Author's Note: YAY! This is so much fun for me to write!!
Disclaimer: don't own it, don't sue me
Chapter Seven: Storming the Keep
Hoshi gasped in horror and slapped Corazon across the face. Her eyes blazed with fury as he stood back up and gingerly rubbed his cheek. She had been having bad luck with perverts lately. "What the hell are you trying to pull?!" she demanded.
"Isn't it obvious?" Corazon asked. "I'm trying to seduce you," he growled, pinning her against the wall for another kiss. He ran his hands up and down her sides, almost purring in pleasure as he barged his tongue into her mouth. Hoshi struggled, but he stopped and held her firm. "Just give up already," he whispered, before nipping her earlobe delicately and starting a series of kisses down her jawbone.
"Pervert!" Hoshi screamed, pushing him away roughly. "How DARE you…"
Corazon laughed. "Tough one, huh? Don't worry, we'll take this nice and slow…" he purred, approaching her again. "It's been a while since I've had a challenge like you."
Hoshi had reached her breaking point. As he reached for her again, she dealt him a roundhouse kick to the face. He crashed into the chair he had been sitting in earlier. Hoshi growled. This man was going to be VERY sorry if he tried anything else with her.
"Touch me again and you DIE," she hissed.
He stood, still amused. "I suppose you prefer that other man who kissed you tonight?"
Hoshi was stunned for a second, but quickly recovered. Without answering, she started a series of punches to his gut. He put up with about five of them before grabbing her arm. "That's quite enough," he said after getting his wind back. His eyes had a dangerous spark in them.
She dug her nail into the base of his thumbnail, a very painful experience. He yelled with pain and let go. "Guards!" he roared, clutching his hand.
Three guards ran into the room and dogpiled Hoshi. She cried out as a couple somethings in her chest cracked, and breathing became acutely more painful.
"Bitch!" Corazon yelled. He punched her several times as one of the guards held her arms behind her back.
"But still," he murmured, looking her over as she glared at him. "You still manage to be beautiful with bruises on your face." He grabbed her face in both hands and kissed her long and hard. Hoshi waited for the right moment, then she chomped down on his intruding tongue. A hard metallic taste filled her mouth before Corazon leaped back with a yell, his tongue bleeding slightly.
"Take her to the dungeon," Corazon spat. "Lock her up in the lowest dungeon and melt down the key!!"
Hoshi stared coldly at him as she was dragged out the door. Two minutes later, she was thrown into a cold jail cell, chains wrapped around her wrists behind her back. Using her legs, she rampaged around a little, but without her arms for proper balance, she could do little to the steel bars… not that she could have done more than dent them to begin with. She tried to break the stone surrounding her, but that didn't do anything except bruise her heels. Sitting cross-legged on the cold floor, she sat and shivered, finally letting the fear she had been fighting off overtake her. She was in a cage again… the last place she wanted to be.
Zoro woke up. A cold, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him something was wrong… really wrong. He jumped out of his hammock and walked onto the deck, hoping the early morning air would settle his nerves. It didn't, but it cleared his head. He scanned the area around the ship. It was completely quiet and devoid of life, the inhabitants of the town catching some sleep after the masquerade.
Hoshi… for some reason, he couldn't stop thinking about her. It was connected to the sinking feeling that had woken him up, of that he was sure now, but why? Hoshi was probably sleeping now, getting her energy up to escape later.
"You're up early," a voice called down from the crow's nest. Zoro looked up to see Sanji on watch. "It's not even five yet."
"Whatever, just felt like taking an early morning walk. Got a problem with that?" Zoro called back, vaulting over the side of the ship and landing on the dock. He started walking off, yelling, "I'll be back later."
"The hell…?" Sanji muttered, watching Zoro turn a corner and disappear. "Since when does Zoro take early morning walks?"
It was about half an hour later when Zoro heard a message runner coming from the castle. "Announcement!" the boy was yelling. "Announcement! Everyone gather in the main square!!" People started stumbling out their doors and groaning, they headed in a general direction. Zoro hesitated before following.
The boy stood on top of a barrel. "Everyone, listen up! Corazon's just imprisoned his newest singer in his dungeons!!"
Zoro froze.
