It's late afternoon when Zoro's startled from restless sleep by the sound of heels clacking through the medical bay doorway, unaware that the Sunny - aided by Surume - has just breached the first of the two Gates separating him from his nakama.
The doctors have apparently been satisfied with the results of their tests, because while they've left the fetal heart monitor on him, they've pretty much left him alone for the past day or so except to periodically shove a bedpan under his ass. Not that he's done a whole lot with it, considering he hasn't eaten much since the evening the Chief Guard damn near beat him to death.
He's threatened more than once to piss on the somber-faced technician delivering the pan - the damn thing's always cold as ice - but the man just ignores him, and the swordsman's got no way to aim with his hands restrained behind his back anyway, so he never bothers following through.
Three days of being unconscious haven't quite made up for weeks of forcing himself to stay alert, so he's been trying to nap, but each time he dozes off, he's awakened by all the kicking and wriggling and somersaulting. He hasn't entirely minded; after nearly thirty-six hours of little to no movement and no one willing to tell him why, he's found the baby's increased activity reassuring.
Now he's wishing it would just settle down, uncomfortably aware that the tremors shaking his abdomen are readily distinguishable even if he can't see the eyes studying him thanks to the mop of hair obscuring half her face.
"Did you miss me?" Sadi-chan is smiling widely as she stalks towards his bed, and while the doctors exchange nervous glances, no one moves to stop her, and they quickly find tasks with which to occupy themselves at the far end of the room.
It's the first time Zoro's seen her since- he shies away from the memory of being viciously and mercilessly violated by cold, hard metal, just as he's forced himself to avoid acknowledging most of the other less painful but still equally humiliating things she's done to his body.
Hate, wariness, the desire to wrap both hands - missing fingers or not - around her neck and squeeze until his thumbs rupture her windpipe: he's expecting those, but he's not prepared for the way his heart speeds up and his mouth goes bone dry at the sight of her. And this time it's not just concern for what she could do to the baby, although that's definitely near the surface of the turmoil raging in his head, but fear of what else she might to do to him.
The pirate's faced a lot of intimidating opponents in the past few years, many of which have been strong enough to severely injure him and several who've left him for dead, but none of them - not even the Straw Hats' own sharp-tongued navigator - have made him so uneasy that his innermost desire is to slide down and hide beneath the padded table on which he's lying until she loses interest and goes away.
He's afraid of her, and they both know that he's afraid, and it makes him angry. "Don't you have somebody else to fuck around with, you psychotic bitch?"
"Don't hurt my feelings, Roronoa," she murmurs, reaching down to trace her index finger down his chest and chuckling when he recoils, a mewl of distress slipping past his lips before he can quell it. "And here I thought you've been enjoying our time together..."
"I'd rather-" His furious retort ends in a sharp inhalation as her fingertips follow his belly's curve to dip into his groin, and she closes her hand around him, stroking and squeezing in an effort to coax his reluctant flesh into responding, but the swirling whirlpool of disgust and anxiety and muted terror in his head overrides his body's usual automatic reaction, and Zoro's relieved when her attempt fails.
"Mmm, that's disappointing, but I suppose it happens," the Chief Guard sighs, and he ignores her brusque jibe about inefficient swordsmen, desperately hoping that she'll give up and leave him alone.
Unfortunately, it seems as she's got nowhere else to be and nothing better to do at the moment, because she doesn't move from where she's standing over him, her hand returning to his abdomen and cupping it firmly as she gauges the movements within.
"Not too long to wait now, hmm?"
"What the hell do you-" He stops breathing, freezing as her other hand slips between his thighs, forcing them apart as she leans closer, smiling down at the growing alarm on his face, and when her searching fingertips encounter and teasingly circle an area on his body that's still exceedingly tender, the dam straining to contain the reservoir of dark terror and hysteria inside the swordsman's head finally bursts.
Zoro loses control, thrashing wildly in an attempt to simultaneously kick her away and throw himself backwards off the table, not caring that landing on his back and buttocks will probably hurt like hell because all he can think about is escaping her touch. The equipment to which he's tethered registers the disturbance as his panic increases more than just his own heart rate, the machine's steady beeping rising to a more fervent pace.
