Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait, I had the wrong disc for this chapter and I had to wait until I got my own computer. Now I just need to get the internet up and I'm set! Oh! While I was looking for the disc with this chapter in, I started typing up the next few chapters a head of time, so, expect more than one new chapter coming up, I hope it was worth the wait for you guys.

Robin: We're just glad everything was okay and that you're fine.

Thanks Robin. Well, enough of the wait then and let's get this going huh!? Enjoy!!


On the ground I lay

Motionless in pain

I can see my life flashing before my eyes

Dead, I fall asleep

Is this all a dream?

Wake me up!

I'm living in a nightmare…

I will not die (I will not die…)

I will survive!

) I will not die; I'll wait here for you!

I feel alive, when you're beside me!

I will not die; I'll wait here for you!

In my time of dying! (

On this bed I lay

Losing everything

I can see my life passing me by…

Was it all too much?

Or just not enough?

Wake me up!

I'm living a nightmare…

I will not die (I will not die…)

I will survive!

)( (3 times) – 3 Days Grace


Chapter 45: Gone Ahead

Deep in the mountains, there's a huge, old Japanese manor, with the planning completely abstract that made you feel like you're in a labyrinth. However the atmosphere was unsettling as ran pounded the blue tiled roof. Within the manor, there were tight hallways, stairs seem to break if stepped wrong, furniture covered in dust. A few turns down the hallways, whichever way, there's trails and spatters of dried, and some seemingly fresh blood on the walls, ceiling and floors. The whole area is dark as a midwinter's night, cold as death's hand, but this is not the worse of this place.

There are many doors, sliding, push out, pulling, large, wide, and small, child-like doors with normal or abnormally puzzled locks. But… there is only one door that leads to a small gravesite, the grave stones piled up on a mound, which lead to a shrine that's half as big as the manor itself. And within this shrine, through many secret doors, leads to an underground spiral staircase, where the shrilling sounds of cried out pain was heard and echoed off the walls. The only light was from the candles, emitting an eerie lighting with so many shadows.

At the bottom of the staircase of the hidden, underground area, there was a platform like stand that looked like it was used for rituals, for it was stained with blood of many before… and now fresh, bright crimson painted over aged black.

"Where is it!?" Crocodile shouted as he used his hook to create a deep gash on the teen's back with the other marks on the said back.

Luffy was chained from his wrists, a few inches off the stone platform, looking like he was crucified with his arms spread out. He didn't say anything which furiates the NighthunterLord.

"Where is the last clue, boy!?" He shouted while making a deep cut on the teen's upper thigh, which he held in a cry as he was breathing hard.

"Give it a rest…" Lucci said, who was sitting on a rock the whole time. "Do any more damage and we would have to wait for days."

Crocodile growled as he moved up to the stairs. "Put him in the Strangle Shrine!"

"Still think they're able to track?"

"There are a few things I hate about those Daywalkers!" He shouted as he went up. "One of those is their relentlessness of a vain cause!"

Lucci waited until the man was halfway up. "You've got a lot of guts, Luffy-kun, especially since you're a big talker…" He looked at the teen, covered in gashes, blood dripping to the floor, and eyes focused on the ground. He grabbed a wheel and turned it so the chain loosened and brought the body down. With that done he brought out a choker and chain, placed it around the teen's neck, took the chains off the wrists, and pulled the chain leash. "Get up! I know you can stand!"

Luffy slowly and reluctantly did and sluggishly followed the man to another pair of doors, which the man opened to see a long bridge to another pair of doors, which seemed to have an underground river below the bridge with a thick, evil air.

They walked the said bridge to the next pair of doors, which revealed a huge area with an opening at the top, about a mile above a small shrine, which was wet with the rain pouring down. They crossed another bridge to the shrine, which the area around looked like a huge lake with a small opening on the other side of the huge, open area. When they approached the shrine, the doors were opened by the man and showed some ropes on the ground and hanging in the ceiling, where there was also a hole where the rain came in.

