Chapter 13: Stop The Prophecy at All Costs! Zoro Vs. The Straw Hats
The transformation had finished as the scale-covered Zoro was released from his bindings. As the scaly body stood up slowly from the chair, Robin took this time to lunge forward, brandishing Wado and aiming for Miyakuro. Tears fell from her eyes as she rushed forward and yelled, "I'll kill you!" As she prepared to plunge the blade deep into Miyakuro's chest, Zoro got in between the two and caught the blade with his fingers. As a sizzling sound emanated from his fingertips, Zoro's eyes opened for the first time since the transformation, and they were a malefic shade of red that looked as if you were gazing into the fiery pits of Hell. Robin tried to break the blade free from the grip of Zoro. "Zoro, let go. We have to stop this. We can stop this," she pleaded as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks. Her pleas fell upon deaf ears, as the soulless Zoro continued to hold onto the blade with his two fingers. "You Have Failed Maiden. You And Your World Are Mine To Destroy," said the possessed Miyakuro from behind Zoro. "Get Rid Of Her. We'll Proceed To The Mountaintop And Conquer This World," he said as Zoro let go of the blade and shoved Robin, sending her flying out of the cave and into the sea just beyond the entrance. After seeing Robin and the sword splash into the sea, the two members of darkness proceeded to leave the cave and head towards the mountaintop.
"Strong Right!" The shout continued to ring out as a large hand plunged into the water, grabbing a hold of the sinking raven-haired woman. She barely opened her eyes as she felt the large hand grip around her delicate frame. With all of her might, she gripped the handle and sheathe of the sword as tight as possible as the chain connected to it quickly grew taut and began to retract, hauling the hand and its catch back to the surface. As the archaeologist broke the surface of the water, she gasped and breathed in the salty sea air and the visages of Franky, Brook, and Luffy became clear. "Robin," the group collectively shouted as she continued to catch her breath. As she coughed up sea water, she frantically asked, "Where's...Zo...ro...at?" The trio of men looked at each other confusedly, responding with, "We thought he was here." While Brook and Luffy helped Robin stand up, Franky reattached his hand to his arm and continued with, "We lost sight of you as you ran ahead, but we eventually found the cave and were about to go in, but we saw you in the water. What happened?"
As the question left Franky's lips, Robin's eyes began to tear up once more, and she fell to her knees. Her raven-colored hair draped over her face as the tears continued to fall. "I failed," muttered the woman in a monotonous voice as the men continued to look at her. "What was that, Ms. Robin? We couldn't hear," said the skeleton gentleman as the three leaned in. "I failed," she shouted as she completely broke down and cried her eyes out nearly similar to her confession for life while at Enies Lobby. She leaned forward and grabbed a hold of Luffy's shoulder as she continued to bawl. "Please, Luffy. You have to help me save him. I...I...," said the archaeologist as she paused at the start of the phrase. The three men looked even more confused now. "You what, Robin" questioned the captain who has been lending his shoulder this entire time. "I love him. I love Zoro," she said as she confessed the few nakama that were present. Franky and Brook both began to cry tears of joy over this pure emotional display by the generally stoic woman. "Please, Luffy. Promise me that you'll save him," requested the raven-haired woman as she looked up from his shoulder. Luffy placed his hand onto the woman's shoulder, causing her to look up at his face. "We'll save him Robin. Besides, he still has to become the world's greatest swordsman," said the young captain as he gave his trademark confident grin.
With the assurance of her captain aiding her, Robin stood up and said, "We need to head back to the ship and grab the others. They are gonna try and perform the ritual soon, we'll need everyone to stop this from happening." Her legs were still a little weak from the exposure to the sea, so Franky offered to carry her along. She politely refused and made her way on by her own strength. She felt as though a huge weight has been lifted off of her since she made her confession. "I can't believe I said that. I didn't think I was worthy to have such feelings, but I'm glad to be proven wrong," thought the woman as the quartet of pirates made their way back to the Thousand Sunny. As the thoughts continued to race through her head that convinced her of her declaration, Robin began to pick up speed as trio of men followed closely behind her. Within moments, they were on what remained of the dock after their vigorous battle the previous night.