"Ah-ah, where do you think you're going?" She increases the pressure on his belly, nails digging painfully into his skin on either side of the monitor band, and his struggling slowly subsides until the swordsman's merely trembling under her hands, biting his tongue to keep from whimpering and regretting all the times in the past he's teased Usopp about being a coward, because he finally knows what it's like to feel smothered by fear and inadequacy.
A doctor who's finally worked up the courage to approach, timidly protesting Sadi-chan's actions and reminding her that Hannyabal's technically banned her from the medical bay while their subject's recuperating, scuttles away when she glares at him, making it quite clear that there'll be no rescue coming from that quarter.
The Chief Guard turns her attention back to Zoro, giving his stomach one final warning squeeze before she relaxes her grip, watching in delighted fascination as his jaw tightens to contain a hiss of pain and the tears he's fighting to hold back spring free and roll across his face to drip off his nose when she forces two fingers into him.
"I asked you before, but you never gave me an answer-" She leans down to nuzzle her lips against his shoulder, savoring the way he shudders at her touch but doesn't quite dare to resist. "Did the Mugiwara captain touch you like this? Hmmm~? Did he ever make you feel as good as I do?"
"D-Don't-" He chokes as her fingers curl sharply and teeth sink into the junction between his neck and shoulder. "Nngh!"
There's blood on her lips when she looks up, smiling slyly. "Did the two of you discuss names for your child while he fucked you?"
He tries to tell her to leave his lover out of this - he doesn't want to think about Luffy, not right now, not with her fingers applying pressure right there - but his protest emerges as a garbled whine. Although it hurts less physically, this is far worse than the trident because the stimulation she's providing is sending flashes of pleasure through his body even though he doesn't want it.
"Did your captain have any suggestions?"
Her fingers twist, and he slams the back of his head against the table, nearly crying out in frustration when the padding muffles the blow and doesn't result in him knocking himself senseless like he's hoping. Oh god, don't do that- I can't- I don't want to-
"Did he ask you to name it after Fire Fist if it's male?"
That hits a nerve, although it was actually his own hesitant suggestion rather than Luffy's and well worth the expression of stunned gratitude on the younger pirate's face, but Zoro's not going to let the bitch know this, and when his gaze slides away, Sadi-chan frowns.
"You're not going to find the answers on that monitor, Roronoa. Look at me, not the screen."
The swordsman ignores her, nostrils flaring, so she produces a familiar blade from her sleeve and taps the hilt threateningly against his belly. "It's rude not to give someone who's talking your full attention. LOOK AT ME unless you want me using this on something other than your fingers."
He reluctantly obeys, hatred and fear transparent on his face, and she can't help the peal of laughter that escapes her lips, because he still hasn't figured it out.
"Now, that wasn't too difficult, was-"
She's interrupted by the sudden wail emitting from the surveillance Den Den Mushi clinging to the wall over the door, and even before the announcements begin, calling for all guards to immediately report to their emergency stations, Zoro knows.
They're here. They're here to take him back.
The Chief Guard's lips compress into a thin, bloodless line, and she scowls down at the pirate who's staring back up at her with renewed fight burning in his single glaring eye, his teeth bared in a snarl as he struggles to catch his breath.
"Nakama- going to kill you-" He utters a choked bark of slightly hysterical laughter, hating the low, husky pitch of his voice. While he's not sure of the validity of his own statement, because he knows how Luffy feels about permanently dispatching their opponents - the younger pirate avoids it whenever possible - the swordsman thinks his captain might make a special exception for the bitch.
xxx
The second Gate's given way much more quickly than the first, buckling under Surume's unforgiving weight and then bursting wide open to admit the Kraken and the ship in its grasp.
"Stay with him," Luffy insists before turning command of the Sunny over to Nami, who he's ordered to remain onboard with Sanji and Brook. "He'll keep the other ships away, and we'll call you to come get us when we're ready to go."
