TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! So as a birthday gift to my readers I decided to update a day early. ENJOY!
Oh my, where were we? Oh that's right, we need to kick Kaze's butt. Let's do that, shall we?
Zoro entered the mind space, seeing the circle of light and willing it to widen further so to reveal his opponent "No hiding in the shadows for you," he growled menacingly.
"I'm impressed child," Kaze sneered "in the short time you've had control you've mastered your powers to a level none before in history have ever achieved."
"Aw," Zoro mocked "your compliments always make me feel so warm and fuzzy, too bad you're a raging psychopath!"
The wind spirit squealed in rage before flowing forward to stand nose to nose with Zoro "And it's too bad you're an imbecile with no vision for the future!"
"My cub has plenty vision," Tora roared as he padded his immense bulk over to stand beside the swordsman "you're merely throwing a temper tantrum like a spoiled brat merely because his vision doesn't coincide with yours. What are you going to do now, stamp your feet and scream until you get your way? Bully him into siding with you? My cub is many things, but a weak willed fool he most certainly is NOT! Zoro will never bend to your machinations!"
Zoro smiled at the tiger beside him, warmth filling his heart over Tora's impassioned defense. He truly would miss the spirit.
Once again a pang of grief stung the man down to his very soul making his hands clench and his handsome features darken. How could he live without Tora? This tiger, strange as it may seem, was the closest thing to a father that Zoro had ever known besides his master. Though the man had loved Zoro as a son, his relationship with his sensei always felt somewhat strained. Even as his master showed how much he cared, there was this underlying sadness that always pervaded the man's gaze, making Zoro feel guilt even in the moments of his greatest achievements. Tora was different. This spirit came to know Zoro, and understood him like no one else has, besides perhaps Luffy. Tora adopted him as his cub and has never failed to comfort or console him in the darkest moments or cheer him on and congratulate him when he succeeded on a particularly difficult task.
Like a lightening shot to the head Zoro realized that somehow along the way Zoro had developed a bond with the tiger that he wasn't willing to give up. But how could he keep his relationship with Tora and pursue his dream? He couldn't have both.
The swordsman shook his head, he couldn't afford to be distracted right now the crew and Tora were counting on him to win this fight so he could finish his escape, defeat Rosso and finally get back to the Sunny for a well-deserved rest alongside his crew. They were putting their lives on the line for him at this very moment just by taking the chance to raid a Marine stronghold, granted its now on their side, but they didn't know that when they decided to come. He would not dishonor their efforts by losing this battle! Glancing over at Kaze, Zoro smirked, she was now screaming in Tora's face making his whiskers ripple with the force of her bellows. The tiger however merely looked on, his feline features drawn in abject boredom, the very picture of strained tolerance as he endured her barrage of verbal abuse. It almost the moss headed man chuckle, but he couldn't distract Kaze and remind her of his presence, he needed just one more moment to prepare for this battle.
Closing his eyes, the man focused on three very specific objects, straining to bring them (or at least their image) into this spirit world. It's been months since he held them, much less fought with them, but he still remembered their weight, their smell, their texture as he held them in his hands. It had been too long, but today, he was going to take them back and regain his title as their master. Like mist three long thin shapes appeared in the air, their image shimmering but slowly gaining clarity and the swordsman couldn't fight back the smile that stretched itself across his features. Opening his arms like a father welcoming home his children, Zoro willed them into his hands, muscular fingers clasped around the two hilts and his jaw clicking as he locked it into place around the familiar mouthful. His katana were back, and Kaze was in trouble.
…..
"Alright Biggles, let's get back to work."
Rosso sauntered into his lab, donning a pair of plastic gloves, smiling when they gave a satisfying snap only to pull up in a halt, his mouth agape with horror. The lab was devoid of life, the lights still turned off and on the table where he had previously left his experiment, lie only empty straps. Where was his specimen? Rosso felt his chest heave as panic and outrage warred across his features.
Stomping over to the examination table, the scientist fingered the sea stone straps, flipping them back and forth as he searched for any sign of damage that would clue him into just how the creature escaped. However the straps were clean, perfect, still shining with the leather treatment he had used on them a few days earlier. Which could only mean one thing…
"Biggles," Rosso snarled as he whirled towards the door.
"If he thinks he's going to take my experiment from me, and take all of my research all to tout it as his own, he's got another thing coming," the scientist rushed through the lab in a desperate bid for the door "but first, I must get my specimen back!"
…..
"ZOR-!"
A delicate fist with monstrous strength slammed into the captain's head, sending him straight to the ground "LUFFY!" Nami shrieked holding her steaming fist as she panted from exertion "How many times do we have to tell you to be quiet?!"
Luffy merely pouted "Why does everyone keep hitting me?" he whined petulantly "I'm trying to find Zoro!"
"The marines are taking us to him, but we have to be quiet so Rosso doesn't know we're here until we ambush him," the navigator explained through gritted teeth.