Everyone groaned. "That's the third one this month!" one yelled.
"No, it's his second," another corrected.
"Does that mean he's going to be coming back down looking for another one?"
The crowd dispersed, muttering about one thing or another, until Zoro was the only one left standing in the square. He stood there like that, digesting this information, before he turned on his heel and started running back towards the harbor. The others had to know.
"WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?"
Zoro rubbed his ears. He had gotten lost on the way back, and he had resorted to climbing a building via a loaded laundry line to get a better view of where he was. He had been lucky, and was able to spot the skull and crossbones wearing the straw hat in the distance… he had been walking the wrong direction. After he had explained what he had heard, his reward was to get his ears blown out by the rest of the crew.
"You're joking," Luffy and Nami said simultaneously, Luffy around a mouthful of breakfast. (You had to hand it to the captain… he never neglected his food.)
"Why the hell would I joke about something like this?" Zoro demanded.
Chopper was running around, screaming. "AHH!! HOSHI'S IN A DUNGEON!!!"
Sanji waving around a fry pan. "That Corazon bastard, putting Hoshi-chan into a cage!" He ran to the banister and waved it furiously between the two horn-like mountains. "HOSHI-CHAN, WAIT FOR ME!!!!"
Robin sipped her coffee.
"Why was she put into the dungeon?" Usopp asked. "Did the guy say?"
Zoro scowled. "No. He didn't."
"The best course of action right now would be to wait until nightfall to try and get Hoshi back," Robin commented. "At night, we would have a bet-"
"YOSH! I've decided!" Luffy said, swallowing and standing up. He stomped one foot onto the table. "We're going to go get Hoshi back, RIGHT NOW!! There's no point to sitting around doing nothing! Everyone! Prepare for attack!!"
"AYE!" his crew responded eagerly.
Two minutes later, everyone was running down the streets of the town, led by Nami and Robin, Zoro and Luffy following on their heels, and everyone else bringing up the rear. They made quite a fuss as they ran down this street and that, attracting a lot of attention. Luffy made a spectacular spectacle by running headlong into a fruit stand. Zoro had swiped a couple apples and started eating them as they ran through the flying fruit without stopping. It wasn't going to be good if he ran out of energy at such a crucial moment.
"By the way," Nami said as they ran. "Zoro, what were you doing out so early? It's not like you to just decide to take an early morning walk around town, especially with directional senses like yours."
"Shut up!" Zoro shot back, munching the apple. "I found my way back to the ship alright."
"Right. I could hear the lady screaming at you for messing up her laundry from the ship."
A stress mark appeared. "That doesn't matter now!"
Luffy laughed. "Oi, Zoro, did you really have to mess up an obassan's laundry to find your way back to the ship?"
"Shut up!"
"Master Corazon, we have received a report. The Straw Hats are on the move, on their way to this castle."
"Very good. I was looking forward to this…"
"Master?"
"Ah, yes. Set out our forces as you see fit, I trust you."
"Very good, Master Corazon."
Corazon watched the captain of the guard bowed and left the room. He stood up out of his chair and slid back a painting, revealing a secret passageway. An insane smile on his face, he started to descend the stairs that led to the dungeon.
Hoshi was still sitting, cross legged in her cell. Her joints were stiff, and she moved them a little. She had retreated deep inside herself, the only place left to retreat to. By doing this, she was able to ward off the panic and keep her sanity.
She peeked outwardly a little when the sound of pounding feet filled the hall. "Hurry!" someone shouted. "They want all forces in our division to cover the West Gate! Move, move, move!"
A flare of hope rose inside her soul, warming her entire being. She stood up, and started walking around the cell to keep her legs from seizing up too much. She had a feeling she would need them later.
"There it is!" Nami pointed. "Corazon's castle!"
"WHOA! IT'S BIG!!" Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy all yelled, eyes popping out.
"How are we going to attack?" Robin asked. "Do we have a strategy?"
"Yes!" Luffy answered. "Everyone, listen up! We're going to go in straight through the front, get rid of everyone who gets in our way, and free Hoshi!!"
Nami sweatdropped. "Some plan…"
"Got any better ideas?" Usopp asked.
"Actually, that may be a good idea," Robin commented.