"Ah, Luffy, are you sure he's going to listen to me?" She asks nervously, peering hesitantly over the side at the huge eye staring up at her.
"Sure," the younger pirate replies blithely, grinning as he watches their friend casually crush a Marine vessel that's wandered too close and missing the way the navigator's face blanches at the sight. "Why wouldn't he?"
He turns aside to draw Franky into an animated discussion on breaking through the portcullis barring them from the prison's entrance, leaving Nami exchanging a skeptical look with the Kraken.
"Err, let's both do our best, shall we?"
xxx
Zoro can't help laughing again, despite his anger and fear and humiliation, at the dumbfounded look on Sadi-chan's face when a guard returns to the medical bay with the news that the Straw Hat pirates have been accompanied by some kind of giant octopus that's systematically destroying every ship in the harbor.
Only Luffy could talk a sea king into joining the crew for a rescue mission.
The Chief Guard seems slightly disconcerted by her victim's amusement, but the swordsman stops laughing when she whips her arm back without looking, cutting the throat of the man who's now apologetically insisting he's been given orders from Hannyabal himself to escort her to the control room. Clutching desperately but uselessly at the gaping gash in his neck, the mortally wounded guard utters a wretched choking sound as he staggers and collapses, one hand pawing blindly for the table's edge, and Sadi-chan lashes out viciously with one foot, kicking him onto all fours and watching his dying convulsions with all the enthusiasm one might spare for an incapacitated cockroach.
"Idiots," she mutters, examining the blood smeared along the length of her blade and smiling at the renewed consternation surfacing on Roronoa's face. "I have no intention of leaving you- mmm, unattended."
He glares at her, and she's disappointed because apparently she's missed an opportunity to push him to the breaking point, but maybe if she plays her cards right...
"It's very possible your crew will come here," she purrs, scissoring her fingers to remind him that he's still at her mercy, regardless of what's happening outside. To her delight, he arches with a muffled curse, bare heels skidding on the table. "What will your captain and your nakama think if they find you- ah, enjoying yourself so zealously?"
"Sencho's- gonna- kick your ass," Zoro grits out, thinking that he really doesn't give a shit who sees him like this - even the goddamn eyebrow cook himself - if they just get him the hell out of here.
"Oh, I'm not so sure about that. I'm curious what your captain might do if he bursts in here and I threaten to skewer your belly with this blade." She watches in amusement as he pales and struggles to hold motionless under the knife's flat edge sliding delicately across his abdomen and leaving a trail of the guard's still-warm blood on his skin. "Mmm, I don't know about you, but if he came all this way to save the two of you, I think he might just turn himself in..."
Surrender is antithetic to Luffy's very nature, but the swordsman's seen how the younger pirate places himself in harm's way to protect others, even people he doesn't know or necessarily want joining his crew, and it's entirely possible that he might willingly trade his life if they promise to spare his lover and his child.
Zoro's not gullible enough to believe they'd honor such an exchange; he's well aware that the second his captain allows them to slap Kairoseki handcuffs on his wrists, it's all over.
A brief burst of static passes over the screen of the monitor beside him.
Oh, shit, no- calm down, damn it! You don't know what'll happen this time if you-
"You agree?" Sadi-chan laughs, mistaking his horrified expression for a reaction to what she's saying. "I wonder what else Mugiwara Luffy might do to keep you safe..."
She smiles suggestively, flashing white teeth, as her fingers continue pushing him closer to the edge he doesn't want to fall over, and he understands exactly what she's implying and it's getting much harder to curb the frenzied emotions building in him along with the orgasm.
"Mmm, I'm not sure you're going to hold out until he gets here," the Chief Guard purrs, eyeing the color rising in the swordsman's grimacing face. "But that's quite alright, because I'm sure he'll be more than happy to- mmm~ accommodate me - and my subordinates as well, perhaps? - when he understands the situation."
