground. Zoro would have thought that anyone, aside from himself and Luffy, would be unconscious from his wounds, but the man was attempting to rise up and face his attacker. The huge leader was apparently unpleased but not shocked by this move as he casually backhanded the man to the ground once again.
"Still trying to struggle are we, boy, you're going to be in for one pain filled evening if you keep this up."
Zoro was floored as the fall caused the battered man to land facing him. The pirate-hunter nearly dropped his sword from his suddenly numb hand as the matted blond hair and dazed features of the ero-cook came into view. He watched in stunned disbelief as the man struggled on the ground.
He knew what people were capable of, more that the rest of his happy-go-lucky crew, because of his days as a pirate-hunter. Zoro never completely forgot the evils men were capable of but he liked being distracted from it, and the Mugiwara crew was certainly able to one feel like everything would always be okay. If it ever weren't, as with Nami and Arlong Park, Luffy and the crew would beat people down until things were okay again.
Nothing like this should be able to happen to his nakama while he, Luffy, and hell even Usopp and Chopper were around. Seeing Sanji more beaten than he had even been, even at Clockwork Island, made the heartless pirate-hunter's jaw and fists clench with rage. For these five men the punishment for abusing his companion would be swift death, and it was probably better than the dogs deserved
End Ch2.
Author's notes: As you can see, this story will be updated considerably faster than my other fics. Also, in case anyone wondered I don't include Frankie or Brook in my stories, they haven't had a lot of screen time in the anime comparatively, so I can't decide how to write them. Also, as Zoro goes through swords like runners through shoes, I only name Wado Ichimonji in my fics.
Hope people are liking this fic.