Chapter 10 – "Power and Rage"
"Zoro?" Usopp asked. Zoro turned to the duo.
"Oh. Hey Vivi, what's up?" He asked, before turning his eyes onto Usopp. He squinted slightly, pausing in an attempt to figure out who the person with the swollen face was. Usopp's nose twitched for a moment and recognition dawned in Zoro's eyes.
"Oh! It's you Usopp. What are you guys doing all the way out here in the snow?" He asked. They both scowled at him.
"That's exactly what we were going to ask you!" They chorused.
"Winter swimming?" Usopp asked Zoro as they and Vivi slowly trudged through the thick snow.
"Yeah," Zoro answered. "That was the idea anyway, but after swimming in the river a while I had no idea where I was anymore so I started walking around, doing some strength training workouts."
"Dressed like that in cold weather?" Usopp asked skeptically. "You're real stupid aren't you?" He questioned rhetorically.
"That isn't the point." Zoro growled. "Now would you shut up and give me your coat Usopp?"
"Not a chance," the sniper replied immediately.
"How but your shoes?" Zoro continued.
"Nope."
"Just one then!"
"I said no! You did this to yourself."
"Look at that guys," Vivi interrupted, coming to a halt. "There are some people over there." At the bottom of the slop they stood on, the roofs of the houses poked from piles of snow, and two divided groups stood around them. The north-most group were all dressed in long, green and white coats, most with rifles. The other group seemed to be the villagers, all wearing different items of clothing and carrying all manner of weapons.
"Hey…" Usopp began. "Look at those buildings. They seem familiar don't they?" He suggested to the other two. Vivi gasped.
"You're right Usopp. This place is Bighorn! We just came back. It looks a lot different buried in snow though." She stated as a loud argument began down at the village.
"Stay back all of you!" One of the men in the green coats shouted. "Dalton's already dead anyway!"
"It isn't true!" One of the villages shouted, shock and disbelief on his face. "It would take more than a couple of flimsy arrows to kill him!"
"You're his men! Or used to be at least. Don't you care at all about what happens to Dalton?" A villager next to the first continued. The leader of the green coats scoffed lightly.
"Things have changed. We're all Wapol's soldiers now. In any case, any one of you who opposes Wapol is as good as dead." A chorus of outrage came from the villagers.
"Hey," Zoro started, walking through the crowd of villagers. "What's going on here?" He asked a villager.
"What's going on?" The villager in a brown coat asked sarcastically, as if Zoro should already know, turning to face him. His jaw went slack in shock when he saw Zoro, shirtless and shoeless, hugging his arms around himself.
"Wait," he said. "What's going on with you? Why are you dressed like that?" When Zoro continued staring impassively, he began his explanation in a sad, defeated voice.
"Dalton is… buried under the snow that came down with the avalanche."
"What?" Usopp exclaimed as he and Vivi caught up to Zoro.
"Dalton's under that?" Vivi asked, disbelievingly.
"That's right," the villager looked down and anger. "We can't get over there to dig him out because those guys are blocking us." As if they knew they'd been mentioned, Wapol's men spoke up, silencing the villager.
"For the last time, stay back!" They leader ordered. Another soldier, a large man with an old scar under his left eye tuned in, grinning.
"But if you want to dig your friend up I guess you can go ahead and try fighting us all!" He laughed obnoxiously. Zoro frowned up at the men, mild recognition gracing his features.
"Hey Usopp… I think I remember that clothing. Those are the same exact guys that attacked our ship when we were out in the ocean." He pointed out. Usopp's face darkened.
"That's right."
"Then they're the enemy." Zoro pointed out. Usopp and Vivi glanced at him in confusion. "Bad guys, not out friends." He glanced at the other two from the corner of his eyes. "Follow me?" He asked.
"Yeah," Usopp said slowly, still uncomprehending. His eyes lit up slightly and he stared at Zoro in mild shock.