His control slips a bit more at her words. Shit, shit, shi-
Ignoring the murmurs of confusion from her peers as they stare anxiously about when every monitor in the room suddenly spits static and goes dark, Sadi-chan laughs excitedly, hearing the growing rasp in Zoro's breathing, and decides now, now she'll give him a clue to what the future holds. "I'm going to play in your guts, Roronoa, after they cut you open, and maybe if he asks me very nicely, I'll convince Hannyabal to let your captain see what you've spawned before it's turned over to the Admirals."
He's been suspecting they're going to kill him eventually, probably without the public broadcasting and fanfare that would normally accompany the execution of a Supernova - not after their monumental mistakes at Marineford - but still with enough pageantry for his demise to serve as a warning for others regarding what happens to bounty hunters who turn traitor, so as unpleasant as he might find it, the idea of being tortured to death doesn't particularly surprise or even frighten him- at least not for his own sake. In fact, if it wasn't for the baby, he might've forced her hand weeks ago, just as he'd inadvertently done without considering the consequences in his cell a few days prior.
Because he's been well aware that his captain's child will die with him, he's been resigning himself to enduring whatever torments she devises, in hopes that he can stay alive long enough for Luffy to reach them, but now- after what he's just been told- their intense interest in his swelling belly finally makes sense and he's run out of time and- ADMIRALS?
"-mean nothing to them. Ironic, isn't it?" Sadi-chan laughs, mesmerized by the raw emotion twisting the swordsman's features. "I have to say, I'm looking forward to- mmm, letting loose when I don't have to worry about damaging their precious pawn anymore."
Her admission that the government considers Mugiwara Luffy and Roronoa's offspring as nothing more than a bit of dangling bait intended to hook a much larger fish falls on deaf ears, because she's finally pushed him too far and in the end, it's not her promise to do worse than she's already done but rather the comment about the Admirals that causes his rage and frustration and self-loathing to boil over.
It's nothing like a few months ago, when Zoro's desperation prompted a few partial transformations shortly before Kizaru's foot caught him in the temple and knocked him out. He has no idea what the technique might be doing to the baby inside him, but it's too late to force Asura down, and this time he welcomes the darkness expanding inside his head, drowning out the last traces of fear and humiliation with pure, unadulterated rage, welcomes the sensation of emptiness that washes away the unwanted pleasure threatening to overtake him and especially welcomes the extra unrestrained limbs flickering into existence around his torso.
The chaotic energy roiling through the air causes the nearby monitor to explode first before spreading through the rest of the room's equipment, showering them with sparks and bits of flying debris, and Sadi-chan's lips curl into a elated sneer as the swordsman's thighs lock around her forearm, preventing her from pulling away, because she's got no intention of following the cowards currently fleeing the room.
The Chief Guard's still got the knife in her free hand, and she's never cared very much for mindlessly following the World Government's orders anyway.
xxx
Luffy's fully prepared to deal with the guards sprinting towards him when he steps through the splintered, hanging doors he's just hit with a Haki-enhanced Gear Third fist very much like the one he used to subdue Surume when they first met, but he's not expecting it when they run straight past him.
"Oi, where you going?" He calls after them, scratching his head in confusion. "Don't you wanna fight?"
They don't answer, don't even glance back, just run right out the door- and immediately fly back in, launched through the air by the powerful blow of Franky's right fist.
"What's going on?" The cyborg demands, joining the bewildered captain and tilting his head as he watches more people flee past, some of them dressed in white lab coats, all of them utterly terrified.
Luffy meets Franky's equally puzzled gaze and shrugs. "Beats me, but I'm gonna go find Zoro. Wait here and- I don't know- kick their asses or something?"
There's a few scattered cries of "Mugiwara!" when he wades in, and a few of the hardier, less shell-shocked guards collect their scattered wits and attack the rubber man, but they're easily put down with a few punches and leg sweeps, and he's almost disappointed when he pushes through the next set of doors, because the hallway leading to the cell blocks and lower levels is deserted.
He's heading for the nearest stairwell - something in his gut tells him there's a good chance he'll find his swordsman on Level Six, possibly even in the same cell where they kept Ace - when the smell of smoke reaches his nostrils, and for a moment, he's hit with a strong sense of deja vu, remembering that horrible day in the harbor and fighting back the fear that he's going to find something worse this time.
