Zoro continued to fight Kasu, managing to deliver a couple of deep cuts on his arms. But Kasu wasn't even half-way weakened.
'How am I going to beat this guy? I cant figure out his weakness!" Zoro looked at his opponent from head to toe, to try to find a flaw that would give him the advantage of winning.
The main door flew open, the echo of the slam filled the room. Zoro and Kasu both looked towards the sound, to see that four people were making their way inside. Much to Zoro's surprise, it was the rest of his crew.
Kasu grinned "It's so wonderful to have all of you here!" He walked towards them, Luffy's hands were already formed into fists. "GUM GUM..."
Kasu disappeared. Luffy stopped his attack and looked all over, but could not find his opponent. Sanji ran to his side and looked around, anger in his eyes. "He's playing mind games with us Luffy, stay on your toes, this could get dangerous!"
Robin and Nami ran over to Ume, and pulled her to the corner of the room. Nami began taking Ume's pulse. "She's barely breathing, We gotta get her back to the ship somehow so Chopper can heal her!" Robin looked over to Zoro, who was in a deep fighting stance. "We can't take her now, it will jeopardize everything." Her eyes grew narrow. "He's standing in the middle of the room."
Kasu's evil laughter filled up the room. He soon re-appeared, in the middle of the room, like Robin had stated only a few seconds before. Luffy stretched his right arm to the glass door's handle. He gripped on tight and aimed straight for Kasu's body. "Get ready, Sanji!" Luffy cried out, soon stretching his body more. "Gum Gum... ROCKET!" His body flew at extreme speeds, he was able to graze Kasu's shoulder.
Sanji appeared from behind him and kicked him forcefully in the head, causing Kasu to fly across the room. Ume soon woke up with a deep gasp. She managed to move her arms to rub her eyes. "I'm.. free?" She said confused. Zoro looked at her, he ran over to her "Ume! Oh my god you are ok!"
Kasu stood back up and wiped the blood off from his face. "Nicely done, but I haven't been defeated yet!" He ran towards Ume, his eyes a deep red again. Nami raced in front of Ume to protect her, and held her bo-staff strong. She managed to whack him in the chest, sending him falling to the wooden floor below them. Zoro grasped his arms around Ume tight enough to protect her. She buried her face in his chest. "Please, I want it to be over.." She sobbed. "I know Ume, we are close, I promise. You have been through a lot, I just hope you forgive me for putting you through this.
He smirked up to her, and let out a slight cough. "You guys really are strong.." He stood back up, seeming to be unharmed.
"There is no way!" Sanji said with anger, Luffy now at his side, planning another attack. Zoro looked up to Luffy, He scooped up Ume swiftly, and made his way to the door.
"Get her to Chopper, Zoro! We will take care of this bastard!" Sanji shouted. Kasu ran towards Zoro and Ume both, but were blocked by Robin "Oh no, you're opponents are right here!" Arms began to appear everywhere from her body. Kasu's eyes widened, he stumbled backwards from amazement.
Zoro ran as fast a he could, carrying Ume safely. "Im so sorry Ume.." Zoro spoke, his words were sincere.
"Zoro, it isn't your fault, I should be stronger." Ume said as she closed her eyes.
"You are already strong! Its that bastard's fault for kidnapping you just to get to me! What a coward!" His eyes were dark with rage, they soon made it to the ship. He managed to climb up, with Ume still in his arms.
Chopper and Usopp were down in the kitchen, enjoying a big lunch without having to hear Sanji complain.
Zoro stormed in "Chopper! Help us! Ume's badly hurt!"
Chopper stopped chewing his food. He swallowed hard, and sprung up from his chair. "Go lay her down! Im going to go get my bag!"
Usopp stood up and helped Zoro to the lower level rooms. By this time, Ume was asleep, her breathing still weak. Zoro laid her down and sat right by her bedside. He took her silky smooth hand into his. He hung his head with shame.
Chopper began to examine her "It looks like she has a little damage to her throat, not much though. The bruises around her neck just make it look worse of course." He placed his stethoscope to her chest, and listened to her faint breathing. "Well, her breathing is weakened, but that's just because of her throat damage. She should be fine, she just needs to stick to a liquid food diet to help her throat heal." He examined her arms and legs. "She has a broken wrist, but at the most, its nothing to serious. Im going to take some blood from her and examine it, just to make sure nothing else is hiding."
Zoro sighed "This is all my fault."
"How can it be your fault, Zoro?" Usopp sounded confused
"I should of went with her to help with grocery shopping. I shouldn't of left her alone." Tears began to fall down his cheeks. "This isn't fair for her, she never did anything wrong! I should be the one laying there, not her!" He rested his head against his hands, his crying still kept up.
"Everything happens for a reason, Zoro. I may not know what that reason is just yet, but maybe it was to show how strong your love really is for her." Chopper stated as he began to place all of his equipment back into his medical bag. "The best thing to do now is just let her rest, and only hope for the best."
"What is that supposed to mean?!" Zoro shot an angered look at Chopper.
"I mean, that there is a chance that she will not make it, although it is slim, anything can happen." He made his way upstairs, Usopp following close behind.
Zoro laid his head down next to Ume's. His crying started back up "Please don't leave me. What would I do without you."
"I wouldn't leave you, even if God himself made me."
Zoro looked up, to see that Ume was awake. She was staring at him, her eyes glossy from tears.
He hugged onto her the best he could without hurting her. "Ume!" He sobbed into her shoulder. She hugged back onto him, and soon after, tears were flowing down her own cheeks.
"Thank you for saving me, Zoro." She smiled brightly to him. He smiled back, and wiped away the tears from both his face and hers.
"Where are the others?" She asked, as she looked around.
"Still fighting, don't worry about them, just worry about feeling better." He kissed her softly, soon closing his own eyes. She mimicked his response, soon feeling the love grow over them.
"I love you Ume. I was so scared that I was going to lose you. I should of went with you to get groceries, I was being selfish."
"Zoro, you weren't being selfish. Besides, we didn't think anything was going to happen."
"That's not it, Ume. The thought of losing you, it almost killed me. To see you in so much pain, it broke my heart. I had so much rage built up, ready to fight Kasu, but I failed you." He hung his head with shame once more.
Ume sighed and lifted his chin up with her right hand "You did not fail me, Zoro. Don't you ever say that again." She kissed him deeply, soon pulling away. "You are my hero, my strength. You are everything to me. You don't have to kill someone to show how strong you are, just fighting for someone's life is proof enough that you are extremely worthy. I love you Zoro, and I will always love you, no matter what happens."
"Im glad to hear that, Ume. And the same to you as well. I am ready to spend the rest of my life with you, even if it means leaving the crew."
She shook her head "Zoro, I have a lot to think about."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't take you away from your life. I know what your dreams are, and because I love you so much, I want you to always be happy. That's all I want."
"Ume, I have already decided. Your house would be a great place to settle down-"
"Who said we can't live on the ship? Not forever, but while we are young. I don't want to be stuck on the same island forever, I want to explore the world!"
"Ume.. but what about your house?" Zoro shook his head, and took both of her hands into his.
"It will still be my house, we can live there later."
"It's whatever you want to do, Ume. I will go wherever, just as long as I have you."