Previously, on 'Days of Ruin'...

"Powerless to save his forest from the raging flames, the Shandia returns to his homeland of Jaya. And since we don't have anything better to do, we're going with him."

"The good part is we get to see the country."

"Right, because it's so damn fun. You stick to the road, you get attacked by zombies. You go through a national park, you get ambushed by a tiger and bitten by a snake..."

"Yeah, but at least we'll get to meet some new people. I wonder who our mysterious savior is. Oh, the suspense is killing me!"

"No need to overdo it, everyone's already guessed who he is..."

And now, on to chapter 9!

Author's notes can be found at the bottom.


Standing on top of what looked like a two-storey hotel, the overly-long-nosed stranger kept waving his hand at the travelers with a half-proud half-cheerful grin on his face. Meanwhile, the boys were watching him silently, still under the influence of the battle-induced tension and wariness that had yet to subside despite the successive reliefs of being saved from the tiger's fangs and the mysterious shooter not bearing any hostile intention towards them. Hopefully they hadn't just traded one trouble for another.

Only a few seconds later did they notice that the guy wasn't alone. At the foot of the building, behind the wire fence surrounding the tourist complex, stood a young blonde girl who seemed to be beckoning them over. Unlike her partner, she appeared to be unarmed and looked more worried than anything else.

Ace was first to walk off towards her, followed closely by his friends. Although he wouldn't drop his guard yet out of caution, he was willing to trust the duo to be harmless. If they truly were hostiles, why would they even bother with an elaborate trickery when the man could simply shoot the four of them down like dogs one after the other while they were fighting the fierce beast? It would have been the perfect trap: either they defended themselves only to get a bullet in the head or they attempted to run away with a feline much faster than them ready to chase them.

As they made their way towards the two strangers, they took the opportunity to check them out.

As if his more-than-two-inches-long nose wasn't enough for him to stand out, the shooter also had very full lips and onyx hair reaching his neck despite being as thick and curly as a sheep's fleece. In addition, although not quite black, his skin was darker than most of the country's population; he was most likely biracial which was still somewhat uncommon in this part of the globe. To complete the picture halfway between comical and supernatural, his eyes were two huge white disks with tiny black irises standing all the more out due to his dark complexion.

His baggy clothes gave him a slightly bulkier look than his body actually was. In reality he was about as lean as Luffy. He also shared the scarred teen's age and was barely an inch taller than him. Aside from his clothes, his outfit included an olive green bandana around his head and a white and blue striped armband on his left side. Finally, a pair of mini goggles were hanging around his neck.

His female partner was pretty much his exact opposite. The most obvious differences were of course her thin nose and lips. She had long, sleek blonde hair falling down to her shoulders. Her pale skin contrasted a lot with the metis' dark one. Her eyes were shaped like rectangles and resembled two inky pools with just a tiny bit of the sclera's white part visible near the corners.

In fact, their main physical resemblance was their slight build. She was also probably the same age as him. Unlike him though, she was an inch shorter than Luffy. In terms of clothing, two accessories completed her light attire: a silver brooch inset with a cyan sapphire adorning her golden locks and a thin leather wristband on her right forearm on which a weird small device was attached.

Neither of them looked particularly strong, however their eyes were shining with a razor-sharp intelligence of a different nature. His had the vivacity of a cunning and quick-minded man of action whereas hers held the wise and knowledgeable glint of a scholar.

"Are you hurt?" the girl inquired as soon as they were close enough.

"A few wounds but nothing too serious," the pyro informed her. "Who are you anyway?"

"My name is Kaya, and this is Usopp. You are?"

"I'm Ace and these are Luffy, Zoro and Wiper."

"To be honest, we were expecting a horde of zombies, not survivors…" the greenhead admitted.

"So we were right, they appeared outside as well," the long-nosed raven interrupted from his perch.

"What, you didn't know?" the fire dancer wondered with disbelief.

"No, we suspected it but we couldn't verify it. We've been stuck here for a month with no way to contact the rest of the world," the blonde replied.

