HELLO PEOPLE! I want to thank everyone one who pushed me so hard to write more of this! Thank you guys so much! Love ya all! So, I hope you enjoy this chapter, especially after such a long wait I wanted to give you at least something descent …Well, enjoy and please tell me what you think! !REVIEW!

Ch 10: Hell's Little Hounds Start a Revolt

Akio sprinted through the desert so swiftly that he seemed like only a blur of wind. His friends desperately tried to keep up with him; they found running up and down mountainous dunes to be more arduous than him. He suddenly stopped at the base of one of the sand mountains and he almost caused everyone else behind him to collide.

"Would you tell me what the hurry's all about?" Nami gasped venomously. She bent down over her knees as sweat ran down her face. Akio couldn't find it in himself to answer. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth even a little all of his rage would flood out and he wouldn't be able to control it. He clenched his fists as his eyes scanned the horizon. He has suffered Hell's punishment before with Zoro and he hated to think about it for even those memoires brought back the pain from that day. Something was different; however, he wasn't just angry—he was furious. Rose was gone, who knows what Hell did to Zoro after he found out that they switched places—his chain rattled in the small breeze. The chilling sound reminded him of what might await his friends: eternity here. He knew that was also another reason for all of his rage.

"Akio," Percy's deep voice snapped the young Hound out of his thoughts. "Where are you taking us?" He demanded. Akio swallowed a lump which was building up in his throat and he tried to usurp his emotions.

"Where do you think?"" He started, it came out nastier than he had planned but it was better than an all-out tirade. "We're going to Hell's place so we can get those two back."

"And my hat!" Luffy added; he received no reply from the Hound. Akio could feel his eyes growing redder and he shut, fearing someone might see.

"I don't see anything." Sanji commented as he blew smoke out from his well needed cigarette.

"Just follow." Akio growled as he started to walk forward again.

"Tch…" Sanji flipped his hair in annoyance from the man's attitude, but he reluctantly followed with the rest. Akio took a few more steps before suddenly stopping. He seemed to be staring at something in the sky but nothing was there.

"We're here." He said without looking at them.

"Where is it; there's nothing here?" Nami asked with her arms folded.

"Come walk up next to me." He motioned with his hands. Everyone listened and walked up next to him. When they did, most of them fell back in surprise.

"What the hell is that!" They gasped. Once they stepped up into Akio's spot a mountain suddenly appeared in front of them. The mountain was made of rugged rock and jagged peaks that scraped the red sky; the Lost Children looked as if they were perched on the apex.

"W-Where did this come from?" Usopp stuttered in amazement.

"It was always here." Akio answered bluntly.

"But we couldn't see it..." Nami's eyes widened.

"You can't see it until you're right in front of it; that's why it's so hard to find….Just another one of Hell's games." He sighed and started to walk up to the cave at the mountain's base.

"Do you have a plan once we get inside?" Percy jogged up next to him.

"Inside is like a castle, a maze, despite its looks." He stated. "If we're lucky Zoro and Rose will be keeping Hell busy so he won't notice us entering."

"How would he—" Chopper began.

"He can see everything inside his lair." The reindeer swallowed a growing lump in his throat. Upon entering the cave their vision was greatly deprived as footsteps echoed off the walls. Usopp and Chopper were huddling closely, eyes darting from side to side. "Now, when we get inside, make sure we don't get separated; he'll try to pick us off one by one." The Hound warned. The doctor and sniper only got closer together.

The cave ended quickly and they all entered a large, ball-like room with a glass, cathedral ceiling; the red light from the Lost Children was shining through. The floor was black and dark blue, checkered marble. Across from the entrance to this room was an immense staircase that went up and stretched to both sides, two columns were at the base of the stairs.

Akio looked both ways before walking in first. As he did so a strange sensation came over him, it was more like a burning from his collar. He glanced down on it and the words looked as if they just came out of an oven, pulsing red. He tried to ignore and by fiddling with his chain. Akio's mind was quickly muddled and he was unable to think of what to do next. Why would his collar be glowing now? He then felt a stinging in his eyes and saw in his reflection on the floor that they were also pulsating. His fingers wound around the chain even faster.

Suddenly his whole body grew cold, hair stood on end, skin crawled, and his heart seemed to stop beating. "Hurry…" He hastily darted across the room with everyone followed, confused. He told them to hide behind the left column; luckily it was thick enough for all of them to fit behind.

