As soon as Zoro noticed the presence of a threat he sprang up into action, taking up a defensive stance in front of Robin and the two strangers.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Robin asked as everything began to make sense. "This girl is under the influence of your devil fruit powers, and that's why she's acting the way she is. You're showing her an illusion."

The man that the two recognised as the magician gave a smug grin at that, shifting his attention away from the swordsman and towards her instead.

"Ahh, so you're familiar with who I am? Well in that case, we can skip the formal introductions and get right to the main performance."

"Cut the bullshit." Zoro snarled, maintaining his guarded stance so that he could be ready to attack at any time. "I don't know what you're trying to do here, but you're unlucky enough that we got here just in time to stop it."

"Oh? Confident are we?" The figure retorted back as his gaze returned to Zoro. "Though, you must be pretty ballsy, getting involved in a stranger's business like this. Ballsy but foolish."

Before Zoro could reply, Robin called out to him as another wave of realisation hit her.

"Zoro, the mist! That's what it is that's keeping her under his power!" Robin exclaimed as she realised the dense air that had been around them all this time had been the vessel needed for his devil fruit ability to take effect.

All that was left was the power of suggestion, and then all four of them would be in trouble.

"Take her away from here." Robin instructed the man beside her, eager to get them out of harm's way before things escalated further. "Once she's out of this air she'll be okay. Me and Zoro will make sure he can't go after you, so just try to get as far away here as you can."

The man nodded without hesitation, lifting the girl into his arms as gently as he could despite her attempts to force him away.

However, despite her resistance towards his touch he kept tight hold of her.

"Thank you-" He began to say, but Zoro cut him off before he could finish.

"Save all that for when you're actually out of this mess. Robin, go with them."

As Zoro spoke her name, she turned to face him, taken aback by his words.

She had expected to fight beside him. Did he really plan on challenging this guy all by himself?

"What? And leave you here to fight him alone?" Robin asked, the reluctance to leave obvious from her tone. "Zoro…"

"I can take this fraud of a magician. Go."

Robin exhaled quietly and nodded as she got up, looking first at the man and then to women in his arms.

Now was not the time to argue with Zoro about this. She needed to help them.

"Follow me."

*ロビン*ゾロ*

As Robin ran off, Zoro continued to block their path off from the magician.

"Why are you standing up for a bunch of fools who you don't even know?" He asked, as if unable to comprehend why the swordsman was challenging him. "You're pirates, correct? You don't even live on this island. So why protect them?"

Zoro chuffed, a small smirk appearing on his face. "I'm bored, that's all. I haven't had a fight in a while and seeing you use your cowardly devil fruit powers had me itching to cut you."

"Cowardly? I see." The magician laughed. "A big brute like you wouldn't understand the magnificence of it all, or the level of supremacy that comes with manipulating the mind."

"I've had enough of listening to you." Zoro shot back as he swung for the man in front of him, preparing to make a direct hit.

But just as the sword appeared to make contact with his chest, the magician disappeared into thin air, his silhouette replaced with that of smoke.

"You really are a fool." A voice whispered in his ear, causing Zoro to turn around rapidly and attack the air behind him.

However, just before he could land the hit on his target, the presence of the magician vanished once again, and so did his voice, which trailed off with the wind.

"What's with this pathetic game of hide and seek? You think you can win by just disappearing?" Zoro snarled in annoyance as he tried to locate him once again, but this time, using his observation haki to zone in on his aura.

"Don't underestimate me!" Zoro growled as he slashed towards the direction of the man's aura, but less than a millisecond before the attack hit, his aura changed location.

"Don't you underestimate me, boy. You're not the first haki user I've fought, and you won't be the last." The voice warned, switching locations once again. "I know how to confuse even the most grounded of men."

Zoro tried to fight the growing feeling of anger and instead focused on readying another attack, but just as he initiated the move a voice called out to him, halting him in his tracks.

"Zoro, watch out!"

Robin. She must have managed to get the two strangers away to safety and had now returned to join Zoro in battle. But despite hearing her voice, he couldn't actually see her.

"Where are you?" Zoro shouted back, unable to pinpoint her location in the small square around him.

He could just about sense her aura too, though much like the magician's it began to jump from location to location, never staying in one spot for too long.

"He's got you in his smoke. You need to find a way out of it, otherwise he'll continue to manipulate your mind." She shouted back, and it suddenly clicked.

So the enemy wasn't disappearing after all, and the versions of him that he kept seeing were fake; nothing but illusions.

"Three Swords Style; Black Rope Dragon Twister." Zoro called out as he slashed the air around him, embedding his swords with his armament haki in the process.

"where are you aiming? That's not even close to where I am." The magician scoffed confidently, but his smug demeanour faded as the swordsman grinned once again, staring directly at him.

"Oh, don't worry about my aim. I've already hit my target." Zoro replied, watching as his surroundings returned to normal, the cloud of smoke dissipating away. "And now that I know what your stupid smoke screen is capable of, I won't be falling for that same trick again."

He paused for a second, smirking at his enemy.

"Thanks Robin, I owe you one."

Robin smiled in response from behind him, crossing her arms across her chest as she readied her own attack on the man.

"Cien Fleur…" She began, but before she could perform a hold on the man she winced, a concentrated cloud of smoke surrounding her.

"Maybe you won't, but the same can't be said for your partner over there." He shot back at Zoro as he further deepened his hold on Robin's mind, distorting her perceptions more and more as each second went by.

"I wonder what she truly fears. Loneliness? Mockery? Betrayal perhaps?"

A confirming whimper came from Robin's lips, and the devil fruit user grinned.

"So that's it. She's scared of being cast aside. How adorable."

"You bastard, leave her out of this!" Zoro shouted back through gritted teeth as he rushed at him, katanas ready as he aimed for his throat.

At that moment Zoro knew what was going on in Robin's mind, and that caused him to see red as he slashed at the man in front of him.