AN: Thank you all so much for reading the story and for the lovely reviews :) Sorry to keep you waiting, life gets a little busy here sometimes with a boyfriend, a 7 year old and 2 dogs. Without further ado, I present to you the next chapter :D

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own One Piece, I just like to borrow the characters from time to time.

Theme: #45 Illusion

Rating: M

Words: 1330

Chapter 10

Dark, damp, a rancid smell in the air.

It was definately not a pleasant place he'd awoken in. His mind swirled in confusion, his head foggy. He felt dizzy, nausous, almost hungover and it took a few minutes until he trusted himself to be able to sit up without puking.

All at once the situation rushed back to him and he jumped to a defensive crouch, trying to figure out where he was, his body protesting every movement, muscles screaming, his head pounding.

"Nami?!" He shouted, his voice echoing loudly.

There was very little light, the stone walls around him seemed to be a cavern that someone had turned into a jail or prison of some sort. There were bars around him, in front of him, next to him, boxing off individual cells. the walls were rough, damp. Water dripped from the ceiling, landing in frigid, stagnant puddles.

Clouds rose from his mouth and nose with every breath he took and he could feel the numbness chilling him to the bone.

His swords were still at his waist and he couldn't believe his luck. What sort of an idiot would capture him and leave him with his weapons?

Drawing two swords, he charged forward, hitting the bars with a combination of strength and haki, only to have them spark, the momentum of his charge throwing him back, the recoil of power echoing throw his arms, rattling him.

What the fuck are these things made of? It was like the mirrors. They should have broken.

"Well, well. That settles it. The rumors are false, I see." A voice said through the darkness. He couldn't see who was speaking or where the voice came from but it was clearly a man's voice, a little high pitched, arrogant and smug.

"Rumors?" Zoro asked carefully, every muscle tense as he paced in front of the bars.

"You clearly aren't a devil fruit user or those bars would have knocked you on your ass...Though I have to say they nearly did!" The voice laughed gleefully.

Zoro growled, unsure of how to approach the situation. This guy clearly had a screw loose and he needed answers. A false step would leave him with nothing. He needed to find Nami and get out of here.

"Where am I and what exactly do you want? Where the hell is my ship mate?" He demanded.

"One thing at a time. You really need to learn patience you know. Slow down and enjoy the view, take in the scenery..." The voice seemed to sing song.

"Cut the bullshit!" Zoro shouted, blades sparking against the bars once more.

Another laugh echoed. "You can rage all you want, like with the mirrors, you'll never cut through these bars, my boy. You see, they're an invention of mine that I'm rather proud of, an alloy I've developed that can be transparent, reflective or when mixed with seastone, just plain old ugly metal. I'd explain it to you but I'm afraid a simpleton like you would never grasp the magic of it.

There was a flick of a match, just enough for Zoro to catch a glimpse of a pale face, rotund, ugly, a double chin and greasy hair. The smell of cigar smoke drifted through the cell block.

"If you'd taken a minute, you may have noticed your comrade is there, though it takes some smarts I suppose to figure that you can only see her from certain angles..."

Zoro turned to the cell next to him, moving to the bars and sure enough, there was Nami, sprawled out on the hard stone. The bastard was right. There was something reflective between the bars and he could only see her from a certain angle and he'd missed her at first glance.

She seemed so small and defenseless laying there, the shirt he'd wrapped around her wound soaked through, the stone under her stained dark. He held his breath, watching her, willing her to still be alive despite the circumstances. And there it was, her chest rose and fell, barely. She was still hanging on.

"What do you want?" Zoro asked, desperation, exhaustion in his voice despite him trying to keep it level.

"That is the question isn't it?" The man asked, stepping into the dim light. He gazed at Zoro, a grin coming across his pudgy ugly face. He was rotund, a grimey doctor's coat barely fitting around his frame. He looked like a mad scientist, a crazy doctor who'd spent years couped up in a lab, or dungeon. That much seemed like the case. Zoro could see the madness burning bright in the man's beady eyes.

"Stop playing games. You work for the marines? Is that it?" Zoro demanded, pacing the bars. He remembered fighting what looked like marines in that field, though he wasn't sure what to make of that still.

"That is indeed a piece of the puzzle. Without assistance from them, the Captain would never have had the resources to make his plan work. You see, an Isle of Illusion like this takes some money to set it all up and they were more than happy to fund the little project when they found out we were after a Strawhat, as long as they get the bodies when we're done with them." He cackled. "After all the bounty posters do say dead or alive...and we get the added benefit of getting cold hard cash out of it too!"

Zoro's heart began to pound, anger and adrenaline burning through his veins. "This was all a set up. Just to capture the two of us?" He demanded, voice low.

Another laugh, "Oh no my boy. The captain only wanted the girl you see, old debts and all that, but two for the price of one works nicely!"

"You sick bastard..." Zoro snarled, slashing the bars. "You and your captain are going to get what's coming to you, either by my hand, or Luffy's." he vowed.

The rotund doctor moved a bit closer, grinning, revealing teeth as rotten as his soul, his foul breath fogging the air.

"They'll never find you and Cat Burgler Nami will pay for her heinous crimes." His voice had dropped an octove to a low gravelly growl, his eyes burning with a madness, the likes of which Zoro had never seen, sending chills down his spine.

The fat man jumped back a step almost spinning a pirouette. "Now rest up, you two! Dr. Dizzle's orders!" He said cheerfully. "It's not every day you get dragged before a tribunal and you both need to be at your best. Tomorrow at dusk the Captain decides your fate!"

The lighting dimmed at the man's departure, footsteps echoing and fading away. Silence once more, every sound, his breathing, water dripping was amplified.

He sheathed his swords and rushed to the bars seperating himself from Nami. After a few moments of frustration, figuring out the angle, he found that there was spacing between some of the bars and reached through, barely managing to grab onto her hand.

Gritting his teeth, knowing he'd probably hurt her, he took hold of her hand and pulled her across the ground until she was right next to the bars. She didn't react, not a wince, not a flinch, nothing. Her skin was cold to the touch, her breathing light and noisy, a rattle in her chest with every breath. She needed help, he needed to get her out of here.

Zoro gripped her hand, leaning his forehead against the bars as he looked down at her.

"What the fuck do I do Nami? You're always the one who gets us out of these situations..." He muttered.

Her eyes fluttered and she squeezed his hand weakly. "Zoro..." she whispered, and she began to cough, her whole body shuttering with each cough, her hand coming away from her mouth streaked with blood.

"Save us..." Her eyes rolled back in her head and her whole body went slack.