"HAVE YOU GONE INSANE?!" was the general response.
"If you think about it," Robin explained, "They should already know we're coming, and are preparing for us. We made quite a fuss as we came through town, so it's hardly surprising. They'll probably expect us to split up and attack all the castle's different entrances. But if all of us focus on only one entrance, they'll be surprised, and there will be less soldiers to contend with in our initial attack. That way, we can find Hoshi faster."
"Ah! She's right," Nami agreed.
"Anyone besides me doubt that Luffy actually thought this out though?" Sanji asked.
Everyone sweatdropped. "You're right about that…"
"So which entrance are we going through?" Chopper asked.
"The front!" Luffy answered.
"Carefree as always…" Usopp sweatdropped.
"The front it is then," Nami nodded. Everyone put on a burst of speed.
"LET'S GO!!" Luffy yelled, taking the lead.
"AYE!!"
"It seems as though your friends came to save you," Corazon laughed, leaning on the bars that were imprisoning Hoshi.
She grinned evilly at him. "They're coming to get me."
Corazon laughed again. "They're not going to reach you, you know."
Hoshi's grin widened even more, unsettling Corazon. "Wanna bet?"
He shrugged, regaining his confidence. "Well, it doesn't really matter to me either way if they make it down here. By then, I'll probably have gotten what I want from you."
Remembering the incident earlier that morning, Hoshi's grin was replaced in an instant by a feral snarl. "Like hell!" she spat.
"I'm afraid you have no choice, my dear" Corazon purred, unlocking the cell and walking in. Hoshi tried to bowel him over, but he caught her by the shoulders and laughed. "Naughty, naughty, trying to run away now, are we?"
"Bastard…" Hoshi growled. Shit, If only my arms were free…!
He turned and locked the door through the bars. "Now you can't get out," he grinned nastily. Tucking the key into his waistband, the insane glint lit his eyes again. "Let's see how long you can stay away."
The Straw Hats entered the castle by the front gate. There was absolutely no one there… sort of strange. They slowed their pace and cautiously walked into the grand hall. There was no one there either.
"What's going on?" Nami asked, her Clima Tact out. "Where are the guards?"
No one really wanted to answer that question.
"We need to get to Hoshi as soon as possible," Zoro growled. "Which way would the dungeons be?"
Robin answered, "I think they would be in th-"
"THAT'S FAR ENOUGH!!" a voice boomed. Suddenly, a huge number of guards stepped out of their hiding places.
"Does that answer your question, Nami?" Zoro asked sarcastically, drawing all of his swords instantly.
There was a flurry of movement.
"Gomu Gomu no Gatteling Gun!!"
"Thunderbolt Tempo!"
"Santoryuu… Tatsumaki!"
"Heavy Point… Jurryou Kyouka!"
"Party Table!"
"Cien Fluers… Clutch!"
"Usopp NOISE!!!"
In a matter of seconds, all the soldiers were either unconscious or pretending to be. "Now what?" Usopp asked. "We still don't know which way to go."
"Don't think you can take one step further into the castle, lousy pirates!" the one in charge boomed. He was one of the men who had been with Corazon when he had taken Hoshi away in the bar… the man, in fact, who had swung Luffy into the wall. "I, Genzo of the Devil's Hearts, will not allow you to pass!!"
"Shut up!" Luffy yelled, throwing a punch. "You're in the way!"
"Do you know how to get to the dungeons?" Chopper asked.
"Yes I do! It's that door to the left, then you go four floors straight down!"
No one moved for a second. "Is… is this guy an idiot?" Usopp asked.
The man suddenly clapped a hand over his mouth. "Oh shit! I just told you how to get to the dungeons!"
"Okay, thanks," Zoro muttered, running towards the door. The others followed, but the man yelled, "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!"
He jumped into the air and jumped in front of them… only to have Luffy's fist smash him back into the air.
"All of you, go, quick!" Luffy ordered. "This guy… he's mine!"
"Are you sure?" Chopper yelled.
Luffy nodded and grinned. "I'll catch up really soon!"
"Alright then," Zoro said. "We're going now, Luffy," he called, leading everyone down to the lower floors.
Hoshi, hang in there. We're on our way!