A loud BOOF followed by a series of pops like miniature fire crackers makes him jump, and then he's moving, tearing down the hallway towards the room from which the sounds - and the acrid odor - are coming.
His feet crunch on glass as he skids through the doorway, and that nearly sends him into a panic as well because it's too much like the aquarium bar tank they still haven't replaced, but he forces back his apprehension and glances around slowly, his brow furrowing in confusion.
The room's strewn with smoking, sparking machines and a handful of dead or unconscious people, some wearing blood-spattered white coats similar to the ones he saw back near the entrance. He takes another step, reaching out to poke a finger at one of the flickering monitors that's still intact, and the sudden crash somewhere behind him as a piece of tottering equipment finally succumbs to gravity startles him badly enough that he nearly puts his fist through the screen instead.
A brief glance over his shoulder reveals nothing except some guy in an ill-fitting lab coat, who's slumped sideways against an overturned table and-
"Zoro!" Luffy cries, tripping on a bundle of cables and nearly falling headlong onto the older pirate as he rushes over to drop down beside him, ignoring the broken glass and metal that bite into his knees as he reaches out. "Oi, I found-!"
He falters, his throat closing up and choking off his greeting, because the entire front of Zoro's body is soaked with fresh blood, including the swordsman's belly where it's jutting from the oversized garment draped around his shoulders. There's splashes of crimson on his face and coating his chin and neck as well, and he's completely motionless.
No, no, nonononono-!
The mantra of denial racing through Luffy's head cuts short as his brain registers that while Zoro himself isn't moving, there's a visible ripple traveling across his bare stomach.
Unaware of the whimper rising in his chest, the younger pirate leans forward, extending a trembling hand towards his lover's abdomen. To his surprise, despite the gore obscuring it, the skin's smooth and unbroken and still warm, and the part of his mind that's not gibbering and slamming itself against the inside of his skull supposes that he must have been only moments too late and the blood must have come from his swordsman's mouth.
"What am I supposed to do now?" The captain asks helplessly. He spreads his fingers wider, his breath hitching in his throat as a fist or foot thumps against his palm, and the coldly rational voice inside his head tells him not to be stupid, because he knows exactly what he needs to do and should start looking for a suitably sharp instrument immediately, because by the time he goes back for Chopper-
"No, I can't-" He moans, sickened by the idea, and then yelps, hands flying up as both nostrils start spurting blood because he's just been forcefully head-butted in the face. "OW!"
"D-Don't touch-"
Luffy wipes his throbbing nose on his arm, staring in complete astonishment as Zoro sways and leans back against the table with a faint groan, scrutinizing him through the barely cracked lids of his good eye.
"L-Luf-?"
The rubber man lunges to catch the older pirate as he topples over. "ZORO!"
"Told you-" the swordsman mumbles deliriously, resting both coat sleeve-covered hands on his belly as he's gathered in his captain's trembling arms and cradled gingerly against Luffy's chest before he rises to his feet. "Told you, he'd find us-"
xxx
There's a few guards and a big, half-naked horned guy holding a trident who looks vaguely familiar crowding the hallway when he exits the medical bay, murmuring reassuringly to the unconscious man he's carrying, but they fall back at his approach and one quiet word spoken with Haōshoku sends them to the ground, foaming at the mouth and clutching their throats.
xxx
Once he's outside, standing on the dock and trying to ignore the way his legs won't stop shaking, Luffy kneels and carefully lowers Zoro to the planks, beckoning Chopper to his side as he glances around.
"L-Luffy, that's a lot of b-blood," the reindeer stammers, too shocked to slip into his usual comedic hysteria. "He's- he's coated in it!"
"I know, but I couldn't find any big wounds or anything, so I don't think he got shot or stabbed or anything. Oi, Usopp, tell Nami we're ready for her to come get us."