As the rescue party climbed onto the ship, they saw that Chopper had patched up the remaining Straw Hats as well as all of their unconscious attackers. "Suuuper work, Chopper," said Franky as he patted the exhausted reindeer on the back. "Were you able to get to Zoro in time," asked Usopp as reloaded his pockets with his various ammo. Robin took a breath and said, "Unfortunately no, but we'll be fine. He hasn't transformed yet, and they still need the other two swords to complete the ritu..." Her sentence was stopped midway by a crash inside of the cabin followed by a scream for help. Nami opened up the door to see Mamiya struggling to have a grip on Sandai Kitetsu and Shuusui with the last dark wolf. "Someone please help me," screamed the old lady as she lost her grip of the swords. "Don't let that wolf get away. It's got the swords," hollered the raven-haired woman as the crew members tried to grab a hold of the thieving wolf. Even though they were somewhat healed, their bodies were not up to par with trying to catch a wolf. Even the expert sniper of the crew was getting bleary-eyed from fatigue and missed. Even with the swords in its mouth, the wolf was able to make its escape and head towards the mountain.
"Quickly, everyone. We have to stop them from giving your nakama all three swords," said Mamiya as the group tried to recover from their attempts at catching the wolf. The crews' stomachs growled as they began to fall to their knees one after another. Franky's pompadour fell flat as his cola reserves became depleted as well. Sanji stood up shakily as he made his way to the kitchen, saying, "Hold on, guys. I have something that will help." Not a moment later, the cook popped back into the cabin with a large supply of bento boxes. "I made these when Robin and the guys left earlier. They should give us the vigor that we need, but I can't guarantee how long it'll last," he said as he passed them out to his crew, making a special quadruple-sized one for his captain. Sanji also tossed over three cold bottles of cola to Franky, to which the cyborg thanked him and swapped out the empty bottles. "SUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuPER ," shouted the blue-haired man as his energy was replenished by the cola. The crew began to stand up, one by one, filled with new energy and ready to save Zoro.
"Come on, everyone. We have to head up there now. Franky, can you shoot the Sunny up there," asked the captain. "Franky shook his head saying, "Sorry, Luffy, but Sunny would overshoot where we need to be. But, I do have something new we can try." The crew looked at Franky with look of confusion. The shipwright motioned for the crew to follow him out onto the deck as he went to the Docking System. He threw the switches that would lead to Nami's waver as he explained, "I don't have enough of those dials to recreate Nami's waver, but after testing the power of her dial, I converted it into my cola-powered calculations. Behold, your personal Cola Riders." As the crew made their way to where the mini-vehicles were kept, they saw that there had been a waver-like vehicle made for each member of the crew. "The controls are just like that of the waver, but the power source is two cola bottles instead of a Jet Dial. These should get us to the top before that stupid wolf does," said the cyborg as he struck a pose. The starry-eyed faces of Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper filled with delight as they ran over to their vehicles. "This is no time to be drooling over them," said Nami as she promptly hit the three of them, with Robin following up with, "Nami is right. We need to leave now and save Zoro." With that said, the Straw Hats loaded up onto their new rides and drove out through the side of the ship, making their way to the top of the mountain.
The eight pirates drove their way through the trails up to the mountaintop, seeing Zoro and Miyakuro but no sign of the wolf with the two swords. "Alright, let's beat this guy up and save Zoro," said Luffy as he revved his engine and sped forward, with the other Straw Hats following suit. Miyakuro looked towards the sound of the cola-powered engines to see the pirates closing in. "Well Look Here, Zoro. Your Friends Have Come To Save You. Destroy Them," he said as the black scale-covered Zoro looked at his crew members and began to run towards them. "Oi, Zoro. We've come to resc...," said the raven-haired captain as he was cut short by Zoro's fist coming across his face. The rider continued forward and crashed into a tree as Luffy was sent flying in the opposite direction. "What the hell, Zoro? We're here to save...," said the captain as Zoro had ran over to him throwing another punch. The monkey-like boy dodged the punch as his mind-controlled nakama's fist shattered the tree that was behind Luffy into splinters. "Luffy, Zoro is not himself. We can't reason with him in this state," said Robin as she came within earshot of her captain. "Oh, so I have to beat up Zoro? Ok then. We still need to settle that fight from back at Whisky Peak," said Luffy as a grin appeared on his face.
