I immediately hold my breath, shaking my head to dispel the gas. Maybe it will disperse if I just wait. Hold your breath. Magellan chuckled.

"Have you forgotten Rose? Poison is apart of me, and I can control it how I want to."

He raised his hand, catching the purple gas in his hand. He spun it between his fingers and then gently eased it into my nose.

It was like coke bubbles coming up in my nose. I snorted, squirming away from the uncomfortable sensation. I felt the poison drip down my throat, congealing in my lungs. I cough, leaning over, trying my hardest to get that awful stuff out of my body. That is my top priority right now.

I was barely aware of Magellan standing straight, and giving Sadi-chan instructions.

"You have to give her this antidote within the hour, or she will die. Be careful too. All people grow stronger in fear."

"Yes sir."

Fear? What did he mean? He called his attack hallucination. Did he literally make me breathe pure LSD? Oh how perfectly wonderful. I kept my eyes on Sadi-chan. I know she is real. I just need to focus on her. She was just leaning up against the wall. I just got to keep my mind clear is all, right?

Sometimes, when I expect something, I remain completely lucid, like my nightmares. One time, I was chosen to be a performing hypnotist's person, and I expected it, so stayed awake. Another, for surgery of my wisdom teeth, I expected the anesthesia, so I accidently woke up during the surgery. I just hope this comes to my advantage.

Breathe in, breathe out. Try to keep your mind clear. Zoro had taught me how to meditate some time ago on the crew, to focus your mind. So that's what I am doing. I keep repeating my mantra, my eyes not leaving Sadi-chan for a second, even though I saw strange things dance past outside the cell, like a seaking, Doflamingo, and even Luffy. Ignore them, concentrate on Sadi-chan. She is smiling at something.

"How is it Rose-chan? Feel the fear yet?"

Steady breaths, don't answer, don't lose focus. Sadi-chan sighs.

"This is boring."

She stood straight and walked to the door. No, she can't leave. What am I supposed to concentrate on if you leave? My breath hitched, disrupting my rhythm. Well crap. Sadi-chan chuckled.

"Aww, you don't want me to go? Don't worry, I will be right back."

She walked out the door, leaving me alone in a room. I see flashes of green and see the cell turn into a forest. I shake my head, screwing my eyes shut. Ok, find something else. I hear a rattle. Ah, the chair. No matter who comes and goes in this place, I will always be chained to this chair.

I ignore the birds tweeting happily in the tree branches and tell myself things I most definetely know. I am Rose, a Strawhat pirate. I am captured with Zoro in Impel Down. Luffy is the pirate king. He survived the war yesterday. I am chained to this chair.

I kept repeating this in my head, ignoring everything else. At least I have to be safe inside my mind. For the next hour, I ignore everything else going on outside my physical body. Mind over matter. It's just an hour. I think of all the things that can last an hour. A workout, a class, homework session, a roadtrip. Um, I'm struggling here. Point is I can survive this.

"I'm back!"

The sing song voice filled my heart with dread. Nope, ignore her. She is not real as far as I am concerned. I am strictly focusing on myself. My name is Rose. I am a Strawhat pirate.

"You didn't miss me?"

I am captured with Zoro in Impel Down. Luffy is the pirate king.

"Come on Rose-chan."

He survived the war yesterday. I am chained to this chair.

"I brought a friend."

My mantra officially dispelled, I sit up straight.

"Rose? What's going on?"

No, that voice. You witch, I want to kill you so badly.

No Rose, it's not real. Ignore it. Zoro isn't here. He is back in his cell. It isn't real, you have to know that or all is lost.

"Rose, what's wrong? Look at me."

No, I can't. I will not open my eyes. He isn't here. Sadi-chan giggled.

"I thought I would bring him in for some fun, seeing as you are preoccupied."

Fun? No, no. I won't fall into the trap, won't take the bait. Relax, breathe.

"Rose, what is wrong?"

His voice sounds so gentle. I decide to humor it.

"Magellen gave me a hallucination poison. I don't know if you are real or not. I need you to prove you are real."

I heard chains jingle as if someone was walking toward me. I feel a hand on my wrist.

"Is this proof enough?"

I relax slightly. That hand, I have felt it many times. I can sense its strength and power. This had to be Zoro.