"Is there anyone else left here? Surely you weren't the only persons in here when it all began…"

"We're the only ones still alive. All the others turned into these… things."

"Where are they now?" the Shandian asked with a hint of wariness in his voice.

"All dead. Usopp took care of them."

"No one stands a chance against me, especially not such pathetic monsters!" the metis bragged with a proud smirk, yet somehow it only left the travelers unconvinced.

"What about you? Why did you come here?"

"We're just passing by. We're on our way to…"

"Oy Luffy, you alright?"

Zoro's troubled tone immediately attracted everyone's attention. The scarred teen was leaning forward with his head down, a position which prevented them to see his forehead glistening with sweat or his wide eyes filled with pain and incomprehension. His left hand was clutching his throat in a desperate attempt to ease his ragged, labored breathing.

"I…" he muttered with obvious difficulty. "Can't brea…"

Before he could finish his sentence, he began to fall forward without even trying to get his balance back. His three friends around him hurried in order to catch hold of him and tried to get him back on his feet but when it became clear that he couldn't stand on his own, they decided to lay him on the ground.

"Lu', what's wrong?" Ace asked with a panicked voice.

"Huuuurts…" Groaning this single word sounded like it was quite a struggle for his brother.

"These marks above his ankle…" Kaya intervened, scrutinizing him with a worried look. "Did a snake bite him?"

"Oh fuck!" Zoro swore as he recalled the incident. "Yeah, a snake attacked him during our fight with the tiger, I had completely forgotten about it!"

"And then walking all the way here caused the venom to spread much faster throughout his body. He needs some antivenom and quick or it could be fatal."

"But we don't have any!" the pyro realized, even more alarmed than before. "We can't…"

"Calm down, there's some inside. Do you know what species of snake it was?"

"No idea," the greenhead admitted. "I don't know anything about this. However, Luffy killed it with the hatchet so the remains must still be somewhere in the tall grass."

"You must find it, otherwise we won't know which serum needs to be used. Two of you should go look for it. Usopp will keep watch over the surroundings from the roof and will cover you if trouble shows up. In the meantime, I'll need the third one to carry him and follow me to the infirmary. Now hurry, time is of the essence!"

Given the urgency of the situation, none of the boys even considered raising an objection. They couldn't come up with a better plan anyway.

Devoured by anxiety and therefore unable to think, Ace immediately took off like a bullet towards the area where the majestic feline's carcass, leaving Wiper and Zoro behind him to take care of his dear brother. Due to his stronger build, the archer reckoned he was best suited to move around with the teen on his back. Consequently, he sent the swordsman to assist the pyro while he followed Kaya.

The latter had them walk along the wire fence until they arrived at the closest gate where she unlocked what appeared to be a jury-rigged locking mechanism probably intended to prevent intruders from opening it from the outside. She then led him to a building located in the heart of the complex that once served as reception desk and staff quarters.

All along the way, the Shandian was surprised by the lack of corpse. Judging from the dry blood streaks here and there and the numerous damaged or destroyed street furniture, not to mention the two survivors' account, the place had obviously suffered the same fate as the rest of the world. Yet not once did he spot the remains of a zombie.

When they finally reached their destination, the blonde entered an infirmary adjoining to the main hall. Unlike the latter, the medical room was surprisingly clean. Either no slaughter had taken place here or it had been cleaned from top to bottom since then. She instructed the brunette to lay the yound raven on one of three hospital beds while she rummaged through the drawers and closets.

In less than thirty seconds, all the medical equipment she needed for the intravenous perfusion was set on a tray along with half-a-dozen bags each filled with different antivenoms. Only problem now was to know which one should be injected.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait for too long.

In the meantime, Ace and Zoro had combed through the tall grass around the tiger's dead body which was the only vague landmark they could use to define the search area. The swordsman's katanas proved useful as basic machetes in order to clear the annoying vegetation and make the task easier for them. Had it been up to him, the pyro would gladly have set the whole area on fire; a drastic measure that could have been effective if only it didn't result in burning what they were looking for to ashes… along with thousands of acres of wonderful wild lands.