The listless eyes of Zoro focused onto the raven-haired man as the two ran towards each other. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol Shot," said Luffy as he launched his standard punch and pulled onto his stretched arm, causing it to shake and deliver multiple punches. Each of the punches struck into his nakama's chest and stomach, forcing the swordsman to stop advancing. He caught one of the punches and pulled his captain towards him. As Luffy flew forward, the ship's chef leaped from his rider and over his captain to land a kick, shouting "Collier Shoot." Sanji's heel connected with Zoro's neck, sending the swordsman flying into a nearby boulder, shattering the giant stone into rubble. "Thanks, Sanji," said the captain as his blond-haired nakama landed next to him, but before he could reply, the pile of rocks began to move with Zoro standing back up and staring at them with soulless eyes. "Luffy, let's go," said Sanji as he prepared to kick. Luffy nodded and jumped up landing onto the chef's leg. "Armée de L'Air Gomu Shoot," said Sanji as he kicked Luffy towards their nakama. As the rubberman flew towards the green-haired man, he extended his arm to his side, saying, "Gomu Gomu no." As his arm connected with his first-mate's neck, he continued to follow through with his attack, effectively clotheslining his nakama as he finished his attack, saying, "Kama."
As the swordsman crashed into the ground once again, the remaining Straw Hats were able to pull up next to Sanji as Luffy made his way to the cook as well. Miyakuro saw Robin hop off of her rider, prompting Yamoniyo to become angered. "Why Won't That Bitch Stay Dead," questioned the infuriated Yamoniyo inside Miyakuro's mind. "Why don't we just have Zoro change into the dragon now and have him eat his friends or something," questioned Miyakuro as Yamoniyo replied, "We Need All Three Swords To Complete The Transformation." "But wouldn't one sword at least change him part of the way or something?" "True. But If You Give Him This Sword, I Will Be With Zoro, And You Will Not Be At Full Strength Should They Decide To Attack You." "They'll be too busy with you and Zoro to notice me." As the internal conversation ended, Miyakuro threw the onyx sword at the controlled Zoro, instructing him to catch. With an outstretched arm, Zoro caught the sword, and the swordsman's body began to convulse. Looks of concern and dread began to appear on the faces of the Mugiwaras as Zoro's body began to change, protrusions broke through the skin along his spine and claws sprouted from his fingertips and tore through the toes of his shoes. The swordsman's green hair grew longer, his mouth and nose began to form a snout, and two small horns began to break through the skin on his forehead.
Zoro stood up and opened his eyes, the whites of his eyes now an abyssmal black color. "Ah. I Have Waited Centuries To Feel This Strength Once More. Once The Other Two Swords Arrive, I Shall Plunge This World Into Eternal Darkness," said Yamoniyo as began to move around the arms, getting use to the body. "Oh no. The demon has taken over Zoro's body. We have to defeat him before the other two swords arrive," said Robin as everyone nodded in agreement. "So, Flower Maiden, It Seems That You Have Failed To Stop Me. I Shall Have The Personal Pleasure Of Ripping You Limb From Li...," started Yamoniyo a kick connected with his newly-acquired face. The possessed Zoro flew off into a wall of rock, shattering the massive amount of stone and crumbling all around him. Sanji landed delicately in front of Robin where Yamoniyo had just stood, having a look of disdain on his face as he looked at his opponent. "No one threatens a woman in front of me and walks away unharmed. Not even my nakama," said the blond-haired chef as he spat out his cigarette. Robin gasped as she watched the Zoro's body fly, saying to Sanji, "Sanji, be careful of your moves. That is still Zoro."
As Sanji was about to apologize to the raven-haired archaeologist, the sounds of tumbling stone caught everyone's attention as Zoro's body stood up amongst the rubble. A crisp sound fills the air as Yamoniyo cracks Zoro's neck while a sinister grin creeps across demonic man's face. His eyes scour the battlefield until they lock with those of the blond-haired man. "So. The Cook Wants To Die First. Very Well Then, I'll Be Happy To Ablige," said Yamoniyo as he unsheathed Zenmetsu Ichimonji as began to go into a stance that catches Brook's nonexistent eyes. "Franky-san, he's about to use his flying blade attack. Quickly change the air current," said the gentleman skeleton as Franky understood the request and struck a pose of his own, filling his forearms with carbon dioxide gas. "Sanjyu Roku..." "COOOOOUUUUUUUUPPPP DE..." "POUNDO GOKA." "VEEEEENNT." A malevolent black flame flew through the air towards chef with great speed as the blast of air from the shipwright's arms caused a torrent of air to whip and churn in front of his comrade. The air change was enough to change the aim of the attack to just off to the blond-haired man's left, causing the trees to be destroyed and blazed. "Sanji-san, you must be more careful. This is not our nakama, and he is far stronger than before," said the observant musician as Yamoniyo thought to himself, "This Strength Is Incredible. It Is Far Beyond What I had Expected, Even For A Man Of Roronoa." He turned his focus onto the rest of the Strawhats as he stared at the menacingly, saying "Well, Looks Like Everyone Is Eager To Die." He sinister grin reappeared onto his face as he began to launch his assault on the Strawhats.