Wait, Magellen said senses right? What if he meant touch as well as sight and hearing? What if he is an illusion? I shake my head.

"That's not proof Zoro."

I hear high heels stalk over.

"I know something that can get her eyes open."

No, don't you touch him! You can't, he's injured. I pull against my chains, and I remember. As far as I know, everything in this room is a figment of my imagination, and the only thing anchoring me to reality is this chair and these chains. My name is Rose. I am a strawhat pirate. I am captured in Impel Down with Zoro. Luffy is the pir-

The sudden crack and grunt of pain makes me jump. Nope, don't fall for it.

"Haha, now Zoro-kun, I need you to scream for me."

"Rose."

Another crack, and something splattered. Nope, it's not real. I am so tempted, to open my eyes and see what's going on, but I don't. If I open my eyes, it makes it real. Nope nope, not listening.

But what if? What if that poison was just an act, and Zoro really was getting tortured right in front of me, and I refused to help because I thought it wasn't real? I take a deep breath, preparing myself. One peek, that's all. That couldn't hurt me that much.

I cracked one eye carefully.

Zoro was kneeling in front of me with Sadi-chan directly behind him, raising her whip again. An evil grin crossed her face, as our eyes met.

"Ah, there you are."

Nope, this was a mistake. I shouldn't have opened my eyes. I saw the whip crack and Zoro's face contstirct with pain. I threw myself against the chains.

"No, stop!"

I forgot about the poison as the whip fell over and over. I saw the blood splatter, pain, obvious pain, cross Zoro's face over and over again. Sadi-chan laughed insanely.

"Come on Rose-chan. I thought you cared about him. Don't you want to save your nakama?"

Gosh darn it Sadi-chan, this is far worse then anything you have ever done to me. Zoro gives me the weakest look, that is so not Zoro at all as the whip fell once again. I am literally trying to leap out of the chair at this point, struggling to make this horrible nightmare end. She will kill him. She will honestly kill him if I don't do something.

The rattling of chains, my chains on my chair, the only thing real in this room, draws me out of my panic mode. Crap, I have to ignore it. I have to know if this is real or fake, and I don't know how to figure out which is which. Oh, wait. A ghost whisper from the past whisks through my brain.

Instincts.

That's right. My current mind is in a panic right now, not being able to detect anything right now. However, instincts should be able to know if I need to rescue Zoro or not.

Ok, ignore everything. Sight of Zoro being tortured, sound of his pained groans. Ignore everything. Usually I can feel some instinct that pulls on me to save a crewmate, especially Zoro. Now this has to be true instinct, not something I think is instinct but is actually something my mind came up with. Actual instinct.

Over the years, I had gotten quite good at tapping into instincts whenever I wanted. So I take a deep breath and freeze.

I feel my heartbeat, sped up due to the adrenaline, my body aches to protect my nakama. My mind is whirling, but I disregard that and just concentrate on tapping into my instincts. Come on, tell me something I need to hear. After a few seconds, my answer comes back with certainty.

I feel nothing. No pull whatsoever to try to save Zoro. So it must be fake right? If I feel no instinct to save Zoro of all people, then it must be fake.

Then Zoro seals the deal.

"Rose, help."

I stiffen, opening my eyes again. Zoro has fallen straight on his stomach, no longer kneeling, but his back is a mess. It looks like a bloody mass, skin hanging off in ribbons. He is breathing hard, but I refuse to believe now. I give a small smirk.

"No, you are fake."

Zoro would never ask me for help, no matter how injured. I'm sure he would if he was dying, but not when I am chained up like this. He know how guilty I would feel that I couldn't save him, even though I know I can't. My instincts have to be right. I am putting all my money on my choice, and God help me if I am wrong.

So with finality, I shut my eyes and tell myself to disregard everything.

It is so hard though with Zoro crying out to me, thinking I can help him, and Sadi-chan laughing as she hurts my poor swordsman. I practically feel it pulling my mind apart. I'm slowly going insane. That's it, I have finally reached insanity.

I know it is not real, but that doesn't make the idea of it, or the action any easier to deal with. Just the thought of Zoro being tortured makes my skin crawl. I just want this to end. So I kept myself busy by repeating my mantra until the words had lost all meaning, they were just something to keep my mind off of the horrific scene in front of me.

