Chapter 3

Bloodstained Cave

Written by Stormsoul22

Usopp re-read the note twice just to make sure he had read it right. "S-Surrender?" He asked out loud.

"Wait, he said murderer" Franky said as he took the note "Does that mean he plans to kill us all?"

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Usopp shouted. "I say we just forget about Sanji and Chopper and just get off this stupid island!"

"DUMBASS!" Luffy shouted as he hit Usopp on the head "We're not leaving behind our nakama, besides, who would cook for us?"

"Is that all you care about…" Usopp asked as a sweat drop fell from his head.

"I say we go looking for them!" Luffy shouted "I'm not just gonna sit around and watch my nakama disappear!"

"So…" Zoro said "Who's going to go searching"

"S-Someone needs to stay and watch the Sunny" Usopp said "So I say I stay here with Zoro"

"Why me?" Zoro asked

"And the rest of you go search for the two" Usopp finished.

"That's a brave move Long-nose-kun" Robin said "Cook-san got taken while in the kitchen, so it's very well possible that he could easily break into any room here when he wants without us noticing"

Usopp shivered from head to toe "T-Then I'll go with you guys!" He quickly said. "C'mon let's all find our nakama, Captain Usopp is ready for any danger we might face!"

However as Usopp said his speech his legs were shaking uncontrollably.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

In the end Robin, Nami, and Franky ended up staying on the ship. Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Brook all went out in search of the two missing straw hats.

"Just walking through this place at night makes my skin crawl, if I had any skin" Brook said, laughing at his own little joke.

Zoro glared at Brook with daggers "Now really isn't the time"

"Oi Chopper!" Luffy called out "Sanji!"

"Ero-cook!" Zoro called.

"Please stay away Midnight Murderer!" Usopp called.

"Someone help me!" A high pitched voice called.

"Is that Chopper?" Usopp asked "Which direction did it come from?"

Zoro closed his eyes for a moment "Help!" He heard called. "It sounds like an echo"

"You mean like he's in some kind of cave?" Luffy asked.

Zoro nodded his head.

The four men walked ahead until they reached a small clearing with a cave in front of them. "Let's go" Luffy said.

"Oh no" Usopp said "My Do-not-go-into-the-deep-and-dark-cave disease is acting up!"

"Would you rather stay here… where the Midnight Murderer is lurking?" Zoro said.

"Coming" Usopp said as he raced Luffy into the cave.

Before going in, Zoro grabbed a sturdy looking stick. "Oi, Usopp, got anything to light this with?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah, I think I have some matches" Usopp mumbled as he searched through his bag. "Got anything to keep it wrapped with?" He asked the swordsman.

Zoro looked around a moment before finally just sighing and ripping the sleeve off of his shirt to wrap around the stick.

Within a few moments light filled the cave and the four boys wandered down the cave. "Oi, Chopper you in here?" Luffy called.

"He may be some ways down" Brook said "Who knows how long this cave goes on for"

Just then a giant gust of wind came, blowing out the torch they had made and the room suddenly went pitch black. "W-W-WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" Usopp yelled, echoing around the cave.

"Just light up the damn torch again!" Zoro called.

Within a few moments the room was once again lit in bright light. "H-Hey guys?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah Luffy what is it now?" Zoro said as he rubbed him temples in annoyance.

"Where did Brook go?"

Both Usopp and Zoro stopped and turned around. The skeleton was nowhere in sight "I-It's the Midnight Murderer!" Usopp said as he slowly turned around "H-He's angry because we didn't surrender!"

Just then Zoro felt something land on his head. He felt it and lowered his hand "Blood?" He asked himself as he sniffed it.

The swordsman looked up at the ceiling of the cave.

The Midnight Murderer will not rest until everybody is dead.

Surrender or prepare to die.

Soon the other two men's gaze followed Zoro's up to the ceiling. "H-He's coming" Luffy whispered.

Usopp dropped the torch he was holding "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" he shouted as he ran out the entrance.

"But what about Chopper's call?" Zoro called to Usopp, but the man was already too far away to hear him.

Luffy ran after Usopp and Zoro reluctantly followed, leaving their only clue to the whereabouts of their crewmembers behind.

Usopp was paused outside the cave with Luffy standing behind him. "What's wrong?" He asked as he caught up. "You were in such a hurry to leave that I thought you…"

Zoro paused as he saw Brook's violin on the ground outside the cave. Suddenly from all around them, music started to softly play.

Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo

Umikaze kimakase namimakase

Shio no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu

Sora nya wa wo kaku, tori no uta

The three boys heard Brook's voice come from around the trees, however the violin that he should have been playing was unmoving on the ground, and as far as the crew knew that was the only one he owned.

"What the hell is going on?" Usopp asked.

The singing finally stopped, however it was replaced with Brook's laughter

YOHYOHOYOHOYOHOYOHOYOHOYOHO

The sound seemed to come all at once throughout the trees in the woods, some happening at different times than others.

"W-We need to get back to the Sunny now" Usopp whispered.

"Brook where are you hiding?" Luffy called.

"DUMBASS!" Usopp urgently whispered while covering Luffy's mouth. "That's obviously not Brook, his voice is coming from too many places all at once!"

The trees all around them started to shake all at once.

The laughter finally stopped.

All that could be heard was the sounds of the crickets chirping