After a few minutes, they eventually located the two halves of the animal lying inches apart from each other. Ace didn't waste any second and dashed towards the complex with one piece in each hand and Zoro following right behind him. From atop his lookout, Usopp directed them to the nearest gate that his girlfriend had unlocked earlier and hurried down to join them and guide them to the infirmary.

A chart on the wall allowed them to identify the reptile. Ironically, it was none other than a tiger snake, a species whose bite proved nearly always deadly when left untreated. With the information in her possession, Kaya inoculated Luffy with the adequate serum.

"Is he gonna make it?" his older brother queried even before the perfusion was completed.

"I'm sorry but given the circumstances, I can't answer that," she admitted without tearing her eyes off her patient.

"He was bitten ten minutes ago at the most," Wiper intervened. "Based on what's written here…"

"That data is purely theoretical; unfortunately his case is nowhere near normal," she explained with a thoughtful voice. "The symptoms match the description so it should be safe to assume that the serum will work as expected. The problem is that the venom seems to be acting much faster than it normally does. No doubt walking up to the fence helped spreading the venom throughout his body, but even so, his condition shouldn't have deteriorated so fast. I won't lie to you, it may be too late to save him already. And even if he pulls through, there will still be a risk of him suffering from severe after-effects."

"Isn't there anything we can do?"

"I'm afraid not. I could try giving him a shot of morphine or anesthetizing him. However, it will only soothe his pain; it will not improve his chances of recovery. Aside from that, the only thing we can do is wait and hope luck is on his side."

Unable to bear the sight of his dear brother enduring such an ordeal, especially as there was a possibility of him dying in the end, Ace bolted out of the room, ignoring Kaya's urging to let her examine his wounds. Zoro stopped her as she was about to run after him, assuring her that there was no need to concern herself about the pyro because he was unharmed. Instead, he recommended her to take care of Wiper whose back had been severely lacerated when the beast ambushed them.

Nonetheless, the greenhead couldn't help but ask the metis to keep an eye on their friend while they tended to their injuries. Even though he trusted the older raven not to do anything stupid, he knew how strong the bond between the siblings was. No doubt saying the elder was worried sick about his brother would be quite the understatement. Should Luffy kick the bucket, he would never recover from the loss.

Scratch that, none of them would be left unscarred. It was thanks to the teen's endless cheerfulness that all of them could still smile or laugh so easily even in those dark times. His death would be like losing the very soul of the group.

As he was waiting for his turn to have his arm treated, Zoro kept his eyes locked on the boy, mentally praying for his survival.

He had to live. For everyone's sake, Luffy had to live!

. . . . . . .

The sun had set for a few hours already, nevertheless no one in the camp was asleep yet. Not because they didn't want to but because they didn't manage to. The only exception was Luffy to whom Kaya had administered a large dose of anesthetic in order to spare him some pointless suffering until the toxins would be fully neutralized.

As a matter of fact, she was still watching over him in the infirmary, ready to change the bag of antivenom as soon as they were empty or to respond swiftly to any problem. Usopp was there with her. He knew her better than anyone and he could tell she wouldn't allow herself to get some sleep until the boy's life would no longer be in danger. Thus, he had decided to keep her company, ready to help her if necessary or to brew her some coffee with his own improvised equipment.

It was the one and only detail that could reassure Ace right now: his brother was apparently in good hands. It didn't make the venom any less dangerous than it was but at least there was a slim chance of him actually pulling through. Had she not been there, he would already have left for a better world…

A better world

Back in the past, he used to loathe that expression. Who could be dumb enough to even imagine that death was more enviable than life? He was a down-to-earth kind of guy who had never had faith in a random god or superior entity, in paradise, hell or any of those silly superstitions of life after death. As much as he respected other people's beliefs, genuinely believing that the souls of the dead left for 'a better world' was in his eyes nothing more than evidence of pure stupidity.