"Wait a second… I know that look." He trailed off as Zoro took off at a run towards the soldier that was still laughing. Zoro seemingly appeared next to him, punching him in the face and sending the man crashing to the ground. Vivi's eyes widened in shock.
"No!" She cried. "Zoro what are you doing!?" The remainder of Wapol's soldiers tensed, crouching slightly in battle positions.
"Who's that guy?" One asked in shock as the largest member of their battalion lay bleeding in the snow. Everyone, pirates and villagers alike watched in shock as Zoro quickly stripped the soldier of his coat, gloves and boots, taking them for himself.
"Wow!" Zoro exclaimed, a wide grin on his face. "These are so warm! I really like this thing."
"That's why you wanted to know who they were?" Usopp asked rhetorically, staring at the swordsmen. The men behind Zoro began to slowly move, no longer in shock and began encircling Zoro, guns held to the ready.
"Watch out Zoro! They don't look very happy." Usopp warned.
"I know you!" One of the men exclaimed. "You were on the ship with that guy who beat up Wapol weren't you?" Zoro turned around with a smirk on his face.
"That's right. You're a little slow, aren't you?" Zoro mocked. Wapol's men charged angrily, swords drawn. Zoro ran towards the oncoming attackers, dodging his way through the entire group. As the attacking group ceased their charge, ready to turn an face Zoro once again three men at the back grasped for their swords that were no longer in their sheaths.
"Looking for something?" Zoro asked with a slight laugh. "Maybe… these?" He asked, turning and facing the men and presenting their stolen swords to them. Zoro grinned darkly as he gripping one of the swords with his teeth, holding the other two vertically, arms spread.
"Let's get this guy!" One of the men shouted, and they resumed their charge towards a now armed Zoro. Before most of the villagers could even blink, Zoro had raced through the crowd of men, smoothly sidestepping and spinning, cutting down each and every man in his path. The last man fell with an agonized grunt, a deep gash over his chest. Zoro smirked around the sword and rested the other two over his shoulders and faux relaxation.
"What a shame? Already over?" He taunted once more. Zoro pushed all three swords vertically into the ground, walking back towards Vivi and Usopp.
"Well that was disappointing wasn't it?" He asked rhetorically as the villagers stared at him in both shock and fear. Even Vivi stared at him with wide eyes, having never seen Zoro defeat so many enemies so easily.
"Amazing…" She murmured to herself subconsciously.
"Right! Zoro that was a good job, just like I told you to do! Yeah!" Usopp exclaimed, his own eyes slightly wide.
"Now we can go look for Dalton!" One of the villagers exclaimed before all the villagers ran towards the place Dalton was last seen. The three pirates watched the villagers dig through the snow for a moment before Zoro turned to Usopp.
"So, what's going on here? Why are they all so worked up?" He asked. Usopp sighed.
"I'll explain it all to you later. For now, let's just give them all a hand." He ordered, running towards the crowd, followed closely by Vivi. Zoro glanced towards the Drum Rockies for a moment before following.
Midway up the mountain, Kaien and Luffy struggled to find handholds the higher up the mountain they climbed. Their hands were covered in blood and their fingers ripped to shreds, however both stayed silent and continued to climb further and further up. In a heart-stopping moment, one of Luffy's handholds shattered beneath his fingers. Before he even began to fall, Kaien's free hand shot out, gripping tightly onto his vest. Kaien grunted in strain as he lifted Luffy up to another handhold, the movements pulling tightly on the wound on his abdomen. Both looked down for a moment, unable to even see the ground from their current height.
"Thanks." Luffy gasped out harshly. Kaien only nodded, unable to even speak with the harsh pants he was letting out. Simultaneously they began to climb again, moving unknowingly in unison. Somehow water continuously trickled over their fingers, and while the water was cold it was certainly a far better option that having to deal with ice and snow. Luffy and Kaien were both completely silent, making their way slowly up the mountain. An hour passed, maybe more. Neither bothered keeping track of the time, only the distance to their goal. Finally the top of the mountain came into view, the lip covered in snow and ice.