"What's wrong?" Nami whispered. Akio's lack of an answer was enough to make them all shut up. Heavy, sluggish footsteps started to echo throughout the ballroom. Then, from a hallway on the other side something came out. Akio knew it was Hell right away and just the sight of him made horrid memories return, but to the others they saw a creature with thick, black fur, it looked like it had lion's body minus the mane. Large, leather bat wings were scrunched up on its back, but they looked like it could extend at any moment. What looked like an alligator's tail was swishing playfully back and forth, the brawny muscle looked like steel under the scales of the tail where the fur didn't reach.

The monster laughed to the raven on its shoulder. Jagged teeth grinned in its canine-shaped mouth, crimson eyes glowed like headlights, and on its head next to the cat ears were tall, aciculate horns. Its claws scrapped against the marble but left no scratches.

"Is that Hell?" Robin asked, more curious than frightened.

"Yeah…" Akio replied back, swallowing a growing lump in his throat. Usopp and Chopper would've screamed in fear if it wasn't for Robin's extra hands keeping them shut. Then, from behind Hell came Zoro who still looked like Akio and Rose. Both of them glared at Hell intensely.

"Zoro…" Luffy, at the sight of his nakama, unconsciously took a step closer; Sanji had to grab his sleeve and yank him back before he came exposed. On the other side of the room Zoro paused and blinked a few times, turning his attention to the column where he sensed the others. Just great, now they're here. He sighed. The swordsman, who still looked like Akio, noticed that he never bother to get the dried blood off of his shirt. The wound inflicted from Hell's tail was indeed painful, though Hounds healed quickly in Hell, and already was the hole in his chest closing. At least Hell's too much of an idiot to notice that they're here… He saw how the large beast was immersed in a lengthy, yet probably pointless conversation with Koe who acted like being here on his shoulder was the worst thing in the world.

But then, as if things couldn't get any worse, a feminine voice called from open window near the top of the dome roof. Everyone turned to see Ha jump in from the opening, she gracefully fell to the ground holding Luffy's straw hat between her two front teeth.

"Master, Master, look what I have its Monkey D Luffy's…" The wolf trailed off as she caught sight of the pirates pathetically hiding behind the stone column. However, she couldn't tell who was more pathetic—them, or Master who failed to notice the intruders who were just a few feet away from him.

"What is it?" Hell asked. Ha dropped the hat onto the ground. Jeez, he's such an idiot when he's distracted… She sighed deeply before stomping on the hat with her paw.

"My hat!" Luffy jumped out of hiding, but skidded to a halt once he realized that he was out in the open. His sandals slide to a stop on the sleek marble and everyone started at him. Hell blinked a few times and looked at Luffy, then back at the column where all of the other heads of the pirates were clueless, poking from behind.

Slowly the silver fangs in the beast's mouth gritted back and forth and a low growl emitted from his throat. He then reared back onto his hind legs and Koe flew off his shoulder in the process. He then yelled, "make a foul out of me will ya?" He threw his right lion paw into the air and it transformed into a long snake with lashed out and obliterated the column into dust. The hiding pirates scattered like cockroaches into the far shadows of the room.

"Give me back my hat!" Luffy charged the wolf, which made no effort to keep the hat for herself, and she simply jumped out of the boy's way. With a hefty grunt he plopped the hat back onto his head and fitted it into place.

Hell's snake retreated from the remains of the column and he let out a scream—which was a mixture of a howl and lion's.

"Ahhh, shut up you pussy." Zoro jumped over Hell to get to Akio on the other side and in the process kicked him in the muzzle.

"Zoro…I shall kill all who make a fool out of me." He swiped his long claws at the snickering hound but was out of reach.

"Yo," Zoro landed next to Akio; the two still looked like the other, but quickly noticing this they took the other's sleeve and whipped the hair dye off of them, so now only their clothes were different.

"Here," Akio handed him his swords, and Zoro in return gave the man his guns. With a smile of relief they gripped their

"Ha, Koe, destroy anyone who dares to defy me." Hell ordered through baring fangs.

"Hai, Master." Ha said happily. She turned to Luffy who glared back at her, clutching his hat.

"You're lucky that you didn't get any holes in my hat." He said, cracking a few of his knuckles in intimidation. The female wolf only growled happily; the pirate only succeeded in arousing her. She could feel her claws and limps start to shake and she refused to blink. Luffy, was feeling somewhat the same thing though expressed it through a calm, icy glare.