"Who cares if he knows?" the captain shrugged "I'm going to beat him up anyway."
"Zoro would care if Rosso decides to kill him," Sanji threw in, his visible eye deathly serious as he took a long drag from his cigarette "besides, what if he just thinks he'll take the ship and leave without us, escaping with Zoro and we'll have to search for him all over again."
Luffy pursed his lips in thoughtful silence, cocking his head as the gears turned allowing him to process the options presented to him on what would happen should Rosso be alerted of their presence too early. Finally with a decisive nod, the boy grinned up at his crew "Alright, I'll be quiet, but I get first dibs on Rosso,"
The Straw Hats smiled fondly at their captain, shaking their heads at his condition for staying silent "Fine," Nami agreed with a roll of her eyes "we can agree to that."
"I…" a small quavering voice broke through the conversation causing all to turn their gaze on the youngest crew member "I can't,"
Luffy frowned, his cobalt eyes assessing as Chopper slowly approached his captain "I'm sorry Luffy," the reindeer hiccupped softly "but I can't agree to letting you attack Rosso first."
"Why?"
The raven haired boy already knew, understood and even agreed to Chopper's reasoning but he wanted to hear it for himself. He wanted the confirmation to the feeling in his gut about their little doctor, and he especially wanted Chopper to validate it to himself. Luffy didn't understand why this was important, but his instincts were screaming that this was an important stepping stone for the reindeer, one that he couldn't afford to miss.
"It-It's," large tears welled up in Chopper's eyes dripping down his cheeks in trembling waves before the youngest ducked his head in shame and bellowed "It's MY FAULT!"
Each of the crew drew in a collective breath, each grieving for their little brother and each wishing to comfort him but the look in their captain's eyes bid them to stay so they did. Chopper sobbed in convulsing jerks, his little shoulders pumping with each breath heaved into his chest "It's all my fault," he wailed "if I had been stronger, if I hadn't gotten caught so easily then Zoro would never even had to have eaten the Devil Fruit, he wouldn't be HERE! Zoro's always protecting me, he's always there. I'm not stupid, I know that over half the damage he takes during a fight is from protecting us…protecting me. That's why I nag him, that's why I force him to keep his bandages on, I want him to get better, but I hate seeing my weakness permanently scarred into HIS skin!"
Drawing his hoof under his nose to swipe away the remaining tears, Chopper finally fixed his captain with a burning gaze of both shame and determined fury "Now it's my turn," he stated with an animalistic snarl "it's my turn to give back everything I owe him. It won't make us even, he's done too much for one rescue to make up for all the scars I'm responsible for, but it will mean that for once I stepped up and protected my crew instead of being a coward! I'm going to get stronger, strong enough to protect everyone, strong enough that Zoro will never have to put his life on the line for me again, and that starts today! So I can't let you fight Rosso first, not until I show him that using me to get to Zoro was the worst idea he's ever had!"
Luffy's face was a careful neutral, but the boy's mouth twitched as he valiantly fought against the grin fighting its way onto his features "You're sure?" he asked solemnly.
"Yes!"
"What you're asking for is a man's fight, you'll be completely on your own without our help, that's how it works," Luffy continued "that's what you want?"
Chopper gave a firm nod "One-on-one, by myself, no interruptions."
The captain paused before finally allowing his signature smile to spill across his face "Ok, I understand, you get to beat him up first."
Sanji watched this exchange with a fond smirk, one hand casually reaching up to run delicate fingers across the hilts of the swords he still carried across his back. The swords practically vibrated against his shoulder blades, giving an almost imperceptible pull towards their master. The chef frowned, closing his eyes and focusing on the swords, listening with his heart as he had only recently learned to do, trying to gain understanding as to why they carried a new feeling of urgency. The experience at the market when the swords had basically spoke to him had freaked the blond out enough, but it was only after that that Sanji had truly sat down and realized that the swords were more than mere hunks of stunningly sharp metal. In fact after so many weeks carrying Zoro's dream Sanji had come to a better understanding of the moss head's reverence for his blades. They had their own unique personalities, and right now they were singing with excitement.
Something had changed, something important.
Curly brows furrowed as the cook considered this new revelation. What was that moss headed idiot doing? The blades once again gave the barest of tugs, like obedient dogs being called by their master but were held back by an outside force. The dark blade, Sandai Kitetsu Zoro called it, in particular held a very loud presence that Sanji began to notice mere days after holding it. Now the cook understood why Zoro meditated so much, he too had taken to quiet moments alone in an effort to calm the raging bloodlust of the black blade. However it wasn't calling for blood at that moment, it was calling, its strong voice keening as it snarled to be restored to its true master. This could only mean one thing, Zoro himself was calling to them, which also meant…Sanji's eyes snapped wide as he was hit by revelatory lightening.
Zoro had reclaimed his dream, he had finally succeeded in his mission. Their swordsman had returned.
Whew….that was strangely exhausting to write. At any rate, TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! So as a particular birthday wish, please…
REVIEW!