"It's…there!" Luffy exclaimed, as ecstatically as he could with the burning in his limbs, lungs and fingers. Kaien nodded, his arms shaking as he tried to pull himself and Sanji just that little bit further. Luffy let out a small cry of relief as he pulled himself over the edge, crawling forward enough that there was no chance of plummeting back down. Kaien slowly pulled himself next to Luffy, where he collapsed onto his stomach, Sanji sprawled over his back. A spread of red sluggishly appeared below Kaien and Luffy pulled on his arm.
"C'mon. We… need to get… inside." He panted before collapsing himself. Kaien painstakingly pushed himself onto all fours, harsh gasps escaping his raw throat. He pushed himself to his feet, swaying. Once he gained his balance he pulled Luffy up by his arm, holding both Luffy and Nami against his body. Snow began to crack under his feet and as it fell away, it took the limp bodies of Luffy and Nami with it.
"No!" Kaien cried out, his voice hoarse as he reached towards them. A large brown figure blurred in front of him, grasping onto Luffy's arm at the last possible moment. Luffy bounced, his arm stretching and retracting. Kaien stared at the figure holding Luffy in shock. It had the body shape of a large man, towering over even Kaien. However it was covered in thick brown fur and wore a pink top hat with a white cross and maroon shorts. It stared at him with black eyes, silently assessing his condition.
"What've you got there Chopper?" A voice called from behind them. Kaien spun violently, to see an old woman in a tank top with sunglasses on her brow. One of Kaien's hands fell automatically to his blades. The woman scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Don't you go threatening me boy. You came here for help, and drawing a knife on me certainly won't give you what you seek." She stated, one eyebrow raised. Kaien slowly moved his hand away from his belt, turning his eyes to Luffy and Nami. They had been untied and the brown man, Chopper had one under each arm. The woman walked towards Kaien, who couldn't help but tense up. She sighed.
"Stop it you fool. If we were going to hurt you, we would have let your friend's plummet to their deaths. I just want to take the blonde one of your back. You look bad enough without carrying someone else's weight." She stated, walking around Kaien.
"To be honest, I'm surprised you're still standing." She state, eyes narrowing at him slightly as she untied Kaien's scarf and pulled Sanji's left arm over her shoulder. "Whatever." She stated, shrugging. She and Chopper began walking towards the large white castle Kaien had barely even noticed. It had the stereotypical shape of a house, one of those houses that small children would draw, however was a fair deal larger than any house Kaien had ever seen. It had a wall surrounding it with towers, battlements and a gatehouse built in. There were more towers higher up the castle, with one final large one on at the right rear. At a closer look, Kaien could make out tinges of blue, or green on the bricks, the white having been a thick covering of snow. Chopper pushed open the large brown gates and waited until Kaien staggered past before he closed them again. Kaien blindly followed the duo, stumbling through hallways and doorway, up and down flights of stairs until they reached a warm room that was obviously the infirmary. Chopper gently lay Nami on the bed in the main room, before both walked into a small side room. Luffy was laid on what seemed to be a cement block with some sheets strapped over it, while Sanji was placed on a green operating table. Once this was done Kureha turned to Kaien, who was leaning tiredly against the doorway, eyes drooping.
"Who's the worst?" She asked. Kaien stared at her, confused. She sighed.
"Who's in the worst shape? We need an order in which to treat them that prevents deaths." She explained surprisingly patiently. Kaien nodded in understanding.
"Nami," he panted softly. "She's been sick for days. High fever." He elaborated. Kureha nodded to Chopper who walked past Kaien into the main room. Kureha looked at Kaien expectedly, so he continued.
"Sanji got trapped in an avalanche, and Luffy climbed up the mountain. Hypothermia for both, not sure about Sanji's internal injuries, but Luffy hands and feet are in bad shape." He explained. Kureha glanced down at Kaien's hand and laughed.
"And yours aren't?" She asked. Kaien shrugged.
"Still awake aren't I?"