"Oi, Luffy…" Sanji called out to his captain from about 40 ft away. He, like all of the others, was extremely confused about what exactly was going on, however, he knew that if Luffy gave out an order, he and his nakama would follow it; no matter how muddled their thoughts may be. "So, what do you feel like doing?" He asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the cigarettes he received from Zoro; the so called 'special' kind.

"Do whatever you feel like it." He replied. "Just make sure that all of their asses are kicked by the end of the day." Sanji snickered—as scary as he could be, he loved it when Luffy became like this.

"Be careful guys; I'm not in the mood to save anyone today." Zoro announced with his arms crossed.

"W-What's that supposed to mean?" Usopp gasped. "We can here to save you!"

"I never said I wanted saving…" Zoro shrugged. "Actually, I specifically remember saying that I didn't want you guys to come."

"Seriously…you could at least be a little bit grateful…" Usopp grumbled under his breath and stomped a frustrated foot onto the ground.

~*0-0*~

All was silent as the pirates (and friends) stood at a deadlock with the Hell Forces. Ha and Luffy started to circle around one another, neither saying more than the occasional growl or snicker. Zoro and Akio stood; back's perfectly straight; hands soldered to their weapons; their crimson eyes fixed upon Hell and his pair of red jewels.

Meanwhile the rest of the crew (and friends) had huddled together, forming a small circle; backs against one another. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper were all shaking, arms wrapped around one another; their teeth chattered as eyes darted back and forth; eyeing up any of the enemies that might come after them.

Then, as the silence seemed become nothing less than an eternity, Koe, the black raven who had been patiently waiting on Hell's shoulder made the first move. He stretched out his wings and opened up his keen beak—releasing a silent cry. Then, in a matter of moments the small, single bird became surrounded by a vibrating black cloud; the sound of bird's filled the room—their flapping wings and squawks.

This morphing cloud flew up into the air and then swooped down in unison, as if it were one living thing, and soared over with blinding speed to the cluttered crew. Swarming the disoriented pirates in a whipping tornado of black, it slowly became harder to tell one raven in the unkindness to another—progressively morphing into nothing but a twisting black wall.

"Oi, Rose," Akio called out to her, but his voice could not usurp that of a thousand birds. "Zoro, what should we do?" He looked over to the swordsman, desperate. Without saying anything, Zoro took steps towards the others to help when a thick limp-like appendage slapped down in front of him; cracking and shattering up the ground.

He stumbled backwards and cut some debris that flew up to his face. The dust quickly disperse and revealed Hell's, crocodile tail squirming in the newly made rivulet before flopping out and jerking back toward Hell.

Zoro shoot a menacing glare at the beast who glared back with equal force; his red eyes easily visible through the dust that encircled him. Then Hell suddenly leapt out and one of his arms turned into a python; the snake then coiled and jolted out at the Hound, who managed to block it with one of his katanas.

Skidding on the ground, Hell dug his slender claws into the marble ground as a desperate attempt to find some sort of friction or grip. To no avail, he beat his leather wings, shooing away any lingering smoke and finally slowing down to a stop; directly in front of the swordsman and in between him and his friends.

Hell's black main fluttered in the breeze of movement; he pulled his lips back into a snarl as he towered over Zoro with an extra ten feet. His silver fangs lined his mouth evenly like a glass mosaic. Straightening and pulling back his shoulders, Hell lifted up his python-hand and coiled it up again.

At the same time this was happening, Koe and his unkindness screeched for a final time before disappearing completely in the blink of an eye—except Sanji, however. The cook looked around like a lost child; his eyes were wide in curiosity and worry—where had the rest of his nakama gone?

Luffy stared at the empty space where his friends used to occupy, the silence sat comfortably in the air, as if mocking the ones who were surprised.

~*0-0*~

Chopper opened his eyes and tried to move, but his whole body seemed stiff and his muscles ached. Grunting, he eventually lifted his torso up with his arms, only to come face-to-face with Koe, the black raven. The doctor froze in shock; the two animals staring at each other in a lull.

Koe cocked his head to the side like a confused dog; he was currently standing on Chopper's stomach with his bony, coarse legs. He then moved his head to the other side.

"H-Hello…." Chopper said nervously. "I-I'm Chopper…" Koe stretched out his wings so suddenly that it made the reindeer flinch. With his wings still outstretched he opened his mouth and kept it ajar, standing almost like a statue or robotic machine.

"Hello Chopper." He said with a voice which sounded much like a child. "I am Koe, Hell's raven and Voice…"

"Hello…" Chopper replied tentatively.

"Chopper, I am here to help you escape this place." The raven said candidly.

"E-Excuse me?"