So what had caused his opinion to change? The reference world was no longer the same; that of the living that was now but a lair of undead, super-aggressive wild beasts, not to mention those bastards who had fun robbing other survivors.

He wouldn't go as far as committing suicide to check by himself but he had no doubt that if the Afterlife actually existed, it could hardly be any worse than that.

Such dark thoughts and senseless digressions had been plaguing Ace's mind for more than two hours. Since the end of dinner in fact.

After a long moment spent alone wandering about the whole complex so much that he had practically explored every single corner of the place and knew it like the back of his hand, Wiper had come to fetch him for dinner, eventually resulting in the Shandian dragging him along by force all the way to the central plaza where the others had gathered when he had refused to join them.

At first, he simply spent his time playing with his fork all the while staring off into space, barely swallowing anything despite his friends' insistence. It was Kaya who had eventually changed his mind by pointing out that as legitimate as it was for him to be worried stiff about Luffy, the latter would most definitely disagree with his older brother not taking good care of himself no matter the reason.

It had been enough to convince him to eat but not to take part in the conversation. He just sat there, listening with only half an ear as Zoro and Wiper were chatting with Kaya and Usopp.

It had been the opportunity to learn a lot about the two of them. The first was an exceptionally gifted girl whose rich parents ensured home education by hiring only the best private tutors available. In spite of her young age, she was already a medical student under the tutorship of renowned Professor Chopper.

The second had initially claimed to be the worthy successor of the world's number one adventurer until the blonde interrupted him and asked him to tell the truth for once. Apparently, he couldn't refrain himself from telling wild and completely made-up stories all the time. In truth, he was the only son of a modest family and was now a senior high-school student whose goal was to graduate in mechanical engineering at the local college; tinkering with random things was his number two specialty. Number three was his outstanding aim and proficiency with long range firearms such as rifles, a gift inherited from his father, an elite sniper in the army. Those two were the bête noire of the annual fair's shooting range.

Both came from Gecko, a countryside town not far from the capital to the extreme west of the country. They had arrived at the Jusenkyo National Park the night before the Event. They were planning to spend the week-end there in the company of a close circle of friends. Aside from them, the rather heterogeneous group also included Ninjin, Tamanegi and Piiman, three kids who were literally worshipping their long-nosed leader, as well as Professor Chopper, Merry and Klahadore, the last two being Kaya's butlers whom she considered an integral part of her family.

Officially, this trip was a late birthday gift from the dark boy to his girlfriend. Unofficially, he had been carefully planning it for months as he intended to betroth the woman he loved after dating for more than two years. Alas, what should have been one of the most wonderful memories of their existence would now be remembered as the day the world turned into this living hell.

Just like everywhere else, all had begun with a frightening fit of insanity when everyone else had woken some time after the two of them. The kids were fighting and insulting each others while Professor Chopper and Merry, respectively believing themselves to be a deer and a ram, were engaged in a duel, charging each other on all fours in a ridiculous attempt to hit or gore the other with illusory antlers and horns. Still, the award for top dementia went to Klahadore who, after claiming that his true identity was that of Kuro, a notorious crook plotting to steal the young heiress's wealth, had then proceeded to dispose of her by clawing her to death; a rather ineffective method in normal times so imagine when you've had had a manicure less than twenty-four hours earlier…

Naturally yet also a bit surprisingly, that coward Usopp had jumped in to protect the girl he cared so deeply for. Fortunately for him, his opponent was unable to think correctly anymore, an advantage that allowed him to compensate his physical weakness thanks to his own quickness of mind. They had then rushed outside only to discover the first zombies rising from the dead. As the bloodbath occurred all around them, they had barricaded themselves in the first floor of a small hotel, quickly blocking the only staircase using random furniture to prevent the undead from reaching them.

There, they had waited for a whole interminable day, hoping that a rescue team from the outside world would be dispatched. Of course, no one ever came and as thirst and hunger were increasing, the metis had actually grown some balls for the sake of his lover, mulling over a way get them out of this nightmare alive. In the end, after using what materials he could find to make a simple spear, he and Kaya had lured the zombies under their windows right where he could eliminate them one after the other from the safety of his elevated position. Among their targets stood the walking corpses of their dear friends and they were left with no option but to put them out of their misery. Doing so was painful but necessary and also kind of merciful.