As the assault for the world's future continued along the mountaintop, the battle seemed to have been on another world as Zoro opened up his eyes. Once the bleariness had cleared up, he saw a series of bars in front of him. He tried to move forward but was held in his place. He looked to see his limbs had been stretched out and shackled to the wall at his wrists and ankles. Zoro begins to fight against the restraints, forcing his limbs to the point of nearly snapping but to no avail. "There's No Point In Struggling. I'm In Control Here," said an all too familiar voice as Yamoniyo appeared in front of Zoro, using the guise of his current embodiment. Zoro's eyes widened when he saw this new form, as his visions from the crow's nest raced into his mind once more. Being the type of person that he is, he was still going to try and figure a way out of here, but he needed more information on where 'here' actually is. "So, where are we now, another stupid cave along another stupid coast of this stupid island, and where's your lackey? I thought you needed him in order to move around," asked the green-haired pirate as continued to visually assess his surroundings. The bleak darkness ungulfed his surroundings causing him to strain his eyes to view any details.
"Actually, We Are Currently Within Your Mind," said Yamoniyo as he saw what Zoro was trying to do, adding "But As You Can See, I've Taken Complete Control Of Both Your Mind And Body." "So, what now? You here to bore me to death with your whole 'I won, You lost' drivel," snarked the swordsman as he struggled against his bindings. "Not Quite. I'm Here To Show You What We Are Doing To Your Nakama," said the malicious entity as he created a portal-like window, giving Zoro a first-person-view of him fighting against his fellow Straw Hats, causing them pain. A fire of rage grew in Zoro's eyes has he looked at Yamoniyo with a gaze that would stop a sea-king's heart. "You son of a BITCH," yelled the swordsman as he struggled even harder than before against his restraints, causing them to weaken and creak from the sheer force he was applying. A dark aura began to manifest around Zoro as he continued to fight his constraints, leaving Yamoniyo taken aback. The demonic being waved his hand, causing more restraints and bindings to appear off of the wall and encase the entirety of Zoro's limbs as a large shackle secured itself onto Zoro's waist as well. Scared a bit at the resiliency of the swordsman, Yamoniyo decided to escalate his threat by saying, "Now, Stay There And Watch As I Kill All Of Your Crewmates And Rip Out The Maiden's Heart With Your Own Two Hands." Yamoniyo laughed menacingly as he faded out of sight.
As the dark aura that had eminated from Zoro began to fade, he continued to struggle and fight against his bindings, but they were bound too tightly. The muscles in his neck flexed, veins bulging from his skin as he tried his hardest to break free. "It's no use," said an old raspy voice from the far corner of the room, causing Zoro to stop fighting the restraints. Zoro turned his head towards the source of sound and asked, "Who's there?" The sound of clinking chains echoed as an old man shambled as far as he could to come into view of the swordsman. "Who the hell are you, old guy," said the frustrated Zoro as his curiosity was taking over his concentration. The old man lifted up his head; his long gray hair with faded green streaks draped over his frail frame. "My name is Roronoa Jan."
Gomu Gomu no Pistol Shot – Rubber Rubber Pistol 'Shrapnel'
Collier Shoot – Neck Shoot
Armée de L'Air Gomu Shoot – Air Force Rubber Shoot
Gomu Gomu no Kama – Rubber Rubber Sickle
Sanjyu Roku Poundo Goka – 36 Caliber/Pound Hellfire
Coup de Vent – French for Wind Blow, but written in Kanji as Wind Cannon
Roronoa Jan – A play off of Zoro's namesake Francois L'Olonnais, whose real name was Jean-David Nau