"Get in!" Lucci ordered, as the teen, far too weak to fight back, did just that. "Hold your arms up!" The teen did, letting him tie the ropes, sacred ropes, around his wrists and neck, even did the other's ankles. "Just rest here, we'll be back to give you something to eat…" He said as he closed the doors, leaving the other bound in the dark with the rain pounding on him.

Not long after the doors were closed and he sensed the other was nowhere near the shrine, he started to cry quietly, tears mending with the rain. He looked up and saw that even the sky was black as night. "Help me… Zoro…" He whimpered. "Find me… Please…" He whined, unaware that a paled, masked figure was watching before disappearing like mist.


Somewhere in the mountains

Zoro woke up with a start and shot up from where he was sleeping. He looked to see that he didn't disturb anyone, mainly the blonde, as he quietly and quickly got some boots, his katanas and just grabbed his black jacket. He left the tent he was sharing and was about to leave when he saw Robin.

"Zoro-san?" She said. "What's your hurry?"

"It's Luffy…" He said, looking at her seriously. "He's in pain… I'm going on ahead to get him!"

She looked at him with a blank expression as she stepped aside. "Take care not to get yourself lost." She said with a smile.

He nodded as he ran towards the last time he was able to see the ribbon, towards the mountain.

"You're letting him go? Mihawk-san?" Robin asked as she looked to see the shadowed figure leaned up against the tree.

"There's nothing we could do to stop him, he is, after all, Luffy's 'friend'."

She chuckled. "True…"


The Next Morning

"NANI!?" Was the group response to what Mihawk told them.

"That baka!" Nami said.

"What the fuck is that Marimo thinking!?" Sanji said.

"Doesn't matter…" Shanks said seriously. "Let's keep going, hopefully we'll catch up with him."

"B-But what about his training thing?" Usopp asked.

"He'll be fine…" Mihawk said. "I've done what I can, the rest is for him to figure out."

"But…" The long nosed teen wasn't sure what to make of it, nor do the rest of the group.

"Let's move! Chopper, can you sniff out Zoro, since he's the recent lead we have."

"Y-Yes…" Chopper said as he turned into in reindeer form and start sniffing.


Somewhere about twenty miles from the group

Zoro was climbing up the side of the mountain cliff, and is currently halfway to the top. "Damn Nighthunters… Dame Ware-types… jumping at inhuman heights…" He said as he panted and climbed. "Seriously… I should be able to do that, but then again…" He got a few feet up from his last current spot. "I don't even know what the hell I'm capable of! Now that I'm fucking three things!" He took a few deep breaths as he continued to climb. "Talk about having an identity crisis…" He continued to climb until he made it to the edge, where he got to the ground of the edge, laid on his back, and breathed.

He looked at his hands, which were cut up from the sharp rocks and blood was covering them. 'I have to be careful not to lose too much blood… Luffy is going to need it soon…' He thought as he got up, concentrated on the red ribbon and ran towards the direction, where the clouds suddenly became dark and stormy. "Huh… Weird weather…" He thought when a person in a plain white mask suddenly appeared in front of him. He stopped and sensed something really off about the person. 'T-This is…' He paused in mid-thought before he felt like he was shot and blacked out.


It's building in me I feel it surfacing (surfacing…)

Am I becoming my impurities?

You turned to see

And look at me

I'm turning into what you see

)I'm changing inside

I'm changing inside

I wish I could take this away from me

I'm changing inside

I'm changing inside

The broken is finally surfacing(

I can feel it slowly changing me

I'm just a shell of who I used to be

You turned to see and look at me

I'm turning into what you see

)(

Surfacing…

Lay me down forever

Finally surfacing…

Lay me down forever

Finally surfacing! – Trust Company


Forgive me! (bows for forgiveness) I'm sorry!

Robin: We'll see you in the next chapter.

If I live…