"S-Sure," the sniper stammers, fumbling for the baby Den Den Mushi tucked into his overalls and nearly dropping it in his haste, because he can't tear his gaze away from the sight before him: their captain hovering anxiously as their doctor peels the blood-stained lab coat away from the swordsman's torso so he can press the stethoscope he's clutching in one quivering hoof to the older pirate's chest.
Holy shit, he's huge! And his stomach keeps moving on its own- is that-?
"Usopp!"
"I'm on it, I'm on it!"
"Then make the goddamn call already!"
"Both of you, shut up!" Chopper growls, voice choked with tears as he glares up at his arguing crewmates. "I can't hear anything with all this noise!"
Zoro, who's returned to semi-consciousness during the dispute, flinches away from the sudden shouting, a low whine escaping his throat as he pushes ineffectively at the cold metal instrument bearing down on his chest, too disoriented to recognize who or what's leaning over him. He panics when the reindeer changes forms to pin him gently but firmly with one large Heavy Point hand, his weak struggling accompanied by inarticulate noises of protest.
Responding instinctively, Luffy reaches out, intending to pull the swordsman into his arms again, but he jerks back when his touch unexpectedly causes Zoro to utter a loud cry and roll on his side, pushing Chopper's hand aside as he curls his body protectively around his distended abdomen, shaking uncontrollably and breathing in ragged gasps that sound distressingly like sobs, the pupil in his single eye dilated enormously.
"Sencho-" Robin calls sharply, concerned because Luffy's face has gone alarmingly pale. "You cannot afford to go to pieces now. We need you."
"R-Robin, he-" The captain bites his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, a visible shudder gripping his body as he struggles to regain his composure. "He knew who I was in there- he even talked to me, but now he doesn't recognize-"
"I know, Luffy. I'm sorry." She drops to her knees next to Chopper. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Hold him still," the doctor orders, yanking the stethoscope buds from his ears, because it's no use trying to gauge heart rate with the occasional explosion still rocking the building behind them as Franky blasts Coup de Vents on the few guards still determined to prevent their escape.
"Will this cause him more discomfort?"
"He's extremely disoriented, and his skin's clammy. I need to make sure he's not going into cardiogenic shock, which means checking his pulse and I can't do that if he's fighting me."
The historian crosses her wrists, eyes closing in concentration, and additional arms sprout from the ground to wrap carefully around Zoro's limbs and torso, immobilizing him securely enough for Chopper to roll back his right sleeve-
Luffy gives a strangled croak of disbelief, eyes going wide, and even Robin falters, losing control of her ability for long enough that her extra limbs vanish.
"H-His fingers-" Usopp, who's rejoined them, drops the Den Den Mushi he's been still clutching absentmindedly to clap his hand over his mouth.
They're still frozen and staring when Franky bounds into their midst, waving excitedly and yelling at them to get up and move because the Sunny's finally arrived, surging close enough to the dock that there's a grating screech as Adam wood meets and crushes the weaker planks.
"Let's go!" He roars, whirling momentarily to fire one final volley through the twisted wreckage of the gate before reaching down to grab Luffy's arm to haul him upright, infuriated that they're not using the time he's bought them. "Why the hell aren't you people- oh, SHIT."
The younger pirate turns slowly towards the cyborg, his voice wavering slightly and then strengthening in resolve. "Franky, get them on the ship. I'm not leaving yet."
"What?" The other man demands, bending to lift Zoro carefully in his arms and wincing when the swordsman jolts violently at being handled. "Why the hell not?"
"Never should have rebuilt this place…" Luffy mutters, joints making small popping sounds as he flexes his fingers, and Robin rises to follow him as he turns his back on the ship and stalks back in the direction of the front gates. Usopp hesitates only briefly, reaching out to touch Zoro's hair with one shaking hand as Franky passes him, and then he joins the captain and historian, his eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched.
"There's still people inside," Robin murmurs as they stare up at the smoking structure.
"I don't care."
"They'll die if-"
"Tear it down," the captain snarls, turning his head to glare at her, and the expression on his face is so terrible that his crewmates look away, unable to meet his pain and rage-filled eyes.