Once they were rid of the main horde, their original intention had been to clear themselves a path to the garage and escape aboard one of the two shuttles, alas those were already on their way to the eastern and western entrances when the Event had occurred. Consequently, they were left with no choice but to stay in the complex either until help arrived or until they were short of supplies. Crossing the park on foot by themselves was definitely not an option given all the dangers lurking out there and more importantly Kaya's condition.

Indeed, the blonde had the misfortune to suffer from an extremely rare genetic disorder that didn't even have a name or classification yet as the scientific and medical community was still debating about those. Basically, it was a weird mix between Osteogenesis imperfecta (better known as 'brittle bone disease') and the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. The main consequences included an extreme bones and tissues fragility along with increased fatigability. Then again, she could somehow be considered a bit lucky as she only had to put up with the basic symptoms shared by the handful of patients suffering from the same condition as her. All the others had developed additional problems such as a blue or gray sclera, body and most particularly skull deformity, skin hyperelasticity, chronic musculoskeletal pain…

Even so, that didn't make her case any less incapacitating. Her body gets tired in no time at all, rendering it impossible for her to sustain a prolonged physical effort. To make things worse, even a weak hit can easily break a bone or tear a muscle, both in the worst case. Icing on the cake, her wounds tend not to heal properly by themselves, often leading to more complications due to the abnormal scar formation. Taking care of her at all times was actually the initial reason why her parents had hired Professor Chopper three years prior to him becoming her medicine tutor as well.

Anyway, as they found themselves stuck here for an indefinite period, it became essential to clear the place of hostile presence. To that end, Usopp had made his way into the staff room in the central building where the guides' rifles were locked away. Unfortunately, most had been damaged, probably by a staff member gone-deranged who had taken the missing one with him. Fortunately, said-guy was lying dead in a pool of his own blood in a nearby room with the weapon next to his corpse.

With that gun in their possession, they had made a thorough sweep of the area, making as much noise as possible to lure the remaining zombies out of the buildings and shoot them down from afar. They didn't stop until they had covered every inch of the complex.

In the end, they were the only ones left; nobody else had survived.

Since then, they had been waiting patiently for someone to show up, a hope that grew thinner with each passing day. Not a single thing had happened until today, when they heard Ace's shot.

During dinner, they had not hidden their wish to join the group, at least until they were out of the national park. The topic hadn't been discussed any further though; obviously, leaving was out of the question until Luffy was back on his feet.

Kaya was being optimistic about him. In her opinion, after receiving the serum for several hours, the toxins should no longer pose a serious threat to his life. She had however strongly insisted on the theoretical aspect of her prognosis. The venom had already spread throughout his body at a surrealistic speed after the bite; there was no telling what nasty surprise it could still have in store for them. If his condition didn't deteriorate until the next morning, only then would she allow herself to deem him cured.

This deadline was of course on everyone's mind, hence the insomnia affecting all of them. They were all waiting impatiently for daybreak, each of them trying hard to ignore the nerve-wracking apprehension in his own way. The two lovebirds were watching over the teen and cheering each other up as they had been doing for the last few weeks, Wiper was searching the buildings to draw up an inventory of the potentially useful stuff for their journey and Zoro was sharpening the blades of his katanas by the campfire.

Sitting alone on a roof at the edge of the complex, his back leaning against a low wall, Ace was contemplating the landscape stretching as far as the eye can see. Well, that was why he had come up there in the first place but he had stopped paying attention a while ago. In normal times, these wild, untouched lands bathed in the pale glow of the moon along with hundreds of stars illuminating the inky black sky would have provided the perfect setting for a romantic date or a nightly meditation session. Right now however, this wondrous beauty was nothing but a deadly trap to the pyro, an illusion behind which all sorts of danger were lurking. Instead of relaxing him, this sight kept reminding him of the earlier incident.