Even when I heard the breathing of three turn into the breathing of two, I refused to open my eyes.

"Woah, congrats on making it this far. You are one heartless bitch Rose-chan."

Don't say that. You make it seem real.

"Now, let's see how brave you are now."

I hear a crunch and the same clipping sound of the metal hitting together and so much pain. My eyes jerk open to see my fingers dropping to the floor. I gasp in horror and let out a moan of pain. It hurts, almost like it is real. Zoro's body is lying lifelessly in front of me. Oh my gosh, what if I was wrong? Sadi-chan took the fingers in my other hand.

"Come on Rose-chan, scream for me."

No, I can't. I don't want t-

Pain worse then anything else I had ever felt ripped through my body. I couldn't help it. I ignored my rule and screamed, putting every ounce of frutration, fear, and pain in that scream. I want this to end. Curse Sadi-chan. Curse Magellan. Curse everything. I just want this to end.

Sadi-chan took my fingers, and put them in a bowl.

"Yes, that's very nice of you."

I had lost it at this point. All rationality, all lucidness had fled my mind the instant pain entered it. Oh my gosh I am weak, so weak. I know I am. Make it end. Sadi-chan took my sword again in her fingers.

"Now, let's do some more damage with this thing."

She slammed it against my upper arm, flat of the blade first, into my burn.

I choked back a scream, barely, but I slumped in my chair. Tears of pain are streaming down my cheeks. I don't know if I am crying or not, but this pain, it can't be fake. It has to be real.

Then something stings into my arm, like a wasp sting, or an injection. Sadi-chan melts into nothingness and reappears beside me, holding a needle to my arm. I know I must look like a complete wreck, eyes wide, panic stricken, tears streaming down my cheeks, slumped down. I know I must look horrible.

Right, make sure it was all fake.

I bolt straight up. My fingers are intact, and no corpse of Zoro adorns the floor.

It was fake. Oh thank goodness.

"Oh Rose-chan, those were the most delicious screams I have ever heard."

I was too tired and happy to care what she thought. She unchained me and I fell out of the chair to the floor, not caring in the slightest. Give me a few minutes to get everything in my mind back in order. My fingers were still tingling from the pain.

Wait, I am untied. I could get to the door and escape.

I try to get up and instantly fall over. What? My body feels so heavy, heavier then I had ever felt no matter what I experienced. I fell over on my side, trying to fuel my body to move. Please body, I don't ask you for much, just move.

"Nope Rose-chan. The antidote to this poison makes the person weak for the time being."

I relax in my struggling. I hate this poison with a passion. I want Magellan to burn in level four for it. Sadi-chan crouched next to me, a smile on her face.

"Come on, back to your cell."

She picked me up, almost gently. I struggled against her hands, but she cooed.

"Relax Rose-chan."

Yeah right, relax when you are carrying me. That's hilarious. That's like a mouse walking straight up and lying down in the cat's paws. My body however, didn't mind in the slightest, and felt completely at ease. Stupid horrible drugs. I will never again take anything.

We started our walk back to my cell and I had to pinch myself to stay awake. After the huge panic attack, I was ready for a nap again. I hated that I was so weak in front of the enemy that had plagued me the most, the one who had seen me at my weakest. Gosh, I hate it. I should have listened to my stupid instincts.

"How long am I going to be like this?"

Sadi-chan giggled.

"Not long Rose-chan. You should be back to your normal firey self in no time."

Great, the sooner the better. I closed my eyes.

"How much did you see?"

Sadi-chan smirked.

"I saw you just trying to talk to yourself mostly. I didn't see anything. You looked like you almost had it, and then about three minutes to the hour time, you lost it."

I chuckled faintly.

"Yeah, my bad."

Sadi-chan gripped my chin in her hand, her fingernails cutting cruelly into my cheeks.

"Oh don't be sorry Rose-chan. That was the most exhilerating thing I've had in a long time."

I hear the door clanging open, and I am tossed unceremoniously into my cell.

"Bye Rose-chan. It was great having fun with you."

I hear her walk, cackling down the hall. Oh man, I survived.