"So it would seem," Kureha responded. She glanced over him once more, before waving him over.
"Since you can stand, you can help. I'll bandage you up and you can help me with the boys." She stated, pulling a few items from a cupboard behind her. When Kaien reached her, she pushed him down, until he sat on a stool in front of her.
"Strip," she ordered. At Kaien's tired yet sceptical look she sighed. "Waist up." Kaien nodded, dropping his scarf onto the bend beside him. As Kureha fiddled with the cupboard, Kaien peeled his black vest off, wincing at the movement and dropping it to the floor. With the holes and the blood it was now unusable. He slowly pulled the tunic over his head clenching his teeth as it peeled from his wound, ripping off the small amount of scabbing that had formed. Kureha turned back to face him and whistled. Just above his left hipbone was a large jagged hole, small pieces of wood still in the wound.
"Good work on that one." She stated, bringing a tray full of items over to him. Her eyes fell on the scarf for a moment and she paused.
"Something the matter?" Kaien asked, eyes narrowing. She shook her head with a smile.
"Nothing to concern yourself with yet." She answered rather cryptically pouring disinfectant onto a small cloth and cleaning the edges of Kaien's wound. He hissed softly in surprise, remaining silent for the rest of the procedure, even as she pulled bits of wood out and finally sewed him up. She turned her attention onto his arms after she had wrapped his waist in bandages. Most were small enough that simple bandaging would suffice, but some required a small amount of stitching. Finally, she tossed him a large black button-up shirt that hung open and loose on his frame. His hands and fingers were completely wrapped, the bandages only stopping midway up his forearms. Kureha sighed, tossing bloodied clothes to the side, before wheeling the tray over to Luffy. Kaien slowly climbed to his feet walking to stand beside Luffy. Kureha pointed at Luffy's arms and feet.
"Do the same to him that I just did for your arms. Okay?" She asked, already walking over to Sanji. Kaien nodded, pouring disinfected onto a cloth to clean Luffy's arms. Before long, Luffy and Sanji had been cleaned up and were sleeping soundly and Chopper was working hard at determining Nami's illness, a cold pack resting on her forehead as he worked. Kaien and Kureha sat beside a fire, both sipping on hot tea. Kaien's scarf was once again around his neck, and the honey in the tea was soothing his throat. There was silence for a while, it was companionable, but wasn't awkward either. Until it was broken.
"I know who you are." Kureha stated suddenly. Kaien glanced over to her without moving his head. Kureha was staring at him in turn, head tilted slightly.
"I've heard stories of you. Tales of the man whose strength overpowers even the sea." She says softly, eyes locked onto him. Kaien stared right back at her.
"Stories, tales, rumours, myths, legends. They're exactly what their name suggests." He retorts quietly, but with a ferocity that suggests discontinuing the conversation. Kureha prides herself on noticing such recommendations, and ignoring them.
"All rumours have truth in them, and from what I know, that particular story is the truest of them all." She continued. Kaien remained silent, eyes turning towards the fire.
"I know of a few other rumours, ones that I find particularly interesting." She said, ignoring when Kaien's hands clenched on to arms of the chair.
"This man, who has control over the sea, has a power that can change the tide of wars, a power that can destroy and rebuild empires." Kureha glanced at Kaien's face as she persisted. "His greatest strength is also his most debilitating weakness, the price of his power his sharp but its benefit's great, and also…" She paused. "Deadly to all those around him." Kaien's chair creaked ominously as his fingers clenched tighter. He took a few deep breaths and slowly relaxed.
"However I see you have enough control that it is not as large a danger as the tales would suggest." She finished. Kaien turned his eyes onto her, the usually light grey dark with swirling, containing fury. She laughed slightly.
"I heard that your rage was your greatest fault. Many think you the epitome of calm, but we know the truth don't we?" She asked, smirking slightly as she climbed to her feet. After a moment she turned and walked over to one of the shelves, leaving Kaien staring contemplatively into the fire.