Death often invited itself in the siblings' life. All of their grandparents had passed away before Luffy's birth; well, all except Garp that is, but seeing how the old geezer visited them only once a year at most, it was pretty much the same anyway. Then their parents had disappeared under tragic circumstances when both of them were but toddlers, hence why they barely had any memory of them. Next was Sabo, their best and only genuine friend at the time, who was found raped and tortured by his abusive, drug addicted father-in-law in his family's house during junior high; he had succumbed to his injuries on the operating table as the surgeons were doing everything they could in a desperate attempt to save him. About three years ago, it was their foster mother Makino's turn; cancer took her. Doctors had predicted her death eight months earlier but she had miraculously clung to life despite the excruciating pain she was enduring, as if she wouldn't allow herself to depart from this world before Ace had turned eighteen, the necessary legal age for him to retain custody of Luffy. Her condition had suddenly deteriorated the day after his birthday. It was over a few days later…

Tragedies struck on a regular basis, as if to prevent them from enjoying too much happiness. The Event was but the last in a long series; an even more brutal blow than all previous losses. After all, why bother stealing only one positive aspect of their life when all of it could be utterly destroyed in one single hit? Let's just kill everyone and turn the whole planet into a living hell, at least the setting would fit their depressing story.

Yet no matter what ordeals they had to live through, the boys had never given up. The exceptional fraternal bond between them had allowed them to overcome those terrible hardships, coming out even stronger every time. Whatever disaster would strike, it was a rule for both of them, not to say a matter of honor, to keep going forward with a smile on their face so their brother would not give in to despair. They were each other's lighthouse standing proudly even in the darkest of nights so the other would safely weather the worst of storms.

But now, one of those lights was wavering dangerously, threatening to die down any minute…

Ace could very well lose his most precious treasure in the world and the most frustrating part was he couldn't do anything about it. Being the elder sibling, he had always considered it his duty to watch over Luffy, a responsibility that he took even more seriously since Makino's death. Even when he was studying in Fireburg, he still handled all boring administrative stuff, called or simply messaged him everyday to check on him and never hesitated to rush back to Stillwater should anything go wrong. He didn't give a damn about the details, whenever his brother ended up in trouble, he would do whatever was necessary to help him out of it.

Today, for the first time in his life, he found himself powerless. Luffy's fate was in the hands of a stranger met barely a few hours earlier who admitted that she couldn't promise he'd make it through the night. All he could do was wait impatiently with fear in his heart until something happened. But nothing had occurred for hours and the night was far from over.

All of a sudden, a door somewhere behind him was opened vigorously then closed much more softly the next instant. Ace didn't turn around; if whoever had just arrived had come to inform him that Luffy had finally recovered, he would have shouted the news as soon as he had spotted the pyro. His silence implied that the situation had yet to change, if not worse.

The newcomer approached without making a sound and sat cross-legged next to him. From the corner of his eyes, the raven noticed Zoro's trademark green hair. Neither of them said anything at first. They just sat there, watching the horizon for long minutes until one of them eventually broke the silence.

"This is all my fault, I'm so fucking useless," the greenhead stated in a light tone that didn't match the seriousness of his words. "I bet you've been repeating this nonstop to yourself for hours now?"

Ace didn't answer right away. Instead, he took a good ten seconds to scrutinize Zoro's face before turning back towards the horizon.

"I should have been more careful. I should have realized that something could be lurking in the tall grass."

Upon hearing those words, the swordsman sighed and rolled his eyes, making no attempt to conceal his annoyance.

"If the situation wasn't so grave, you'd deserve a good slap. And I'm sure Luffy would agree with me."

"You want to slap me?" the pyro reacted furiously. "Because I'm worried that my brother could die? And you dare say he would agree? Are you fucking kidd…"

"That's not what I mean. Of course no one can blame you for being concerned about him. The stupid part is keeping it all to yourself and blaming yourself for everything. What happened today is not your fault."

"Is that supposed to comfort me? It doesn't change the fact that Luffy could die any minute."

"True, but I doubt he'd be happy to see you're in no better shape than him."

"The hell are you babbling about? I'm perfectly fine, I'm the only one of us who isn't hurt!"

"Physically maybe. But in your case, I'm more worried about what's happening in there."

Zoro illustrated his words by pointing a finger at Ace's skull. In view of the raven's confused face, he understood that he had better elaborate.

"Since we started traveling together, you've taken it upon yourself to act as team leader. Not that I mind, you're by far the best of all three of us when it comes to analyzing a situation and taking decisions accordingly. However, this does not make you responsible for whatever occurs. We're all doing our best, you more than any of us, but no one is infallible. The only culprits in this story are those damn animals who keep trying to kill us for lunch. But more importantly, you don't have to pretend that you're some kind of unfaltering superhero that nothing can affect."

"Sure, tell me I look like I don't give a shit about what's happening to Luffy…"

"Luffy is an exception; it's hard to play tough when your own brother's life is at stake. I was more referring to that guy back in Erkun. His death had a bigger impact on you than you're willing to admit. You feel as if you're the one to blame for his death. You see it as a personal failure but because you consider it your duty to set an example by never looking sad or downcast, you forbid yourself to let it show, that's why you hide behind a mask of happiness and confidence."

"You're just exaggerating things. Of course it shook me up but it didn't traumatize me."

"Come on, I may not be the brightest guy on earth but I'm neither stupid nor blind. Sure, whenever you're talking to us, you put up the same happy and carefree expression as ever. You're laughing, smiling, even joking occasionally… But as soon as you think we're not paying attention to you anymore, your face instantly gets somber… However, by deciding to keep all those dark thoughts to yourself, you end up never letting them out and they can slowly eat you from the inside out… And trust me, I know from experience that this type of behavior never ends well."

That last sentence picked Ace's interest and for the first time in the conversation, he appeared neither sad nor furious but inquisitive. His curiosity regarding whatever Zoro was referring to was great enough to make him forget his frustration. How could the greenhead read through him like an open book despite all the precautions he had taken so others wouldn't notice his inner turmoil?

"My best friend Kuina used to behave exactly like this. Back when I had just met her, all I saw was a talented rival with an assertive personality who showed no hesitation in standing up to all those who denigrated her skills as a swordfighter simply because she was a girl, especially her father who was probably the worst of them. In front of others, she acted as if all the nasty remarks and mockeries targeting her didn't get to her. But one night, I slipped in the dojo to challenge and defeat her. I wasn't expecting to find her crying, curled up in the equipment storage room. At this moment, I saw her point the blade of her katana at her throat for a few seconds…"

Even though the incident dated from more than ten years ago, you could still hear the emotion in the Zoro's voice. This paradoxical image of a girl he believed to be incredibly strong so close to killing herself had made such a great impression on him that it was forever etched into his memory. Not only had it given birth to what would later become a deep friendship but it had also taught him in a very effective, albeit a bit rough, manner never to judge a book by its cover, to keep an eye out for alarming signs, and that as solitary and antisocial as one can be, having someone to turn to during hard times was important, if not vital.

"I later found out that it wasn't the first time she had considered committing suicide and I believe it was merely a matter of time until she had the nerve to do it for real. In reality, taking so much shit right in the face every single day had a similar effect on her as psychological harassment, eventually causing her to doubt herself and drift slowly towards mental breakdown. And you know what scares me so much about you right now? Your eyes. Ever since we left Erkun, I can see the same terrifying glint inside them as the one in Kuina's eyes that night."

A brief silence settled over them again as Ace didn't know what to reply and Zoro was dealing with all the memories flooding his mind.

"However!" the latter added, watching the pyro intently as he did. "There's a huge difference between the two of you! You are not alone! We're a team now; you, me, Luffy, Wiper… maybe Usopp and Kaya too I guess. These are hard times for all of us; no one will blame you for being affected by what happens to us. On the contrary, no matter what happens, we'll always be there to support you. So if just like Kuina, you need a shoulder to cry on, we're here for you, okay?

A flash in the raven's wide eyes informed the greenhead that his short speech had reached him. Hopefully it would have the desired effect and not incite him to isolate himself even more than he already did. After a moment's pause, Ace closed his eyes and let his forehead rest on his drawn-up knees as he wrapped his hands around his legs.

"It's giving me nightmares every night…" he confessed after a few minutes. "It starts with that guy being dragged underwater and devoured by the crocodiles. Then I see you, Luffy and Wiper being attacked by all sorts of monsters. You all get killed in front of me and I can't do anything to stop it… To make things worse, these images flash before my eyes whenever trouble shows up. When the bull charged us, when those bastards robbed us in the forest, when Luffy was nearly shot down, when the tiger ambushed us…"

His voice was trembling slightly. Still, it was enough for Zoro to notice it and guess how much Ace was struggling to contain his emotions. Tears were welling up in his eyes, threatening to flow down as soon as he would lose his self-control.

"The more time passes, the more I get scared. I'm afraid to screw up; to lead the group into some deep shit; to see you all die one after the other. Earlier, when Luffy was lying on the ground, unable to move by himself and barely able to breathe, I found myself powerless to help him. I thought I was gonna break down. It was like all those horrible visions were becoming reality…"

The situation was so familiar to Zoro that for a split second, he nearly expected to find Kuina next to him instead of Ace. How many times over the years had he comforted his depressed best friend, holding her tenderly as she let her tears fall freely and got whatever was on her mind off her chest? He had lost count long ago. Letting instinct and experience guide him, he scooted closer to the pyro and turned around to face him before wrapping his arms around him and pulling him in a reassuring and protective embrace, one of his hands massaging his back while the other held his head tucked under his own.

"These are just nightmares. Luffy isn't gonna die. You heard Kaya; trust her, he'll live.

"Maybe, but only because we were lucky it wasn't the tiger that got him and that there was antivenom nearby. Next time we may not be so lucky. What will do if…"

"We'll improvise. Not like we have a choice anyway. Even if we do our best to plan everything ahead, sooner or later we'll be forced to defend ourselves against something or other. But whatever it is we come across, we'll find a way to pull through safely. Sure, all of us are probably going to get hurt at some point but we'll make it, I'm sure of it…"

Much to Zoro's surprise, his words earned him a low chuckle from Ace.

"How come you can stay so optimistic even after all this?"

"Some weirdo and his even crazier brother taught me. Even in the most desperate situations, they would never give up or lose hope."

As an amused faint smile crept on his face, the raven hugged him back without a word and let his tears run freely down his cheeks, mentally praying that the greenhead was right.

Under other circumstances, Zoro would gladly have laughed at how ironic this role reversal was; barely a month earlier, he would have skewered himself had the other not popped out of nowhere with his foolish yet unshakeable conviction that his brother was alive and well. However, he couldn't bring himself to laugh when the pyro looked so downcast and defeatist. The picture was even more shocking given how he considered the siblings a symbol of optimism, carefreeness and happiness.

He trusted Kaya to get Luffy back on his feet. Until then, he would watch over Ace. The raven had saved him from the deep despair he had once sunk in. Today, it was his turn to support him through these hard times. It wasn't just about friendship but also about honor.

Ace was his friend. No way he'd ever abandon him.

"Don't worry. Everything will be alright."


Author's Notes:

Yes, Kaya will be part of the team. I thought it was an interesting way to replace Chopper. Not that I don't like him but I didn't want to use the original Chopper in a 'realistic' universe. Plus transforming him into a human always kind of bothers me. As a consequence, he will only make this short appearance. My apologies to all his fans but he won't be part of the journey.

The title for this chapter is a reference to a soundtrack from the game "King of Fighters '99".

Thank you for reading, even more for reviewing. Don't hesitate to point any mistake, inconsistency or anything. Useful criticism is always welcome, especially for a beginner like me.